Whatever your age, the book StarWords: Inspirational Conversations with Extraordinary Monterey Peninsulans will inspire you to follow your dreams and show you, by example, how to realize your goals and fulfill your life’s purpose.

Veteran journalist Susan Cantrell hand-picked these most inspiring 62 people, who overcame rejection and hardships to become famous nationally or internationally in 10 fields of endeavor: Acting, Invention, Sports, Comedy, Fine Art, Literary Art, Aviation, Business, Spirituality, Partnership. And they all chose to live in the Eden we call the Monterey Peninsula. 

The book starts with Clint Eastwood, who worked in a pulp mill and as a lumber jack to put himself through acting school after his father told him acting was "all dream world stuff." 

Other celebrities who dared to dream include:

• Betty White: The witty actress and animal champion who continues to delight audiences well into her twilight years.

• Reggie Jackson: Baseball hall-of-famer and self-made millionaire, who said, “When I was a young kid, heat in the house made me happy; running hot water; going to the bathroom inside; eating food from the store, not out of brown bags; having my oldest sis taking me to Sears and buying me a couple underwears and pants to go to college at Arizona State . . ."

• Mariano Martinez: The man who invented the frozen margarita machine, now housed in the Smithsonian Institute, who followed his dreams from poverty to owning a chain of restaurants and mentoring small business beginners.

• Iris Rainer Dart: The author of “Beaches” and the daughter of poor Russian immigrants whose book became a best-loved movie, starring Bette Midler. Fear of losing her best friend to death inspired Dart’s story line.

• Hank Ketcham: The creator of “Dennis the Menace” who was once quite shy, hiding behind his large signature glasses.

• Bill Morris: A Guinness World Records athlete who did 20,100 sit-ups in 11.5 hours - without a bathroom break - to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

• Lamont Johnson: The original voice of Tarzan who rose from the ashes of Hollywood’s Black List, and from his sick bed as a child, to direct Hollywood’s top stars.

• Mickey Kapp: A Grammy-winning record producer who, after countless rejections, was the first to send music to the moon with the world’s original astronauts.

This is but a small sampling of the awe-inspiring legends of our time you will read about in Starwords.  Their stories of courage and enterprise will encourage you to reach for and finally realize your own dreams.  You will also learn that these seeming Super Beings are very human, humorous and vulnerable and suffer from the same foibles, insecurities and mistakes we all do.

Read Raves About StarWords

Click on Interviews for sample interviews.  Also enjoy Susan Cantrell's monthly web columns Mental Pause®, a humorous account of aging: and Monterey Peninsula Tours for inspiring walks and bike rides around the Monterey Peninsula.