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s00j is now gently fundraising
Buy CDs at wholesale prices
Digital downloads and sharing tools
Donations and Sponsorships
Facebook Group
Central Details
s00j is now gently fundraisingBuy CDs at wholesale prices
Digital downloads and sharing tools
Donations and Sponsorships
Facebook Group
Central Details
A quick summary to catch up the newcomers.
SJ Tucker, s00j, a touring musician with no health insurance, recently had an extended hospital adventure. All-in-all, it involved two emergency rooms, four doctors, two surgeons, an anesthesiologist, two radiologists, the use of a surgical suite, a 45 minute ambulance transfer between the two hospitals, two CT scans, an ultrasound, an X-ray, multiple IV antibiotics, five or six days of bloodwork tests, and five and a half nights in a semi-private room and two more nights in a private room at the hospital. Oh, and don't forget the biopsy in a pear tree.
We've established this community because many of s00j's friends can't afford to donate a lot of money, but can make things, or write things, or build things, and very much want to help. And, boy have they ever. We have been completely overwhelmed by all the fans, friends, and other folks who have come forward with projects and benefits and offers and auctions.
Please check out this consolidated list of offerings.
An Incredible Benefit Anthology
A truly amazing offer has been revealed: Ravens in the Library: An All-Star Benefit Collection featuring short fiction from Neil Gaiman, Charles de Lint, Terri Windling, Storm Constantine, Catherynne Valente and many more! This is a very limited, very special anthology being compiled and printed specifically to benefits00j Happy birthday to damiana_swan
Happy birthday todamiana_swan
She's one more year gorgeous
and we love her so hard!
(bow)
And yes, I know her birthday is actually tomorrow, but I say we celebrate all weekend!
damiana_swan Happy birthday to
damiana_swan She's one more year gorgeous
and we love her so hard!
(bow)
And yes, I know her birthday is actually tomorrow, but I say we celebrate all weekend!
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is now live!
Click here for Palimpsest author Catherynne M. Valente's explanation of this free companion online novel.
Not enough?
Join the Fairyland Facebook Group and don't forget about joining the sister LJ community supporting Cat,![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif)
adoptingcat.
(Thanks Sooj & K' for your support!)
Click here for Palimpsest author Catherynne M. Valente's explanation of this free companion online novel.
Not enough?
Join the Fairyland Facebook Group and don't forget about joining the sister LJ community supporting Cat,
adoptingcat. (Thanks Sooj & K' for your support!)
Edited by popular demand
For auction:
One print copy of Nikolai
Blurb:
James Ligatos is a man with an unusual hobby. He turns promising young criminals into world leaders. His latest project is Nicholas Boyd, formerly Nikolai of the Revenant street gang. But the little killer-turned-file-clerk is much more than Ligatos and his staff bargained for.
As Kentucky attempts to secede from the Confederated States of America and rejoin the United States, Nick's skills and the group's training are put to the ultimate test, and the price of failure is death
The e-book retails for $6.99
Also
One print copy of Niko-Chan, the sequel to Nikolai.
This is my newest. It releases as e-book June 27. NO ONE has seen this except me and the editors. (the printing will be done through CreateSpace. Print is not generally available for this title)
Blurb: Nick Boyd passed his Test, a grueling challenge to prove his worthiness to serve James Ligatos, one of the ruling cabal called The Eight. Now, he finds himself swept from his native Memphis to The Eight's training compound outside of Rome.
In the city called The Great Harlot, Nick must learn new lessons, from the mysterious Mistress Benta, from his tutor, Steven, and from the imposing Master Michelino. When he fails to learn fast enough, he is sold to become a Daughter of the Dragon...
Let's start at $25.
This closes June 27 so I can get it printed and shipped.
For auction:
One print copy of Nikolai
Blurb:
James Ligatos is a man with an unusual hobby. He turns promising young criminals into world leaders. His latest project is Nicholas Boyd, formerly Nikolai of the Revenant street gang. But the little killer-turned-file-clerk is much more than Ligatos and his staff bargained for.
As Kentucky attempts to secede from the Confederated States of America and rejoin the United States, Nick's skills and the group's training are put to the ultimate test, and the price of failure is death
The e-book retails for $6.99
Also
One print copy of Niko-Chan, the sequel to Nikolai.
