Helene Hadsell Popular Books
Helene Hadsell Biography & Facts
Helen Hadsell a.k.a. Helene Hadsell (June 1, 1924 – October 30, 2010) was an American widely known as the "contest queen". She entered and won many contests for items and for all-expense paid trips. She also won a house which was showcased at the 1964–65 New York World's Fair. Later she lectured and held workshops on positive thinking. A "Doctor of Metaphysics", she was the author of the popular book The Name It and Claim It Game: with WINeuvers for WISHcraft. Early life and family Helen Barbara Daeschel was born in 1924 and raised in Aberdeen, South Dakota. She attended Central High School there, where she was a member of the school choir. At age 18, she left home for Vancouver, Washington, where she found employment as a file clerk in a shipping yard. She met and married Pat Hadsell, who was from Denton Texas, during World War II. The couple later settled in Grand Prairie, Texas, and they had three children. She was a homemaker who was also president of the Grand Prairie Community Chorus, a Girl Scout leader, and on the board of her local PTA. In 1958, she entered the Mrs. America Pageant and made it past the first round, before losing in the Fort Worth division finals. In 1959, the family moved from Grand Prairie to Irving, Texas. She became the society news editor for the Irving News-Record, which became the "Strictly Personal" column for the Irving News Texan. After having been named to a supermarket magazine advisory board, a local paper described Hadsell as "an enterprising girl if ever there was one." Contesting In Hadsell's era, there was an activity known as "contesting", in which people would dedicate their time and efforts towards winning sweepstakes, where winners are chosen at random among those who have entered and the usual strategy was to submit as many entries as possible, and consumer skill contests, in which prizes were won by submitting some kind of writing extolling a particular product, often "In 25 words or less". Such enthusiasts were known as "contestors" or "contest bugs". There were national magazines and newsletters with contesters as the targeted audience. The Hadsells started entering contests in 1948, as a family hobby, focusing on the skill contests. In 1949 she won a Toni Home Permanent Kit as a 48th-through-168th place prize in a contest run by Skillern's Departmental Drug Stores. However, for the first ten years or so, they almost never won. This changed after Hadsell took a correspondence course in contest writing and learned that contest judges were, as she said in an interview a few years later, "looking for something different, coined words or phrases and humor. I'd say humor has won for me more than anything. I have another saying – pun for the money." Hadsell's husband Pat assisted with the writing of a number of the contest entries. By 1957, the family was starting to win contests more frequently, including the Hadsells' six-year-old son winning some toy guns for naming a pony. In 1959, Hadsell told a local newspaper columnist that she had just won an electric food mixer for coming up with a name for a new kind of cake, and that she had won two other mixers in contests during the preceding year. In 1963, Hadsell was selected as president of a Dallas area writing and contesting club, known as the Competriots, many of whose forty members were published writers of fiction, poetry, or textbooks who were now focusing on contests. The members traded contest information and entry blanks. By early 1964, the family said they had won many prizes, ranging from the mundane such as lawn-mower blade sharpeners to a trip to Disneyland; the latter was followed by trips to Washington, D.C., and Venice. Nonetheless, Hadsell thought that they hadn't yet "won any of the big prizes, like cars or trips around the world." But that soon happened. The Formica Corporation had an exhibit at the 1964–65 New York World's Fair which showed a house where all interior walls, and many of the appointments and furnishings, were made of the company's laminated plastic. As part of this, the company ran a $100,000 contest, the grand prize of which was a $50,000 replica of the house to be built anywhere in the United States, lot included. Contestants had to fill out an entry form at either the World's Fair or at any of a number of Formica model homes that had been built around the country, one of which was in the Dallas area; the form itself asked the entrant for short responses regarding what they liked about the house and what suggestions they had for future Formica products. Hadsell was one of 1.5 million people to submit entries. She won the contest, a result announced when a marketing directory for Formica Corporation came to Dallas to present the Hadsell family with a model of the house to be built. She attributed the win to her creativity. At the time, the Hadsells said they were unsure regarding which town they would have the house built in; it was eventually built in Irving, and the Hadsells lived there for