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Tales2Inspire ~ The Topaz Collection: Personal Awakenings Kindle Edition
Tales2Inspire ~ The Topaz Collection is filled with stories of Personal Awakenings. These stories were all written by winners of the Tales2Inspire global, annual writers' contest, anonymously selected by a jury of accomplished authors. Although often compared to the "Chicken Soup For the Soul" series, Tales2Inspire books offer two distinctive features that set them apart: Each story includes original photographs to enhance the reader's experience and the books are all gift sized, to keep pace with our contemporary, fast paced life style. And in this newest e-book edition, all photos are all in full color.
The Topaz was selected as the symbol for this book because it is the gem symbolizing self-realization, while promoting energy, truth and forgiveness. It seems the deal symbol for a group of stories that awaken not just the spirit of the author, but of its readers as well.
Did you ever have an experience and know at once that the memories of that moment would last you a lifetime? This book is filled with stories of such moments, moments we repeatedly replay in our heads. Now let's look at just a few of these stories to see how they connect with the Topaz. Here is a sampling:
. a newly adopted Korean boy experiences a moment when he suddenly realizes that the woman who is pushing his stroller is now his grandmother, rather than a part-time caretaker
. an invitation to be a guest speaker at a college thousands of miles from home inflates this authors ego so much that she almost falls for a most cleverly plotted scam
. a family uproot themselves from their city lifestyle for a new life in the Australian countryside, and discover fulfillment, peace and sheer joy in their new environment
. a young girl, adopted from Guatemala, always fearful of the life she might have had, discovers that happiness comes from family connections no matter how poor, when she volunteers for a home rebuilding project in Nicaragua.
At other times these most precious memories come from a cluster of experiences spread over an extended period in time, such as in the story A Horse Named Cody, where this author slowly masters the technique of communicating with her recalcitrant horse.
The Awakenings stories found within the pages of this book fall into one of these two categories. But they will warm your heart as they inspire you to live your life to its fullest. Don't be surprised if you begin to view the world and your place in it slightly differently after savoring the Tales 2 Inspire ~ Topaz Collection of inspiring Awakenings stories.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateFebruary 2, 2014
- File size32953 KB
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First 3$16.97
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First 5$26.95
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First 10$53.86
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All 18 available$99.70
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Editorial Reviews
Review
From the Author
Each inspiring story accepted into this competition is vetted by three other authors, who give that tale a numeric score and at least one suggestion for improvement. Winners and Finalists are selected based on the aggregate of those three scores. The author then can use those suggestions (or not) to edit their stories in readiness for publication. Top scoring stories get published in print and e-book formats. But it doesn't stop there. Tales2Inspire™brings many additional platform building opportunities to these authors - too many to mention here. Watch the video: What's In It For You at the tales2inspire.com website.
From the Inside Flap
From the Back Cover
About the Author
After twenty years as an active educator, I continued to pursue my love of writing, soon becoming co-editor of a popular web-zine, where I created and authored a column, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives. It was there that I solidified my special niche of investigative journalism, and put those same talents to work while writing Sex, Lies and Cosmetic Surgery, for which I interviewed over one hundred women. I wrote my second book, Tick Tock, Stop the Clock ~ Getting Pretty on Your Lunch Hour, as a collaborative effort with chapters by twelve aesthetic professionals,to address many of the less invasive paths to beauty.
In between these projects, I continued to write inspiring stories to touch the heart and soul. Somehow I feel that Tales2Inspire®is just a natural outgrowth and progression from all that has come before. I can't wait to see what happens next!
Product details
- ASIN : B00GNL1W5C
- Publisher : Tales2Inspire®; 2nd edition (February 2, 2014)
- Publication date : February 2, 2014
- Language : English
- File size : 32953 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 120 pages
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
When I was 4 1/2 years old, I remember being sent to my room for a nap, but instead of resting, I practiced printing alphabet letters - all over my newly papered bedroom wall. What I most recall about that day was having to stand behind the dinette door, perched right next to my mother's old Singer Sewing Machine, until I apologized for my misbehavior. I couldn't understand why I was being punished for all my hard work, so I stood there for what seemed like hours, rather than offer up an apology. Fortunately this inauspicious beginning didn't dampen my enthusiasm for writing!
And I received a lot of encouragement along the way:
I was the first prizewinner of the senior essay contest at my high school. But it wasn't so much the award that thrilled me as my English teacher's inscription written inside the front cover of the leather bound edition of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet presented to me that day:
"You are a talented and perceptive writer. You should consider pursuing a career that utilizes your special skills."
