Romance Community Pulls Together

Sadly, author Leslie Esdaile, also writing as L.A. Banks, is not doing at all well.  Fact is she's facing an uphill battle in her struggle with serious illness.  She is absolutely not able to receive visitors, answer emails, texts or phone calls, or receive flowers, and the romance community is pulling together to offer all the support it can.

There's a website suggesting various way to help Leslie and her family with the mounting medical expenses is up and it includes an auction which starts on this coming Tuesday.

Share Your Heart Auction for Leslie On Ebay [here's the list thus far of what's being auctioned off]
June 21-July 1, 2011
Bids begin at : 9 AM EST (6/21)
Auctions end: 9 PM (7/1)

Go, get a goodie, donate dosh, whatever you can do and help ease at least one aspect of this difficult time for Leslie and her family.

Authors + Readers = At Their Best

Operation Auction went live on Sunday, March 27th at 12:01 am PDT and all items are in the Operation Auction ebay store!

Now for a few details:  None of the items will show up until the auction is live and not all items are going up at the same time. We have divided the items as equally as possible into three batches.

Batch One will be up March 27th at 12:01 am PDT, ending March 30th at 12:01am

Batch Two will be up March 28th at 12:01 am PDT, ending March 31st at 12:01am

Batch Three will be up March 29th at 12:01 am PDT, ending April 1st at 12:01am

New donations are still coming in so be warned the enteries might be incomplete, however, there are categories in the store to help search for the items you want.

Shipping details will be in the description of each item. Please read those carefully before you bid to see if it is US only or international.
[Thank you to Black Raven's Erotic Cafe for the clear details]

I, Tilly Greene, happen to have a canvas bag filled w/signed books and goodies, and it ends March 30th - tomorrow - bid big as the proceeds are going to Fatin of  RR@H Novel Thoughts and Book Talk blog.

The link to the Operation Auction ebay store is:  http://bit.ly/ifl6ZM or http://stores.ebay.com/operationauction2011

Something New!

Many of you may have heard all about this endeavor, but in case you haven't, here's a brief blurb from the fabulous folks handling Operation Auction:

"Fatin 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, an author assistant and a tireless advocate for romance novels. She is also a friend to 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."

Usually, when something horrible happens, there isn't much we can do, which is why I'm very proud to be a part of Operation Auction.  Productive action is right up my alley.  So, I have a Mythological Messes Redux series Bag full of books and goodies, and there's also 2 day passes with authors for Authors After Dark 2011 in Philadelphia and another for the entire AAD 2012 in New Orleans amongst the many many offerings.

Check them out on the home page of Operation Auction, mark down the ones you'd like, and get ready to bid big!

It's Open!

Registration for the Authors After Dark 2011 is open and it's rockin'!

It's August 11-14 in Philadelphia - yes, Philly - and the Master of Ceremonies is Larissa Ione!  As for what's new and/or different this year, well, there's going to be ebook only authors and All Romance [ARe] are going to be there selling ebooks alongside Borders [which also happens to have a shop around the corner].  The GLBT and Bloggers tracks have been extended. 

And then there's the Bookie Awards.  These are, as the AAD website states: the "first industry awards nominated and voted for by readers and bloggers alone! And all the presenters will be bloggers, readers and book clubs!"  I'm excited about this bit because I just so happen to have two nominated [Cyra's Cyclopes and Double Punch] - honestly, when you look at those also nominated alongside me, I am thrilled to be in such company!

Some of the authors who are going to be there are*:  Sylvia Day, Melissa Schroeder, Cat Johnson, Bridget Midway, Samantha Sommersby, Zoe Archer, Meljean Brook, Elizabeth Amber, Kate Douglas, Leanna Renee Hieber, Gail Carriger, Monica Burns, T.J. Michaels, Bianca D'Arc, Jess Haines, Michele Lang, Suzanne Lazear, Stella and Audra Price, Liz Strange, Elizabeth Darvill, Kristen Painter, Ariel Tachna, David Juhren, Kayleigh Jamison, Rosemary Laurey, Judi Fennell, Augusta Li, Eon DeBeaumont, Theresa Meyers, Beth Wylde, Nick Valentino, Diana Castilleja, Yvette Hines, Denise Jeffries, Stephanie Jullian, Sonya Bateman, Bronwyn Green, Brynn Paulin, Adele Dubois, Natalie Gray, Laura Baumbach, Kris Cook, Felicitas Ivey, Susan Hanniford Crowley, and Eliza Gayle


The hotel, a Doubletree, is right in the midst of it all and books up easily because of the location.  Oh, and, I heard rumors that there's going to be a group of partners going to South Street for proper Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches.

Like last year there's going to be auctions from the authors and all proceeds will go to Pet's Alive!  Hopefully they'll be able to bring some of their animals so you can see where your money is all going.

What's staying the same is that this is a rare breed of conference in that no one makes any money, which keeps the price way way down.  How low?  $130.00 for registration and meals!  Love it!

More details to come as they are announced!  Hope to see you there - yes, I've already registered :-)

*= Subject to change until March 2011

Have you ever heard of Wonder Woman Day V?

What about I-IV?

You should because it's a day during October which is national Domestic Violence Awareness month!

Okay, I hadn't heard of it until yesterday, but I think this is a fabulous way to put DVA in the spotlight.  Wonder Woman is a great icon to have stand up for those that need a something more.  There are events with costumed characters and comic creators attending being organized in both Portland, OR and Flemington, NJ on October 24 and a variety of auctions going on throughout the month to raise money for domestic violence shelters and programs.  Comic writer Andy Mangels is the magic behind the day and you can unearth even more details by visiting the Wonder Woman Museum.  I'm sure you'll find something to suit you or maybe family member for the holidays.  By the way, they're kid friendly, so bring the family!

Oh, wait, you want to know what about this day caught my attention?

It was artist David Chelsea's offering for auction and I shall be bidding! 

Venus of Willendorf is gorgeous as Wonder Woman!