WELCOME

We (Kate and Leon) welcome you to this matrix of possibilities, all centered on relationships. Here you will find information about our two books, If Only I Could Tell You and Heartscapes, and our emphasis on the role of feelings about past loves in the journey toward spiritual and emotional growth.

The experience of loving–and being loved by–a special someone brings with it some of life’s most transcendent moments, as well as its most wrenching disappointments. Love reveals us, and, at the same time, shapes us. We are changed by it, and we carry that transformation with us as we move forward.

During the course of a loving relationship, most of us put time and energy into coming to know the other person, while opening to that person. Love can be seen as a dance of knowing and being known, a dance that reveals both what we choose to show and, sometimes, unintentionally, what we would rather not. That dance is influenced by the tension between wanting to be emotionally close to someone and being wary–some would even admit to being terrified–of being "too close." But for most of us, being deeply known by another, and knowing that other person (true intimacy), although desired, has been elusive.

Here, our focus is on pathways to meaningful relationships. As a couple, we have looked deeply into our own histories, especially the nature of our previous failures to achieve real intimacy. We have interviewed dozens of women and men, read hundreds of people’s memories and stories, all for the purpose of shedding light on the question of why real intimacy is important–and why it is necessarily elusive. We feel we have found at least part of what is true.

Our intent, then, is to open conversation. We hope that the books and material presented here help you on your own journey toward finding your part of the truth. Perhaps something here will change forever the way you think about your past loves.

HEARTSCAPES: True Stories of Remembered Love This anthology is a keyhole that invites readers to peek into the usually private space that harbors memories of past loves. In Heartscapes over one hundred and fifty women and men of all ages tell evocative true stories about earlier sweethearts. Selected from nearly 800 entries in the annual Past Loves Day Story Contests, 2007-2011, the stories express the hopeful, delightful and often mystical nature of attraction, as well as the heartache of parting and subsequent loss.

Although there is a cultural bias that suggests otherwise, it is natural to have fond memories—and feelings—about earlier loves. In this book, you will hear how twenty-eight women and men make choices about whether to talk about past loves in a current relationship. It offers a new perspective that will enable you to encounter, in a more conscious way, your own feelings about past loves, questions of intimacy, and the meeting place between the two.

PAST LOVES DAYLearn about September 17, a special day to honor and celebrate past loves

PAST LOVES STORY CONTESTAnnual contest, sponsored by our imprint, Spruce Mountain Press. An opportunity for anyone to tell a true story about fond memories of a past love–and maybe win a cash prize!

The why and how of our print-on-demand approach to producing our publications

ACCIDENTAL MYSTICSComing (we hope) in late fall: an opportunity for you to listen in on "Anatomy of a Relationship" a special series of personal conversations that explore our journey as a couple.

ABOUT USWe have immersed ourselves in a mostly unexamined area of intimate relationships. Throughout our marriage, we have unveiled and explored feelings that endure from our most cherished earlier loves. Added to that unique experience is the insight we gained from profoundly personal interviews with women and men who were willing to discover and reveal the truth of where their hearts have traveled. Our unusual perspective is enlightening, challenging and inspiring.