Tag Archives: Caring

HelenKay Dimon’s Winners!

So when HelenKay guested, she very generously offered two prizes. One person will win Guns and the Girl Next Door, as well as Gunning for Trouble. The other winner, gets a copy of Locked and Loaded. I figure it’ll be a “first come first served” here – whoever contacts HelenKay first and asks for the prize she wants, gets it.

Courtesy of randomizer.org, the winners are Robin Bielman, and Jen B. You are to email HelenKay at [email protected] to claim your prize. Generally, I say you have to claim your prize by a set date – which would be by Thursday, August 11. It’ll be up to HelenKay’s discretion, of course, if she wants to send you the books if you contact her after that time.

And of course, please remember to continue spreading the word about my Social Media for Social Good post. Friends and family are definitely welcome (and encouraged!) to comment and donate. And you know, there are prizes being offered there as well!

Save the Children Drive: Logistics

Here we go, everyone! First of all, I want to say thank you so much for your support and generosity. Wow!

In case you missed it… I’m doing a “Social Media for Social Good” charity drive.

Next, I’ve had a few questions about donating. Awesome. I’m not collecting any of the money. I figure that would be way too complicated and potentially questionable. If you’d like to donate, please do it directly at the Save the Children website. But wait – they have a Matching Gift Appeal, where your gift can potentially be quadrupled. So if you’re going to donate… please make sure you click to that page.

This is the Matching Gift Appeal page – please click here to start your donation.

(If you’re international, let me know. I’m more than happy to do my best to hunt down that page for you – Save the Children is in something like 21 countries, I believe.)

I also want to remind you that the fundraiser is going on for a month, so if you are considering a donation but need to check your budget, there’s no hurry. Take your time and consider carefully. I know finances are tight for everyone.

Along those lines, if you’re donating, won’t you please let me know? Any amount is fantastic, and I’d like to know for a month end grand total to see how much we raised. If you don’t want to put it in the comments, feel free to email me, and I’ll ask if you want your name and amount listed. Everyone is more than welcome to opt out of that part.

Next, I want to highlight some of the challenges that have been thrown out within the Romance Community. First of all, there’s this:

Avery Flynn issued this challenge –  that if 50 small press authors donate money, she’ll increase her donation by $50.

Next, not quite a challenge, but Maya Banks is wondering if anyone is willing to match her donation. (Any group?)

Also exciting, the people participating in “Romance Biggest Winner” are joining together to make a donation as well. I’ll update the post to reflect that when I get all the information.

Won’t you consider asking any group you’re part of to do the same? If your yahoo group for example, has 50 people, and even half donate $1 each, that’s $25! Just something to consider.

Last things. If you have any questions, please contact me. People are still offering prizes, contributing donations, and so on. It’s wonderful. I’ll definitely respond. If I don’t, it means I didn’t get it, so please try again. This is important. Also… in case you were wondering “what does Limecello get out of all of this?” – nothing but the pleasure of seeing a group of awesome men and women be incredibly caring and generous. And the satisfaction of knowing we can make a different.  We haven’t met all the goals yet, so keep spreading the word please!

I’m closing comments to this post as well, so there won’t be any confusion as to where to comment. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

A Humanitarian Crisis: What We Can Do To Help

“What we are doing here can seem like a drop in the ocean but the ocean will be a drop less if we don’t do it. It’s a challenge, a really big challenge.”

Social Media for Social Good. That’s the idea, and I think we can really do something great. I’ve met some fantastic people via social media – blogs, twitter, and so on. The fact that I already have people offering donations is testament to that. My challenge to the rest of you is… join us.

In my previous post, I talked about the suffering in the Horn of Africa. Everyone loves facts, so here are some.*

  • A current [refugee] camp with the capacity for 90,000, currently has 380,000 people crammed into it
  • Some 10 million people are said to be affected by the Horn of Africa’s worst drought in 60 years.
  • The United Nations said on Wednesday [that] 3.7 million people in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation risked starvation
  • Across East Africa, more than 11.3 million people need aid, the World Food Program said.

