Fundrazr for Lauralynn Elliott Now With INCENTIVES

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Okay, so I’ve been woefully slow getting this out here.  Part of it has been personal scheduling, part of it was the close occurrence of other, more well publicized disasters.  Thankfully Susan Bischoff helped me out by creating the entry form.  THANK YOU SUSAN.

So, here’s how this is going to work.  A whole bunch of paperbacks and ebooks have been donated by various and sundry authors and have been assembled into prize packs.  Everyone who donates will be entered into a drawing to win one of the prize packs.  For simplicity’s sake, you have just as much chance of winning for donating $1 as you to for donating $100 (trying to figure out how to do it in some weighted fashion was one of the other things that held me up).   When you click through to the form, you will see that we ask for your paypal email address that you used to make the donation.  This is so we can confirm that you donated and also in order to notify you that you have won.  I know a great many of us write under pen names and therefore donated anonymously (since our Paypal accounts are under our real names).  This gets around that without breaking your privacy (certainly *I* won’t be sharing your real name or paypal address with anybody).  Only Lauralynn and myself will have access to those names (due to our access to the Fundrazr itself).

So, without further ado, the prize packs are as follows:

• Kait Nolan: paperbacks of Genesis, Red, and Magical Mayhem
• Kait Nolan: any of her ebooks
• Susan Bischoff: paperbacks Hush Money, Heroes Til Curfew
• Susan Bischoff ebook bundle of Hush Money, Heroes Til Curfew
• Tia Bach: 2 signed paperback copies of Depression Cookies
• Buffy Greentree: ebook: The Five Day Writer’s Retreat: Preparing for a Lifestyle of Writing
• Beth Camp: paperback The Mermaid Quilt and Other Tales
• Michelle De Paepe: paperback of Eaters (zombie apocalypse), ebook copies of The Gardner (paranormal fiction), Vampire Music (YA PR)
• Sharon Gerlach: paperback of any one of her books; any of her ebooks
• Janet Parfitt: for the Brits: ebooks Blood Addiction, Butterflies, Numerology for Daily Life
• J. R. Pearse Nelson: ebook Queen Witch
• K. L. Schwengel: signed paperbacks of Witch Hunt anthology and First of Her Kind
•  Deborah Gafford 10 copies of any of her books.

So hie thee to the Fundrazr to DONATE if you have not already.   And then go FILL OUT THE INCENTIVE FORM to select which price pack you’d like to be entered for.  We have raised a whopping $1766 so far.  I really want to see this top $2500, y’all!  SPREAD THE WORD!

#ROW80 Writers Mobilize! Time To Help One Of Our Own!

I’m interrupting our regularly scheduled inspirational post (Elizabeth Mitchell’s words of wisdom have been rescheduled for May the 20th) because I need something from you.  The last time I did this was because my book Red got nominated for the DABWAHA Award in 2012 and I mobilized you all into a fun, heady campaign that got me past the first Round against Kendare Blake.  That was awesome.  And it showed me the power of this platform.

Now I’ve got something much more serious to talk about.  A way more important reason to mobilize.

If you have spent ANY time hanging out at #ROW80 then you’ve heard of Lauralynn Elliott.  She has been a sponsor just about every single round.  She’s one of the biggest #ROW80 cheerleaders and is absolutely fabulous about commenting and checking in on people.  And y’all, she needs our help.

Last week her husband was put in the hospital.  He’s got a massive blood clot in his lungs and another in his leg.  This is a hella dangerous condition to be in.  Lauralynn lost her best friend to the same thing a couple years ago.  In this case, it was caught, and he’s on blood thinners, but it takes time for these things to resolve.   Up to two weeks, according to the doctors.  And then there’s the recovery time after.  So Mr. Lauralynn can’t work right now and neither can Lauralynn herself.  And no work means no income.  In these difficult financial times, we all know that’s a really tough spot to be in.

But we can help!