a number of years. Author and lecturer Around two years after she won the house, Hadsell began to change her focus. In late 1967, Hadsell sponsored a seminar in Dallas on mind control. In 1968 she was part of a lecture series in Dallas on subjects related to psychic abilities and mental potential; her topic was the power of positive thinking. By 1970 she was editor of the Mind Control Newsletter and had attended a conference on parapsychology in France. In early 1972 she said that she had entered no national contests at all the two years prior, saying "I've gone into so many more meaningful and exciting experiences." Her lecture appearances grew to the point where they took place throughout the Midwest. In 1971, she authored the book The Name It and Claim It Game: with WINeuvers for WISHcraft, which gave some of her hints for how to win contests, and also delved into her philosophy of "believe you can win and you will". It was published by DeVorss & Company, an established California publisher known for its focus on New Thought topics. As of 1982, the book was on its seventh printing. By 1972, Hadsell had established a relationship with José Silva and his Silva Mind Control approach, and some of her talks then and in years to follow were sponsored by the Silva organization. Hadsell received training in the approach from Silva's Institute of Psychorientology in Laredo, Texas, and subsequently did teaching there. In 1980, she was the contact point for Silva's seminars in the Dallas area. By 1973, Hadsell had received a distance–learning "doctorate in metaphysics", specifically psychics and counseling, via correspondence education from the Brotherhood of the White Temple in Sedalia, Colorado, an unaccredited institution that had been founded by Maurice Doreal. During this period, she reframed some of her prior experiences. She said that in 1959 she read Norman Vincent Peale's book, The Power of Positive Thinking and she credited the book.... Discover the Helene Hadsell popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Helene Hadsell books.
Best Seller Helene Hadsell Books of 2024
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Death at Hazel House
Betty Rowlands‘Riveting, can't put it down! I love this story… a wonderfully twisted tale of a crime that has more twists than I thought possible... fantastic.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars ...
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Caught Up with the Captain
Kait NolanCan a retired naval commander and the love he left behind overcome a 34yearold secret to find their way to a second chance? Captain Mitchell Greyson is a man who believes in duty. ...
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Saltwater Cove
Amelia AddlerSecond chances...and the secrets that sabotage them. At 48 years old, Margie Clifton never expected to be starting her life all over again. But when her brother gifts her a propert...
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The Three Little Pigs
Mark LeskyClassic fairy tales, legends and folk stories in short version without violence retold with lovely illustrations in simple language. Perfect for reading aloud to small chi...
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Finding Cinderella
Colleen Hoover#1 New York Times bestselling author of It Starts with Us and It Ends With Us writes a free novella about the search for happily ever after. A chance encounter in the dark leads ei...
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The Art of War
Sun TzuAn Apple Books Classic edition. It’s believed that Sun Tzu wrote this Chinese military primer during the 5th century BChundreds of years before the Bible. The book’s 13 chapters ex...
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Silenced Girls
Roger Stelljes“ Wow wow wow!  Grips you in a choke hold and  does not let go … Oozes suspense and  bonechilling twists and turns .  Astonishing … One of those...
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Get Lucky
Lila MonroeFall for the hot and hilarious romcom spin on 'The Hangover', perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey, Ali Hazelwood, and Emily Henry! What happens when you wake up in a hotel s...
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Eternal
W.J. MayShe will fight for what is hers. When the king is murdered, Katerina, his only daughter, must flee for her life. She finds herself on a strange and dangerous path. Alone for the fi...
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The Great Gatsby
F. Scott FitzgeraldAn Apple Books Classics edition. The Roaring Twenties are in full effect in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s riveting classic. Manabouttown Jay Gatsby seems to have it all, including loads of...
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A Christmas Carol
Charles DickensAn Apple Books Classic edition. It’s Christmas Eve in Victorian England. While some families don’t know where their next meal will come from, Ebenezer Scrooge sits in his large hom...
