A Blast from the Past, Dreams of the Future

Three years ago this week, Bernard Schaffer and I came together to begin the Kindle All Stars. Hand in hand, we produced an anthology (Resistance Front) with the intent of paving the way for new, independent authors to find a place to showcase their work. Some have continued to write and enjoy much success; others have chosen to take different paths.

Many of us who continue to work in publishing, be it as writers, editors, or small scale publishers, also continue to keep in touch via social media. One of those writers, possibly the most impressive, is Natasha Whearity.

When I read Natasha's submission to the Resistance Front* project, I demanded that Bernard find a way to use her short story. She was a seventeen-year-old high school student from the UK whose talent, in my opinion, surpassed every other writer whose work I'd seen. There were other brilliant, creative minds who also became part of the group and have thrived, but Natasha stood out as the youngest.

So how could I not invite her to talk to you about Amazon and its affect on her as a young writer as well as her own anthology compiled for charity? This is how the Kindle All-Stars pay it forward.

We Are Such Stuff . . . is available on Amazon

You hear a lot of negative things about independent publishing platforms such as Amazon. A lot of people believe that it is ruining the publishing industry because anyone can publish anything they want to. But for me, Kindle Direct Publishing is a fantastic platform for writers, especially emerging ones, such as myself. What is great about Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing is that it gives aspiring writers and editors the opportunity to say that they have been published.

I’m not saying that publishing houses aren’t fantastic at what they do, because they are brilliant. But there is nothing wrong with Amazon allowing writers the freedom to publish their own work themselves – which is something they might not be able to do through a publishing house if their work is tossed onto a pile of no’s.

If it weren't for Amazon, I would never have had my first short story, "Endgame" published in the Kindle All Stars anthology: Resistance Front, which raised money for a charity supporting missing and exploited children. If it weren't for Amazon and that opportunity, I would never have been able to publish We Are Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On, which is the anthology of work I have just published.

Through publishing We Are Such Stuff, I have had the opportunity of not only raising money for a charity extremely close to my heart (all the proceeds made from the anthology are going to the charity Epilepsy Action UK) but I have been able to use Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing as a platform for my writing, editing, formatting and publishing skills.

If it weren't for Amazon and the opportunity I was given by Bernard, Laurie, and the Kindle All-Stars, I would never have been able to publish work, not only by myself, but by some really fantastic and innovative writers. I have learned so much from publishing this anthology, not just about how important it is to support emerging writers, but how much I love creating and making books. I hope that this project is the first of many.

You can buy a copy of We Are Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On for only £1.53 (or $2.57) and all of the proceeds go to Epilepsy Action. Not only will you support an amazing charity, but the work of some brilliant and blossoming writers.

*Resistance Front and its successor, Carnival of Cryptids, are both still available on Amazon. All proceeds benefit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Happy Reading!

How to Get a Free Hat Pattern, Volume 2

My younger nephew at age five
modeling the Astro Hat

I am very pleased to say that in the year since the original post, I've had quite a few requests for

patterns from my readers. It warms my cold, dead, tired heart. Heh.

So please, please, PLEASE, keep up the good works, and keep requesting those freebies. I will gladly continue to send out those free pdfs to any of you who request them. Now, for those of you who have no idea what in the world I'm talking about, keep reading . . .

Since my income doesn't allow for a whole lot of charitable contributions, and because I find most charities to be shams, I choose to contribute what I CAN give: crochet. Cancer patients, among others, can always benefit from hats/chemo caps, so I make all of my hat patterns available free to those of you who pledge to make at least two of the pattern as donations to the charities of your choice.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me first give you an updated list of, and links to, all of my hat patterns:

1. Big Girl Hat #1*
2. The Blog Collection Beanie*
3. Simple Earth Hat
4. Astro Hat

Okay, now a list of organizations I like to support or that have been suggested by my readers:

• Dana Farber Cancer Institute because several friends of mine (survivors and those not so fortunate), who have had cancer, have spent quite a bit of time there
• Boston Children's Hospital because one of my closest friends, who died of Cystic Fibrosis, called this his second home
• Teal Hat Project (yes, your donation to them should be teal, their signature color) begun by an online pal a couple of years back, gathers hats to donate to ovarian cancer patients
• Halos of Hope recommended by Jessica, one of my blog readers, last year

Now for more details and the official rules:

