I remember it like it was yesterday. We were at a cocktail party in the early nineties at the home of my friend Somers White, CSP, CMP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame. Two of the folks who were there that night were hustling around the room asking their fellow speakers if we would participate in a project on which they were working.

Mark Victor Hansen, CSP and Jack Canfield, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame were trying to get both investors and writers to submit their stories into a co-authored book called Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Most of us laughed it off. Mark was known was coming up with every hair-brained idea in the world, most of which failed, but this time the pair hit on gold. Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC, publishes all the latest titles in the famous Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. They are distributed through Simon and Schuster, Inc.

Since 1993, the series have sold more than 112 million copies with titles translated into more than hundreds of languages. In 2007, USA Today named Chicken Soup for the Soul one of the five most memorable and impactful books in the last quarter century.

The first book sold over 15 million copies and launched the series. There are now over 700 million copies in print in 203 languages nationwide, according to Wikipedia. The success of the series even spawned a number of imitators and parodies, including Chicken Soup for the Vegetarian's Soul and MTV's Beavis and Butt-head: Chicken Soup for the Butt, not to mention dozens of licensed products from greeting cards, gift calendars, gift products, pet foods, CD's, DVD's and nutritional supplements, just to name a few.

Over the years, Mark Victor Hansen has asked me several times to participate in his projects but I always said no. He once asked me to consider doing a Chicken Soup for the Knights of Columbus Soul, focusing on my relationship with the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's fraternal society. I turned him down.

On another occasion, knowing I was Catholic, he asked me if I would consider doing a Chicken Soup for the Catholic Soul project. Again, I turned him down, but he did turn to a colleague, LeAnn Theiman, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame to head up that project, which is now a reality: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living Catholic Faith.

And while I turned down the opportunity to spearhead the project, I'm proud to say I did agree to be a co-contributor to the book, which will be formally released in December.

This is Chicken Soup for the Soul's first book written to please all Catholics, from the once-a-year attendee at midnight Mass to the devout church volunteer and daily worshipper.

With 101 poignant and spirit-filled stories written by Catholics of all ages, this book covers the gamut, including fun stories about growing up Catholic to serious stories about sacraments and miracles.

Whether the reader is a cradle Catholic, a convert, simply curious or struggling, these stories describe what it means to be Catholic. They bring happiness, hope and healing to everyone in all stages of life and faith.

A Chicken Soup for the Soul story is an inspirational, true story about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It is a story to open the heart and rekindle the spirit. Some (like mine) are humorous while others touch the soul of the readers and help them discover basic principles they can use in their own lives.

They are personal and often filled with emotion and drama, filled with vivid images that touch all five senses. Chicken Soup for the Soul stories have heart and many cause tears, laughter, goose bumps or a combination of all of the above, covering every human emotion.

What these stories are not is: 1- a sermon, 2- a term paper, thesis, letter or journal entry, 3- a political or controversial issue or 4- a biography or testimonial.

So if you're Catholic, you'll like Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living Catholic Faith. If you're non-Catholic, you'll get to learn more about my faith through my fellow collaborators. It's on the shelves in December.