Definition of Famine

  • More than 30% of children must be suffering from acute malnutrition
  • Two adults or four children must be dying of hunger each day for every group of 10,000 people
  • The population must have access to far below 2,100 kilocalories of food per day

[Famine] conditions include more than 30% of children being acutely malnourished, and four children out of every 10,000 dying daily. – BBC News

And from my charity of choice (as well as the same article):

Save the Children’s Sonia Zambakides told the BBC the situation in Somalia was shocking.

“I was talking to mothers with children, the children looked maybe nine months to one year old – the mothers were telling the children were three and four years old, so they are absolutely tiny.”

She said some of the mothers had walked up to six days with no food to try to find help.

A point of reference – this is the area I’m talking about, with a great break down from information gathered from various agencies such as BBC News (obviously), as well as the UNHCR, USAID, OCHA & Fews Net.
So far, we have some amazingly generous contributions already. Really, any amount is great. Remember, these amounts are tax deductible, because it’s giving to a charity. I know (truly I know) we’re in difficult economic times. I’ve been, as I say, a “victim of the economy” since ’09, really, and am currently unemployed. Anyway, Save the Children is wonderful because your donation has the potential to be quadrupled due to the grants they applied for. Some of you might also want to check with your employers, who often match donations as well. (I also like Save the Children because if I recall correctly, they don’t send you massive amounts of mail after you donate as well.)

Without further ado… the initial names (in alphabetical order) and pledge amounts.

Ali F – $100 if we reach 50 comments + and additional $10!
c² – $50
Christine Bell – $50, $75 if we reach 100 comments!
Portia da Costa – £30 if we reach 30 comments
Melissa Cutler – $20
Dana/vitch36 – $15
Limecello (yes that’s me) – $50 if we reach 50 comments
Courtney Milan -$1 per comment up to 300 comments
rissatoo – $20
Shelli Stevens – $50 if we reach 50 comments, and $150 to Doctors Without Borders
SonomaLass – $1 per comment up to $100
Shiloh Walker – if we hit 400 comments, she’ll increase her donation by $100, and also post a long excerpt of If You Hear Her

Comments matter. Trust me on this. Also, this year, to help raise awareness, we’ve got prizes! As an incentive to comment – and hopefully donate!- some generous authors are offering prizes. You can find the list here. Those will be drawn when this drive closes, which is a month from now, and posted a week after that. But that’s not the purpose.

I have to say, I hope to be updating this post with more contributions! I have no questions for you today. Just the hope that you’ll spread the word. Thank you. <3

Tiny, emaciated children with wrinkled skin hanging off their bones, rib cages jutting out, bulbous eyes gazing out forlornly, flies covering their faces – the all-too-familiar images of African hunger.

“Some of them die on the way, some die in the wards,” said Dr Christopher Karisa. “What we are doing here can seem like a drop in the ocean but the ocean will be a drop less if we don’t do it. It’s a challenge, a really big challenge.” – BBC News

And this, from the same article as the previous quote, which just breaks my heart.

One aid worker told me: “We were supposed to have an early warning system but what is the point of warning the rest of world when it doesn’t listen?”.

So what are we going to do to help alleviate the tragedy and suffering? Donate to Save the Children. Specifically, this page that can potentially quadruple your gift! HERE! Please – join us. Challenge your friends and family to donate as well. I’m keeping this post/drive open for a month.

To end on a positive note – there is of course, always hope. Take for example, this woman, who I think is one of the most incredible in the world. Read her story. You won’t regret it.

*I also got info from these sources here, here, here, here, and here.

UPDATE! This is a list of fantastic, lovely, generous people who have also decided to donate! Join them! Make me keep adding to this post! <3