I have a number of schemes in mind, so this will be developing over the course of the week.  Keep your eyes peeled.  Here’s what you can do (pick one or all–your choice!)

1. First and foremost, if you are interested and able, go buy one (or more) of Lauralynn’s books.  That’s direct support of her as an author and will additionally help with her rankings on various and sundry sales platforms, which will increase her visibility.  They are available across all major ebook platforms, and several are available in paperback.
2. Tell your friends.  If you aren’t able to purchase (and even if you are), take the time to tell your friends about her books.  Post a tweet or a FB status update.  Use those social media platforms to get the word out.  If you’ve got a friend who likes ghost stories, tell them about See Me.  Know a reader who love vamps?  Well Guardian Vampire is just for them.  This costs you nothing but a little bit of time and could make a big difference in her visibility.
3. If you are a published author and you have an ebook or paperback you can donate to the cause, email me at kaitnolanwriter (at) gmail (dot) com.  I’m working on putting together some prize packs for another scheme.  More details to come when I know what I’m working with.
4. There is a Fundrazr campaign for direct donations.  People, there are over 6,000 of you on the #ROW80 mailing list.  If everybody donated just $1, ONE, we could help out tremendously with two months of living expenses.  This bad boy comes equipped with every social media button imaginable so GO make your donation, whatever you can afford, and tweet, Facebook, Pin, Google+, email, whatever everybody to GET THE WORD OUT.
5. And above all, drop by Lauralynn’s blog and let her know that we’re thinking about her and she and her hubby are in our prayers and thoughts.  

Wednesday Check-In

We’re rolling on toward the end of July and the conclusion of our first month for Round 3.  What kind of progress are you making?  Let us know in your check-in post.  And be a sport and stop by some of your fellow ROWers’ posts and give them a bit of cheerleading.

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State Your Intent! Round 3

Round 2 is complete and we’ve all had a break.  Now’s the time to STATE YOUR INTENTIONS of joining up for Round 3.  Now some folks choose to do goals with this post, though we will have an official State Your Goals linky on July 2, starting day.  If you do state your goals, feel free to link back to this same post when Round 2 begins.  But generally folks often just link directly to their main blog at this point so people can hop around and visit to see who their compatriots will be for the next 80 days.

Report back here on JULY 2nd for the official start of Round 3!

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ROWND TWO TWITTER PARTY

We are back to start another exciting round of ROW80!  To kick us off, we are having another Twitter Party gathering.  Here is Barbara McDowell to take over the blog and share the details.

~*~

Once again, it is party time!  On April 4, the #ROW80 hashtag is going to kick it up old-school and hold a 24-hour celebration for:

• All the participants who just finished Round One of ROW80.
• Anyone who plans to post their goals and dive into Round Two.
• The amazing people who supported the ROW80 writers throughout the year.

Party Details:

• Theme: “Throwback Party”

Oh yes, we are going WAY back.  This party is a celebration of generations, music, and fashions.  We want you to come on Wednesday ready to kick it like you used to “back in the day.”  All outfits are welcome, my co-host Lena Corazon is stirring up some wicked cocktails to last all night, and I’m morphing into DJ Barbara to spin a playlist for all decades.

• Date: April 4, 12:01 AM to 11:59 PM EST in the U.S.
  This will also be the first day of Round Two check-in so there should be a bevy of ROW80 peeps and friends wandering around the blogosphere.
• Why: For the ROW80 celebration of Round One, a kick-off party for Round Two, and a get down groovy time for all supporters.  Don’t be shy.  Anyone can participate in this Twitter party whether it is just popping by to say hello or being the last one dancing at 11:59 pm.
• Where: The party will be held at the #ROW80 hashtag.
  Include that in your Tweet and join in!  What is a Twitter party?  This is where we all stop in to the #ROW80 hashtag all day long and play and party together—sharing news, pictures, music, and merriment. It’s going to be a great time! Please promote it as much as you can between now and then.
• Blog with Photos Competition:  From April 2 to April 8, we want you to keep the party going and post some “Throwback Party” ROW80 celebrations.  This can be separate posts or part of your check-ins this week.  Just make sure to include some pics that reflect the theme and let your party monster rage.  Whatever you want to do to work this into your post, go for it.  We trust you are a creative bunch.  Then, we’ll review them and decide on the best to spotlight in a post.

To enter the Blog with Photos Competition:

• Create a blog post that reflects the “Throwback Party” theme.
• Creativity is a plus as are great pictures.  We know there are some folks holding a treasure of pics showing them in their glory with bell-bottom, platform shoes, biker, poodle skirts, and tie-dyed ponchos.
• Lena and I will look at the comments on our ROW80 blogs for recommendations of top picks as well as review them all for inclusion of top picks/faves in a mashup and for your vote.

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Thanks, Barbara!  Y’all, this should be TONS of fun and a GREAT way to spread the word about A Round of Word in 80 Days.  I encourage you all to JOIN THE PARTY!

Sign Up For Round 2!

Sign ups are NOW OPEN for Round 2!  Now, as I say elsewhere, if you happen to find us after the official start day (April 2nd), feel free to jump on in.  For now, you’re just declaring your intentions to join us.  There will be an official START DAY linky where you will link to your specific goals post.  For now, just link directly do your blog in the linky below (that would be the thing that says “CLICK HERE”), not in comments.  Yep, if you want to participate you have to have a blog.  See the FAQs.  And come hang out with us on the #ROW80 stream in Twitter.  The veterans will help you newbies learn the ropes!

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ROWers ACTIVATE! It’s TIME FOR ROUND 2!!!!

GO GO GO! Voting is live at DABWAHA for Round 2 where I face off against VERONICA ROTH! Let’s give her a run for her money!

It’s happening from

MIDNIGHT until NOON CST

Be sure to go cast your vote from every IP address, computer, or phone you can find! Let’s show ‘em what our network is made of!

#TeamKait!

Calling All ROWers! Voting TODAY for DABWAHA!

Calling all ROWers, friends, readers, and fans! Today is THE DAY! (I’m excited, you’re just going to have to deal with all the capslockiness and exclamation points)

Voting between Red and Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed In Blood begins at 12 noon EST CST (THIS HAS BEEN UPDATED) and runs until midnight EST CST.

We have 12 hours to do this, y’all.

I am, predictably, on the road for the Evil Day Job (they have no respect for my need to stage a coup today), so I am COUNTING on all of you to help spread the word and get folks TO THE DABWAHA SITE and VOTING between 12 and 12. Remember, this all happens TODAY, March 15th from 12 NOON EST CST until 12 MIDNIGHT EST CST. You’ll be seeing tweets and FB posts and assorted other stuff I was able to schedule in advance. Feel free to RT, reblog, repost, or just poke people with a cattle prod to get them to the polls!

LET’S GO TO THE MATTRESSES!

#TEAMKAIT

Unscheduled Announcement By Your Fearless Leader

Okay, so this has nothing to do with normal operations here at ROW80.  But I started ROW80 as a community of other writers to help support each other through all the trials, tribulations, and joys of the writing life.  It’s grown by leaps and bounds over the last year and I’ve met so many awesome and wonderful people.  And lest you think this is leading up to some announcement that I’ve had something awful happen and I’m shutting down the site, FEAR NOT.  We are not going anywhere.

WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE JOY STUFF!

So unless you were living under a rock (or were, you know, not online yesterday), you probably saw the news flying by on Twitter that my YA debut Red was nominated as a finalist for DABWAHA.

For those of you not in the know, DABWAHA is the Dear Author Bitchery Writing Award for Hellagood Authors.  Every March Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and Dear Author team up to present a Final Four Style Tourney for books.  Same kind of concept as basketball but with votes instead of an actual game.  From the DABWAHA website:

We’ll put out a slate of 64 picks.  8 categories and 8 books in each category.  In each category, the books are seeded 1-8.  The books then face off against one another with book 8 going up against book 1, book 7 going up against book 2, book 6 going up against book 3.  And so on and so forth.

The books compete against each other through the use of a poll and readers pick which book is going to win.

This would be awesome under any circumstances.  The nomination is beyond epic because, as far as I can tell, I am the only indie author in the field.  :GULP:

Now I’m up against Rae Carson and Veronica Roth (among others), so I know I’m not going to win my category.  I’m just NOT THAT WELL KNOWN.  As I said before, it’s a total honor just to be nominated.

But let’s face it.  I’ve got a competitive nature.  :mischievous gleam:

I think with the support of the awesome people of my networks, I might possibly stand a chance of at least making it out of the first bracket (assuming it’s not Rae or Veronica I’m immediately matched up against).  That’s where you come in.  I mean, seriously, what is the point of building a community if you can’t mobilize them?

So ROWers I am ISSUING A CALL TO ARMS (or, you know, to vote).

There are a lot of steps to this depending on how things go, so I have created a brand-spanking new, special DABWAHA Newsletter that you can sign up for to be notified of what to do where and when.  This is separate from the ROW80 posts to your inbox.  And it’s separate from my normal newsletter (if you happened to be signed up for it).  I normally only send out newsletters when there’s a new release (so a couple times a year).  The DABWAHA Newsletter is a time-limited campaign that will involve periodic blasts over the next 2 weeks.  I promise, I’m not normally all up in your inbox.  Once the DABWAHA Tourney is over, the emails will stop.  Remember, this is totally separate from my normal newsletter, so if you still want to receive notices of new releases and, you know, news, be sure you’re signed up here (for the regular newsletter).

Now, you don’t actually get anything out of this.  I don’t have prizes or anything (that would be considered bribery, which would be very unsportsmanlike).  All you get out of this is a chance to earn my undying gratitude and an opportunity to help me try and show up the big girls.  Let’s show ‘em Red is the Little Indie (Book) That Could!

Between now and March 13th, you can help by ENTERING YOUR PICKS per the instructions here on the DABWAHA website.

Feel free to tweet, FB, share, reblog, or flag down total strangers to squee.  Whatever you gotta do to share.  And don’t forget to sign up for the DABWAHA Newsletter!

Rockin’ The ROW Winner!

So you may recall that at the beginning of Round 4 we kicked off with the fabulous Rock the ROW twitter party.  There was, in fact, a photo competition for which the prizes were ebook copies of the following:

Kait Nolan’s Red, Susan Bischoff’s Hush Money and Heroes Til Curfew, Lauralynn Elliott’s Dark Relic: Vampire’s Curse, Claudia Lefeve’s Parallel, Cate Morgan’s Brighid’s Cross, Stacey Wallace Benefiel’s The Toilet Business, and Vicki Keire’s Gifts of the Blood and Darkness in the Blood.

>.>

I kinda totally forgot to post the winners.

:ducks:

Sorry, y’all!  It got busy!  Thanks, Jenny, for reminding me.  But anyway, without further ado, here are the poll results where you, fabulous ROWers voted on your favorite Rockin The ROW photos.

First place by a landslide is Natalie Hardford and her guitar.

Second is Barbara McDowell planking (my personal favorite).

Third is a tie between Lena Corazon and Tia Bach (and also technically Barbara again but since she won second we’re gonna strike her from the three way tie).

So here’s how this is gonna work.  We have 7 prizes (okay yeah there are 9 books but Hush Money and Heroes Til Curfew go together, as do Gifts of the Blood and Darkness In the Blood, so we’re gonna count those as sets).  First place winner gets to pick 3.  Second picks 2 from what’s left.  And the third place winners each get 1.

Winners, dash me an email at kaitnolanwriter (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll start getting prizes sorted out.  Authors donating prizes, dash me an email with the relevant coupon codes for your book.

Thanks everybody for Rockin’ the ROW and making Round 4 such a superb success!