This is my newest. It releases as e-book June 27. NO ONE has seen this except me and the editors. (the printing will be done through CreateSpace. Print is not generally available for this title)
Blurb: Nick Boyd passed his Test, a grueling challenge to prove his worthiness to serve James Ligatos, one of the ruling cabal called The Eight. Now, he finds himself swept from his native Memphis to The Eight's training compound outside of Rome.
In the city called The Great Harlot, Nick must learn new lessons, from the mysterious Mistress Benta, from his tutor, Steven, and from the imposing Master Michelino. When he fails to learn fast enough, he is sold to become a Daughter of the Dragon...
Let's start at $25.
This closes June 27 so I can get it printed and shipped.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Catherynne M. Valente's work, she is most famous for her gorgeous fairy tales (Orphan's Tales, Vol. I & II), which won the prestigious Tiptree award and her skinpunk revolution, Palimpsest. She was featured in MTV News' documentuary on the Steampunk movement and is a beloved member of the convention scene.
This economy has been difficult for everyone, but it's been especially difficult for those in creative lines of work. As you may know, Catherynne M. Valente's (yuki_onna) fiance, justbeast was laid off six months ago. While they have both been working diligently since then, Cat on her writing and D trying to pick up freelance work, the cold hard fact is right now it's not enough.
Cat and D are in rather dire straits as Cat describes here.
We need each other, folks. If we are going to practice what we preach about being a community, we as artists and dreamers need to hold each other up when things get hard. And things have gotten hard for Cat and D, so we need to help hold them up too.
How You Can Help:
1. Join the Omikuji Project.
2. Buy E-Books or Steampunk Tales Issue One.
3. Sign up for The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland (TBA)
4. Put an item or service, no matter how big or small, up for auction on this journal for people to bid on. Bids will be conducted in the comments and payment and shipping is to be determined by the seller.
5. Donate.
6. Spread the word.
( buttons )
This economy has been difficult for everyone, but it's been especially difficult for those in creative lines of work. As you may know, Catherynne M. Valente's (
yuki_onna) fiance, justbeast was laid off six months ago. While they have both been working diligently since then, Cat on her writing and D trying to pick up freelance work, the cold hard fact is right now it's not enough.Cat and D are in rather dire straits as Cat describes here.
We need each other, folks. If we are going to practice what we preach about being a community, we as artists and dreamers need to hold each other up when things get hard. And things have gotten hard for Cat and D, so we need to help hold them up too.
How You Can Help:
1. Join the Omikuji Project.
2. Buy E-Books or Steampunk Tales Issue One.
3. Sign up for The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland (TBA)
4. Put an item or service, no matter how big or small, up for auction on this journal for people to bid on. Bids will be conducted in the comments and payment and shipping is to be determined by the seller.
5. Donate.
6. Spread the word.
( buttons )
I'm gearing up for PSG and I was wondering if anyone else on here was going. It might be nice to know if some other people I know are going.
X-posted
X-posted
"Next to mine and Phil's, she knows your voice best," Emily told me, holding her tiny 5-week-old daughter Harper in her arms. "We listen to your CDs all the time!"
I remember vividly the music my mother and father played for me when I was very small. There was a surfeit of classical music, for which I'll always be grateful: Beethoven, Mozart, Mussorgsky, Stravinsky (my favorite), Dukas, Gershwin, Copland, Wagner, Rossini, Haydn, Dvorak...the list goes on.
There was the music my mother loved and sang to me, sang along with when she played it for me: The Beatles, Carly Simon, John Denver, James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkel, and Carole King.
There was the music my father loved passionately, which half the time had no words, but almost always had a horn section: Ray Charles, Canadian Brass, Dizzy Gillespie, Chicago, Dave Brubeck, and Louis Armstrong.
I came to love all of this music on my own, and I've been adding colors and flavors and elements to this childhood baseline, pun intended, ever since.
In the past few years, so many of my friends and fans have had children, have been raising children, have sent loved ones off to war, have gone to war. Stories come back to me on the wind, or spoken with love and smiles: whole groups of soldiers falling asleep to my music overseas, comforted for a while; a small knot of the newest generation of great thinkers and movers and shakers, with me for their lullaby as well, every night.
This is why I sing.
This is why I do what I do.
I will never tire of these stories, this news.
I will never stop smiling at the wonder of the power music holds, the good that it can do.
I may never grow out of the humbleness that comes over me when I hear from a soldier, or from someone who loves him/her, that his/her whole squad is rocking out to, or gets rocked to sleep by, an album of mine, in a hostile place where, in my mind, they really should not have to go, where comforts are few.
I may never be able to speak of how amazing it is to know that there are mothers who love my voice and my work enough to feed it happily to their own children, to let my work influence their own life's work, the way that my mother and father fed their favorite music to me.
I am someone's Carole King.
This is my happy thought today. This will carry me through a whole lot of despair, should it ever come. I am doing what I set out to do. I am making a difference. I am making someone's life better by being myself, sharing my art.
Thank you all for helping take care of me when I needed it, for making sure that I could still do this, still be in the world.
Today is my lover's birthday. Happy 34th,omnisti ! I love you, and I'm so glad you're here.
I remember vividly the music my mother and father played for me when I was very small. There was a surfeit of classical music, for which I'll always be grateful: Beethoven, Mozart, Mussorgsky, Stravinsky (my favorite), Dukas, Gershwin, Copland, Wagner, Rossini, Haydn, Dvorak...the list goes on.
There was the music my mother loved and sang to me, sang along with when she played it for me: The Beatles, Carly Simon, John Denver, James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkel, and Carole King.
There was the music my father loved passionately, which half the time had no words, but almost always had a horn section: Ray Charles, Canadian Brass, Dizzy Gillespie, Chicago, Dave Brubeck, and Louis Armstrong.
I came to love all of this music on my own, and I've been adding colors and flavors and elements to this childhood baseline, pun intended, ever since.
In the past few years, so many of my friends and fans have had children, have been raising children, have sent loved ones off to war, have gone to war. Stories come back to me on the wind, or spoken with love and smiles: whole groups of soldiers falling asleep to my music overseas, comforted for a while; a small knot of the newest generation of great thinkers and movers and shakers, with me for their lullaby as well, every night.
This is why I sing.
This is why I do what I do.
I will never tire of these stories, this news.
I will never stop smiling at the wonder of the power music holds, the good that it can do.
I may never grow out of the humbleness that comes over me when I hear from a soldier, or from someone who loves him/her, that his/her whole squad is rocking out to, or gets rocked to sleep by, an album of mine, in a hostile place where, in my mind, they really should not have to go, where comforts are few.
I may never be able to speak of how amazing it is to know that there are mothers who love my voice and my work enough to feed it happily to their own children, to let my work influence their own life's work, the way that my mother and father fed their favorite music to me.
I am someone's Carole King.
This is my happy thought today. This will carry me through a whole lot of despair, should it ever come. I am doing what I set out to do. I am making a difference. I am making someone's life better by being myself, sharing my art.
Thank you all for helping take care of me when I needed it, for making sure that I could still do this, still be in the world.
Today is my lover's birthday. Happy 34th,
omnisti ! I love you, and I'm so glad you're here.- Location:Ann Arbor, MI (concert tomorrow!)
- Mood:
happy - Music:(internal) Beatles - Birthday
I'd like to extend this thanks to anyone and everyone who bought a copy, also.
If anyone has anything else really nice to say to either of the wonderful editors, any of the artists or any of the authors, feel free to add it in comments.
Dear contributors, angels, saints, mischief-makers, miracle workers,
Today marks exactly four months from my surgery.
I am well, whole, and sane, largely because of you.
I just finished a cross-country tour which I likely would not have been
able to undertake at all, without the generosity of my amazing friends and
benefactors, namely yourselves. Not only have I been surrounded by
healing energy all this time, I have been freed from the shadow of my
first terrifying grown-up debt.
At every opportunity in my live performances since I got back on the road
in late January, I have pointed out the unprecedented wonder which is the
Ravens in the Library anthology. Obviously I can't describe all of the
magic which makes up the book in my patter between songs on stage, but I
give it my best. My fans will back me up on this, I hope.
My one regret is that I cannot at this moment thank each of you in person,
let you read in my eyes what it means to me that you came to my rescue
when given the opportunity. I, small girl with guitar who runs around
singing for her friends and stealthily making a living at it, deserve all
of this magic, all of these wonders? Some would say no, but you have said
yes. The fact is that this anthology is so incredible, so unbelievable,
that I am still reminding myself here, now, in the spring, that it's real,
that I can hold it and read it, as can everyone. And so, my words of
gratitude can never be enough.