Carey Baldwin – $50
Kiersten Krum – $10
Evangeline Holland – $25
SBTB Sarah – $1 per comment up to $200
Sarah Mayberry – $100
Pam Jaffee – $100 for 100 comments
Ang Phillips – $100 for 100 comments
Landra Graf – $5
Maggie Robinson/Margaret Rowe – $100
Tessa Dare – $100
Tamara Allen – $1 per comment up to $500
Leslie Dicken – $25
Natalie J. Damschroder – $10 for every 100 comments
HelenKay Dimon – $1 per comment up to $200
Melissa Schroeder – $1 per comment up to $250 $600 for 700 comments!!!
Miranda Neville – $100
Maya Banks – $500
Kira Brady – $100
Avery Flynn – $50, and an additional $50 if we get 50 small press authors to make a donation!
Toni Anderson – $20
Vivian Arend – $1 per comment up to $300
Kathleen Collins – $20, but she’ll donate $50 if we hit 500 comments!
Larissa Ione – $100
Pamala Knight – $25
Raine Weaver – $20
Dariel Hendy – $100
Lauren Dane – $100
Jaci Burton – $100
Cara Carnes – $50
Vanessa Kelly – $25
Holli Winters – $10
Sutton Fox – $50
Phyl – $25
Lissa Matthews – $100
Julie Leto – $100
Liz – $100 to Doctors Without Borders
Amanda Twentyfive aka Cassandra Carr – $25, and then an additional $5 for every 100 comments
Farrah Rochon – $25, and $50 more if we hit 525 comments
Jess Granger – $50
Romance Biggest Winners Participants – $235 if we reach 350 comments
Farrah Rochon’s Mom – $25, and $50 more if we hit 525 comments
Cathy MacDonald – $25
Emily – $25
Lisa – $45
Sarah Morgan
Joanna Chambers – £50
Jeanette Murray – $50 if we hit 450 comments
Jess Dee – $50
Meljean Brook – $50, and an additional $50 if we hit 450 comments!
Liz Talley – $50
Nikki Duncan – $25 for now
Melanie C Duncan – $10
Liz Kerrick – $25
Pam K – $10
Brandi Drapinski – $10
Layla Hunter – $50
Jennifer Haymore – $100
Marika Weber – $75
Mary M. – $50
Cecilia Grant – $100
Lynn Raye Harris – $100
Leigh Ellwood – $25
Robin L Rotham – $100
Liza L – $25
Shannon Stacey – $100
Laura Hunsaker – $10
Anonymous – $125
Carla Gallway – $10
Bailey Stewart – $10
Laurie London – $100
Jules Bennett – $20
Carolyn Crane – $10 for every 100 comments
Ciar Cullen – $50
Minx Malone – $25
Lori – $18
Sasha Devlin – $25
Cathie – $25
Brandy W. – $25
Joely Sue Burkhart – Small Press Author Challenge
Lorelie Brown – Small Press Author Challenge
Danielle Monsch
R.G. Alexander – $100
Karen Erickson – $25
Bella F. – $5
Moira Rogers (Bree) – $25
Crista McHugh – $25
Taryn Kincaid – $50, and $50 more if we get a total of 50 small press authors to donate (only 15 off!)
Stacey Joy Netzel – $25
Amber Kallyn – $25
Kate Davies – $10
Selena Illyria – $10
Diana – $10
JM Kelley – $5
Christy Lockhart – $50
Miranda Baker – $10
Alisha Rai – Small Press Author Challenge
KD Sarge – $10
Sami – $20
Valerie Parv – $50
Jennifer Lohmann – $50
Leslie – $20
Kathryn – $30

If you plan to donate, please remember to go here, where your gift can be matched with grants and potentially quadrupled!

Upcoming + A Number of Winners

So for my #songstalker game… I of course went to randomizer.org, and the author guest spot goes to Jeannie Lin. And for the book winners? Well, anyone who commented on the blog by noon (EDT) today – which is when I wrote this post- if you want one of the “new” LoveSwept books (they’re in electronic format), email me with the address you used to leave a comment at * to claim your prize. You get a code to redeem at RomanceAtRandom.

For the Unlocked by Courtney Milan giveaway… the luck winner is MichelleKCanada! You are to email me at * as well to get your kindle copy. 🙂

All winners need to email me by midnight (EDT), Saturday, July 23, otherwise you forfeit your prize. A quick update on my “Team Lime” SEP group… we didn’t win. We were absolutely blown out of the water, sadly. Alas.

And most importantly, have you seen my post about the famine in Africa? I’ll be starting everything officially on Thursday, but if you’d like to be part of it, please let me know, thank you! (I’ve already got three people, Dana, Christine, and Melissa. I’m really hoping we can make it more!)

Social Good 2011: Are You Ready To Help?

Social Media for Social Good. That’s the idea. Monday, July 18, is International Nelson Mandela Day. On Sunday, I learned just how bad the drought situation in Africa is – specifically the Eastern Horn. Near famine conditions. Tragic when you think about farm subsidies and such, but that’s not the point. The point is, people are suffering. Children especially. In fact, it’s so bad over there, that the militant group controlling Somalia that kicked out all aid and relief organizations ~three years ago has allowed them to come back in. (And this only happened within the past few days.)

