Mark is the founder of the MEGA Seminar Series. MEGA Book Marketing University and Building Your MEGA Speaking Empire are annual conferences where Mark coaches and teaches new and aspiring authors, speakers and experts on building lucrative publishing and speaking careers. Other MEGA events include MEGA Marketing Magic and My MEGA Life.
He has appeared on television (Oprah, CNN and The Today Show), in print (Time, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, New York Times and Entrepreneur) and on countless radio interviews, assuring our planet’s people that, “You can easily create the life you deserve.”
As a philanthropist and humanitarian, Mark works tirelessly for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, March of Dimes, Childhelp USA and many others. He is the recipient of numerous awards that honor his entrepreneurial spirit, philanthropic heart and business acumen. He is a lifetime member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, an organization that honored Mark with the prestigious Horatio Alger Award for his extraordinary life achievements.
Mark Victor Hansen is an enthusiastic crusader of what’s possible and is driven to make the world a better place.
Mark Victor Hansen & Associates, Inc.
P.O. Box 7665
Newport Beach, CA 92658
phone: 949-764-2640
fax: 949-722-6912
Visit Mark online at: www.markvictorhansen.com
Who Is Heather McNamara?
What began for Heather as a part-time freelancing job in 1995 turned into a full-time job as editorial director for Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises in 1996. She coauthored Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul and Chicken Soup for the Sister’s Soul.
“I feel so fortunate to have a job that brings joy to so many people,” Heather says. Her love of literature grew from her third-grade teacher Mrs. Lutsinger, who read to the children every day after lunch.
Today Heather owns her own home in a rural outpost of the San Fernando Valley, where she enjoys the panoramic view of the valley, her garden and her four dogs—all adopted strays. Her oldest dog, an abandoned “junkyard” dog, continues to patrol her yard, despite the fact that “he is blind in one eye and doesn’t hear so well. But he still has a good sniffer,” Heather proclaims.
Heather and her husband Rick are expecting their first child in July 2005.
You can reach Heather at:
Self-Esteem Seminars
P.O. Box 30880
Santa Barbara, CA 93130
phone: 818-833-1954
Who Is Marci Shimoff?
Marci Shimoff is coauthor of the New York Times bestsellers Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul, Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul I and II, A Second Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul, and Chicken Soup for the Single’s Soul. She is a top-rated professional speaker who, for the last eighteen years, has inspired thousands of people with her message of personal and professional growth. Since 1994 she has specialized in delivering Chicken Soup for the Soul keynote speeches to audiences around the world.
Marci is cofounder and president of The Esteem Group, a company specializing in self-esteem and inspirational programs for women. She has been a featured speaker for numerous professional organizations, universities, women’s associations, health-care organizations and Fortune 500 companies. Her clients have included AT&T, American Airlines, Sears, Junior League, the Pampered Chef, Jazzercise and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Her audiences appreciate her lively humor, her dynamic delivery and her ability to open hearts and uplift spirits.
Marci combines her energetic and engaging style with a strong knowledge base. She earned her MBA from UCLA; she also studied in the United States and Europe to earn an advanced certificate as a stress-management consultant.
In 1983, Marci coauthored a highly acclaimed study of the fifty top businesswomen in America. Since that time, she has specialized in addressing women’s audiences, focusing on helping women discover the extraordinary within themselves.
Creating Chicken Soup for the Soul books and sharing their message of love, hope and laughter in keynote speeches has been especially fulfilling for Marci. Currently at work on a book about living with an open heart, she feels blessed to bring inspiration to millions of people throughout the world.
To schedule Marci for a Chicken Soup for the Soul keynote address or seminar, you can reach her at:
The Esteem Group
57 Bayview Drive
San Rafael, CA 94901
phone: 415-789-1300 • fax: 415-789-1309
Web site: www.marcishimoff.com
Contributors
A few of the stories in this book were taken from previously published sources, such as books, magazines and newspapers. These sources are acknowledged in the permissions section. If you would like to contact any of the contributors for information about their writing or would like to invite them to speak in your community, look for their contact information included in their biographies.
