Hey everybody!

Chicken Soup for the Soul just released a brand new book, and they’re having a Twitter party tomorrow to celebrate! Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Kind (of) America features 101 stories about kindness in America.

My story, “Out of the Mouths of Strangers,” can be found on page 260. Writing this piece involved several very embarrassing trips down Memory Lane, but it was all worth it when I got to relive the feeling of sheer joy and gratitude at the end of the story. If you’re ever thinking about saying something really nice to someone, but you’re feeling shy or you’re not sure if you should, just go with your gut and say it. You won’t regret it and neither will the recipient of those kind words. 🙂

Whether it’s a grand act of heroism or something as simple as a homemade Valentine, kindness changes lives. It reminds us who we really are, deep down inside. Underneath all of our many differences–skin color, gender, religion, age, education level–we are all human beings. And we all, at one time or another, need to be reminded that someone cares.

So, check out the book! And come join us on Twitter tomorrow (Wednesday, September 6th) for the launch party! The party will run from 2-3pm ET, with the hashtag #MyKindAmerica. I will be there (@astheheroflies) along with many of the other authors and our awesome publisher, Amy Newmark!

Hope to see you there, and remember–kindness matters!

~Gretchen