Laugh It Up!: Embrace Freedom and Experience Defiant Joy - Softcover

Payne, Candace

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0310350565 ISBN 13: 9780310350569

Publisher: Zondervan, 2017

Synopsis

The world knows Candace Payne as “Chewbacca Mom,” the wife and mother of two from Dallas who captured the hearts of nearly 200 million people around the world with nothing but a toy Chewbacca mask, a smart phone, and infectious laughter.

Candace’s viral moment of simple joy became Facebook Live’s top video. But what the video doesn’t show is Candace’s storied journey of daunting obstacles on the way to the joy-filled life—extreme poverty, past trauma, and struggles with self-worth.

Laugh It Up! tells the rest of the story behind the woman in the mask. Like most of us, Candace has often felt overlooked, undervalued, and insignificant. But she has also discovered the secrets to unshakable joy that no circumstance can take away, and Laugh It Up! will help you discover and experience the same.

Join Candace to discover the gift God has given us all to experience life to the fullest. All you need to do is answer “yes” when joy, whom Candace personifies as a friend, calls you to come and play.

• Do you feel tempted to give up on your dreams? Joy stays the course.
• Do your knees knock when thinking about the future? Joy hopes for what can be.
• Do you feel unseen and unnoticed? Joy is content whether backstage or center stage.
• Do you feel crushed under the weight of regret? Joy loves you enough to weep with you, but also enough to help you move on.

When life punches you in the gut, it can be difficult to muster a smile—much less a laugh. But with humor and power, wit and wisdom, Candace lights the way forward to a life that is free indeed.

About this title

About the Author:

Candace Payne is a viral sensation and one of the biggest media stories of 2016. Her infectious laugh and joy-filled spirit have gained her positive attention from press, brands and fans around the globe. After a Facebook Live video of Candace trying on a Chewbacca mask became the most-viewed Facebook Live video in history (165+million views), celebrities and everyday people alike became rabid fans of Candace, who is often referred to as the “Chewbacca mom.”  

Candace has appeared on major media such as "Good Morning America,” "Entertainment Tonight," and "The Late Late Show with James Corden," where she participated in a sketch with Corden and “The Force Awakens” director JJ Abrams. Candace was also invited to the headquarters of Lucasfilm for a personal tour; to Facebook where Mark Zuckerberg arranged for a photoshoot for Candace and "Chewbacca", the photos of which he posted on his personal Facebook page; and to Hasbro, where she was presented with a “Chewbacca Mom" action figure in front of the entire company. Many of the videos from these appearances also went viral. All in all, Candace has been featured in more than 3000 media outlets. 

Additionally, Candace was featured in the opening monologue of the CMT Music Awards, performed the National Anthem for the Houston Astros, threw the “first pitch” for the Tampa Bay Rays, appeared at the Grand Ole Opry, and has been invited to numerous red carpet events.  

After the Dallas police shootings in July 2016, Candace performed her own arrangement of Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World” via Facebook Live - a video which quickly went viral and created another wave of media buzz and chatter about Candace’s stunning vocals. She later recorded the song, which charted in the top 30 on iTunes within the first few hours of release; all proceeds were donated to the faith–based charity, Convoy of Hope. 

Candace continues to spread a message of joy through her active social media platform (830k Facebook followers/50+k on Instagram), her lively video series on TLCme, and in speaking engagements around the country. Candace released her first book in November 2017 from Zondervan. 

She and her husband, Chris, live in Dallas with their two children and their pug, Opal. Connect with her online at candacepayne.me.

Review:

I'm so fortunate to have gotten to know the real woman 'behind the mask' after her hilarious video took the internet by storm and reminded us all to LAUGH with abandon! Candace has a lot to teach the world about living joyfully, laughing loudly, and cherishing the small things that make life worth living! (Patricia Heaton, Emmy Award-winning actress and producer)

On May 21, 2016, I posted this on my Facebook page: 'Have y'all seen this video of a lady finding such joy in her newly purchased Chewbacca mask? I'm willing to bet she's a believer. That kind of joy comes from a much deeper place.' What's interesting about the spring of 2016 is that I was in a deep depression when I came across that viral video. Looking back on it now, I know that the joy I saw in Candace flooded Light into my pit of despair and beckoned my spirit to rise out of the dark. As you read Candace Payne's story, you will see why she is able to find joy in the simple things. I know firsthand the power of joy in the midst of pain. That is why I believe that God has spread Candace's contagious, Light-shining spirit for the world to see at such a time as this. (Mandisa, Contemporary Christian recording artist)

If you think Candace Payne is nothing more than a viral video, you are sorely mistaken. I recently spent time listening to her life's story and was stunned by the unspeakable pain she has endured and the breathtaking triumphs she has experienced. Candace Payne is more than a mask, and I'm confident that her new book will cement her as a go-to inspirational voice for years to come. (Jonathan Merritt, contributing writer for The Atlantic; author of Learning to Speak God from Scratch)

Candace truly does have the gift of spreading joy, and that is something that the world needs more of at this time. I'm happy she's using her platform to make people smile. This book will open people's eyes to see joy in their own life. It makes me proud to be her friend. (Sadie Robertson, bestselling author, speaker, and founder of Live Original The Tour)

Thanks to a viral Facebook video, the world got to see a glimpse of the joy and spirit of Candace Payne. I've been fortunate to know and feel that joy and spirit in person both before and after the video took over the internet. There's more to Candace than one video. Candace has a gift. A gift for living her life with a smile on her face and a shine in her heart. Laugh It Up! will give readers an insight into that smile and shine and hopefully help even more people find joy in everything they do in life. And real and true joy is the most infectious and viral thing on the planet. Let's spread it together. (Barrett Baber, country music artist and songwriter)

Don't be fooled: Candace Payne is more than a laughing Chewbacca mask, and this book is more than stories to make you giggle. These profoundly rich and vulnerable pages are an invitation to drink deeply from the well of joy. Even in the lean seasons, Candace reminds readers, Joy is beckoning us out to play. These are words for the weary, the hopeless, the dreamers, the fighters, and everyone in between. Laugh It Up! is an invitation to come back home and embrace our birthright--joy. You will laugh, cry, and remember the long-forgotten gift of playfulness as you journey through these pages and find yourself coming home to hope. This book is a rare, life-giving gift for the soul. (Jenny Simmons, musician, author of Made Well and The Road to Becoming)

Candace is more than just a joyful person; she is a JOY-FILLED person who has a passion to make the world a better place. Laugh It Up! will remind you to find joy in the small moments and guide you on your way to become someone who experiences 'defiant joy' and hope each day. (Hal Donaldson, president, Convoy of Hope)

About this edition

• Publisher: Zondervan
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0310350565
• ISBN 13: 9780310350569
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208