What I can do, which I hope will add up to something like 'enough' one
day, is keep singing, keep adding more interesting art to the world, just
as each of you do. Wherever I go, I can keep telling the story of how I
was once rescued not so very long ago, by an army of magicians and
avengers and artists and wordsmiths, most of whom gave of their talents in
spite of not knowing me at all. This in itself is an incredible tale, but
at the end, I can always pull the actual, tangible book from under my
bard's cloak, to prove it true.
I fail horribly at 'damsel in distress', but hopefully I won't get a
chance to practice it further.
Thank you for all that you have done.
With more gratitude than my body can hold,
S. J. Tucker
If anyone has anything else really nice to say to either of the wonderful editors, any of the artists or any of the authors, feel free to add it in comments.
Dear contributors, angels, saints, mischief-makers, miracle workers,
Today marks exactly four months from my surgery.
I am well, whole, and sane, largely because of you.
I just finished a cross-country tour which I likely would not have been
able to undertake at all, without the generosity of my amazing friends and
benefactors, namely yourselves. Not only have I been surrounded by
healing energy all this time, I have been freed from the shadow of my
first terrifying grown-up debt.
At every opportunity in my live performances since I got back on the road
in late January, I have pointed out the unprecedented wonder which is the
Ravens in the Library anthology. Obviously I can't describe all of the
magic which makes up the book in my patter between songs on stage, but I
give it my best. My fans will back me up on this, I hope.
My one regret is that I cannot at this moment thank each of you in person,
let you read in my eyes what it means to me that you came to my rescue
when given the opportunity. I, small girl with guitar who runs around
singing for her friends and stealthily making a living at it, deserve all
of this magic, all of these wonders? Some would say no, but you have said
yes. The fact is that this anthology is so incredible, so unbelievable,
that I am still reminding myself here, now, in the spring, that it's real,
that I can hold it and read it, as can everyone. And so, my words of
gratitude can never be enough.
What I can do, which I hope will add up to something like 'enough' one
day, is keep singing, keep adding more interesting art to the world, just
as each of you do. Wherever I go, I can keep telling the story of how I
was once rescued not so very long ago, by an army of magicians and
avengers and artists and wordsmiths, most of whom gave of their talents in
spite of not knowing me at all. This in itself is an incredible tale, but
at the end, I can always pull the actual, tangible book from under my
bard's cloak, to prove it true.
I fail horribly at 'damsel in distress', but hopefully I won't get a
chance to practice it further.
Thank you for all that you have done.
With more gratitude than my body can hold,
S. J. Tucker
I FINALLY got the Tricky Pixie interview show posted. I invite everyone to watch the show at http://www.pac-fen.com/episodes/E118-Tri
For the wonderful person who bought the advert, I never heard back from you. I still owe you the advert so please get in contact with me as soon as possible. Best way to do so is to leave a comment via my website: http://www.pac-fen.com/contact/
For the wonderful person who bought the advert, I never heard back from you. I still owe you the advert so please get in contact with me as soon as possible. Best way to do so is to leave a comment via my website: http://www.pac-fen.com/contact/
- Mood: happy
My copy of "Ravens in the Library" arrived while I was away on my honeymoon. What a wonderful present for Tom and I to come home to!
I just purchased a fifth copy of Ravens in the Library. "Why?" one might ask.
Aside from supporting Sooj, here is the reason: I read Satyr's introduction to this wonderful tome and was moved. He said some very powerful things and I realized that there are some who might benefit from hearing about the health insurance crisis from those who have been directly affected by it. That is when I conceived of the idea to send this book to President Obama. He did, after all, run on a campaign promise to reform health care. If he reads no more than the introduction to Ravens and my letter that will accompany the book I will be satisfied.
But I have realized that the president is not the only one who should perhaps receive a copy of this book. How about Congressional leaders who are involved in health care insurance (Senator Max Baucus D- MT is the only one I have found so far, but I know there are more) and there is no way I can afford to send a copy to more than one or two elected officials so I figured why not ask you, Sooj's adoring family, friends, and fans for some help.
Here is a list of the members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:
My wife has suggested sending a copy of Ravens to Oprah- it would get national exposure from a woman who has a lot of clout.