Fast forward to college. I didn't much love Economics, a required course with assigned readings that I frequently put aside in preference to my favorites: English, French and Sociology. I would cram furiously the night before each Economic test - memorizing just enough to squeak by. I think my professor thought me somewhat of a dimwit, expecting little from me and getting little in return.
Mid way though the course, this same Economics professor assigned a term paper that intrigued me - the first time I was motivated to do any real work for this class. I dug in and did my thing. Several weeks later, before returning our papers, he announced that he had several surprises while grading these papers.
“Some students whom I expected to do well, disappointed me, while others, for whom I held low expectations, did extraordinarily well,” he explained. I received an A along with an invitation to meet him in his office after class. His words are still indelibly imprinted in my memory.
"This is your special talent. I hope you will pursue a career in writing. It would be a shame for you to waste your abilities.”
I graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University, with a major in Sociological Research and married Ken, a Columbia student, about eight days later. We set off for New Haven, where Ken began his studies as a law student. I needed to put aside my author's dreams and find a way to support my student husband and myself. The state college nearest our apartment was offering an Intensive Teacher Training (ITT) program so I enrolled, and six weeks later - Bingo -I was a teacher, with provisional certification. I signed a contract, began teaching in Cheshire Conn., and continued to take evening and summer courses throughout the next three years until I earned a Master's Degree - just in the knick of time. I went into labor while typing the bibliography for my Master's thesis, and begged Ken to let me finish before setting off for the hospital!
After raising our family, I enrolled at Hofstra University on Long Island to work on a second Master's degree - this time with a specialization in Reading and Special Education. I taught for 21 more years and loved every moment of it. (Well, almost every moment - nothing is perfect!)
Before I retired, I told Ken, "I know what I want to do with the rest of my life. I want to write." He more or less humored me, taking the attitude, "If you're happy, I'm happy." I worked as co-editor of a Long Island web-zine for the next three years, where I initiated a column I named, "Ordinary People - Extraordinary Lives." While interviewing such a fascinating array of people in order to write their special stories, I discovered my passion for investigative journalism. And then I got to work on my first full length book, Sex, Lies and Cosmetic Surgery, a work combining memoir and research, where my experiences while interviewing subjects for my Web-zine column further encouraged me to add aspects of journalism to my manuscript. Before I had completed this ambitious undertaking, I had conducted over 100 very candid interviews with men, women and professionals in the field , to deliver a work that has been described as “filled with humor and keen insight.”
It took me five years to complete Sex, Lies and Cosmetic Surgery, which landed in the number one spot on the ASPS online bookstore, receiving rave reviews from plastic surgeons and lay people alike, across the USA and beyond. Then it jumped to the top of the charts when an article appeared on the front page of the Style Section of the Sunday edition of the NY Times, which devoted several paragraphs to this book. I was on a roll, signed with a NYC agent who was sure this book would be grabbed up by one of the major publishers. But it didn't. The rejections began to come in. "The author doesn't have a strong enough author platform," they said. To be honest, at the time, I didn’t even know the meaning of those words.
I took time to dust myself off and regroup, but as the old saying, "When one door shuts, another flies open." I began to think that there must be many talented writers out there, writers who aren’t being given a chance because they haven’t yet established name recognition. This little nugget of thought urged me to give birth to Tales2Inspire®, an “Authors Helping Authors” project/contest. My goals were (and still are) to continue to help each talented, yet perhaps unknown, writer strengthen their writing skills while building their author platforms. Forever a fan of inspiring true stories, I built Tales2Inspire® around this passion. The rest, as they say, is history, with twelve Tales2Inspire® published books and counting, and have now added ghostwriting to my list of passions.
Visit https://www.tales2inspire.com to learn about current contest themes and entry procedures. Know that there are no entry fees, and winning authors receive an incredible number of platform building opportunities.
I have written since I learned to hold a pencil. But life interfered with serious writing until a tragedy struck my family. This time I took up the pen and wrote as a catharsis to my grief--where spoken words failed, written words helped heal my wounded soul.
My first short story of the incident was published in Victimology:an International Journal, launching a career in journalism. When writing for newspapers there were no more rejections, a nice surprise. I became a staff freelance writer for a bi-weekly award winning newspaper and freelance slice of life writer for my local paper, serving a city of 600,000 people. The diversity of writing for newspapers let me experiment in many areas of writing from essays, commentaries, interviews, humor, pathos, analogy, and short fiction.
