Early Praise for A Tree with My Name on It

“Those who have the good fortune to call Victress a true friend know that she is someone who lives life with an open heart and with courage. A Tree with My Name on It: Finding a Way Home invites us to learn about her life — an authentic story of a person living in this world as well as a heroine’s journey to self-discovery. It is both inspiring and engaging.” 
Anam Thubten, Buddhist teacher and author — No Self, No Problem, The Magic of Awareness, and Into the Haunted Ground: A Guide to Cutting the Root of Suffering.

“This beautifully rendered memoir tells the story of Victress Hitchcock’s two years on a remote ranch in a Rocky Mountain valley, home to harsh winters, and equally tough, big-hearted characters. A skilled storyteller and chronicler of human relationships, she tells us in lyrical prose and unexpected humor, how she boldly pulled back layer after layer of built-up armor around her heart leaving an opening wide enough for tenderness to emerge.  A poem of a memoir about what it means to be an American woman, an engaged Buddhist, and a fully alive, open-hearted human being.”
Brad Wetzler, Author — Into the Soul of the World, My Journey to Healing

“A riveting intimate tale of a woman's journey in search of a home, in her body, in her spirit and in the land. A Tree with My Name on It is a vividly written, heart wrenching deep dive into life itself in all its beauty and complexity. I couldn't put it down and, in the end, I felt deeply enriched and touched by her honesty and wise heart.”
Tsultrim Allione, Author — Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Sacred Feminine

“I know the ancient magic of the Wet Mountains where Victress Hitchcock lived at Lookout Valley Ranch, and the warmth and wisdom of the neighbors and friends that we shared. With A Tree with My Name on It: Finding a Way Home, she tells her story of that time and place with candor and courage. Her memoir is as compelling and profound as the rugged and spacious landscape that inspired it.” 
Carol Ann Wilson, Author — Still Point of the Turning World: The Life of Gia-fu Feng

“Compelling and beautifully written, this spiritual memoir is the courageous account of a woman’s transformation while living on a remote Colorado mountain ranch. Both inspiring and heart rending, Victress brings you along on her extraordinary journey -- a powerful story about healing, resilience, and finding inner freedom.”
Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle, Author — Ley Lines of Love: Adventures Along the Spiritual Path

“In this vibrantly woven reflection about inner healing, Victress allows us to experience her grief and the wounds caused by childhood tragedy in a vulnerable and open-hearted way.  She opens up the reservoir of pain enabling the reader to experience the transformation that unfolds through her newfound relationship with herself and acceptance of life, as it is. Her presence is as solid as the tree that stands amidst the aspen and pines with her name on it.”  
Irma Velasquez, Author — Fish Dreams: A Mother’s Journey from Curing Her Son’s Autism to Loving Him as He Is

“A Tree with My Name on It is a heartrending tale of more than survival in a wilderness. The author takes us along her path of self-discovery in an unknown wild space on a ranch in Colorado. It is an identity crisis of later life, a heroic journey that inspires through tough and beautiful times. She is a friend telling us how it was, a storyteller of the soul, allowing us to also find our inner strength. I thank her.”
Karen Roberts, Author — The Blossoming of Women, A Workbook on Growing from Older to Elder

“A heart-wrenching and healing story that embraces pain and joy in equal measures. Victress weaves a powerful tale that draws you in, inviting you to be deeply engaged in her journey of self-discovery. Her story is one of profound wounds that alter her life in an inescapable way. I was moved deeply at the way she learns to embrace her pain, to confront the agony of her trauma and to love both the woman she is and the woman she aspires to become. A truly incredible story.” 
Jesse Rene Gibbs, Author — Girl Hidden

“A Tree with My Name on It is a raw, courageous, and initiatory memoir for our times, a beautifully written account full of pain, liberation, compassion, and wisdom.  This is the story of a woman who stood at the edge of the abyss and didn't blink. In a compelling narrative start to finish, the author insightfully intertwines her journey of loss, healing, and transformation with the adventures and challenges of ranch life in the mountains of Southern Colorado, working with horses and teaching meditation to prisoners in a nearby Federal Prison.”
Fleet Maull, Author — Radical Responsibility and Dharma in Hell, founder of Prison Dharma Network.

“A Tree with My Name on It: Finding A Way Home brings us into a wild, unpredictable adventure on a ranch in the mountains of Colorado. Readers are welcomed into this world with beautifully rendered details of the struggles and joys and challenges… gems of wisdom are sprinkled throughout. The author’s inner search for home is very familiar and I benefited greatly from reading this poignant journey. Bravo for all of us to have such a guide.”
Judy Vasos, Author — My Dear Good Rosi: Letters from Nazi Occupied Holland 1940-1943

“This is a book that can’t be put down. Hitchcock’s commanding storytelling, the weaving of her life, the humans who touch her tender soul, the horses who help to heal her heart and the ever-changing landscape of the valley together create a profound and transformative tale.”
Jackie Ashley, LPC, BC-DMT, ACS, ESMHL — Somatic and Equine Facilitated Therapist