I checked out Charity Navigator, as well as the ABC News website/page devoted to this situation and decided to give to Save the Children. Even more incredible, there is a Matching Grant Appeal where USAID grants can potentially quadruple your donation. This page even allows you to opt in or out of future (e)mailings. You can look up their financial information on the site as well.

More tragic, even as people are fleeing to find a better place, they’re being stopped. There are a few articles about it, nearly buried – here’s a Times piece. I do feel bad for Kenya as well – it’s an incredible burden and difficult to take in that many people. Really it’s a horrible situation all around. International news channels have been reporting that UN has raised only half their goal/the amount needed to support the current refugee camps.

If you want you can watch the ABC News clip, you can do that here.

So where do you come in? Comment on my Thursday post. Help raise awareness. Donate. You don’t have to do both – commenting would be awesome. Just like last year – let’s see what the Romance Community can do! And yes, I know there have been a lot of auctions going on this year. I’m… not going to do one. Donate whatever you can. I’ll be starting the drive on Thursday, but I wanted to let you know about it first, to prepare.

If you’d like to donate, please let me know. You can message me, email me – there’s a form at the top of my blog – and send people to comment on Thursday’s post. To avoid confusion, I’m closing comments to this post.

I will say I know the area and possibly situation are fraught with political issues and more, which is why I chose the charity Save the Children – because they, the children, are absolute victims in this, and shouldn’t be dying due to posturing. It’s about an established charity that is already on the ground working to save kids.

Lastly, since I know a number of us are competitive… last year we raised $1,337.00 in less than twelve hours for (RED)/the global fund to fight AIDS and malaria. I think we can do better this year. Even with so many economic difficulties.

Oh! Last last thing – some awesome people have already agreed to give money – Dana/Vitch, as well as Christine Bell, who is also offering up prizes. (You know, if we go the prizes route.) Incredible, right?

Because We Care + AN UPDATE

We all know what’s going on in Egypt, and various other parts of the world. There isn’t too much for us to be done there, but here’s something that you can be proactive about, and it’s so easy. I first heard about Pastor Marrion some time this past summer – I want to say ~July? From Megan F. I’ve been tweeting about it, but it’s high time it was made concrete. (Twitter can be so transient…) In this case, I don’t really think what religion you are, if any, should play a part. Maybe because he’s Pastor Marrion you find it off putting. Get over it.

Why does this only have 445 views? I want to cry.

Pastor Marrion P’Udongo has been called the “Oskar Schindler” of Congo, a man who’s dedicated himself to saving and nurturing the lives of others in one of the world’s most deadliest wars.

You can read more about the fund and Pastor Marrion and also donate if you wish here. (And I hope you will.)

As for something easily done, Shiloh Walker is an amazingly generous person, and she’s doing a fundraiser of sorts, where if she gets 400 comments, she’ll donate an additional $400. All you have to do is comment – it doesn’t cost a thing. If you’re interested in donating, she’s also having a contest.

********************************

In your lifetime, there are few moments when you’re given the opportunity to directly save another person’s life.-Bryan Mealer, HuffPo

If you had a chance to save somebody’s life, and it didn’t take all that much… would you do it?  Well, here’s that chance.

Check out Shiloh Walker’s blog for a chance to read how you can help save a man’s life…

********************************

And a thank you message – this man is ill, and has done so much to help the world… people like him should be helped in return.

*ETA: I’m not much help monetarily – although I’m doing what I can – but I’m also in the process of contacting people about places in Johannesburg. So did you comment? Going to help the cause?

**Double ETA: The winners have been chosen by randomizer.org! They are: Liza, Bella F, and Mary Froelich.

Liza and Mary, you both get a copy of All Night with a Rogue, and Bella, you get a copy of After Dark with a Scoundrel. You have until Tuesday to send me your info [mailing address etc]. And of course there’s the handy dandy contact form for these occasions.