• Place your request and your email address in the comments below this post and I will send your pattern via email within about 72 hours. (The best way to post your email is like this: biggirljewelry at yahoo dot com.) Some of the patterns will come from my biggirljewelry email, some from ravelry. It depends on where I have the file stored, so keep your eyes peeled.
• For each hat pattern you request, you pledge to make two hats to give to the charity of your choice. You don't have to choose from my list; you may give them to whomever you want, like your local church or homeless shelter.
• Just for clarification, if you request all four patterns, you pledge to make eight hats for charity. After you've fulfilled your obligation, go right ahead and make as many as you wish for family and friends or even to sell on Etsy or local craft fairs.
• More clarification . . . this applies to my hat patterns only. Requests for other patterns will not be filled. The original purpose of this program was to encourage my readers to make chemo caps. I began it in memory of a friend of mine who lost her fight with leukemia last year.
• I would love to see pictures of your finished projects. Please don't be shy about emailing them to me.

My older nephew, then age eight,
modeled the Simple Earth Hat

I plan to continue this program for as long as I have this blog. If I add any hat patterns to my collection, regardless of whether I have posted them in the list, I will include it.

*In the interest of full disclosure, know that each of these two patterns is also available here on the blog at no charge, but I don't sell the pdf versions. If you request it, I will send the pdf to you via email, but the same rules apply to these as my paid patterns.

My niece reluctantly modeled The Blog Collection Beanie for me when she was three

Happy Crocheting!

To reiterate: You are pledging to make two hats for each pattern you request. Four hats are available as of 1/8/2013. If you request all four patterns, I would expect that you would make and donate eight hats, two of each pattern. Also, I specifically request that you do NOT email your requests to me. Leave a comment below in the comments section. Emailed requests are not likely to be answered as this is not my main email account.

Ten K by Laurie Laliberte

Walk
For Freddie

Walk
For Pedro

As you've
never walked
before

I walk
With thirty-five thousand
Of my closest friends

To fight one small battle
In a seemingly neverending war

It's an overwhelming feeling
To know you've done something so right

So walk
My friends

Walk on
In hope

One day
you'll walk
no more

In addition to curating this blog, Laurie Laliberte is a published author, an extensively published fiction editor, and a crochet pattern designer. She specializes in work for charity and with new and independent authors. Her work can be found on Amazon as well as other websites where books and e-books are sold.

And Now for Something a Bit Different

We all know that I enjoy inviting authors with whom I've worked to take over my blog for just about any reason, including plugging their latest literary creations. So when Eisah, author of Flute of the Wind Queen contacted me to request a bit of publicity, how could I say no? However, this time around, we're not plugging a book, we're plugging a children's charity. I'll let Eisah tell you more:

More children lose their lives to cancer than any other disease. Over 80% of children diagnosed with cancer these days will survive because of cancer research; but even then most will suffer from lifelong health problems because of the treatments. That's why the St. Baldrick's Foundation is raising money to continue cancer research for children. The St. Baldrick's Foundation is the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants.

As we all know, one of the common side effects of treatment is hair loss. That's why the St. Baldrick's Foundation hosts events where people voluntarily shave their heads in support.

In addition to that, Locks of Love can use hair that is 10" or longer to create wigs for children suffering from illnesses.

People who want to show support can look up an event near them on the website. It's possible to volunteer to have your head shaved or help with the shaving.

People who don't want to do either of those can still show support by making a donation.

I will be having my head shaved on March 20, 2013, and I strongly encourage anyone with any money to spare to make a donation. Any small amount will help, even $1, so please help out!

Thank you for your time.

Eisah's Flute of the Wind Queen is currently available on Amazon.com

Cover Art Contest for KAS2

Last year's cover was designed by Glendon Haddix of Streetlight Graphics

Do you have the skills to design the next cover for the Kindle All-Stars?  

The contest is open to any and all participants, and the winner will be announced on November 1st, 2012.  SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN NOW until October 31st.  

Email your submission to: KindleAllStars [at] gmail [dot] com

The rules are as follows: 

Your cover must include only artwork to which you own the rights. 

It must pertain to the theme of the anthology:  Cryptozoology.

You agree to donate your cover to the project, as all profits will be earmarked for a predetermined charity.  

The winner will be prominently featured in the book as well as all KAS literature and websites.  

The Kindle All-Stars donates all profits from its various projects to charity. 

