A little while ago I was asked to participate in a charity anthology that's a bit different (for me.) Instead of short stories, this anthology was to contain writerly advice.
Er…it's funny, because when it comes to fiction, I can usually get something going in my head. But advice? That's hard. Not only is it non-fiction, but I don't feel like I am in any position to give advice.
Yes, I'm published, but honestly, sometimes I feel like it was just luck that got me here. I still feel like I'm flailing half the time. There are all these rules I'm supposed to follow but don't, I never write a book the same way twice, I'm not really a plotter, but I'm not a pantser…basically, I'm a mess.
But somehow, I managed to come up with a sliver of wisdom for this anthology, which I'm so proud to be a part of. I'm sharing the pages with some really amazing authors who dole out smart advice and wonderfully inspiring stories.
So if you're an aspiring author or you're already published, or even if you have no inclination to write at all, you might find insight into the minds of your favorite authors interesting. And you'll be supporting cancer research at the same time.
Harry Moseley, the boy who raised over £500,000 for Cancer Research UK, is no longer with us – but his legacy lives on.
"Britain's Kindest Kid", Harry was more than a nice kid with a big heart; he was a real life hero. A hero with an inoperable brain tumor who tragically lost his battle with cancer at the much-too-young age of 11.
Harry’s, “Help Harry Help Others" campaign continues his fundraising work in hopes that one day soon, there will be a cure for brain tumors. Joining Harry's quest for research funds are an amazing group of romance writers, along with a wonderful cover artist, who have put together an inspiring anthology to raise money for Cancer Research UK, in memory of Harry Moseley.
"Author Moments II" is a collection of essays written by these talented writers. From the New York Times bestselling lists to the writer who is just beginning their quest, you will find this anthology filled with generous writing advice and anecdotes. It won’t matter where you are on your road to publication or even in your life journey, Author Moments II will fill you with love, laughter and a renewed hope that all things are possible when you care enough to come together and make a difference.
Like real life hero, Harry Moseley.
The Authors Helping Harry invite you to pitch in with them to help find a cure simply by purchasing a copy of this wonderful anthology.
*As a bonus, each author has included an excerpt from one of their current, or upcoming, releases.
For day 2 of Operation: Auction, 130 new items have been added! There will be another 100 or so added at midnight tonight. All auctions run for 3 days. Check out the new stuff here!
Also, got a new interview and contest over at The BookLovers, so be sure to check that out!
And…a new review for Eternal Rider! Woot! It's a good one. I was starting to get nervous, but then, I do that with every new release.
And finally, I have a little gift for you! A free read/scene for Eidolon and Tayla. This scene would take place in the Demonica/Lords of Deliverance timeline between Sin Undone and Eternal Rider. Hope you enjoy!
(Oh, and sorry, but for some reason the internal links aren't working so you can't click right to each scene. You have to scroll. Grr.)
P.S…people keep asking if Eternal Rider is out yet, because it's in some stores. NO! Some stores have shipped early or put out early. It is not technically out until April 1st, though tomorrow is considered "shelf" release day at most book sellers, so it should be almost everywhere in the US tomorrow. April 7 in the UK.
The romance community is doing it again for one of their own! Our friend Fatin suffered an unspeakable tragedy, and we're trying to help her out by holding an auction. For three days, we'll put up new items, so be sure to check back.
Day 1′s items are already listed. Click here to check them out.
I have stuff up today too:
A Scrivener for Mac package that includes a tutorial. Click here.
So go check out all the cool stuff, and keep an eye on it, because HUNDREDS of more items will be added!
P.S. Please check item description to know if seller specified U.S, US/CAN or International. Some will ship internationally if winner pays shipping. The others are free ship.
It will be Spring Break for my son! This might not excite you, but it thrills me, because that's a week of sleeping in. Yay!
Eternal Rider releases next Tuesday! Hopefully this excites you. I'm fine if you lie to me and say it does. In fact, I kind of prefer that.
Operation: Auction begins on the 27th! So far, here's what I'll be offering:
~ Coffee or Drinks with NYT Bestselling Authors Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler (AKA Sydney Croft) at the RWA Conference in NYC in July (conference held June 28 – July 1,2011). Time and location to be decided upon at a mutually agreed upon time with the authors and the auction winner. You can ask about writing / publishing or just talk books! Includes a bag of goodies and a signed copy of Sydney Croft’s Taken By Fire!
~ Larissa Ione will let the winner name a minor character in an upcoming book, will dedicate the book to the winner, and will send the winner a signed copy of finished book. Includes a phone call to discuss the character and names.
~ Complete set of ACRO books signed by Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler, to include ARC (if available, if not, finished copy) of Taken By Fire (6 books total)
~ Scrivener prize package. Winner will receive a copy of Scrivener (for Mac), a romance novel template, and Larissa will call or video conference winner with a tutorial. Winner will also receive a WIP of Larissa’s to see Scrivener in action.
A wonderful friend of mine, Fatin, who you might know as “mad4rombks” or "mad," has been an integral part of the romance community for years – she owns and runs the RR@H Novel Thoughts and Book Talk blog, is an administrator of the WriteMinded loop (my author loop with Jaci Burton, Stephanie Tyler, Amy Knupp, and Maya Banks,) and is a tireless, generous advocate for romance novels and a friend to so many in this community. On Tuesday, March 8th, she lost her husband in a senseless act of violence, leaving her alone with four children. You can read more about the tragedy here: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9233067/
The romance community would like to rally around her. Therefore, we will be holding auctions on Ebay the last week of March. More information on exact days and donations will follow.
