Holley author featured twice in Christmas Chicken Soup for the Soul book

David Hull has now written stories for 28 different books in the series

(Left) This is the cover of the latest Chicken Soup for the Soul book, featuring 101 tales about the Christmas holiday, including two written by David Hull of Holley. (Right) File photo from 2018 shows David Hull holding two of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books that include a story he wrote.

HOLLEY – David Hull is a prolific contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. He has written stories that are featured in 28 of the books.

The latest book with a Christmas theme include two of his stories. “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Time for Christmas! 101 Tales of Holiday Joy, Love and Gratitude” totals 339 pages. There are now more than 300 Chicken Soup for the Soul tiles that combined have sold more than 110 million copies and been translated into nearly 50 languages.

Hull, 64, is a retired preschool teacher. He has a story in the Christmas book in a section about Holiday Hijinks. In “The Separation,” he writes about his mother not being happy that Hull and sister weren’t visiting for the holidays. She tricked them into thinking she and her husband were getting a separation, which prompted her children to make an emergency trip home – for the holidays.

In a section about Gratitude and Grace, Hull has a story, “Gramma’s Good China.” Hull shares how his father tried to reconnect with him after leaving the family for 16 years. Hull wasn’t happy about seeing his dad and refused to shake his hand or converse with him in that first meeting.

Hull’s grandmother urged him to let go of the bitterness and anger. Hull reached out to his father, invited him for Thanksgiving and they ate on Grandma’s good China, dishes that were only used on special occasions. Hull said the dinner and reconnection with his father helped to soothe his hard feelings.

Hull grew up in Brockport. He did a reading at the Lift Bridge Book Shop in Brockport on Dec. 9, sharing some of his stories from the Chicken Soup series.

Hull said he checks the Chicken Soup website for future book themes and also gets emails from them about topics. He sends in submissions and said he is accepted about 50 percent of the time.

“If you get rejected you have to try again,” he said.

The most popular Chicken Soup books tend to be humorous ones, and books about pets, Hull said.

“At heart I’m really a writer,” he said. “I write quite a bit. I really enjoy seeing my stories get in print.”

Hull studied English in college and earned a degree in education. He worked 28 years as a teacher at the Brockport Child Development Center at Brockport State College. He retired about a decade ago.

The latest Chicken Soup book is one of several in the series earmarked to raise funds for nonprofits. Royalties from this book go to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program.