How to Get a Free Hat Pattern

Big Girl Hat #1

I don't always wear my heart on my sleeve here on the blog. I post very few personal items online in general, unless they pertain to my work. So not many people know that I lost a friend to cancer earlier this year. We weren't the closest of friends; Stephanie was my best friend's sister. But we had known each other, through her sister, for about fifteen years and had become faraway friends of a sort, connecting at family gatherings and chatting online.

Anyhow, I don't necessarily have the resources to make a grand gesture in her honor, but there is something I can do: crochet and design. That's where you all come in.

I currently have three different pdf hat patterns available: 

1. The Big Girl Hat #1 which is posted on Ravelry and on the blog for free
2. The Astro Hat which is listed as a men's hat but is really unisex
3. The Simple Earth Hat which is also a unisex style

Now, except for promotions and classes, I normally don't offer pdf's of the Big Girl (or Blog Collection*) patterns because I post them here on the blog at no charge, but I'm including the Big Girl Hat as a pdf for this purpose.

Here's how to get one or all of the pdf patterns absolutely free of charge:

Pledge to make and donate a minimum of two hats as "chemo caps." That's it. It really is that simple. No kidding.

Simply leave a comment below and make sure I can get your email address easily. That is to say your profile will allow me to collect your address or you put it in your comment in a way that a spammer can't easily harvest it. For instance, my older email is BigGirlJewelry at yahoo dot com. Don't forget to tell me which pattern(s) you would like. I will email the file as quickly as possible. Expect an email from downloads at Ravelry dot com within 48 hours.

Simple Earth Hat
on my older nephew

But remember, the first two that you make from the pattern should be donated, preferably as chemo caps, but if you want to give them to a homeless shelter or simply throw them in with your next donation to Goodwill, be my guest. Yes, I will send all three patterns if you request all three, but then I will expect you to make and donate six hats.

And please be honest. After the two hats, your obligation is done. Make a bunch for family and friends...for your Etsy shop...for your cat...

One more thing! I want to see pictures. Email pics to me at the address above. I will do a blog post in the future, probably early in the new year, to show off your handiwork.

But I don't know where to send them! Do you have any recommendations?

Astro Hat
on my younger nephew

I'm glad you asked. Stephanie spent a whole lot of time at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. And an online buddy of mine started the Teal Hat Project a couple of years ago. Why not start there?
Added 9/26/12:  Halos of Hope also provides crafted hats to chemo patients. (Thank you for the suggestion, Jessica!)

But what if this post is out of date?

That one's not going to be an issue for a while, but if you happen to come across this post say, six months, a year, even five years after I've posted it, fear not. I will honor this offer for the life of this blog...unless it outlives me. Further, any other hats I design in the future will be included as well.

Happy Crocheting!

*As I transition away from the Big Girl Jewelry label, you will begin to see my items renamed to The Blog Collection by Laurie Laliberte Designs. Fear not, the Blog Collection will continue to be available here at no charge to my readers.

To reiterate: You are pledging to make two hats for each pattern you request. Four hats are available as of 1/8/2013. If you request all four patterns, I would expect that you would make and donate eight hats, two of each pattern. Also, I specifically request that you do NOT email your requests to me. Leave a comment below in the comments section. Emailed requests are not likely to be answered as this is not my main email account.

Remember the Living

This is a weekend for remembering fallen soldiers, but beyond remembering them, there isn't a whole lot we can do. They're gone. We can't bring them back. So I thought I'd focus on what we can do. We can take care of the troops who are still with us, either still serving or retired. We can help their families cope with their absence. We can make a difference. So, as we remember the fallen, let us also remember the living.

I dug up a few charities that make a huge impact in small ways because sometimes those little things make the biggest difference.

General donations/care packages:

Operation USO Care Package sends care packages to service men and women all over the world. Your $25 donation pays for the items that go into the package.

Operation Gratitude sends care packages to troops overseas. A $15 donation pays for shipping.

Operation Shoebox sends care packages, but accepts donations of products that are sent to them. If you'd rather send items than a monetary donation, this is the one for you.

helmet liner without helmet courtesy
of Packages from Home website

Handmade items:

Warmth for Warriors sends hats and washcloths to active and retired troops. Simple hat patterns and further details are available on their site.

Soldiers' Angels - Blankets of Gratitude group sends knitted, crocheted, and hand-loomed blankets to veterans. (The open work of these items prevents them from being useful in a hospital setting.) Poke around their site for other types of blankets they send to active duty and wounded soldiers.