The remainder of the stories were submitted by readers of our previous Chicken Soup for the Soul books who responded to our requests for stories.We have also included information about them.
Carolyn Armistead, mother of two daughters, lives and writes in a rural suburb of Boston. Her writing has appeared in several magazines and the books 365 Ways to Connect with Your Kids (2000) and Shape Your Life (2003). She is currently pursuing her MFA at the University of Southern Maine.
Rita Billbe is a retired high school principal. She and her husband own a resort, Angels Retreat, on the White River in northern Arkansas. She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Sister’s Soul and Journal of American Donkey and Mule Society. She is currently working on a devotional book, Prayer by Principal.
Mary Kay Blakely is the author of the critically acclaimed memoirs Wake Me When It’s Over: A Journey to the Edge and Back and American Mom: Motherhood, Politics, and Humble Pie. She writes regularly for national magazines and newspapers. She currently teaches magazine writing at the Missouri School of Journalism and iswriting a book on political depression “for otherwise healthy people who feel traumatized by the news.”
Arthur Bowler, a U.S./Swiss citizen and graduate of Harvard Divinity School, is a writer and speaker in English and German. His work has appeared in several bestselling anthologies and in a bestseller in Switzerland. Look for his book A Prayer and a Swear and visit his Web site: www.arthurbowler.ch.
Jean Brody received her B.S. degree in journalism from Washington University and graduate degree in education. This is her eighth story in a Chicken Soup for the Soul publication. Scholastic publications recently bought one of her stories for their nonfiction From the Inside Out. Another of her stories will appear in If Life Is a Game, These Are the Stories, published by Andrew McMeel. Other books by Jean Brody are Braille Me and two books for children on minority pride. Jean lives with her husband Gene and Miss Aggie cat on their thoroughbred horse farm in Kentucky.
LindaCarol Cherken is a lifelong Philadelphian. Her writing has taken her from an interview with the Beatles for her school paper to weekly food and health columns for the Philadelphia Daily News to a syndicated advice column. Today she writes features for newspapers and magazines, including essays for several of the Chicken Soup books.
Anne S. Cook lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children. She is the author of the novel Sounds of the Sea and a collection of holiday short stories, Christmas Promises. Readers can contact her at Booksbycook.com.
Bonnie Davidson, M.Ed., is a full-time real estate agent and college instructor, living in a coastal community in Massachusetts. Bonnie is the mother of three. Her passions include breast cancer advocacy and husband, Paul. Please e-mail her at
[email protected] Karen Driscoll lives with her husband and their four children in Connecticut. Her work has been published in Woman’sWorld; Brain, Child; Chicken Soup for the Soul; Chocolate for a Woman’s Soul; Angels on Earth; Mothering Magazine; and the anthology, Toddler. She can be reached at
[email protected] Gerrie Edwards’ prime interest in life is clarifying the stereotyped Indian. As Eagle Clan’s “Grandmother Two Bears,” she delights children with classroom presentations and storytelling. Her work appears monthly on the Internet at www.healinghandsoflight.com, and she has written a book, The Story Teller, Native American History and Stories.
Linda Ellerbee is an outspoken journalist, award-winning television producer, bestselling author, one of the most sought-after speakers in America, a breast cancer survivor and a mom. Her book, Take Big Bites: Adventures Around the World and Across the Table, was released in May 2005.
Debbie Farmer is the author of the nationally syndicated column “Family Daze.” Her essays have appeared in Family Fun Magazine, Family Circle, the Washington Post, Reader’s Digest, several Chicken Soup anthologies and hundreds of regional parenting publications around the world. For more information, or to sign up for a free monthly “Family Daze” e-column, visit her Web site at www.familydaze.com.
