Hammond, Michelle McKinney 1957-

PERSONAL:

Born 1957, in London, England; immigrated to the United States; daughter of George Hammond. Ethnicity: "African American."

ADDRESSES:

Home—Chicago, IL. Office—HeartWing Ministries, P.O. Box 11052, Chicago, IL 60611. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Harvest House Publishers, Inc., 900 Owen Loop N, Eugene, OR 97402-9173.

CAREER:

Public speaker and writer. HeartWing Ministries, Chicago, IL, founder and president. Cohost of television program Aspiring Women; associate creative director for Burrell Advertising, Chicago, IL.

AWARDS, HONORS:

U.S. Television Award; Creative Excellence in Black Advertising awards; Golden and Bronze ITVA-Philco awards; Windy Award.

WRITINGS:

What to Do until Love Finds You, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 1997.

Secrets of an Irresistible Woman, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 1998.

The Genius of Temptation, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 1998.

His Love Always Finds Me, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 1999.

The Power of Femininity, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 1999.

Get a Love Life, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2000.

If Men Are like Buses, Then How Do I Catch One?, Multnomah Publishers (Sisters, OR), 2000.

Prayer Guide for the Brokenhearted: Comfort and Healing on the Way to Wholeness, Vine Books (Ann Arbor, MI), 2000.

How to Be Blessed and Highly Favored: Living Richly under the Smile of God, WaterBrook Press (Colorado Springs, CO), 2001.

Intimate Thoughts, Whispered Prayers: Meditations for the Single Heart, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2001, published as Intimate Reflections, Whispered Prayers, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2001.

What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2001.

Where Are You, God?, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2002.

Why Do I Say "Yes" When I Need to Say "No"?, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2002.

Wounded Hearts—Renewed Hope, artwork by Katia Andreeva, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2002.

Get Over It and On with It!: How to Get Up When Life Knocks You Down, WaterBrook Press (Colorado Springs, CO), 2002

(With Joel A. Brooks, Jr.) The Unspoken Rules of Love: What Women Don't Know and Men Don't Tell You, WaterBrook Press (Colorado Springs, CO), 2003.

Sassy, Single & Satisfied, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2003.

101 Ways to Get and Keep His Attention, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2003.

(With Holly Virden) If Singleness Is a Gift, What's the Return Policy?, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 2003.

In Search of the Proverbs 31 Man: The One God Approves and a Woman Wants, WaterBrook Press (Colorado Springs, CO), 2003.

The Power of Being a Woman, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2004.

Finding Ms. Right, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2004.

The Diva Principle, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2004.

Release the Pain, Embrace the Joy, Regal Books (Ventura, CA), 2005.

Unveiling the Diva Mystique, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2005.

Ending the Search for Mr. Right, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2005.

How to Avoid 10 Mistakes Single Women Make, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2006.

The Last Ten Percent, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2006.

Also author of the play Love Talk, performed by Chicago Theater Company.

ADAPTATIONS:

Unveiling the Diva Mystique has been made into an audiobook, Oasis Audio (Carol Stream, IL), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Michelle McKinney Hammond was born in London, England, but when she was two years old her parents divorced, and she was sent to Barbados to live with her maternal aunt and uncle and her grandmother. She lost contact with her father, George Ham- mond, during this time and did not see him again for many years. Hammond's mother, who had gone to England to finish her education, returned to Barbados for her daughter five years later, having married William McKinney. The family then moved to Michigan, where Hammond grew up. When she was fourteen years old, a family member coincidentally bumped into Hammond's father during a trip to Africa. Hammond has been in touch with him ever since, often visiting him in Africa where he resides.

From the time of adolescence and into later years, Hammond went through many difficult relationships with men she hoped, according to her interview with Camerin Courtney on ChristianityToday.com, would "validate my existence." She desperately wanted a husband. The relationships ultimately would end, and she would find herself alone again and miserable. "But, eventually," Hammond continued in the interview, "I got tired of being sick and tired.… So I started consciously choosing happiness every day."

