Who is John McPherson? John McPherson was raised in a faraway place called Painted Post, New York. (We're not making this up.) He began cartooning at the age of four, with the bulk of his work appearing on walls, furniture and, at one point, a neighbor's dog. Most of this early work was poorly received. Discouraged, John turned his creative efforts to Play-Doh, pipe cleaners and Spirograph. For the next fifteen years, John put his cartooning career on hold, until one day, during a very dull college engineering class, John drew a doodle in his notebook. His career was reborn. From that point in 1983, John began to draw voraciously despite the fact that his cartoons looked like he had drawn them using a pencil taped to his nose.
In the years that followed, John's cartoons appeared regularly in over forty magazines, and in 1992 Universal Press Syndicate and John teamed up to launch Close to Home. Since that time, Close to Home has earned its way into 700 papers worldwide, including The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Tokyo Times and Hanoi Daily News. In addition, John has published numerous book collections of his work, a yearly block calendar and an award-winning line of greeting cards with Recycled Paper Products. In addition to his cartooning, John is an active speaker, talking to groups about the rigors of syndicated cartooning. He can be reached at closetohome@compuserve.com. John lives in Saratoga Springs, New York, with his wife and two boys. When not drawing cartoons or playing with his kids, John spends time expanding his collection of soda-can pull tabs.
Who is Mark Victor Hansen? Mark Victor Hansen is a professional speaker who in the last twenty years has made over 4,000 presentations to more than 2 million people in thirty-two 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 coauthor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Dare to Win and The Aladdin Factor (all with Jack Canfield), The Master Motivator (with Joe Batten) and The One Minute Millionaire with Robert D. Allen. For further information about Mark, write: MVH and 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 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 video-cassette 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). For further information about Jack's books, tapes and training programs, or to schedule him for a presentation, please contact: Jack Canfield P.O. Box 30880 Santa Barbara, CA 93130 phone: 805-563-2935 * fax: 805-563-2945 Web site: www.chickensoup.com.