J. T. Fenn is a longtime entrepreneur and aspiring screenwriter who has written for several animated television series that still air on Nickelodeon. Someday he may venture to publish some of the other children’s stories that are gathering dust in his file cabinet. Feel free to e-mail J.T. at
[email protected] Bonnie Feuer had her own column (“Wisdom and Warmth”) in several newspapers and was published in Better Health Magazine. She won Better Health’s Writer of the Year with her story, “Silver Linings.” Employed by the board of education, she is currently writing an interactive book for children.
Rusty Fischer is a freelance writer who lives with his beautiful wife, Martha, in Orlando, Florida. This is his third story to be published in a Chicken Soup book.
Dorothy Gilchrest is married and the mother of two. She holds a B.S. in occupational education and is presently self-employed as a radiographer in occupational medicine. Her inspirational writing has produced journal articles as well as nostalgic lifetime stories and poetry offering spiritual balance between work and family.
Marian Gormley is a freelance writer and photographer whose work has appeared in regional and national publications. She has a background in software engineering, public relations and marketing. She enjoys writing about issues related to parenting and family life, education, and health. Marian resides in northern Virginia with her husband and twin children.
Jennifer Graham lives in the Chicago suburbs where she teaches writing and communications at both Benedictine University and Robert Morris College. She is grateful to her husband, son and, especially, her daughter for allowing her to publish such a personal story. Contact her at
[email protected] Mimi Greenwood Knight is a freelance writer and artist in residence. She lives in Folsom, Louisiana, with her husband, David, four children, Haley, Molly, Hewson and Jonah, and far too many dogs and cats. She enjoys gardening, photography, Bible study and the lost art of letter writing.
Cynthia M. Hamond has been published numerous times in both the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and Multnomah’s Stories for the Heart. Her stories have been printed in major publications and magazines. She has received two writing recognitions and her short story “Goodwill” has become a TV favorite. Contact her via e-mail at:
[email protected] Sue Thomas Hegyvary is a professor and dean emeritus at the University of Washington School of Nursing in Seattle. From her roots in Kentucky, she has traveled in more than fifty countries and now conducts research on global health. She enjoys bicycle touring, skiing, gardening, creative cooking and hiking at her family’s cabin in the Cascade Mountains.
Melissa Hill is a wife and a mother of two daughters. She works as a preschool teacher and is very involved in her church. She enjoys reading, writing and spending time with her family.
Amy Hirshberg Lederman is a syndicated columnist, public speaker, Jewish educator and attorney. Her first book, To Life! Jewish Reflections on Everyday Living is available in 2005. She lives with her husband and two teenage children in Tucson, Arizona. Amy welcomes you to contact her at
[email protected] Mary Ann Horenstein received a B.A. degree from Smith College and a master’s and doctorate from Rutgers University. She taught English, then headed an experiential learning program in a New Jersey school before retiring. She has published two books and many articles. She can be reached at
[email protected] Ina Hughs is a full-time columnist for The Knoxville News Sentinel in Knoxville, Tennessee. She is the author of three books: A Prayer for Children, published by William Morrow and Simon & Schuster; A Sense of Human, published by Scripps Howard Company; and Storylines, an audio book, published by Night Owl Productions. She has won numerous non-fiction and poetry awards. She lives in Louisville, Tennessee. She can be reached at
[email protected] In a former life, Peggy Jaeger was a registered nurse who always yearned to write. After the birth of her daughter, she became a full-time wife, mother and author. She’s had numerous fiction short stories and nursing articles published and is currently working on a mystery-suspense novel.
Patricia Jones lived in New York City with her daughter. Her work has appeared in Ms., Essence, Family Circle, Woman’s Day and the New York Times.
Patricia wrote three novels Passing, Red on a Rose and her third and final novel, The Color of Family due out later this year.
