“I’m not supposed to tell you this, but we were told not to give your family any encouragement. They didn’t think Colton was going to make it. And when they tell us people aren’t going to make it, they don’t.” – Hospital nurse

For the week of December 3, 2010, Heaven Is for Real by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent will be listed as the #3 nonfiction paperback on the New York Times Best Seller List.

In March 2003, Todd and Sonja Burpo were on the verge of their worst nightmare – losing a child. Their 4-year-old son Colton’s appendix had unknowingly burst days before, and he was now fighting a life-threatening infection. To save Colton, surgery was the only option. But what would happen during that surgery was more than healing through modern medicine.

Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Thomas Nelson, 978-0-8499-4615-8, $16.99, November 2010) is the true story of the Burpo family and Colton, who during his life-threatening illness and sudden surgery, slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He narrowly survives. Several months later while passing by the same hospital that saved him, Colton begins talking about his experiences during surgery and making a trip to heaven. The family didn’t know what to believe, but soon the evidence was clear.

Written in the first-person narrative of Colton’s father, Todd, and by New York Times best-selling author Lynn Vincent, Heaven Is for Real walks readers through the revelation of Colton’s trip, his parent’s initial uncertainties, and the lessons learned by such a small child.

“The early success of this amazing book proves once again that strong sales on unknown authors are indeed still possible in a tough economy,” says Matt Baugher, Thomas Nelson Vice President and Publisher. “When a positive, miraculous story such as this one makes itself known, the word-of-mouth promotion happens rapidly. Interestingly, the Bible makes it clear that all of us must be like little children to inherit the kingdom of God. With that in mind, who better than a child to provide a brief glimpse into eternity and life beyond the veil of our current reality? It’s a fascinating true story. The fact that it appeared on the list so quickly speaks to the power of strong content in an otherwise saturated marketplace. It’s a privilege to have this book on our list.”

Todd Burpo is pastor of Crossroads Wesleyan and a volunteer fireman. His wife Sonja is a children’s minister, busy pastor’s wife, and mom. Colton, an active eleven year old, has an older sister Cassie and a younger brother Colby.

Lynn Vincent is the New York Times bestselling writer of Same Kind of Different as Me and Going Rogue: An American Life. The author or coauthor of nine books, Vincent worked for eleven years as senior writer, then features editor, at the national news biweekly WORLD Magazine where she covered politics, culture, and current events. A U.S. Navy veteran, Lynn is also a lecturer in writing at the World Journalism Institute and The King’s College in New York City.

TODD BURPO IS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW.

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