Chicken Soup for the Soul: Read, Laugh, Repeat: 101 Laugh-Out-Loud Stories

With all the craziness "plaguing" the world right now (pun intended :), it's my pleasure to contribute a story to the latest Chicken Soup for the Soul anthology: READ. LAUGH. REPEAT: 101 Laugh-Out-Loud Stories.

In "Making a Splash" (p. 30) my beloved--however agoraphobic--Yorkshire terrier (more like "terrorist") becomes flushed with fear and hides in a harrowing, totally unexpected place. Ugh! 

This collection is a "best of" volume that will lighten your mood, help you escape and make you laugh!

Order a copy today! 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xzwQg9

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3t1xTCd

Link to Chicken Soup for the Soul on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ChickenSoupfortheSoul
Link to the Chicken Soup for the Soul Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chickensoupsoul
Link to Chicken Soup for the Soul on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChickenSoupSoul

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Read, Laugh, Repeat: 101 Laugh-Out-Loud Stories - Edited by Amy Newmark

Chicken Soup for the Soul, $14.95, Paperback, 9781611590753

Publication Date: May 4, 2021

To order this book on INDIEBOUND, link HERE

Signs from the Other Side

Was thrilled to be a featured guest on the always-inspiring podcast, SIGNS FROM THE OTHER SIDE with host Fern Ronay. Fern is the author of the hit romantic comedy, Better in the Morning, a novel I adored - really looking forward to reading the sequel (slated for Fall 2019). 

SIGNS FROM THE OTHER SIDE is a podcast devoted to true stories of people who have had mysterious experiences and encounters with mystical forces that go beyond the realm of coincidence. 

I had the opportunity to talk to Fern and share funny stories about the (quirky, often exasperating) Yorkshire terrier that inspired my novel, The Thing Is, and how, after the dog prematurely passed, I received a series of remarkable signs  that ultimately culminated with a hair-raising 'out of this world' birthday gift from the dog!

The conversation was a lot of fun...Via the podcast, Fern certainly does this contentious world of ours a great public service by promoting what is good, hopeful and affirming (and truly important) in this life. Hope you'll tune in to the show. Enjoy!

Listen to the podcast on any of the platforms below (click on links to connect to each platform):

Listen on iTunes 

Listen via Instagram

Listen on Blog Talk Radio
Listen on Stitcher

The Dog Really Did That?

Pleased to share two fun essays in a new book about dogs presented by the ever prolific--and always inspiring--Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Royalties from this particular book go to American-Humane, an organization that "promotes the welfare and safety of animals and strengthens the bond between animals and people." 

I contributed two, true stories about two different mischievous Yorkshire terriers I've shared my life with that actually served as the inspiration for the therapy dog, Prozac, who stars in my novel THE THING IS. 

One story is about a beloved (yet very quirky) agoraphobic Yorkie who loved to hide...and one day hid in a place I'd never expect. Yuck! Another story is about a Yorkie, no angel, who decided to treat herself to a sweet (off-limits) feast one Saint Patrick's Day.

Don't miss this collection - a perfect read for dog and pet lovers. Great fun!

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dog Really Did That? 101 Stories of Miracles, Mischief, and Magical Moments edited by Amy Newmark (Foreword by Dr. Robin Ganzert)

Chicken Soup for the Soul, $14.95 Paperback, 9781611599695, 400 pages

Publication Date: August 8, 2017

To order this book on INDIEBOUND, link HERE

USA Today: "Authors and Pets at Work"

My Yorkshire terrier and I were profiled in USA Today for the "Authors and Pets at Work" Lifestyle column.  To read the article and learn more about my "literary co-pilot"--and my forthcoming novel, The Thing Is--click on the article title, in bold, below:

Kathleen Gerard's Sissy serves as inspiration 

for fictional therapy dog

USA Today 

Lifestyle: "Happy Ever After"

By Joyce Lamb

October 22, 2015

Fretting Friday the 13th?

Opinion:   

Fretting Friday the 13th

 Is Friday the 13th really the unluckiest day of the year?

Friday, February 13, 2015

Opinion/Editorial: "Other Views/ Guest Columnist" (Section A-9)

BY KATHLEEN GERARD

To read the article in its entirety, click on the highlighted title above

Happy 2015 !

Opinion:   

Ushering in the New Year with Polka Dots and Pig Cookies 

 How will you launch the New Year?

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Opinion/Editorial: "Other Views/ Guest Columnist" (Section A-19)

BY KATHLEEN GERARD

To read the article in its entirety, click on the highlighted title above

Happy Thanksgiving!

Opinion:   

Who says you can't serve meatballs for Thanksgiving?

 Can Thanksgiving still be Thanksgiving without serving a turkey dinner?

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Opinion/Editorial: "Other Views" (Section A-23)

BY KATHLEEN GERARD

To read the article in its entirety, click on the highlighted title above

Novella: COLD COMFORT by Kathleen Gerard

Cold Comfort is a very special story about the bonds of family and old flames—and the unexpected power of love. I hope this novella will warm your heart...

