Readercon Recap

Back from Readercon (July 10-13 in Burlington, MA), trailing swag and books from my suitcase, my brain bubbling with story ideas, as usual (this post is a bit late - it should have gone up Monday).

The Readercon name badges were super fancy this year (usually they're just plain white).

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Writer At Work Wednesday - Avon Walk

Welcome to Writer at Work Wednesday—a weekly blogging meme for writers where we share behind-the-scenes insights into our work. You can learn more about Writer at Work Wednesday here.

So...I've been a bit MIA lately...

Pay It Forward Friday - December 6th

Pay It Forward Friday is my random attempt to make the world a better place by spreading the word about good causes, supporting others, and generally sharing some love.

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Attend: Ellen Larson's book launch party on Sunday, December 8th at 2:00 pm at the Somerville, MA public library. Support a local author by attending!

Sign-Up: If author Tracy N. Jorgensen's gets more people to sign up for her mailing list than a competing author, her publisher will let her give away ten copies of her debut YA fantasy novel The Impending Demise of the Girl With Brown Eyes. And, if you sign up, you can enter to win a decal of Doctor Who's name in Gallifreyan - how cool is that?

Donate: Help author Jennifer Allis Provost relaunch her epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Parthalan, the rights to which were recently returned to her by donating to her Indie Gogo project.

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Pay It Forward Friday - November 1st

Those of you who read my blog post after the Sandy Hook tragedy know I was deeply saddened not only by the horrific tragedy itself, but also by my own powerlessness to do anything to stem the distressing pattern of similar tragedies that are plaguing our nation. The problem feels so big, so terrible, and so overwhelming.

The beauty and simplicity of the #26 Acts movement that grew out of Sandy Hook gave me great comfort, but unfortunately, as is usual after one of these tragedies, the great outpouring of initial support seems to have petered out - or, at least, has faded from the public view.

However, I have not forgotten; Sandy Hook made me realize I needed to make some big changes in my life - not grand, sweeping, "Eat Pray Love" kind of changes like they do in movies or books, because, honestly, how realistic is that for most of us? Not very. And frankly, that's not the kind of change I needed. In fact, I'm not sure that's the kind of change most of us need. The truth is, sometimes it just takes something very small. If anything, the #26 Acts movement has shown us how small things can have a big impact.

And so, I've started small.

I joined Freecycle. I gave a box of unwanted yarn to a group of ladies who knit hats and mittens for those in need. Those scraps of odd colored yarn taking up space in a closet will now be used in the more than 1,000 items the women make and donate this year. I gave an old computer monitor to a woman whose son had broken her in-laws' computer - my old, unwanted monitor helped two families: the woman who could ill afford to replace her in-laws' computer and her in-laws. I received a 6' tall Christmas tree that my sister and I will use as the base of our contribution to the Billerica Public Library Festival of Trees, one of the major fundraisers for the Billerica Historical Commission (which means that this formerly unwanted tree has now benefitted three recipients). A gentleman took some old exercise equipment off my hands that was just making me feel bad about myself to use to supplement his kids' Christmas gifts since he'd been laid off and money was tight. I've seen exchanges of broken electronic equipment that will be used by students learning to repair these items or that will be used for parts to return an out of commission item to service for someone who can't afford to buy a new one. I've seen odds bits of string, ribbon, paper, and the like - stuff that collects dust in drawers or ends up on the rubbish heap - used to form the basis of the craft supplies for underfunded summer camp programs. Literally, once man's trash is another man's treasure, but not in a snarky, "there's no accounting for some people's taste" kind of way; rather, it's literally true that no matter how little you think you have, there's always someone who has less.

I joined Meetup.com. I didn't exactly volunteer to become a group leader/organizer, but ended up being one anyway (long story). Now I lead a weekly walk after work and a weekly hike on the weekend. About 20 people participate in these walks/hikes - people who might not be able to get out and enjoy the outdoors without a group of like-minded people with which to go. The simple act of showing up sometimes is enough to empower and enrich other people.

Now I'm taking another small step: Pay It Forward Fridays, a new, semi-regular feature on my blog. On a daily basis, I come across many pleas for help - requests to share information, requests for donations, requests for support/action - and each week I'll feature a few of them here. Not all of these pleas relate to charity - sometimes a fellow author wants help advertising that his/her book is on sale. Sometimes a blogger would like some help advertising a giveaway. And that's the thing about Sandy Hook and #26 Acts and Freecyle and Meetup and all the rest: we ALL need help. We ALL need to feel connected and supported and loved and impacted and impactful. Far, far too often that need can be met through the smallest act and yet, we don't act, either because we think the act too small ("I'm going to toss these scraps of yarn because who could possibly need them?") or we undervalue the acts we can do in the face of what we perceive to be far greater and valuable needs ("What difference in the world can giving my old computer monitor to my neighbor make when there are people in the world who don't have enough to eat?"). If I've learned anything in this last year, it's that we should never underestimate the magnitude of impact small acts can have. I've also learned that it's not the value we place on an act that counts - it's the value placed on it by the recipient(s). Something very small/simple to me may be very huge to someone else - it literally cost me nothing (not money, not time, not effort) to give away that computer monitor, and yet, I sense it was a big relief to the woman to get it) - so we might as well do what we can, no matter how small it might seem. It's better than doing nothing.

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Attend and/or Bid: Live Audio Book Marathon to benefit grammy winning audio book narrator Bob Deyan, who has been diagnosed with ALS (Saturday November 9th - Sunday November 10th).

Vote: Help Anna Jacques Hospital in Newburyport, MA win a $5,000-$25,000 grant to support their new Gerrish Breast Cancer Support Center by voting for their video entry to the Pink Glove Dance Video Competition (voting ends November 8th)

Enter: Author Michelle Hauck is giving away five copies of her epic fantasy Kindar's Cure on Goodreads (ends November 30th)

Donate: NaNoWriMo, better known as National Novel Writing Month, isn't just about helping authors write a novel in 30 days; it's also about raising funds for youth writing programs. Consider making a donation or supporting their efforts in one of the other listed ways.

Enjoy: A lovely and heart-warming article about a photographer who puts strangers together in photos.

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