I have recently published my first non-fiction book, . . .AND THE WHIPPOORWILL SANG, dedicated to the one I lost. Published by LspDigital, it is a funny, poignant celebration of life rather than a eulogy of death. My newly released children's book, 'The Cat Who Wanted a Dog' is a coloring and illustrated book for ages from 4-9 years old. I love writing short stories, my favorite category, which has culminated into a collection of slice of life, humor, and multi-genre short fiction and non-fiction, called, 'Don't Pluck the Duck' due to be released in December, 2016.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2016The Topaz Collection is filled with stories that are heartwarming and inspiring. Dan, the trumpet player who battles serious medical issues ends up in a coma, on hospice care. While still unconscious he started to move his fingers up and down as we would if he was playing the trumpet and shortly after he woke up from his coma. He regained his strength and a few months later was discharged from Hospice Care. He continued to improve with the help of the loving care of his wife of many years. Another heartwarming story is of the family that moves to the Australian countryside from suburbia, with no more than a tin caravan and a shack to call home. This story tells of the love of family and commitment to a couple's dreams and how these helped them meet the many challenges facing them as they moved back to the country. This book is filled with stories in which a person realizes something that can affect their life or achieves a goal that often seems insurmountable. I think the Tales2Inspire Collections are interesting in many different ways and encourage readers to try one. You will most likely want to get another one soon after.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2014I would hazard to guess that everyone has had an inspiring dream, cherishes a heart-felt memory, or perhaps a life changing accomplishment that determined the direction their lives would take from there. Also, I would bet that many wish they could put that experience into words to help or inspire others. As a one-time struggling author myself, I am fully aware of the power of words and the joy of knowing they touched someone. The missing elements here are the vision and energy of another inspired person to put it all together and offer up the stage from which to share these hopes, dreams and successes. This is what Lois W. Stern has accomplished with her "Tales2Inspire" Collections; she's offered up the stage.
I met Lois, a new author in her own right then, several years ago when we both became involved with an "Authors Helping Authors" group at a Publisher's Conference. Even then with her own new book recently published, Lois was looking for ways to help all authors. And, help authors she has done. The energy she has put into these series is a "Tale2Inspire" in itself. The heart-warming stories in the Collections showcase that spark of human spirit present in all of us. I strongly recommend them to anyone who has those days when they simply need a lift.
Susan Haley, Author
- Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2014Who doesn't love REAL LIFE GOOD NEWS ! Great Effort and Generous Gift! You'll Laugh, Cry and Applaud!
Pay it Forward! Share your inspiration!
- Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2019Unkie’s Telltale Trail of Smoke by Lois W. Stern, is an engaging story about Maurice Levenbron, the author’s uncle. “Unkie,” as she referred to him from her earliest days, enlisted as a soldier during World War II and returned to the U.S., his uniform decorated with numerous bars and medals. A generous man with an engaging sense of humor, he was known for his signature pipe, and smoldering ashes. Levonbron adored his young niece, a ready audience for his colorful stories. She wasn’t alone in admiring him. Maurice Levonbron was a beloved figure in his community and deeply respected as an attorney. As the author writes, “his….intellectual curiosity, generosity and humanity are constant reminders to me of the life I want to live.”
- Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2017Every day, we are deluged with stories of crimes, tragedy and natural disasters which tend to distort our perceptions of the true spirit inherent in humankind. In Tales 2 Inspire: The Diamond Collection, creator Lois W. Stern has offered a collection of stories which artfully demonstrate the courage and positive motivation of ordinary people. These ordinary people are sometimes placed in extraordinary circumstances which test their endurance and their willingness to stretch the limits of their knowledge and their skills. At other times, individuals are asked to believe the seemingly impossible as fate steps in to remediate past pain.
The story of A Horse named Cody was memorable in that the author gained in personal knowledge and her experience culminated in the creation of a sanctuary for abused horses. Rather than shying away from trouble, the author accepted the problem and carried through with her own learning to the benefit of others. The stories are believable and heartwarming. They speak of empathic concern for those less fortunate and of belief which propels an individual to seek the excellence within them. The collection is one which nudges the reader toward looking within and daring to take life not as it is wished for, but rather, as it is.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2020This anthology has true stories with photos about personal awakenings moments that could inspire others to take new actions. Adoption, a concentration camp, animals, the birth of a calf, and an injured Monarch butterfly all help the reader to look at life with new, positive eyes.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2017Lois Stern has created a true gift with her Tales2Inspire anthology collection. I am proud to be a published author in the Topaz Collection of this series. The Topaz Collection is filled with heartwarming stories of personnel transformation, as daily events subtly and consistently reveal to each author new aspects of living a more full and rewarding life. The depth of the messages in each story is in contrast to the simplicity of the tales. This makes one realize that these gentle moments of awakening are available not only to the lucky few; they are available to all, especially to those who look, and, with the help of these insightful stories, see with newly opened eyes. This book would be a wonderful gift for a friend who just might need a little inspiration. There is plenty of that here for everyone!!