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.

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