Ah yes- and because I felt like it… I also gave StacieDM a kindle copy of Eternity Embraced by Larissa Ione. Why? Because randomizer.org chose her from people who comment on my blog. See? Being a regular has its benefits 😉

The Other Side of Justice

A post in which I open a giant can of worms and let them crawl all over the place because I have no answers, but just think these issues are important and should be examined.

I got most of these articles from a friend I didn’t [remember] used google buzz, and was almost sad I’d clicked over, because they’re so tragic, really, but also amazing. I’m wondering why they didn’t get more press and attention. This friend was a public defender for Colorado – just to give you an idea of the background.

First, is an article about Judy Clarke. Most people probably don’t know who she is, but I imagine everyone knows about her current client – Jared Lee Loughner. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, he’s the guy responsible for the shootings in Tuscon, Arizona. Do I think what JLL did was wrong? Most definitely. Do I think he should be punished? Of course. Do I think he should die for it… well honestly, I don’t know. That’s not the point – the point is, I believe in the system, and that he should get fair representation. I haven’t been following it closely, but I imagine his best bet would be a bench trial.

What I’m trying to say here is, this is food for thought. We rarely think about the system from the perspective of the defendant. And it’s tough being a public defender. In many cases, it’s a losing battle, whether or not the client committed the crime or deserves such a harsh charge.

Here are two more sympathetic examples. This first one made me cry.

Why does something like this only have 325,211 views? Especially considering how many years it’s been around? And a quick click to the youtube home page shows a video of a rabbit passing gas has 2,732,145 views. This makes me sad. I found the video in the article here – and yes, there have been some changes. She’s 33 years old. On his last day as governor, Schwarzenegger commuted Kruzan’s sentence to 25 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole. I’m glad for the … lesser sentence? But it still makes my head and my heart hurt.

Something else more people have been talking about recently that has been discussed widely here (it’s local enough) is… a woman who was sentenced to ten years for sending her children to a school district where they weren’t residents. I would like to point out that it was two sentences to be served concurrently, so five years but… I really do think they (the judge) threw the book at her. Williams-Bolar’s attorney asked the judge for community control, and the prosecutor “wasn’t opposed to it.” Williams-Bolar is in college trying to become a teacher. Because of this felony conviction she won’t be able to get a teaching license in the state.

I wonder if this issue will be appealed. I believe that Williams-Bolar had already taken her children out of the Copley school system prior to this case… but the last paragraph of the article gets me. A $100 reward for outing wrongfully enrolled students. I just… I don’t know.

And here’s yet another reason it’s important to step back and allow for trial and evidence, and a proper defense. Sometimes – especially when a heinous crime is committed-  we’re all too eager to find the culprit. Someone responsible, and to punish them. This is rather a story of too little too late. The title of the article really says it all: Innocent Man Is Pardoned 72 Years After His Execution. Does this show a new trend or change? At least in Colorado? This is also relevant in light of the “retard” articles and discussions. And may I submit “lame” to the same group?

Back to the child issue. There’s this quote that just kills me, from this article:

… more than 2,400 youth offenders in the U.S. serving sentences of life without parole, 60 percent of them African American and the majority first-time offenders. Twenty-six percent were sentenced under felony murder laws that punish children who were party to a crime like robbery where; in Florida, one child whose friend broke a window with a rock is being held responsible for the fact the homeowner responded by shooting and killing him.

Many of you know I have a “part time job” as a Street Law Jr. instructor and… it just… I worry about my kids. 🙁

What are your thoughts? Had you heard of any of these cases? Know of any others? What are your pet projects? Does this change your idea or view of our justice system? I know I leave a lot out/don’t explain much… (incidentally, don’t expect that to change).

Does this even matter?

As this is all sad… I’m going with a quote from Perske (the man who made pardoning Arridy – the man from Colorado- his mission):

If you face a tough situation and give up too quickly, you may miss out on a fantastic conclusion.

So personally, I say yes. It matters. It matters that it happens. It matters in that we should care. And try to do something about it. This is why the news, and being aware of world affairs matters. Yes?

Remember This?

While it’s not any “official” Social Good day… I figure, why wait when there’s a crisis now? I’m thinking about doing something similar for the situation in Africa, specifically the Somali people and refugees. Thoughts? Interest? (I’ll link to articles in the next post – so far I’m only finding… “follow up”/non generalized things, and I want something basic/explanatory. And it’s 1:33 AM.)

