Apparently so. I track a few weird holidays and observances on Haunt Jaunts. I think they’re sort of fun. Plus, there are some crazy ones that might appeal to other macabre minds like mine. (Luckily typing that is easier than trying to say it.) So why not have a section highlighting them?
But I never knew there was a Chicken Soup for the Soul Day until recently.
In 2014, I was delirious with joy when my story, “The Bubble Bath,” found its way into Chicken Soup for the Soul: Home Sweet Home: 101 Stories about Hearth, Happiness, and Hard Work. It made me an official Chicken Soup contributor.
I had submitted for years and years, maybe even as many as 15. I’m not actually sure. I lost track. But it was easily that long if not longer.
And then it happened. I got an email saying my story was under consideration, followed later by one saying it had been accepted.
Getting an acceptance is a proud moment in any writer’s life, but it’s particularly sweet when you try and try to crack a certain market.
Except I don’t think of Chicken Soup for the Soul as a “market” anymore. I think of it as a community.
That was not only a pleasant surprise, but the icing on the cake, to learn how supportive everyone involved in CSFTS is. From the editors to the other contributors, there’s so much camaraderie and fellowship.
But maybe that’s not as surprising as it should be.
I mean, after all, it is a collection of books loaded with feel good stories.
There’s a quote I think about every time I write:
Robert Frost
No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.
CSFTS books really live up to their names. The writers write from their hearts. You can feel the tears, surprise, laughter and revelations in their words. Truly, it is people writing from their souls.
And it all comes together in one pot (cover) to create scrumptious portions of Chicken Soup for the Soul. Stories sure to cure whatever’s ailing you.
I’m insanely humbled to say I have stories in six of their books now. Happy #ChickenSoupfortheSoulDay!
Here’s a little video I made in honor of it: