Worldcon Fundraiser Updatery: A Flash Milestone Perk
I only need to raise $150 more in my Worldcon fundraiser, and then I’ve got every penny I need to make my stay in London reasonable. First, I want to thank everyone who has supported me in this endeavor thus far. You are all amazingly awesome. There are lots of Milestone Perks waiting to be fulfilled at the moment (some take longer than others because they involve recording stuff). I’ll get those fulfilled this summer (preferably this month, where possible). Second, I have decided to make things a little…interesting. Since $150 isn’t that much money, and I want to get this done ASAP, I’m running a little last minute Milestone Perk addon: If my Worldcon fundraiser finishes by Monday, May 27th, Mike Underwood and I will record our special readings of classic works of literature/philosophy as Kermit and Yoda (respectively) LIVE. We may even stay in character the whole time. We may even have a conversation as Kermit and Yoda. We may even do it on video via Google+. We may even wear homemade costumes. (By “may” I mean “pretty much going to do it unless we can’t for some reason”). Right now, it looks like I’m reading Nietzche’s Thus Spake Zarathustra. I’m not sure what Mike is reading yet, but I did see someone suggest The Candide. Obviously, these will be excerpt readings, as Nietzche’s book is so long that my voicebox would probably explode if I tried to do the whole thing in one go. So if that’s not incentive to donate $10 and convince your friends to do so, too, I don’t know what is! Now get to it. You’ve got three-and-a-half days!
Fundraiser Updatery
We’re almost one month away from the deadline for my Worldcon fundraiser for The Skiffy and Fanty Show and the World SF Tour. And we’ve got a long way to go before the thing is fully funded. As of the writing of this post, we’re $42 (ha!) $52 (aww) short of the 3rd Milestone and $1700ish from the goal. And that means I really need your help. If you’re a reader of this blog, please consider donating a little bit to the fundraiser. Even $5 goes a long way. There are milestone perks, in case you’re looking for more incentive than “I’m moderately amusing on Tuesdays.” Likewise, if you could spread the word, that would be amazing. Noise is just as important, I’m told. Now back to regular programming on WISB…
Fundraising for Nice People: Adam Callaway’s “Financial Times Bingo” Fundraiser
My good friend, Adam Callaway, has fallen on some pretty rough times this year. He lost his job and due to a number of factors (the recession hit right as he was graduating from school, he’s young, he doesn’t make $289,000 a year, etc.), he and his wife don’t have much saved up to help them survive the next few months. In other words, he could really use some help. I’ve known Adam for years now. He’s not one to ask for money often, and I know for a fact that he’s already applied to at least a dozen jobs since he was let go by his previous employer. He doesn’t want to be where he is (who does?). But because he’s there, he’s hoping folks will offer a little financial help. His goal is to have enough saved to survive through March, assuming he can’t get a job before then. That’s about $2,000. I think we all can help him get there — no problem. The good news is that Adam is offering all kinds of perks for donations, including: For a $3 donation:My short-short story collection #TWITFIC in any format (mobi, epub, pdf).For a $5 donation:Everything above plus a copy of the very first Lacuna story, a novella called The City of Missing Letters. If you ever wondered about the origins of the city, this is the story to have. Available in any format (mobi, epub, pdf).For a $10 donation:Everything above plus a copy of my mosaic novel The Inked Man, comprised of previously-published Lacuna stories as well as stories entirely new to the collection in any format (mobi, epub, pdf). There may be a slight delay in receiving this as I’m finalizing the cover and layout.For $25:Everything above as well as my young adult science fiction novel Junkyard Kings. Readers have described it as “Harry Potter with giant fighting robots.” This also comes in any format (mobi, epub, pdf).For $35:Everything above and a personalized Filament webcomic attached to a blog post detailing how awesome you are as a person.For $50:Everything above, plus I’ll ship you a random rare or antique book from my own collection. Most of the books are signed genre works and I will email you a list to choose from if you reach this level. (This one is confined to the continental 48 only. Sorry Hawaii, Alaska, and the rest of the world).For $100:Everything above, plus a permanent link or thank you on Sensawunda, seen by hundreds of visitors each day.For $250:I will write for you a personalized story of between 1000-2500 words with nearly all parameters chosen by you. And a second rare book.For $500:Everything above, and I’ll write you your own, 2500-5000 short story. Any genre, idea, or circumstance. And it’ll be damn good too. And I’ll send you a third book.For $1000:Everything above, except I’ll write you a novella of at least 10,000 words. I’ll send you a fourth rare book. And if I ever get the pleasure of meeting you in person, I’ll give you a bear hug, bake you butterscotch cookies, and declare you Supreme Being. He’s also offering to release panels from his comic, Filament, for every $10 submitted. That means 200 comics if we make it to $2,000! And what fiction he will release to folks, you better believe it will be great stuff. His Lacuna stories are wonderful and weird. So if you think you can spare $1, $10, or whatever, please head over to Adam’s site and click the donate button on the right. Alternatively, you can directly donate through Paypal using adam.r.callaway[at]gmail[dot]com (just leave a little note or email him so he knows that’s what it’s for). Any little bit helps! Please spread the word!