If you are an editor / agent / author / Or anyone else for that matter and would like to donate something for the auction – such as a critique, mentoring, lunches at RT or RWA, swag, signed books, etc., please contact me at larissa AT larissione DOT com with your donation items.
Your help is greatly appreciated! Some examples of auction items might be signed books, baskets of fun stuff, critiques, lunches, mentoring, ARCs, pitch help, offers of specialty services like graphics design, etc.
If you don't want to donate, you can help by spreading the word and by bidding when the auctions go live. An account has also been set up for Fatin. Here are the details:
Checks made payable to:
Soufan Family Fund
RBC Bank
2340 Sunset Avenue
Rocky Mount, NC 27804
M-C 000-005-0100
I'm in a serious deadline crunch right now, so I'll be scarce for a while, but I did want to pop up a quick post about Do The Write Thing for Nashville, a flood relief charity auction for the flood victims in Tennessee.
This kind of disaster always hits me hard, because my family and I went through the same thing during Katrina. We lost everything, and because hurricane insurance doesn't cover storm surge (WTF?) we weren't insured for the total loss of the brand new house and all its contents. Then, because we still had to make payments on the destroyed house, we had to rebuild in order to sell it — and the contractor stole 20K of our money.
Fortunately, I had the writing community, good friends, and generous strangers behind me, and thanks to them, we recovered our spirits, even if we didn't recover much of anything else.
So…to make a long story short, this disaster is hitting me right in the heart. I'll be making a donation, for sure.
If you are an author or industry professional who can help, here's the website. Auctions will be held soon, and it looks like there might be some great stuff up for grabs!
There are a lot of wonderful organizations that help deployed soldiers get letters, books, and little things they need but have a hard time getting.
But there's something else that too often gets overlooked — companionship.
Recently, I've seen the story of Nubbs, a dog that was befriended by some soldiers in Iraq. This dog had had its ears cut off, had been stabbed by a screwdriver, and then ran 70 miles to find the soldiers who befriended it. The soldiers kept him at their base, where he provided moral support until a couple of tattle-tales turned the dog in to command.
The other soldiers raised money to get the dog out of Iraq before they were forced to turn it out on the streets or kill it.
Dogs and cats in Iraq have a terrible, violent, short life. But when soldiers take them in, they become a form of therapy, providing an outlet for these people who see so much violence to show some emotion.
“Taking care of Charlie gave me something to look forward to and that definitely made my time in Iraq more bearable,” Sergeant Watson explained in his email. “When all the guys got to playing with Charlie, we’d forget where we were, at least temporarily. During those moments you could almost imagine being home.”
Abandoning Charlie in the war-ravaged country would have meant certain death for him. “We all made him a promise that we would not give up on him. For that reason, we have to find a way to get Charlie to a better life in the states,” Sergeant Watson wrote. “We just can’t leave our buddy behind.”
They need money, donations of things like collars, Lysol wipes — you can even donate frequent flyer miles! Just Twittering about it or adding the donate button to your website or Facebook page is a big help. (Scroll to the bottom of this page to find the social networking options.)
So…this Christmas, if you can spare time, money, or frequent flyer miles for the soldiers, please do. I'm an animal lover, but this isn't just about the animals — it's about the soldiers who risk their lives every day, and who have given their heart to something that means so much to them.
My prayers go out to all our servicemen and women this Christmas. Thank you for your service.
Well, I'm auctioning off the chance in the benefit for Sharon Cullars! You'll get the opportunity to name a character, a mention in the acknowledgments, and a signed copy of the finished book. This will be for the 5th Demonica book, which I'll be starting on in April.
So check it out, and also, check out the other items up for bid. Lots of good stuff! :)
I've known Sharon Cullars for a few years now…she's a very smart, gracious, and caring author who is about to lose her home. There are already some items up for auction for her benefit, as well as a link for direct donations. So please click on the above link and check out the fantastic items up for bid!
And can I just say that I love the way the writing community comes together to help their own? :)
Happy after-Christmas! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I did — I got all kinds of neat stuff, from movies to books to clothes. I'm loving everything!
My whole family had a lovely holiday, but this year, something different happened.
See, since before Thanksgiving, I'd been seeing reports about how charities were being hit extra hard this year. People everywhere are being hit hard, so there's less money to give to charities, and since the middle class are the ones who give the most (come on, rich people! Step up!) charities are suffering right along with the middle class.
So because of that, this year I felt more charitable than ever. I gave more this year than I've ever given. Most of my contributions went to animal charities (animals need so much help — when people can't afford to feed their children, the animals are some of the first casualties, so shelters are seeing a huge influx while at the same time getting much less in donations,) but my husband and I also gave a lot to the Salvation Army and Toys For Tots. Many of the gifts I bought were from companies that donate a percentage of purchases to charities.
And what really warmed my heart was finding out that a friend of mine had done the same thing, and then, when I called my mom, she told me that she and my step-dad had bought complete Christmas dinners, plus extra groceries, for two local families in need, and delivered them on Christmas Eve. They also took ornaments off one of the Wish Trees in their area and bought the children not just the one gift they'd listed as wanting, but their alternate as well.
My mom said that of everything that they'd done over the holidays, those things were the ones that made them feel the best, and it was worth every penny — even though things are extremely tight for them right now.
I'm a firm believer in what goes around comes around, and that when you give, it comes back to you threefold. So to everyone who donated to charities this year, bless you. And if you haven't donated…if you can afford even a dollar, give giving a try. The feeling is amazing!
Hope all is well with all my buddies out there in blogland! :)
Hey everyone!
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