Who Is Jack Canfield?
Jack Canfield is one of America’s leading experts in the development of human potential and personal effectiveness. He is both a dynamic, entertaining speaker and a highly sought-after trainer. Jack has a wonderful ability to inform and inspire audiences toward increased levels of self-esteem and peak performance.
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 is also 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.chickensoup.com
Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?
Mark Victor Hansen is a professional speaker who, in the last twenty years, has made over four thousand presentations to more than 2 million people in thirty-three countries. His presentations cover sales excellence and strategies; personal empowerment and development; and how to triple your income and double your time off.
Mark has spent a lifetime dedicated to his mission of making a profound and positive difference in people’s lives. Throughout his career, he has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to create a more powerful and purposeful future for themselves while stimulating the sale of billions of dollars worth of goods and services.
Mark is a prolific writer and has authored Future Diary, How to Achieve Total Prosperity and The Miracle of Tithing. He is the coauthor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Dare to Win and The Aladdin Factor (all with Jack Canfield) and The Master Motivator (with Joe Batten).
Mark has also produced a complete library of personal empowerment audio- and videocassette programs that have enabled his listeners to recognize and better use their innate abilities in their business and personal lives. His message has made him a popular television and radio personality with appearances on ABC, NBC, CBS, HBO, PBS, QVC and CNN.
He has also appeared on the cover of numerous magazines, including Success, Entrepreneur and Changes.
Mark is a big man with a heart and a spirit to match—an inspiration to all who seek to better themselves.
For further information about Mark, please contact:
Mark Victor Hansen & Associates
P.O. Box 7665
Newport Beach, CA 92658
phone: 949-759-9304 or 800-433-2314
fax: 949-722-6912
Web site: www.chickensoup.com
Who Is Wyland?
Considered the most influential marine artist of our time, the work of this celebrated painter, sculptor, writer, underwater photographer and muralist is now seen by an estimated one billion people throughout the world every year. Since 1981, he has painted more than ninety monumental marine-life murals, including “Ocean Planet,” which was named the largest mural in the world in 1992 by the Guinness Book of World Records. Honored in 1998 with the Underwater Society of America’s prestigious NOGI Award, he is now listed in that organization’s Diving Hall of Fame. He is also founder of the Wyland Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the world’s oceans.
Wyland is committed to bridging the worlds of marine science and art—a philosophy hailed by world-renowned ocean scientists such as Dr. Robert Ballard, Dr. Sylvia A. Earle and Dr. Roger Payne. He firmly believes that “if people see the beauty in nature, they will work to preserve it before it’s too late.”
In 1998, the United Nations honored Wyland by using his art as part of its International Year of the Ocean environmental awareness campaign. Listed among “Who’s Who in American Art,” the art of Wyland is found today in museums, galleries, on public walls, and in many public and private collections throughout the world.
Wyland can be contacted at:
Wyland Worldwide, LLC.
5 Columbia
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
phone: 949-643-7070
Web sites: www.wyland.com and www.wylandfoundation.org
Who Is Steve Creech?
Steve Creech is a former newspaper reporter who currently serves as publicist for marine-life artist Wyland and the Wyland Foundation. His articles have appeared in such newspapers as The Orange County Register, Pasadena Star News and Anaheim Bulletin, and magazines such as Skin Diver, Sport Diver, React for Kids and Elan. He is an active participant in the prestigious Squaw Valley Community of Writers Summer Fiction Workshops in Squaw Valley, California, a children’s book author and is currently working on a book of short fiction stories. An avid ocean lover, he has resumed surfing after a twenty-year absence from the sport—and has yet to figure out which foot goes ahead of the other.
For further information about Steve, please write:
Steve Creech
c/o Wyland Worldwide
5 Columbia
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
phone: 949-643-7070
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.
Gaie Alling, M.S., is the cofounder, CEO and president of Planetary Coral Reef Foundation. For the past twenty-three years, Ms. Alling has been actively engaged in marine, environmental and closed systems research and development projects. At Biosphere 2, she created and operated the largest artificial ecological marine system, a 1 million-gallon mangrove, marsh and ocean coral reef, served as scientific chief for over sixty research projects and was one of the eight “biospherians” to live inside.
Jennifer Anderson lives on the island of Maui where she has recently retired from the dive industry. During her eighteen-year career, she traveled the world as an underwater model and led thousands of divers on informative dives, racking up more than twelve thousand dives. In her leisure time, she now works on manta research and dives from her kayak for pleasure. Her experiences are penned in a book of stories titled A Mermaid’s Tale, soon to be published. She may be reached at
[email protected].
