Vanessa Echols

Vanessa Echols spent 40 years as a television news anchor in Tennessee, Georgia and Florida before retiring and writing her debut best selling book, We're In Heaven, And I Have Some Questions. Vanessa takes readers on a journey to imagine being in Heaven and encountering some of the great heroes from the Bible. The twist is that these are some of the more humorous questions asked in these Heavenly conversations. And there's space for readers to ask their own questions as well.

Vanessa is the recipient of three Suncoast Emmy Awards and has received a Black Podcasting Award and an Anthem Award for a podcast she created and hosted, Colorblind: Race Across Generations, where she and a panel of guests engaged in those uncomfortable, yet honest conversations about race.

Vanessa is a committed advocate for Breast Cancer education after being diagnosed in 2004. While in Florida, she founded Compassionate Hands and Hearts Breast Cancer Outreach to provide financial assistance to patients in treatment for breast cancer.

When she's not writing or reading one of several books always close by, Vanessa is cheering on her beloved Alabama Crimson Tide football team and mentoring the next generation of young journalists.