Chicken Soup for the Bride's Soul (34 page)

He is the author and narrator of several bestselling audio- and videocassette programs, including
Self-Esteem and Peak Performance, How to Build High Self-Esteem, Self-Esteem in the Classroom
and
Chicken Soup for the Soul—Live.
He is regularly seen on television shows such as
Good Morning America, 20/20
and
NBC Nightly News.
Jack has coauthored numerous books, including the
Chicken Soup for the Soul
series,
Dare to Win
and
The Aladdin Factor
(all with Mark Victor Hansen),
100 Ways to Build Self-Concept in the Classroom
(with Harold C. Wells),
Heart at Work
(with Jacqueline Miller) and
The Power of Focus
(with Les Hewitt and Mark Victor Hansen).

Jack is a regularly featured speaker for professional associations, school districts, government agencies, churches, hospitals, sales organizations and corporations. His clients have included the American Dental Association, the American Management Association, AT&T, Campbell’s Soup, Clairol, Domino’s Pizza, GE, ITT, Hartford Insurance, Johnson & Johnson, the Million Dollar Roundtable, NCR, New England Telephone, Re/Max, Scott Paper, TRW and Virgin Records. Jack also has been on the faculty of Income Builders International, a school for entrepreneurs.

Jack conducts an annual eight-day Training of Trainers program in the areas of self-esteem and peak performance. It attracts educators, counselors, parenting trainers, corporate trainers, professional speakers, ministers and others interested in developing their speaking and seminar-leading skills.

For further information about Jack’s books, tapes and training programs, or to schedule him for a presentation, please contact:

Self-Esteem Seminars
P.O. Box 30880
Santa Barbara, CA 93130
phone: 805-563-2935 • fax: 805-563-2945
Web site:
www.jackcanfield.com

Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?

In the area of human potential, no one is better known and more respected than Mark Victor Hansen. For more than thirty years, Mark has focused solely on helping people from all walks of life reshape their personal vision of what’s possible. His powerful messages of possibility, opportunity and action have helped create startling and powerful change in thousands of organizations and millions of individuals worldwide.

He is a sought-after keynote speaker, bestselling author and marketing maven. Mark’s credentials include a lifetime of entrepreneurial success, in addition to an extensive academic background. He is a prolific writer with many bestselling books such as
The One Minute Millionaire, The Power of Focus
,
The Aladdin Factor
and
Dare to Win,
in addition to the
Chicken Soup for the Soul
series. Mark has also made a profound influence through his extensive library of audio programs, video programs and enriching articles in the areas of big thinking, sales achievement, wealth building, publishing success, and personal and professional development.

Mark is also the founder of MEGA Book Marketing University and Building Your MEGA Speaking Empire. Both are annual conferences where Mark coaches and teaches new and aspiring authors, speakers and experts on building lucrative publishing and speaking careers.

His energy and exuberance travel still further through mediums such as television (
Oprah
, CNN and
The Today Show
), print (
Time, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, New York Times
and
Entrepreneur
) and countless radio and newspaper interviews as he assures our planet’s people that
“you can easily create the life you deserve.”

As a passionate philanthropist and humanitarian, he’s been the recipient of numerous awards that honor his entrepreneurial spirit, philanthropic heart and business acumen, including the prestigious Horatio Alger Award for his extraordinary life achievements, which stand as a powerful example that the free enterprise system still offers opportunity to all.

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
FREE resources online at:
www.markvictorhansen.com

Who Is Maria Nickless?

Maria Nickless is the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises, Inc. With a background in marketing and event planning, she was initially invited to join the Chicken Soup team to launch
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul,
where she successfully orchestrated The Largest Book Signing Event in History, as recognized by
Guinness Book of World Records
. This, along with multiple other public relations campaigns, led to her current position where she oversees the marketing and public relations for all new
Chicken Soup
titles.

Prior to Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises, Inc., Maria worked in real-estate development, where she was involved in project management and corporate event programs for the retail division. Having a passion for event planning, over the years Maria has led community-driven charity events through her local church congregation. She is a member of Leadership Tomorrow, a nonprofit organization designed to empower citizens in their commitment to community service.

Maria is married to Ward Nickless, who inspired her to coauthor
Bride’s Soul
after a fairy-tale engagement and honeymoon. Maria enjoyed creating their quarter-themed wedding and reception, which included a ride on a Ferris wheel with their wedding party and photographer.

Together with their children, Madison and Jack, they live in Southern California. Maria is also an avid photographer and enjoys antique shopping with her husband.

If you wish to contact Maria or
Chicken Soup for the Bride’s Soul,
please e-mail her at
[email protected]
or visit
www.bridesoul.com
.

Who Is Gina Romanello?

Gina Romanello, a graduate of Arizona State University with a B.A. in journalism, was thrilled when given the opportunity to join the
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul
team. Her temporary position turned into six years of employment in their book-production department.

In her position as executive administrator to Patty Hansen and Irene Dunlap, she has played an integral part in the compiling and marketing of
Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul, Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul, Christmas Treasury for Kids, Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul II
and
True,
a faith-based nonfiction book for teens authored by Irene Dunlap.

Gina helped build
PreteenPlanet.com
,
a Web site founded by Patty Hansen for empowering preteens, and currently assists in its marketing and promotions.