I’m also putting this post here, so I can easily link to it – and I’ll be giving more information soon. I’m picking charities now – likely Save the Children, which has a great Charity Navigator score, and Aid grants that will match donations! And, the site says they’re already on the ground helping. I know UNICEF is too – which is slightly lower in rating – and I want to confirm at other sources. I’m being extremely thorough here because I’m going to be asking you to pitch in as well.

If you didn’t see this last year… you might want to start reading after the graphic, and then go back up.

Oh and also? Our final total last year was $1,337.00, because one of the awesome contributors added the number of comments to her donation amount. See? Comments matter.

Do Some Good

Thursday, September 23, 2010 12:52

Final Update: If I have this right… ONE. THOUSAND. ONE. HUNDRED. FIFTY. DOLLARS!

WE DID IT!!! WE DID IT!!!

Our current goal is 260 comments… but I’m holding on hope that more people will step in with donations (of any amount) if we hit higher numbers! <3

Keep it coming! And to think, this started as a ten dollar drive. Rock on, Lovelies!

From $10 to $1,100!!! Incredible!!! (Also, shout out to Mara who already donated $50. As did I – you get this nice email from the UN Foundation, signed by Ted Turner. Which the wonderful Shiloh has gotten to, as well as Liza. :D And an amazingly beautiful other contributor.) Now please comment to make sure Ali, Courtney, Bree, Vivian, Stacy, Tigris, Carly,  HelenKay, Lauren, Donna, and Jennifer have to step up as well! Well, Ali, Courtney, Bree, and Vivian are done for. Cheers, everyone!) Likari, Ann Marie, and our very on C2 stepped in as well! And the very kind and generous Magdalen. And Shelli – and so many more.

Today is Social Good Day. You can see hashtags on twitter with #SocialGood

YOU have the power in your hands to make sure a minimum of $975 on my/our part gets donated to (RED). Please make it happen.

Most of you know about Mashable, which is actually a company/something I know less about. Social media opinions are for another post. (RED) is an organization I’ve kept on my radar for a while, because of my interest in ONE.

(RED) Video

The Global Fund (where all (RED) money goes) invests 100% of (RED) funds into HIV/AIDS programs in Africa. I’m totally cool with giving them my money.

Need or want more reasons to feel good about this?

Why you should feel good about supporting the (RED) cause today:

  • Thirty-three million people in the world have AIDS. Twenty-two million live in Africa.
  • Every day 3,800 people die in sub-Saharan Africa from AIDS.
  • It costs just 40 cents per day for the life-saving medicine someone living with HIV/AIDS in Africa needs to help them live a healthy and productive life.

I’m poor- I have no job and have law school loans, but this is important to me. I wish I could give more… but here’s what I’m going to do. If 10 people comment on this post today, I’ll donate $10 to the (RED) fund. [And let’s hear it for optimism, because if there are a whole slew of comments, I’ll re-assess that amount.]

I included a [multiple links] of the (RED) video too, as WordPress hates me and strips my video code. Anyway – come on Romance Community, I know we can do something awesome. Help me give away my money – and now I challenge you. What are you going to do?

Oh – and here’s something else totally easy for you to do – and where I got/ganked the idea – comment on these blogs, and they’ll donate too! *I copied this list from My Aim is True – wanted to give credit.

  • Bake It PrettyAmanda is one of my favorite clients and best friends! Get inspired to bake some yummy treats.
  • Yuping Liu-ThompkinsYuping, a super smart friend of mine who’s an expert in internet marketing and customer loyalty
  • Reina Communications – my good friend Michelle (this meetup was her idea!) and one of my awesome clients, we are going to Blogworld together in a few weeks! Vegas baby! Look for some videos from that adventure.
  • Greater Good LifeMichelle’s personal blog about how easy it is to live well, be generous, and do social good
  • Powerful Learning Practice – social media enhances education; over 4,000 teachers have been impacted by their brand of professional development. My mom runs this company, I am so proud to be a part of what they’re doing. They’re up for an Open Leadership award too! They’re donating $5 per comment, so please leave one and make a difference.
  • OBX Design WorksWilliam Dodson, a talented Web designer and blogger in the Outer Banks of North Carolina
  • JASE Digital Media – a local digital media design consultancy that employs some of the area’s best designers (hi, Keith!); their blog offers up lots of good tips and resources on social media
  • My Aim Is True – [This is Bake It Pretty’s personal blog] *ETA 12/31/18 – it’s some commercial/spammy blog now so I disabled the link

Really – all you need to do is comment. And you’re doing something awesome. Now get chatty. [*ETA here is “edited to add.”]