Packages from home uses hand knitted helmet liners in their care packages. Very specific instructions and a pattern are shown on their site.

How you can earn a free pattern:

If you decide to donate handmade items and would like to use one of my washcloth or hat patterns, leave a comment below with the pattern you intend to use. If you pledge to make two hats or three washcloths from the pattern of your choice, I will send you the pattern free of charge.

However, I want to see pictures! Perhaps I'll post them on Veteran's Day.

Namaste.

KAS 1.5 The as yet unnamed YA anthology

Yes! We're at it again. The Kindle All-Stars are now accepting submissions for our second anthology, working title KAS1.5. If you are interested in submitting a piece for consideration, all the information you need is below. If you have any questions, you may leave them in the comments section or email me at the address below.

proceeds will benefit Worldreader.org

All submissions should be sent to Laurie Laliberte at KindleAllStars@gmail.com.

Theme Guidelines:

This is a YA oriented collection that WILL be distributed to school children in Africa as part of a larger project called Worldreader.

Proceeds will benefit Worldreader.

Keep it clean. Absolutely no profanity will be allowed.

We're looking for about 10-15 never before published short stories fewer than 20 pages in length.

Submission Guidelines:

1.  ONE space after each word, comma, or semicolon

2.  TWO spaces after a period, question mark, exclamation point or colon

3.  ZERO spaces between words and dashes or hyphens

4.  QUOTATION MARKS are " NOT ' 

     ' should only be used for apostrophe and a quote within a quote

5.  PARAGRAPH INDENTS should be a single tab (or auto-indent) with no extra spaces and should not be made using spaces at all--check every indent in your story

6.  PARENTHESES are to be used as per this example:  (keep calm and carry on) notice there are no spaces between the parentheses and the letters

7.  PROOFREAD your own submission after its final edit is approved

8.  LANGUAGE--if you would normally write in the Queen's English, submit your story in the Queen's English, otherwise submit it in American English

9.  FONT should be Calibri set at 12 pts, double spaced

* If your version of WORD does not have Calibri, use Times New Roman

10.  BREAKS should have no extra empty lines and should be separated with ***

11.  ALIGNMENT should be to the left, not justified--please do not center your title or your byline

**  ALL DOCUMENTS should be in .doc or .docx format and double-spaced

Initial submissions that do not meet the guidelines may be declined.

Final submissions that do not meet the guidelines will be declined.

Please also provide the following:

--a clear photograph

--a 2 to 3 sentence bio that follows the formatting guidelines already discussed and written in third person

--any relevant links including your twitter, website and/or blog, goodreads profile, etc

Calendar:

March 2--submissions deadline

April 6--final edits due

April 20--manuscript to formatting

Target to go live is mid May, some time between Mother's Day and Memorial Day.

DO NOT ASK REPEATEDLY WHETHER WE HAVE A PUBLICATION DATE. THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS "NO."

Important Note:

Make sure your submission is as publication-ready as possible. We will not be doing line edits. It would behoove you to have an editor/proofreader look at your submission before you send it even if that's just another writer friend.

Promotion/Networking:

You will also be expected to assist in promotion of sales for the anthology both pre- and post-publication via social networking channels including twitter, facebook, goodreads, google+ and any other forums you normally use to promote your own work.

Your assistance will be requested to recruit beta readers to read and post reviews.

If you choose to become further involved in the Kindle All-Stars community, and would like to share contact information with other members, please let us know. This information will only be shared with other KAS members.

A Sneak Peek at Kindle All-Stars Presents: Resistance Front

An Ode to Print, from One Bent on Destroying It

This much is certain, everything changes.  Systems collapse, governments fall, sovereign boundaries shift and always, new things rise up in their place.  Empires are not safe.

The publishing industry, in itself an Empire, is right at this very moment on the brink of collapse.  Borders Bookstores has fallen.  I wonder, as I write this, how much longer Barnes and Noble really has. 

People love to ask me about print books.  They want to know if I am for the death of words which are bound and glued. 

I think they must be sniffing some of that glue.                

Any writer worth even a plug nickel is first and foremost a rabid reader.  From our earliest days, we have cherished the beauty and music of prose.  It is how we learned our craft.  There isn’t a professional writer alive today who grew up on eBooks.  They simply haven’t been around that long.  And if you turn on the thing that made you what you are, then I really have no use for you anyway.  