Noticing many friends and family members endure the stress of planning a wedding, Gina, along with associate Maria Nickless, saw a need for
Bride’s Soul,
a
Chicken Soup
title sure to comfort and enlighten a stressed-out bride-to-be planning her big day.

Gina loves living in Southern California with her dog Mattie, and enjoys an active lifestyle, the outdoors, traveling and spending time with her family and friends.

If you wish to contact Gina or
Chicken Soup for the Bride’s Soul,
please e-mail her at
[email protected]
or visit
www.bridesoul.com
.

Contributors

Several 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 biography.

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.

Ariana Adams
held positions as a CPA and as a recruiting manager before transitioning to a writing career in 2001. Ariana is a full-time business/marketing writer and aspires to become a mystery novel writer. She enjoys traveling, skiing and spending time with her husband and pets. She can be reached at
[email protected].

Charlotte Adelsperger
is an author and speaker from Overland Park, Kansas. She has written several inspirational storiess for more than ninety publications and compilations. Her story is dedicated to the memory of close friend Joan Miller who lived out her life with faith and compassion. Charlotte can be reached at
[email protected].

What a joy it is for
Donna Barstow
to draw and write cartoons! Her quirky drawings appear in over 200 publications, including
The New Yorker, The LA Times, Readers Digest, Harvard Business Review
, law publications, etc, and in many calendars, books and greeting cards, including other
Chicken Soup
books! Her own calendar,
What Do Women REALLY Want?
is in Barnes & Noble. Her favorite topics are relationships, computers, pets, and mayhem. You can see more of Donna’s work at
www.reuben.org/dbarstow
, and please write to her at
[email protected].

Elizabeth L. Blair
lives with her husband Jeff in Arizona. With both ink and jet fuel in her blood, she works as a freelance writer and a flight attendant. Currently, she is working on her first book, tales of her humorous journeys in the airline industry. She can be reached at
[email protected]

Ginger Boda
contributes to various online publications, weaving faith, traditions and humor into her stories. She has penned her thoughts since she was a child, and writes from the heart. Ginger resides in California with her husband Mark, and three children: Jason, Danny and Alisha. She can be reached at
[email protected].

Barbara Loftus Boswell
is a full-time mother of three and a part-time freelance writer. She volunteers at a crisis pregnancy center and works with the youth at her church. She is currently working to complete a devotional for busy housemoms. She can be reached at
[email protected].

Annette Paxman Bowen
is the author of three books, plus multiple articles and short stories with worldwide distribution. She writes at her desk overlooking a gorgeous mountain lake in Washington state. She and her husband have celebrated over thirty years of marriage. They are parents of three grown sons.

Norris Burkes
wrote this story while making the transition from military chaplaincy to civilian hospital chaplaincy. He also writes a syndicated column for Gannett News Service. E-mail him at
[email protected]
or visit his Web site at
www.chaplainnorris.com
.

Michele Wallace Campanelli
is a national bestselling author. She’s been published in more than thirty-one anthologies and has penned many novels, including
Keeper of the Shroud
and
Margarita
, published by Americana Books. Her personal editor is Fontaine Wallace. To contact Michele, go to:
www.michelecampanelli.com
.

Martha Campbell
is a graduate of Washington University St. Louis School of Fine Arts, and a former writer/designer for
Hallmark Cards
.She has been a freelance cartoonist and book illustrator since 1973.She can be reached at P.O. Box 2538, Harrison, AR, 72602, (870) 741-5323, or
[email protected].

Bill Canty
’s cartoons have appeared in many national magazines, including the
Saturday Evening Post, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes & Gardens, Woman’s World, National Review Medical Economics
and
Reader’s Digest
. His syndicated feature,
All About Town (
www.reuben.org/Canty
)
appears in 30 newspapers.In 1983, Bill published a book of Cape Cod cartoons, “I Don’t Care What It’s Shaped Like . . .” and a limited amount of copies are still available on the Internet at
capecodtoday.com/pages/Books/
. Bill can be reached at P.O. Box 1053, So. Wellfleet, MA 02663, or by phone or fax 508-349-7549 and by e-mail,
[email protected]
.

Theresa Chan
is author of
The Creative Wedding Organizer and Planner.
Having planned the wedding of her dreams, Theresa leads interactive workshops inspiring couples to plan their own creative and personalized weddings. Owner of Fruition Sense, a keepsake company, Theresa lives in Toronto. She can be reached at
[email protected]
.

Eileen Chase
is the mother of six children. She volunteers at the Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, as ombudsman for the Texas Department on Aging, and as a standardized patient for medical students at local colleges. She also paints, does needlework, enjoys singing and loves spending her husband’s money.

Lorraine Cheeka
is a thirty-one-year-old mother of three. She lives in central New Jersey with her daughters, Aprilynn, Evelyn and Madeline, and her husband Paul. Grandma lives nearby and remains a treasured part of all their lives.

Ann Cooke
is still happily married to her darling, Marcus, and is now a survivor of breast cancer. Raising her daughter and son takes a lot of her time, but she still finds time for crocheting, patchwork and most crafts. She is also active in raising money for cancer research. She can be reached at
amazontiger2001 @yahoo.com.au.