It is by building upon this premise, as well as on her strong religious beliefs, that Hammond has created a ministry that focuses on helping women, especially single women, to appreciate their own worth. With this concept in mind, she created a Web site, maintains a very full schedule as a motivational speaker, and has written several books. One of the main themes in all of Hammond's endeavors can be found in her statement to Courtney: "Finding a mate becomes less important when we find joy and meaning." She continued: "It's about fulfilling our God-given purpose—what we were created to do and be. Only then will you find true peace and satisfaction—whether you're married or not."

Hammond wrote her first book, What to Do until Love Finds You, during a four-year period of rehabilitation in which she was mostly immobile, after being hit by a van. She chose to write on this topic because she had been unable to find a satisfactory book with a religious perspective that addressed the difficulties of being single. One year later Hammond wrote Secrets of an Irresistible Woman, the theme of which, Hammond told Courtney, is "get a life!" Instead of waiting for a man to fulfill a woman, Hammond suggested, women should make their lives as interesting as possible on their own. Only then will they attract someone who is equally exciting. When people get married, she stated, they "strengthen each other," by blending their "talents and interests." She went on to suggest that women should try to discover what their talents are before they get married.

In 2000 Hammond published three books. One of her more memorable titles, If Men Are like Buses, Then How Do I Catch One?, teaches single women how to stay balanced while looking for a mate. Her teachings in this book reflect her philosophy of life: strive for personal integrity and self-responsibility and never forget the old adage that all that glitters is not gold.

What Becomes of the Brokenhearted? was published the following year, and Hammond has continued to write prolifically about Christianity, women, and relationships. In How to Be Blessed and Highly Favored: Living Richly under the Smile of God, the author speaks to women about God's blessings and points to Jesus's mother Mary as an example of a woman receiving God's blessing by following His way. "Hammond's thoughts on ‘blessings’ communicate promise and are biblically sound," wrote a Publishers Weekly contributor. Hammond refers to various biblical figures such as Job and Ruth as examples of how to move on with life following serious problems. She discusses this same issue in Get Over It and On with It!: How to Get Up When Life Knocks You Down. The book is divided into six sections with detailed instructions on how to overcome various difficult challenges. Anthony Granberry, writing in Black Issues Book Review, commented that the book "not only gives sound advice, it illustrates Hammond's evolution as a gifted writer." Hammond looks at both sides of the male-female relationship in her two books Ending the Search for Mr. Right and Finding Ms. Right. Library Journal contributor Deborah Bigelow noted that in both books the author "advises Christian singles on establishing themselves as whole people."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Black Enterprise, November, 2004, Tanisha A. Sykes, review of Get Over It and On with It!: How to Get Up When Life Knocks You Down, p. 188.

Black Issues Book Review, July, 2001, Johnnie Roberts, "Healing for Those Hurt by Love," p. 64; January-February, 2003, Anthony Granberry, review of Get Over It and On with It!, p. 72.

Library Journal, January 1, 2005, Deborah Bigelow, reviews of Finding Ms. Right and Ending the Search for Mr. Right, p. 134.

Publishers Weekly, April 10, 2000, review of If Men Are like Buses, Then How Do I Catch One?, p. 95; July 23, 2001, review of How to Be Blessed and Highly Favored: Living Richly under the Smile of God, p. 71.

Today's Christian Woman, September, 2001, "Five Minutes with Michelle McKinney Hammond," p. 136; March-April, 2003, Corrie Cutrer, review of Get Over It and On with It!, p. 76.

ONLINE

CBN.com,http://www.parable.com/cbn/ (May 25, 2006), "Michelle McKinney Hammond: Exclusive Interview."

ChristianityToday.com,http://www.christianitytoday.com/ (May 25, 2006), Camerin Courtney, "Sassy, Single & Satisfied: Author Michelle McKinney Hammond Dishes on Men, Marriage, and Why She Loves Being a Woman"; "Five Minutes with … Michelle McKinney Hammond"; and "Take Five: Michelle McKinney Hammond."

Crosswalk.com,http://women.crosswalk.com/ (May 25, 2006), Lori Smith, "Michelle McKinney Hammond Speaks."

Michelle McKinney Hammond Home Page,http://www.michellehammond.com (May 25, 2006).

Speak Up Speakers Services,http://www.speakupspeakerservices.com/ (May 25, 2006), brief profile of the author.