I spent my youth perusing used book stores, seeking out lost treasures.  This was before the days of Amazon or Ebay, when tracking down an out-of-print paperback by some beloved author meant more than the kids of today will ever know.  Unearthing those wonders on your own, or seeking the sagely advice of the store’s owner for something new, was treasure hunting at its finest. 

Every book I own is dog-eared and cracked along the spines.  If you look at any book in my library you will know that they were enjoyed.  They were loved.  They were read.  I was never a bookmarker.  I was always a page-bender.  If I could make the top corner of a Kindle bend, I’d do it in a heartbeat.  

There is no animosity in my heart for printed books, and I’d hope there is none in yours whether you are a reader or writer.  But the publishing industry, well, that’s a whole other story.  That is a system I will gladly watch shuffle off its mortal coil and collapse to the earth in pieces.   

Whole generations of authors have been lost to us because they could not penetrate the murky swamps of corporate publishing.  I imagine all the works of art that we’ll never know of, simply because the vicious cycle of query-letter, agent, synopsis, publisher, book-seller, and eventual consumer did not work out for that individual. 

When an industry coins a phrase like “Slush Pile” to reflect their opinion of where your work belongs, you get a pretty clear idea of your place in their world. 

So, to the vanity presses and subsidized publishing contracts, the agents who charge fees or don’t bother to answer carefully crafted query letters from unknowns, the writer’s marketplace guides and all of the parasitic industries that thrived while propping up that rickety machine of traditional publishing, I say, “Farewell.”

I’ll bear witness when you wheeze and gasp, when your last cog is thrown and black smoke escapes from your rusted hull.  I do not say this with pride.  I say it simply as an observer of history who knows that everything changes.  Systems collapse.  Empires are not safe.  

You folks had a good run. 

Now get out of our way.

               -- Bernard J. Schaffer

All proceeds from Kindle All-Stars Presents:  Resistance Front will benefit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  For more information about this groundbreaking project, please visit our official information page here.  (Direct donations are welcome in any denomination to help pay production costs. You'll find a link at the top of the page.)

KAS logo created by Tony Lee Healey (independent) and Glendon Haddix of Streetlight Graphics.

Susan G. Komen and Safeway

Bows and Arrows hat
Pattern by Dot Matthews

I'll try to keep this post somewhat brief, but if you've been reading this blog, or ever gotten an email from me, you know I rarely succeed. Anyhow, a few months ago, a crocheter who is fairly new to the art emailed me asking for clarification on an instruction used in one of my patterns. Let's call her Kathy (because that's her name). Kathy mentioned she'd be making the pattern for a charity auction that's coming up in October. Immediately I offered to do what I could for the fundraiser because I've known countless women who've fought breast cancer. Fortunately, only one of them lost the battle (glass half full). I pledged a couple of posts, and possibly a few tweets, to give the auction some free advertising and I'll be sending on some goodies to be sold in the auction. (Thankfully I have a stash of premade goodies right now, because I've stupidly spread myself too thin yet again.) So before I take any more attention away from this worthy cause, here's the info:

Who to contact for details: Katie and Jodi 520-384-3952
What's the event: fundraiser auction to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation
Where will it be held: Safeway, 650 North Bisbee Ave., Willcox, AZ 85643
When is it happening: second weekend in October (Sat & Sun the 8th & 9th)
Why are they doing it: to raise breast cancer awareness

Lady's Skull Hat
Pattern courtesy Lily/Sugar 'n Cream

Yes, I understand that not all of you are in the state of Arizona, but I also figured we've all got talent we can lend to send off an item or two to be sold at the auction. And, for those of you in the area, why not stop in and see what's for sale? The theme of the fundraiser is Homemade Crafts and anyone who wishes to participate is more than welcome; it is fully open to the public. Any items not sold that weekend will be held for sale on the following weekend.

I know Kathy is making at least one of the Big Girl patterns to feature. I would love to see pics of any items you decide to send off for this fundraiser or any other. Email them to me at BigGirlJewelry@yahoo.com and I'll feature them in an upcoming post.

I'd love to hear your comments, but will not be able to offer further details. If you'd like more information, please do contact Katie or Jodi at the number listed above.

Happy (and Healthy) Crocheting!

Cluster Craze Hat
Pattern by Dot Matthews