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Meditations
Emperor of Rome Marcus AureliusMeditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161–180 CE, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy.
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Hot Off the Press
Lexy Timms"This is what really happened… reported by a free press, for a free people…" Wes Shaw leads a secret double life. As the secret owner of a billion dollar newspap...
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The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel HawthorneAn Apple Books Classic edition. Hester Prynne lives in infamy. After committing adultery and bearing a child with a man whose name she refuses to divulge, the heroine of Nathaniel ...
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Tempting the King
Jessa YorkAn escaped Mafia Queen, hiding from her past. A Mafia King who wants to claim her… Giselle They think I'm lostbut I know better. I can never be found. The path I've creat...
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All Fired Up
Kathryn ShayCaptain Jarek Zenko, a war veteran and firefighter, meets Lacey Roth at a bar one night. They don’t share their real identities, even when they retreat to a hotel. When they meet t...
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Think and Grow Rich
Greg Habstritt & Napoleon HillThink and Grow Rich is one of the most popular success book of alltime, having sold more than 60 million copies since it was first published more than 70...
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Once Upon A One-Night Stand
Zoey LockeAt first sight, there was electrifying chemistry.  So why not go for it? After all, Lynx Grove, the city's most eligible bachelor, wants to claim her, at least for th...
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Enemies With Benefits
Roxie NoirI don’t love him. I don’t even like him. I just want him. Eli Loveless was my nemesis from the first day of kindergarten until we graduated high school. Everything I did, he had to...
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Christmas in Sweetbriar Cove
Melody GraceCelebrate the holidays in Sweetbriar Cove with this festive romance collection, containing two sizzling smalltown holiday stories perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey, Sophie Kinsella...
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The Target
Lexy TimmsWhen you seek revenge be sure to dig two graves… Revenge was the only thing I had going for me. It kept me awake at night and drove me into desperate situations in dive bars across...
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Man In The Water
Jon HillAn attempted murder. A missing spouse. And an international conspiracy that could change the world. Jack Green has always been skeptical of socalled facts. Though he's forced ...
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Dark Psychology and Manipulation
Margaret MorrisonTHE MENTAL MANIPULATOR WILL NO LONGER KEEP SECRETS FROM YOU! Are you fed up with the wool being pulled over your eyes?Are you prepared to stand up to those who believe they can man...
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Dream Psychology
Sigmund FreudAn Apple Books Classic edition. Written by the founding father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud’s 1899 book is the definitive text on learning to interpret dreams. Freud’s groundbr...
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A Green Kind of Witch
Sierra CrossCinderella crossed with Mean Girls.   That's what Hazel's daily existence feels like. Born to a family of elegant yet shallow Beige Witches, seventeen y...
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Law of Attraction
Jordan HollisHow to Finally Overcome the Hurdles of Manifesting Proven, effective and enjoyable ways to help you manifest faster… Right now, think of something that makes you successful. If you...
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Always Yours
Claire RayeSome things are just meant to be... Ellen Somerville and Will McIntyre met by accident and under unusual circumstances. Getting sprayed by a skunk in a parking lot wouldn’t normall...
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Little Women
Louisa May AlcottAn Apple Books Classic edition. Meet the Marches! Louisa May Alcott’s classic introduces us to four unforgettable sisters: beautiful Meg, tomboyish Jo, delicate Beth, and Amy, the ...
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His Own Heaven
Jennie KewWinner of the 2021 Passionate Plume Award for BDSM Romance Finalist in the 2021 Stiletto Contest for Contemporary Romance He taught her to trust, she taught him to love. Lucy Bar...
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School of Potential
W.J. MayUSA Today Bestselling author, W.J. May brings you a continuation of the international bestselling series, The Chronicles of Kerrigan! Come back and enjoy the famous characters, or ...
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Escape, A New Life
David J AntocciTo save herself, she had to lose everything. Trapped in a tropical paradise with no memory of how she got there, Abby is thrust into a fight for her life. Hunted by a madman, and c...
