Every Grain of Sand

2020 Eric Hoffer Grand Prize ShortList Finalist, Montaigne Medal Finalist, Horizon Award Finalist

Finalist LGBTQ Non-Fiction 2020 International Book Awards

Maxy Award Non-Fiction Finalist

“Every Grain of Sand is a heartbreaking memoir that I could not put down, a story of pain, of the search for one’s place in the world, and of the transformative power of forgiveness. David Wichman has lived a thousand lives—some agonizing, some sublime—and we’re lucky he survived them all with his talent and compassion intact.”
—Dave Holmes, writer, producer, and television personality; editor-at-large, Esquire; author of Party of One: A Memoir in 21 Songs

Sexual healer and entrepreneur David P. Wichman has lived through it all: childhood abuse, foster care, homelessness, survival sex work, and the blackest pits of drug and alcohol addiction. Despite the darkness, he found a profound sense of purpose as a male escort, but not the type of provider often seen in the news. His approach to sex work transcended common shame-based belief systems as he brought compassionate intimacy to marginalized men, including the elderly, disabled, and traumatized, illustrating a universal need for true connection.

After white-collar crime landed him in jail, David resolved to finally conquer the sense of brokenness that had been driving him to self-destruction throughout his life. In his moving memoir, he recounts how his recovery and spiritual journey have revealed to him his inherent wholeness and worth, a message of love and belonging that he now carries to others. Every Grain of Sand is a celebration of restoration to a life of joy, gratitude, and wonder.

David Wichman is an author, speaker, sexual healer, and entrepreneur passionate about his message. He is respected and well-known all over the world to those who seek to renew themselves and explore ways to live a fulfilling life free of stigma, shame, and fear around sex, love, and intimacy. Raised in Fremont, California, David survived a childhood marked by severe neglect and physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The trauma of his early life led him into years of homelessness, alcoholism, and drug addiction. After decades of struggle and rehabilitation failures, he finally obtained freedom from his addiction in 2005. He remains an active member in New Thought and recovery movements to this day. In 2006, when David began his journey into sex work, unbeknownst to him he found his calling. While working with sometimes marginalized men, such as seniors, the disabled, and those with severe intimacy issues, he discovered the profound transformational power that sex work creates for both client and provider. In 2009, David founded travel-companion company The Male Adventure through which he has accompanied clients on life-changing adventures to all seven continents. His trips have featured safaris in the Serengeti, bungee jumping in New Zealand, swimming with humpback whales in Tonga, treks to mountain gorillas in Uganda, and much more. He believes his connection to conservation, wildlife, and different cultures has given him a more intuitive ability to respond to the human condition. He is an activist, vocal ally, and grateful member of the LGBTQI2 community and stays connected to current or emerging issues that dominate marginalized communities. He is a passionate fundraiser for HIV- and AIDS-related causes and other nonprofits supporting other-abled persons and benefiting animal rescues. In 2011, he created and began facilitating a workshop called "Sex, Love, and Intimacy: Writing Your Way to New Relationships" for recovery conferences and retreats. Groups have used his highly sought-after writing workshop in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Sydney, Australia, with great success. In 2016, David and his partners, Carl and Todd, founded Heal-VR, a software development company that merges ancient spiritual principles and meditation techniques with modern virtual reality technology. Heal-VR creates content that offers users a deeper and more profound meditative experience. Undergirding all of David's personal and professional efforts has been a deep and abiding mystical spirituality. He is currently a student of the Course in Miracles and utilizes New Thought practices, such as life visioning, creative visualization, and meditation. While he has studied the works of many modern healers, his deeper healing in recovery has been under the guidance of his spiritual mentor, T. J. Woodward. David's spiritual practices have brought him an overwhelming sense of gratitude and an unending wealth of forgiveness and joy on his journey to true wholeness. David lives with his partners and their three dogs in the Coachella Valley area of California.

Heather Ebert is a professional writer based in Nashville, Tennessee. She has more than fifteen years' experience in print and digital publishing and has written for a variety of publications. Heather specializes in memoir, fiction, and narrative nonfiction, helping nonwriters tell their stories with power and beauty. She has written eight other books to date. One of her recently published books is Sole Survivor: The inspiring true story of coming face to face with the infamous Railroad Killer by Holly K. Dunn with Heather Ebert (Diversion Books, November 7, 2017). Learn more at heatherebert.com.