Tal Aviezer and Jason Cocovinis are New York City-based writers specializing in scripts, prose and copy of all kinds. Their work covers a broad range of styles, and they are always happy to hear of new projects. Contact them at taviezer@hotmail.
com and
[email protected].
Nancy V. Bennett is a freelance writer whose passions include history, ghosts and long walks on country roads. She is a member of the Sooke Scribblers Writing Society and lives on Vancouver Island with her family. This piece appeared previously in The Canadian Messenger. Her essays have also been aired on CBC radio. Her future plans include publishing a collection of poems on Western outlaws.
Stephen Byrne is a freelance outdoor writer with weekly columns in Nor’east Saltwater magazine. You can find his latest column at www.noreast.com. He lives in Great Kills and enjoys the outdoors with his wife Annmarie and sons Stephen and Michael. An active member of OWAA, you can reach him at
[email protected].
Anne Carter is a freelance writer. She and her husband reside on Long Island near the ocean. Anne began writing to chronicle the events in her life for her grandchildren. She dedicates this story to her father whose hand she held the first time a wave tickled her toes. Contact Anne at
[email protected].
Mark Conlin is a marine wildlife photographer. He holds a degree in marine biology from University of California Santa Barbara. Mark’s hope is that his background in marine biology and love for the ocean can help illustrate an environment that needs our protection. To see Mark’s photography, please visit his Web site at www.markconlin.com.
Clive Cussler is famous as America’s Grandmaster of Adventure. His books are in forty languages in 110 countries and have sold over 130 million copies. A noted shipwreck hunter, he and his NUMA crew have discovered over sixty historic shipwrecks.
The late Lester David was a veteran magazine writer and newspaper editor as well as the author of numerous biographies of well-known figures in politics and the arts.
Dayle Ann Dodds has published eleven books, newspaper articles, poems and magazine stories for children. Her first picture book, Wheel Away! was number one on the San Francisco Chronicle’s bestseller list. Dayle just completed another novel and her first full-length screenplay.
Dr. Sylvia A. Earle is an oceanographer, explorer, author, lecturer, consultant, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, executive director of Global Marine Programs for Conservation International, program director for the Harte Research Institute, chairman of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research, and former chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Acclaimed as “The Goodness-Maker,” Joycebelle Edelbrock is the author and illustrator of ten kids’ e-books, including several underwater stories for kids and those about diving with Jacques Cousteau. Her work appears in a wide range of forums, from National Geographic, International and National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, World and Skin Diver to Chicken Soup for the Teacher’s Soul. Visit her Web site at www.joycebelle.com where you can download a free e-book, Around the World Underwater with Jacques Cousteau.
Linda Schnecker Erb is Vice-President of Animal Care and Training at Dolphin Research Center (DRC) and is currently writing a book about her many “dolfriends,” including Annessa. The not-for-profit DRC brings people and dolphins together for educational encounters and other experiences. Contact Linda at Dolphin Research Center, 58901 Overseas Highway, Grassy Key, FL 33050, or visit www.dolphins.org.
Mike Geers graduated with honors from the University of Central Florida. He served in the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. He works at SRI International and is completing his law degree in California. He hopes to write a book on the humanitarian aspects of psychic phenomena in search and rescue. Contact him at
[email protected].
Florian Graner is a marine biologist and freelance photographer. He specializes in underwater cinematography and photography. He has worked as a cameraman in projects for the BBC such as “The Blue Planet,” “Extreme Animals” and “Wildlife on One.” Florian can be reached through his Web site at www.sealife-productions.com.
Martha Gusukuma-Donnenfield received her B.A. and teaching credentials from California State University, Long Beach. She has been teaching in Long Beach for over twenty-two years. Martha loves taking Stephen, her husband, and two children, home to Hawaii to experience what island life is all about.
Jack Hanna is the host of Animal Adventures, a weekly TV show featuring wildlife, which is broadcast in more than sixty-five countries internationally. He is also a regular guest on such popular shows as ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN’s Larry King Live and CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman. Jack’s love for animals and nature has also spawned several books, including Monkeys on the Interstate, Jungle Jack Hanna’s Safari Adventure, What Zookeepers Do and The Ultimate Guide to Pets.
Eve Eschner Hogan is an author, speaker and co-owner of Makena Coast Dive Charters on Maui. She is also a wedding officiant, specializing in underwater and boat weddings. For information on her workshops, books or weddings, see www.HeartPath.com or e-mail
[email protected]. For Maui Scuba Diving, see www.MauiUnderwater.com or call 800-833-6483.
