Well, I’ve just opened a box of books shipped to me from SIMON & SCHUSTER publishing. Yep! I did it again… one of my stories has made it into another “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book. 😊
As of May 30, 2023, a new Chicken Soup book has been released:
“Chicken Soup for the Soul: All You Need is Love.”
This particular collection of 101 stories is a compilation of previously published stories that appeared in entirely different Chicken Soup subject-matter collections in the past, largely unrelated to the topic of “love.” For instance, my story in this collection was previously published in “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone.” My story was adventure-focused, even though it also involved me stepping back into truly living by taking a second chance on love.
The “All You Need Is Love” collection gives readers 101 reasons to believe that love is always possible, that it can happen anywhere and at any time, and that somehow you will always be led to it, embraced by it, or pulled into it by forces much larger than yourself. And even when you are alone on your path, you are never actually alone; you are always surrounded in love.
My story in this collection, called “Conquering My Mountain,” is about a time in my life when I had just gotten divorced, decided I would never get in a serious relationship again (a decision I was better than okay with), and yet, as fate would have it, within a week I met someone who, five months later, I moved clear across the country to be with. My story, “Conquering My Mountain,” specifically tells of a four-night backpacking trip I reluctantly went on with my “Adventure Man” just a month or so after moving to the wild, wild West.
I was full of self-doubt about my ability to handle backpacking, but just like my wise decision to say YES to following this man clear across the country, saying YES to this backpacking trip was another one of the best things I ever did.
Saying YES to submitting a story to Chicken Soup is another of those wise decisions. On my bookshelf, I have a book pre-owned by my mother called, “Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul.” It was published back in 1996 at a time when my mother was happily married to a most wonderful man who she said YES to eight years before that book was printed. It was her second marriage and most definitely her “once in a lifetime” love. I don’t recall exactly what year she gave me this book, but I too am in a “once in a lifetime” relationship with my Adventure Man for a total of twelve years now and much of that is due to my mother, to her leading by example, and to ample assistance from the universe and the powerful, synchronistic energies that be. There is FAR MORE to that particular story–enough for an entire book–and perhaps someday I’ll complete my attempts to write about it, but in the meantime, I absolutely treasure the Chicken Soup book mom passed on to me because on the inside cover it contains her handwritten notes of important things to remember about love and living.
That is the legacy of Chicken Soup for the Soul books. They have become treasures on bookshelves across the world, passed down from generation to generation, from friend to friend, and even from stranger to stranger, lifting people’s hearts and bringing comfort. I’m happy to be even remotely part of that legacy.
HOW I CAME TO WRITE FOR THE SHEER JOY OF IT
In total, I’ve had stories included in five Chicken Soup books. Here’s a little history about the writing journey that got me there…
In 2008, on a whim, I enrolled in an Adult Ed class called “Memoir & Novel Writing for Beginners” in a fairly sleepy coastal town in North Carolina. I was 48 years old at the time and up until that point had only written business and technical documents related to my line of work. I hadn’t taken any higher education creative writing classes and, truth be told, wasn’t much of a reader—except for business and technical subject matter and periodic self-help books to guide me in my personal life. But something about a creative edge to writing grabbed me in that Adult Ed class, enough that I signed up for the next-level class when the first was done and have been dabbling in writing for my own enjoyment ever since.
When I left the East Coast for the West Coast to be with my Adventure Man, I stumbled upon the world of blog writing and was immediately hooked. I found in it a real freedom to express myself–not only with words, but images too. It may have been the first truly creative thing I did as an adult. Up until then, I’d been caught on the uphill treadmill of education, work, more education, more work, etc. Breaks from work were filled with ANYTHING that took me beyond four walls, a computer, and sitting all day. So, writing would have been the last thing I would’ve pursued while also pursuing my career. It was when I uprooted and moved to the West Coast that my work life changed. Not only had ageism became a new challenge, but so had the fact that I didn’t want to do the same work I had done in the past. It just wasn’t as rewarding as I had once experienced. But writing itself was rewarding—blogging especially. And while I did some grant writing for nonprofits and various editing projects for other writers, I also created and wrote on at least four blogs, each focusing on different subject matter.
HOW AND WHY CHICKEN SOUP
Somewhere around 2012, I joined my first writers’ group and did so again whenever I moved to new areas. I used Meetup and local libraries as ways to locate groups. One of these groups led me to Chicken Soup for the Soul. The group leader had somehow known Jack Canfield—one of the originators of Chicken Soup books. And a fellow group member had mentioned that Chicken Soup was a great venue for submitting heart-warming true stories. That last bit really appealed to me. I’d been focused on a lot of heart-centered writing on one of my blogs. And so, in 2015, I finally followed that tip and had my very first submission to Chicken Soup for the Soul accepted. They wanted to cut my submission in half, which my ego wasn’t thrilled about, but I eventually decided to swallow my pride and let them publish it as they wished. And I’m glad I did, because it was then that I officially stepped into the world of writers who had been published on a national scale. I have to admit it was quite a thrill, even if only for a very, very short story.
Chicken Soup books are generally chock full of hope and bits of wisdom. And in the chaotic world we live in, hope is an especially important item to have in our personal survival and thrival kit. I enjoy being part of the web of writers that focus on that positive energy.
If you want to be part of that positive energy too, I’d suggest you check out their website (www.chickensoup.com) and see if any of their upcoming story-collection topics speak to you. I doubt you’d regret submitting a story, especially when among thousands of submissions per book, your story gets published.
Chicken Soup does seem to have that healing quality we all need every once in a while. It just makes us feel good inside. And what better way to feel especially good inside than paying it forward by helping others feel good inside, too. We do that by sharing our stories, by recognizing ourselves in each others’ stories, and ultimately reminding ourselves that we’re all connected in this journey of life, that anything is possible, and that we are never truly alone.
It’s true. ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE!
Love,
Susan Maddy J
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Susan Maddy J 