Cheryl Kirking is the author of Crayons in the Dryer: Misadventures and Unexpected Blessings of Motherhood. She is a women’s conference speaker who tickles the funny bones and tugs at the heartstrings of audiences nationwide. She has written five books, including Ripples of Joy and Teacher, You’re an A+, and is the mother of teenage triplets! For booking information visit www.cherylkirking.com.
Susan Krushenick earned her bachelor of arts degree, with concentrations in both sociology and creative writing, from Vermont College in June 2004. Susan writes the library column for her local newspaper, the Valley Reporter, and also worked as a regular contributing writer for The Philosophical Mother. She can be reached at
[email protected] Charlotte Lanham is a retired teacher and columnist. She is a frequent contributor to Chicken Soup, but also enjoys writing poetry and children’s books. She and her husband, Ray, are cofounders of a nonprofit organization called Abbi’s Room Foundation which provides beds and bedding for children of Habitat for Humanity families. E-mail her at
[email protected] Ruth Lehrer calls herself the Grandma Moses of the personal essay. She was an elementary school teacher who published her first essay after her retirement— at age sixty-two. Now, fourteen years later, Ruth has written almost one hundred stories. “Personal writing is my best form of therapy,” she says. Contact her via e-mail at
[email protected] Jaye Lewis is an award-winning writer who lives and writes in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. Jaye is writing her first book, Entertaining Angels, and one of her stories will also appear in Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul. E-mail Jaye at
[email protected] or visit her Web site at www.entertainingangels.org.
Jacklyn Lee Lindstrom, retired, at last has the time to concentrate on oil painting and writing. She just completed a novel about a teenage girl growing up in the 1950s, a time when life seemed so simple (on the surface, anyway.) Jacklyn lives at 314 Windsor Court, Spearfish, South Dakota.
Vicki Marsh Kabat received her bachelor of arts in journalism from the University of Missouri at Columbia. She is editor of Baylor Magazine for Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She wrote a newspaper humor column for ten years which was distributed nationally. Her work appeared in Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul. She and her husband, Bruce, have three grown sons: Michael, Jeffrey and Brian. Please e-mail her at
[email protected] Linda Masters is the proud wife, mother of three, and grandmother of four. She and her husband Les, are restoring their 170 year old home located alongside western New York’s Eric Canal. Despite her battle with multiple sclerosis, Linda is currently enjoying her career in obstetrics an
d gynecology, after having been a professional mom and volunteer for ten years. Linda’s son, Josh, a Lance Corporal in the Special Securities Division of the Marine Corps was awaiting deployment to Saudi Arabia when he was killed by a drunken driver.
Renee Mayhew teaches prekindergarten in North Carolina where she writes children’s books and paints in her spare time. Her husband and children are her greatest inspiration.
Paula McDonald has sold over a million copies of her books on relationships and gone on to win numerous awards worldwide as a columnist, inspirational feature writer and photojournalist. Paula McDonald lives on the beach in Rosarito, Mexico, and writes to the sound of the waves. She can be contacted in the United States by writing to Paula McDonald, PMB 724, 416 W. San Ysidro Blvd., Ste. L, San Ysidro, CA 92173 or by e-mailing
[email protected] Or visit her Web site at www.paulamcdonald.com.
Kim McLarin is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Taming It Down and Meeting of the Waters. She is a former journalist for the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer and is currently writer-in-residence at Emerson College.
Walker W. Meade began to write stories at the age of fourteen. When he was twenty, Collier’s magazine published his first short story. He wrote short fiction for the Saturday Evening Post, Good Housekeeping, Gentleman’s Quarterly and The Texas Quarterly among others. He also wrote nonfiction form any magazines. He began his publishing career as articles editor of Cosmopolitan, became the managing editor of that magazine and then managing editor of Reader’s Digest Condensed Book Club. His last position in publishing was as president and editor in chief of Avon Books where he published such writers as Jorge Amado, Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Richard Adams, Colleen McCullough, Margaret Atwood and Eric Segal. Upstart Press published his first novel, Unspeakable Acts in August 2001. Adam Rising is his second novel.