Warren Iliff is the President-Emeritus of the Aquarium of the Pacific and oversaw its opening in 1998. Prior to that, he was the director of zoos in Phoenix, Dallas and Portland, Oregon. He is a graduate of Harvard and a former Marine Corps helicopter pilot. Please reach him at
[email protected].
Jamie Kageleiry wrote this story for Yankee Magazine, which has been “The Magazine of New England Living” for sixty-eight years. They are located on Main Street, Dublin, NH 03444. Phone: 603-563-8111. Web site: www.yankeemagazine.com.
Jim Kravets says, “There’s just something about the ocean.” When pressed for elaboration, he managed, “You know, the fish, the . . . saltiness. I’m just so drawn to oceans. I’m going to the Aegean for my honeymoon.” When asked if the Aegean isn’t technically a sea and not an ocean, he said, “I really don’t know. The travel agent made the bookings.” Jim lives and writes in northern California. Contact him at
[email protected].
Phil Lansing has worked on ranches, in the forest and on fishing boats. He has traveled by canoe through Arctic Canada and guided canoe trips down the wild Owyhee River in Southwest Idaho. He was educated at Oxford University and works as an economist consulting in natural resource issues. He is based in Idaho with his wife, two children and bird dog.
Nan Lincoln continues to live on Mount Desert Island off the coast of Maine where she is the arts editor and a feature writer for the Bar Harbor Times. She also continues to call out “Sessileeeee!” whenever she’s on or near the sea. Sometimes she gets an answer.
Mike Lipstock’s work has appeared in close to two hundred literary magazines, newspapers and anthologies. He has received three Pushcart Prize nominations and a multitude of first prizes in various publications. He has also been published in four previous Chicken Soup for the Soul books.
Jennifer Lowry was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is the older sister of Shannon and Jason. She attends the University of New Orleans, where she is studying business, with her husband Donald, who studies engineering. This is her first opportunity to have something published in memory of her sister.
Janet Matthews is a writer, editor, professional speaker and coauthor of the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul. With Daniel Keenan, she is working on a book-sized version of “The Navy’s Baby,” an amazing story appearing in Chicken Soup for the Parent’s Soul, which she helped produce and edit. To schedule Janet for an interview or speaking engagement, contact her at 905-881-8995, ext. 28, or
[email protected], or go to www.canadiansoul.com.
Paula McDonald has sold over a million copies of her books on relationships and has won numerous awards worldwide as a columnist, inspirational feature writer and photojournalist. She 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 PMB 724, 416 W. San Ysidro Blvd., Ste. L, San Ysidro, CA 92173-2443 or by e-mailing
[email protected].
Walker Meade began to write stories at the age of fourteen. When he was twenty-one, one of his pieces was published by Colliers magazine. He then wrote short fiction for the Saturday Evening Post, Good Housekeeping and
Gentleman’s Quarterly, among others. He turned to writing nonfiction for magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Reader’s Digest and Redbook. Later he became the managing editor of Cosmopolitan and then the managing editor of Reader’s Digest Condensed Book Club. His last position in publishing was as president and editor-in-chief of Avon Books. Today he is retired and concentrates on writing longer fiction. Upstart Press published his first novel, Unspeakable Acts, in August 2001. It has received exciting critical acclaim and can be ordered from Amazon.com. He has just finished his second novel.
Jan Meek has packed so much into her fifty-four years that her life reads like the plot of a book, from working in the film business with well-known stars, to living and working in Saudi Arabia, to being elected mayor of her hometown, to learning Chinese while backpacking around China, to her Guiness Book of World Records Atlantic rowing record. Now a professional speaker, she’s authored the book, 101 Atlantic Nights, the full version of her Atlantic crossing with her son, Daniel. She also has a daughter, Becky. Jan lives in Chipping Norton, England, and can be contacted at
[email protected].
Warren Miller started his lifelong search for the free ski-lift ticket in 1946. Since then he has produced over five hundred sports films, written nine books and raised three children. He writes a weekly newspaper column, monthly magazine articles and is working on his autobiography. He can be reached at
[email protected].
Joe Moran received a bachelor of science in marine biology from the College of Charleston (S.C.) in 1984. He currently is working in Washington, D.C., still in the field of marine science. He is a husband and a dad, an avid Scouter, and still wonders what that whale was thinking.
Deborah Morris is the author of fifteen books, including the Real Kids Real Adventures book series (adapted as an Emmy-nominated television series on the Discovery Channel), and Teens 911: Snowbound, a new real-life survival series. Deborah lives in Texas with her husband, her Harley, and her own “real kids.” Visit the Web site www.realkids.com.