The Pep Talk by Elko, Kevin (2008) Paperback

The Pep Talk is a sports story-with solid business applications-about an underdog football team defeating a formidable opponent. Typically, a novelette of this type peaks at the end of the game, but it's in the pep talk where the real story begins. A stranger convinces the coach of a team with a 24-game losing streak to allow him to give a pep talk before they go up against a winning team. The underdog team is victorious because of the influence of this stranger. The pep talk and the actual game are intriguing, but the real story begins 29 years later when the coach, suffering from a brain tumor, discovers the stranger had prophesized specific events that occurred in the ensuing game. Is there a logical explanation? Is there a spiritual explanation? The answers to these questions capture the reader's attention to the very end.

Kevin Elko is a Certified Addictions Counselor who works with professional and college football teams. He has also consulted and presented to a number of companies and organizations including Pfizer, Wachovia, and Merrill Lynch. He owns a Super Bowl Ring from the Dallas Cowboys, a National Championship ring from the LSU Tigers and two National Championship Rings from the Miami Hurricanes. Organizations are willing to pay high fees to bring Kevin in, and keep bringing him back year after year.

Robert Shook has authored four best-selling books and holds over 100 weeks on the best-sellers lists. His work includes New York Times best-selling books: The IBM Way, Mary Kay on People Management, Mary Kay's You Can Have It All, and Longaberger. Shook collaborated with Doris Christopher to write The Pampered Chef, which was an immediate best seller.