Here is a brief synopsis:  It's Thanksgiving weekend and photojournalist Anna Maria "A.M." LaRusa returns to Federal Hill, a small Italian-American enclave in Rhode Island, to spend a quiet holiday with her only remaining relative, her Aunt Minnie, a 96-year-old who texts and has a blog. But when an anticipated blizzard nor'easter threatens the region, there is a change in plans. As A.M. and her aunt prepare for the holiday and the storm, A.M. unexpectedly runs into a man she hasn't seen in ten years—a man whom she still refers to as "the guy who broke my heart in college"—and her weekend and her life are suddenly upended. Stuck amid the cold, snowy deep freeze that paralyzes the region, A.M. begins to wonder if her wounded heart from a long-ago unrequited love will ever thaw.

The novella is available for purchase wherever e-books are sold !

Link HERE for Amazon  (Kindle)

Link HERE for iBooks

Link HERE for Barnes & Noble  (Nook)

Link HERE for Rakuten-Kobo

Link HERE to order via Google Books

As always, I appreciate your support and encourage you to share your review about the story on Amazon, iBooks, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Google Books etc.  



And thank you, in advance, for passing on this information to other readers!

 Be sure to check out my other titles on Amazon and iBooks!

Cold Comfort (a novella) by Kathleen Gerard

Histria Books, 99 cent e-book, ASIN: BOONFPVKEM, 61 pp (215 kb)

Publication Date:  October 13, 2014

Selling a Camera, Assessing a Life

Opinion:  Bringing the relationship with my camera into focus

"It's not what you look at...it's what you see"

Friday, August 1, 2014

Opinion/Editorial: "Other Views" (Section A-19)

BY KATHLEEN GERARD

To read the article in its entirety, click on the highlighted title above

Happy Thanksgiving!

Opinion: Cultivating Gratitude

Plant a seed of gratitude to harvest new hope

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Opinion/Editorial (Section A-22)

BY KATHLEEN GERARD

To read the article in its entirety, click on the highlighted title above

Happy Mother's Day

Opinion: My Mom - Nobody Loves Me More

How Mother's Day can also be a Holiday for the Childless

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Opinion/Editorial (Section O-1)

BY KATHLEEN GERARD

To read the article in its entirety, click on the highlighted title above

Happy 200th Birthday, Pride and Prejudice!

Opinion: Shades of Jane Austen

Would Pride and Prejudice be a bestseller if it were released today?

January 29, 2013

Opinion/Editorial (Section A-9)

BY KATHLEEN GERARD

To read the article in its entirety, click on the highlighted title above

NEWS: IN TRANSIT featured in USA Today

The story-behind-the-story 

of my novel of romantic suspense

 IN TRANSIT 

has been featured in 
USA TODAY 

To read the article, link HERE

                                                   

                                                      

Happy Thanksgiving!

Opinion: A Pinch of Civility, A Dash of Gratitude

Thanksgiving Day Column

November 24, 2011

Opinion/Editorial (Section A-22)

BY KATHLEEN GERARD

The Record

To read the op-ed in its entirety, click on the highlighted article title above

The State of Our Libraries



Opinion: The many chapters of our local library
Sunday, May 22, 2011

Opinion/Editorial Section (front page)

BY Kathleen Gerard
The Record

To read the op-ed in its entirety, click on the highlighted article title above

NEWS: Contest Winner

I'm pleased to announce that one of my short stories has won the Ramsfield Press Award for Short Fiction. 
(Ramsfield Press is an independent book publisher based out of the Chicago, Illinois area; William "Bill" Moser is the editor.)  The contest dealt with stories centered around the themes of cooking and food - two of my favorite pastimes! 

In this piece, entitled "B.B.," a young girl tells a tale of the summer she spent with her food-obsessed Southern Grandmother.   

To read the story and learn more about Ramsfield Press, link HERE.

Revisiting a Classic: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

July 11th marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the novel, "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. It's one of my favorite books of all time, and I'm pleased to have an Op-Ed piece about it featured in The Record (the largest circulating daily newspaper in Northern New Jersey). Click HERE to read a version of the article online, where you'll learn more about the book and the author.  Happy Birthday, Mockingbird!

Bronze Medal

When it comes to contests, who doesn't want to win?  But if you don't win, can you still feel a sense of pride and accomplishment if you at least make the winner's podium?

Such was the case for me in the MAUREEN EGEN WRITERS EXCHANGE AWARD, an honor bestowed via Poets & Writers magazine.  I recently learned that a short story of mine (actually a self-contained  excerpt from a novel of domestic fiction, in-progress) garnered second runner-up. 

Each year, poets and fiction writers from one state, who have never published a book (or no more than one book), are invited to apply for the award. Winners are selected by outside judges based on individual manuscripts. This year, the annual prize, which introduces emerging writers to the New York City literary community, was awarded to a writer who resides in the state of New Jersey.  While I am disappointed that I didn't win first place, I was very pleased to learn that Nahid Rachlin served as contest judge.  I have long admired her beautiful prose and how her work successfully conveys the complexities of family relationships. Therefore, I appreciated her comments about my piece, which included, "This story effectively conveys issues of betrayal and family loyalty." 

You can't win them all, but a word of encouragement from an accomplished writer always helps when you return to your writing desk, roll up your sleeves and once again, try to wrestle words down onto the page. 

Congratulations to the winners! Link HERE to read their work.