By Faye Rapoport DesPres

Soul to Soul: Tiny Stories of Hope and Resilience

Fiction

From a girl comforted by a stray dog to a chance encounter at a waterfall, from a promising violist to the season’s first snowflakes, from four friends at a wedding to the hope in every sunrise, this collection of tiny stories is a book for our times. It offers tales of hope and resilience at a time when many readers could use a lift. Read several stories in a sitting, one every morning, or one or two before bed at night. Read them as meditations or choose some to share as bedtime stories. Soul to Soul will sit on your coffee table, find its way into your backpack or book club, and be the perfect holiday gift when it arrives this winter. Beautifully illustrated by European artist Anya Lauchlan, this special book arrives December 1, 2023 from Huntsville Independent Press.

Author

Faye Rapoport DesPres

Discover the books, essays, fiction, and poetry of Faye Rapoport DesPres. Enter a world of animals, nature, entertainment, and the breadth of the human spirit.

Published Books

Other Books

Memoir-in-Essays

From an astonishing blue jay to a lone humpback whale, from the back roads of her home town to the streets of Jerusalem and the Tower of London, debut author Faye Rapoport DesPres examines a modern life marked by a passion for the natural world, unexpected love, and shocking loss, and her search for a place she can finally call home in this beautifully-crafted memoir-in-essays.

Book 1, Stray Cat Stories

From a wily feral, to a member of the family, Little White’s story will charm the hearts of animal lovers everywhere. This is the true story of how Little White went from being a feral cat who faced danger at every turn to a well-loved indoor cat with a family of her own.

Book 2, Stray Cat Stories

ribbs was just a kitten when his human family abandoned him. His mom did her best to her best to find food and shelter for the two of them, but the streets are no place for a kitten! Finding their way into foster care, the two are soon separated when his mom is adopted. The little kitten is growing up fast, will Tribbs ever find his forever home?

Now Available!

Available November 1, 2023

The Art of Touch: A Collection of Prose and Poetry from the Pandemic and Beyond

Non-Fiction and Poetry

Psychologists, healers, massage therapists, academics, creative writers, and others reflect on or tell personal stories about what it means to be able to touch or experience touch, or to have to go without it—as so many did and still do because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They explore how transmissions such as texting may impede opportunities for touch, while those like Zoom may make it possible for people who otherwise might be left behind to stay “in touch.” From the experience of touching beloved animals to the life-changing ways in which books and performances can touch us, virtually all aspects of touch are acknowledged in these pages.

Faye’s Blog

Taking Flight: Notes from the Writing Life

New Interview on Linda K. Sienkiewicz’s Literary Blog

New Interview on Linda K. Sienkiewicz’s Literary Blog

...even before the latest global events that are frankly frightening and challenging each of us in different ways, I felt it was timely to write and publish a book about overcoming obstacles and finding moments of hope and resilience in our daily lives. - Faye...

Pondering Thanksgiving During Difficult Times

Pondering Thanksgiving During Difficult Times

These are strange times. The Merriam-Webster dictionary's first definition of the word "strange" is: "different from what is usual, ordinary, or expected." What is "usual, ordinary, or expected" differs widely from country to country, culture to culture, community to...

“The Art of Touch” is Now Available!

“The Art of Touch” is Now Available!

It's November 1, the official launch date for The Art of Touch: A Collection of Prose and Poetry from the Pandemic and Beyond. In this book, which I co-edited with Joan Schweighardt and which includes one of my own personal essays, the unique voices of thirty-nine of...

Light Above Darkness

Light Above Darkness

I took this photo recently, just with my phone, while I was walking at a nature reserve near our home. Only days later did its significance hit me -- there is light not just after, but above the darkness. It's been a difficult month for people around the world....

Thank You

Thank You

Just a quick note of thanks to everyone who has been pre-ordering Soul to Soul: Tiny Stories of Hope and Resilience from Huntsville Independent Press. The book has been available for pre-order for 10 days, and I'm excited for those who eagerly ordered to start...

Shaky Landing, but Soul to Soul is On the Way!

Shaky Landing, but Soul to Soul is On the Way!

Last Thursday night, my husband and I returned from a week-long trip to England and Iceland. The trip had been in the planning stages for a year; we’d be surprising a friend in England for her 50th birthday, spending two days with her lovely family, and then circling...

“The Art of Touch” Editor’s Copies Arrived

“The Art of Touch” Editor’s Copies Arrived

I have two book releases to look forward to this fall, and I just received my contributor's copy of the first book: The Art of Touch: A Collection of Poetry and Prose from the Pandemic and Beyond. (I also received some editor's copies, as I wore two hats for this...

More Microfiction Publishing News

More Microfiction Publishing News

This is just a note to share some good news: two of my new microfiction stories have been accepted by journals that publish wonderful work. Why do writers share news like this?

“Their Own Heroes” Published at Friday Flash Fiction

“Their Own Heroes” Published at Friday Flash Fiction

My latest microfiction piece (a "drabble" of exactly 100 words") was recently published at Friday Flash Fiction. You can read "it "Their Own Heroes" at this link. As many of you know, I am a life-long animal and wildlife advocate. In fact, I wrote my children's books...

The “Situation” and the “Story” — What’s the Difference?

The “Situation” and the “Story” — What’s the Difference?

When I launched a new website and blog, one of the unfortunate side effects was the loss of years of blog posts from my previous website. I’d chronicled important moments in both my personal and writing life, as well as lessons I’d learned about the craft of writing....

New Interview Out with Novelist Joan Schweighardt

New Interview Out with Novelist Joan Schweighardt

Faye Rapoport DesPres discusses her new interview with Joan Schweighardt, author of the new contemporary novel, Under the Blue Moon. The interview was published on Women Writers, Women’s Books.

No Need for Perfection In First Drafts, or Life

No Need for Perfection In First Drafts, or Life

here’s this thing about writing that I think also applies to a lot of things in life: striving for perfection can be stressful and self-defeating, and it can actually prevent any progress.

New Website Takes Flight

New Website Takes Flight

Welcome to my new website and blog. You might want to check out The Free Website Guys, too!

All Photos Copyright Faye Rapoport DesPres