Writers for the Red Cross

What I'm reading right now: The Child Thief by Brom 

A darker retelling of Peter Pan; Walt Disney this ain't. I get the impression though, that it's closer to J.M. Barrie's original. I've only just begun it, so I can't say too much just yet, but it's been awhile since a book grabbed me by the lapels and dragged me beneath its covers (and check out the Brom link, the illustrations--also done by the author--are stunning).

To give you an idea, The Art Department interviewed Brom when the book first came out.  Check it out.

~*~

Recent events in Japan remind us that we are all living on the brink. The life we know, the life we've built can be wiped away in the blink of an eye and there's not a lot you can do about it. What happened there could happen anywhere at anytime. I live in the Rocky Mountains and scientists have long told us that we are well overdue for a crushing earthquake--today, all is peaceful.

One of the amazing things about us homo sapiens is our resilient spirit. We rebuild. We start again and again.

However, remember what John and Paul said . . .

"The apostles?"

"No, The Beatles."

We can all use a little help from our friends. This is what I did:

I'm not trying to blow my own horn, just trying to say, if I did it you can do it--the Red Cross accepts donations in all amounts (and to quote James, the apostle, faith without works is dead).

"As we’re seeing in Japan and around the Pacific today, there are some disasters and human suffering that are so huge that they can leave you feeling powerless to help. But as Amy and I told each other today on the phone, it is not the size of the gift but the very act of donating that can–and DOES–in the aggregate make a world of difference. Literally."

Here's what someone else is doing:

Writers for the Red Cross

What is Writers for the Red Cross? This online event celebrates Red Cross Month (March 1-31). It is intended to raise funds and awareness for the Red Cross and its work in communities across the country. We’re auctioning off publishing-related items and services donated by authors, publicists, agents, and editors. We’ll also have daily guest posts from authors about “What the Red Cross Means to Me.” All donors who give over $25 will also be able to select one free book from a range of books donated and shipped by publishers for the event.

From #LitChat: Disasters

Written by Holly Tucker and Beth Dunn in News 

I am reposting this from the #LitChat website to make sure you all are aware of the #LitChat special auction on March 25th, beginning at 4:00pm EDT. For more information, check out this page.

It happened after 9/11. We saw it after the 2004 Tsunami swept through Southeast Asia and in the the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. It occurred following the devastating earthquake last year in Haiti and it’s going on strong now in Japan. It is the near euphoric unity that draws people together in the aftermath of tragedy. In A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster (Viking, August 21, 2009), author Rebecca Solnit describes this phenomenon and why it’s so important to the rebuilding of humanity in the face of disaster.

This week in #litchat we’re discussing books – fiction and nonfiction – which feature disaster scenarios. What expectations are placed on authors to write about global tragedies? How much time must elapse before authors of fiction can use a global tragedy as a backdrop for a novel or short story? Do authors with large public platforms have a responsibility to lead efforts in rebuilding communities struck by disasters? How does an author separate facts from emotions when reporting from disaster sites? Join us this week to tell how you respond to global, large-scale disasters and tragedies.

On Friday, March 25, beginning at 4 p.m. EDT, #litchat is joining the Writers for the Red Cross campaign with a special auction of books and other exciting offerings like a query letter critique by literary agent Jenny Bent; a leather, hand-bound journal by master bookmaker Susan Soleil, and more.

INVICTUS

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll.

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

~ William Ernest Henley