About the Book

Book: Routed to Heaven: How Near-Death Experiences, Afterlife Testimonies And Heavenly Insights Can Help You Live With Intention Author: Julie Bonn Blank Genre: NF (Memoir, Devo, Christian Living) Release Date: February 21, 2026

Book PB Covers (12.878 x 9.25 in) – ROUTED PB 12.878 KDP

What happens when Heaven doesn’t just reveal itself—but sends you back with a mission? In Routed to Heaven, Julie Bonn Blank shares the moments that changed everything: a sudden medical crisis, clinical death, and a breathtaking encounter with Jesus Himself. Standing in Heaven, overwhelmed by love and beauty beyond words, Julie received a message that would redirect the course of her life: “There is still so much work to be done.” But this book is far more than one extraordinary near-death or afterlife experience. Routed to Heaven weaves together over twenty additional powerful testimonies from people who briefly crossed into eternity—children healed after death, abuse survivors guided by the Holy Spirit, one person sent back to earth for a do-over, and believers who stood at Heaven’s gates and returned forever changed. These stories affirm what so many long for in uncertain times: Heaven is real. God is near. And our lives matter more than we realize. What sets this book apart is its purpose. Each testimony is paired with Julie’s honest, compassionate reflections that address the real-life obstacles keeping believers from living with eternal focus—fear, grief, trauma, unforgiveness, mental health struggles, waiting on God, spiritual warfare, and more. With wisdom shaped by personal suffering and years of ministry, Julie doesn’t just inspire—she equips. At the heart of the book is what she calls the Heaven-Minded Mission Manifesto—a practical framework designed to help readers stop sleepwalking through life and begin living with bold Kingdom intention. Through prayer, worship, gratitude, belief, and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, readers are invited to move from survival to activated faith. With thoughtful Pause & Ponder sections at the end of each chapter, Routed to Heaven becomes more than a book—it becomes a journey of awakening. For those who want to go deeper, the Companion Study Guide expands on these reflections with guided questions, scripture exploration, and practical exercises—making it ideal for personal growth, small groups, or church studies. If you’ve ever wondered whether Heaven is real… If you’ve questioned whether your life has greater purpose… If you’re longing for hope, healing, or renewed fire for God… This book—and its companion guide—are your invitation. Heaven is watching. The time is short. And your mission matters.

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About the Author

Julie Bonn Blank is the Bestselling Amazon author of Routed to Heaven: How Near-Death Experiences, Afterlife Testimonies And Heavenly Insights Can Help You Live With Intention and a fiction suspense series which highlights healing from human trafficking. She is a sought-after speaker, certified domestic violence advocate, near-death experience survivor, and founder of the advanced, faith-based interactive trauma recovery program Broken Souls Restored—a résumé she never planned on assembling, but the plot kept thickening and life hit “publish” anyway.

More from Julie

When Julie returned from visiting heaven in August of 2024, she received a list of three things (to apparently start a list of many more lol) and one of those was to gather the stories and write “Routed to Heaven.” She was shocked to discover that while she was exuberant about her heavenly trip and couldn’t wait to share more, many others had experienced visits over the years and became hesitant to talk about their journeys due to misbelief or even put-downs from other people. But the Lord had placed within her heart that not only was it her job to round them up and get them into paper format, but to build a community. And that community had a special role on earth as well as upcoming in Heaven. She began many conversations with, “Hey I went to Heaven and I hear you might have had an experience too.” Even then, sometimes people hesitated. She found cases of “Well, your heart actually stopped and I don’t think mine did so mine was just a vision” or “I barely remember any of mine …” Over time, she was honored to help over twenty people write their stories for their inclusion in “Routed to Heaven.” People now seek her out specifically at times to tell their stories and she also finds people with stories in some interesting places, including funerals and grocery stores. You just never know! But there are many more stories out there and she continues to gather them for book 2, as well as for other purposes.

Interview with the Author

Did you use a functional outline, or was it just chaos that somehow worked?

I still do not know how the chaos came together except that it was a God-thing. As I reviewed other people’s stories and started writing a reflection after each one, a pattern developed and God arranged the scenario of three fundamentals we all need to consider, ten blocks preventing us from finding, initiating or maintaining our mission manifestos and ten tools we can all use to implement it successfully. Of course, as with most everything I write, healing from trauma and abuse plays a part and what do you know—it all works together anyway. 😊

What’s one writing rule you believe in and one you think is made to be broken?

My critique groups calls me the “passive voice police.” Ha ha. That is one writing rule I believe strongly in because my words felt naturally passive and when I learned and activated the concept of removing passivity as much as possible, it elevated my quality several levels. Now that I practice continuously, those words stand out like a beacon and call out: please.fix.me.as.soon.as.possible! I want everyone to understand how working on this issue can improve their work, whether fiction or nonfiction.

I also have several “lazy words” and it seems that all the writers I work with also struggle. For me, it was “had, put, get, should, could, would, that…” They are words we rely on too much and place into our work without thinking, disrupting the flow of creativity. It can always be written better. Look at the difference between: “she put the book on the shelf” and “she tossed” or “she shoved” or “she lovingly set.” A world of difference. “Put” really tells us nothing.

People ask, “how do you get away with not using had when something is in past tense and it needs to be obvious?” My answer is to use it once, at the top/first sentence of that paragraph or section and then write without it. The reader only needs it once to orient themselves correctly in your story. Otherwise, after the third one in the paragraph, your reader is wondering “hey, why did this slow down? I’m skipping the rest of this paragraph.” Eventually, they stop reading entirely.

Regarding a rule that needs strewn into the ocean: your personal story. It depends on what you are writing of course, but we are far past the days when we were never to use ourselves as examples or share our testimonies. I started in journalism and I think as a result, I always offer other sources in addition to mine because that builds the strongest bridge to the message. But we each have life wisdom to impart and as long as we can do it without sounding preachy, the reader benefits.

What are you working on next?

I just finished a Heaven picture book and have started crafting the chapters of the second Routed anthology book. I also am writing advanced abuse recovery curriculum and more Bible Studies. 😊

Thank you, Sandra! I appreciate the chance to stop in and chat!