*ETA!!! You guys!!! The most awesome Shiloh Walker told me if I get 50 comments, she’ll donate $50. Please! Take our money!!!

**ETA #2: O.M.F.G.! I said to a friend earlier today (when there were only 7 comments for like the longest time, it seemed) that I’d cry if we didn’t hit 50 today. Well I just got a message from Ali, one of my favorite people, who told me that if we get 75 comments, she’ll donate $50 as well. Now I might cry because this is getting to be more awesome than I thought.

And – since we’re nearing 50, which is way more than I thought, I am for sure committing myself to a $25 donation… and we’ll see if my guilt complex pushes me to $50 as well. (I mean, I’ve got to match these incredible ladies, right? So please- spread the word!)

**So to recap: I pledged $10 if I could get 10 comments today. Shiloh messaged to tell me if we hit 50, she’d donate $50. How amazing is that? And I just got word from Ali that if we get 75 comments, she’s donating $50 as well.

At this point, I’ve changed my commitment to $25, and am contemplating $50. How about, if we hit 100 comments, I’ll do $50 as well, so there you go. Simple – 100 comments, and a minimum of $150 gets donated!

***ETA 3: You guys. I might cry. I’m sniffly right now, with good reason. Courtney Milan, who is all around incredible, told me if we hit 100 comments, she’ll throw in $50 as well. That’s $2 per comment that  someone else will be donating!!!

I have no words. And won’t be using asterisks anymore. If you see in the comments, Mara said [she? they?] would donate $50 as well if we hit the 100 comments today goal. Honestly – this is for an amazing cause. And it takes so little effort!

WOW! And the hilarious and great Bree, half of the much loved writing team that forms Moira Rogers told me to put her down for $50 as well if I wanted. And I do. So I did.

! Vivian Arend asked if I wanted to put another $50 down for her. Of course I  have no problem spending other people’s money, so now she’s listed too. ;) This makes me so happy.

Stacy is also getting in on this – come on, if we hit 150 comments, she’ll donate $50! Talk!

And now Tigris Eden has promised to contribute as well if we make it to 150 comments!!! Whee!!!

YES!!! The great Carly Phillips is joining this fabulous cause! She’s also setting the goal at 150 comments!

I have no words, really. HelenKay Dimon is a fabulous author, a fabulous person, and well, pretty much all around is fabulousity. And as incentive to make you comment and spread the word, she’ll go in $50 too if we hit 150. Not a bad deal, right?

Awesome! Liza has said she’ll contribute $10 to the cause as well. <3 Every little bit helps!

More more more!!! Lauren Dane, who is all kinds of fantabulous and awesome as well, is going in with $50 if we meet the next comment goal!

Whee! We haz VOLTRON! Heh – Donna stepped in as well, the other writing half of Moira Rogers – see? I told you that Moira Rogers is awesome! She’s in for another $50!!! <3

I LOVE THIS WOMAN! I think all? Most of you know Jennifer Haymore has been dealing with cancer. She just finished her radiation today. And she just told me if we hit the next level, she’s in for $50 – come on! Help this woman meet her goal!!!

Yes!!! And the duckies have stepped up! The most lovely, kind, and generous c2 has pledged $75. I wheedled her into it. She’s so beyond awesome.

Then, Likari stepped in with $50.

And Mean Marie, Ann Marie, who obviously isn’t that mean, is coming in with another $50 if we meet our goal.

As is Magdalen, with another $50 – BUT only if we hit 256 comments (or more) – how fun, right?

And  – Jackie is now issuing the challenge of 260 comments. For $25.

Shelli Stevens is in with another $50.

And and and!!! You guys are so awesome! Will have a complete list later!

Result? 260 comments = $975 donated to (RED) – come on romance community! Show me you care! (For those of you keeping track, Mara, Shiloh, Liza, and a beautiful silent contributor and I have donated already so that is $225 – and we’re depending on your comments to bring in the rest!)