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My Paper Heart
Magan VernonOne piece of paper can change everything After my parents received the letter I failed out of college, they didn't ask questions. They just sent me to work for my great aunt i...
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A Bookshop to Die For
M.P. BlackDitching her fiancé at the altar, Alice Hartford bolts to her childhood hometown to reconnect with the last, happy remnant of her past: her mom's old bookstore. But the bookst...
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The Four Loves
C. S. LewisThe Four Loves summarizes four kinds of human loveaffection, friendship, erotic love, and the love of God. Masterful without being magisterial, this book's wise, gentle, candi...
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Just Me
Lexy TimmsWe all need somewhere where we feel safe… After leaving her abusive husband, Katherine Marshall is out on her own for the first time. She's hopped from city to city to avoid t...
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Alpha
Sybil BartelBillionaire. Mercenary. Navy SEAL. The Teams trained me to be a killer. War taught me to be ruthless. Then an illfated mission proved I was human. Combat wounded, cut loose by the ...
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You Are Kind
Michael GordonA little kindness goes a long way. How can you help encourage your kids to be kind from a young age? Teach kindness to preschoolers Acts of kindness can be fun, easy, and make a ...
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Rogue Alpha
Kimber WhiteOne touch made her crave him. But the pull of fate could be the path to ruin. College student Laura Prince lands a plum internship deep in the Michigan wilderness. When she discove...
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How to Choose a Guy in 10 Days
Lila MonroeThe only thing more hilarious than the movies is… real life?! Fall in love with the sizzling grumpysunshine romantic comedy perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Ali Hazlewood! ...
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Pride and Prejudice
Jane AustenAn Apple Books Classic edition. Jane Austen’s beloved classic opens with this witty and very memorable line: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possessio...
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The Icing on the Cake
Linda SeedShe’s a baker without a kitchen. He’s got a double oven to spare. It’s a recipe for success, until his mother starts stirring up trouble … Cassie Jordan has a sweet dream to open a...
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The Honeymoon Homicide
J. R. Mathis & Susan MathisEnjoy this SmallTown Murder Mystery Featuring A Unique Sleuthing Couple I'm Father Tom Greer, a Catholic Priest in a smalltown parish who never expected this . . . When I came...
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan DoyleAn Apple Books Classic You get not one, not two, but 25 gripping mysteries in Arthur Conan Doyle’s first of five collections of Sherlock Holmes short stories. Follow the brilliant ...
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Coffee Girl
Sophie SinclairMackenzie "Kiki" Forbes finds herself in a pickle. Either become her snarky sister's nanny, or move halfway across the country to work as assistanttothestylist of a ...
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Bewitching a Highlander
Roma CordonDefying all for the love of a bewitching lass. Breena MacRae, a healer from Skye with a touch of witchery in her blood, embarks on a dangerous search for her missing father. She ar...
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Teased by Fire
Molly O'HareFrom USA Today bestselling author Molly O’Hare comes an enemiestolovers, older brother’s best friend, romantic comedy with a curvy, antisocial, supernaturalobsessed, allyearround h...
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The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre DumasAn Apple Books Classic edition. Alexandre Dumas’ classic paints a portrait of Edmond Dantès, a dark and calculating man who is willing to wait years to exact his perfect plan for r...
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The Stoic Mind
Addy Osmani & GoLimitlesssDiscover the timeless wisdom of Stoicism in a modern context with "The Stoic Mind," an enlightening visual guide by Addy Osmani and GoLimitlesss. This rich exploration co...
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The Next Girl
Carla KovachIF YOU ONLY READ ONE BOOK THIS YEAR, MAKE IT THE NEXT GIRL... You thought he’d come to save you. You were wrong. ‘ Absolutely the best thriller I’ve read this year! ’ Goodreads Rev...
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Holy Bible
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsThe 2013 edition of the Holy Bible contains all of the study aids contained in the 1979 edition and includes revisions to the study aids, several new photos, updated maps, and adju...