LINDEN, NJ — “Chicken Soup for the Soul” is a socially conscious company that publishes uplifting true stories. The company has been around since 1993, inspiring and entertaining readers.
The new book, “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Pets, Pets, Pets: 101 Entertaining Stories,’ features Linden resident Liliya K. Kopnina’s story “Legion.”
“Legion” is the story of how Kopnina’s cat got adopted.
She said, “We adopted him from a rescue shelter and learned he was on the kill list. The shelters in the United States, they communicate. A shelter took in my future cat. Someone adopted him here and returned him. It’s so sad. It’s so wrong.”
When Kopnina adopted the cat, his name was Legion. The cat was loving in the shelter, but once he came home, he “turned into a hurricane,” according to Kopnina. She said, “He dropped jars from the kitchen. Destroyed my lemon tree.”
Legion was then named “Tyson,” after the fighter, Mike Tyson.
Kopnina said she always wanted to be an author and had a passion for writing since childhood. “I was encouraged to write,” she said.
At 20, she moved from Russia to the United States by herself. At the time, all her jobs were dedicated to paying the bills. But things changed for her three years ago, when her son was born. “I want to write. I want to create,” she said.
Kopnina was working on her first picture book when her friend told her about “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” “Every time before she slept, she read ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul,’” said Kopnina. “It’s incredible. My friend mentioned she loves pet stories. I have the perfect story.”
There are no challenges in writing for Kopnina. She said, “Real stories like that, they just flow.”
However, she’s working on a picture book, and the problem is that the words rhyme. “Literary agents don’t like that,” she said.
Her advice to anyone who wants to become a writer is to “just write.” Though she feels that technology such as A.I. creating a story for you is not authentic.
“That will never give you the effective voice,” she said.
Kopnina further advises her readers to write, wait 24 hours, then re-read. “That’s when you get a good, polished draft,” she said.
When she’s not writing, Kopnina likes to draw. She also has a full-time job in finance.
To learn more about “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” visit: https://www.chickensoup.com/.
Photos Courtesy of Liliya Kopnina