No matter what we need to get the message out that this issue is huge. (And yes, I know they are working on some kind of reform, but adding voices to a difficult issue does not hurt.) Having said this I also give you a copy of the letter I am sending to President Obama. If you do decide to persue this idea you may use it as a template.
Aside from supporting Sooj, here is the reason: I read Satyr's introduction to this wonderful tome and was moved. He said some very powerful things and I realized that there are some who might benefit from hearing about the health insurance crisis from those who have been directly affected by it. That is when I conceived of the idea to send this book to President Obama. He did, after all, run on a campaign promise to reform health care. If he reads no more than the introduction to Ravens and my letter that will accompany the book I will be satisfied.
But I have realized that the president is not the only one who should perhaps receive a copy of this book. How about Congressional leaders who are involved in health care insurance (Senator Max Baucus D- MT is the only one I have found so far, but I know there are more) and there is no way I can afford to send a copy to more than one or two elected officials so I figured why not ask you, Sooj's adoring family, friends, and fans for some help.
Here is a list of the members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:
- Edward M. Kennedy, of Massachusetts, Chairman
- Christopher J. Dodd, of Connecticut
- Tom Harkin, of Iowa
- Barbara A. Mikulski, of Maryland
- Jeff Bingaman, of New Mexico
- Patty Murray, of Washington
- Jack Reed, of Rhode Island
- Bernard Sanders, of Vermont
- Sherrod Brown, of Ohio
- Robert Casey, of Pennsylvania
- Kay Hagan, of North Carolina
- Jeff Merkley, of Oregon
My wife has suggested sending a copy of Ravens to Oprah- it would get national exposure from a woman who has a lot of clout.
No matter what we need to get the message out that this issue is huge. (And yes, I know they are working on some kind of reform, but adding voices to a difficult issue does not hurt.) Having said this I also give you a copy of the letter I am sending to President Obama. If you do decide to persue this idea you may use it as a template.
Dear Mr. President,
Please find with this letter a book entitled Ravens in The Library: Magic In The Bard’s Name. This is a very unique book. It is not unique because it is an anthology- you can walk into any bookstore to find one of those. It is not even unique because it is a limited edition printing- those are fairly common as well, even if you sometimes have to search a little bit harder.
The reason this book is unique, Mr. President, is because it is a fundraising event for the wonderful young singer-song writer SJ “Sooj” Tucker. And this is not any ordinary fundraiser.
You see, Mr. President, back in December of 2008 Sooj had to go to the hospital for abdominal pain. It took several visits and lots of doctors to finally diagnose what her pain was and to finally operate and remove the bits that were causing her trauma. Like millions of Americans Sooj does not have any health care insurance and these little jaunts in and out of the hospital and the surgery set her back over $25,000. This is no small amount of money for a travelling musician.
Where Sooj is lucky is that in her travels she has met many wonderful people- people who have connections to all sorts of other people and one of those people, “Satyr” Phil Brucato, conceived of the idea to create this anthology and sell it to her adoring family, friends, and fans with all of the proceeds going to cover the medical expenses Sooj had accrued.
Where Sooj is lucky is that she has all of these people who are able to help her like this unlike millions of other Americans who would be stuck with a bill and be unable to pay it. Millions of Americans who do not have the good fortune as you have had to be able to afford their own insurance. Millions of Americans who were unable to serve their country for 20 or more years, as I did, and have the benefit of one of the best insurance plans in the world. Mr. President, this is an epidemic and it is unconscionable.
I am sure that the box this letter and book arrived in have languished for days, weeks, even months in some White House mail room while security made sure that it didn’t contain some noxious substance and it most assuredly doesn’t. Unless, of course, you want to count the noxiousness of millions of uninsured Americans.
Mr. President, if you read no other part of this book I have sent you it is fine, but you absolutely must read the introduction by Satyr. It gets to the crux of the matter at hand. And really, Mr. President, this book should not exist- at least not for the purpose it was created for, which was to pull a young artist away from the brink of financial ruin.
You ran on a campaign promise, Mr. President. You promised to fix health care in America. I know it will not be easy. I know that the road to insuring millions of uninsured is going to be long and hard, but it must be done, sir. It must be done- and the insurance companies should not be allowed to further dig their claws in and ruin more people the way the financial sector has been doing. Please do this for those who need it the most.
Respectfully Yours,
Chris Howard BM1 (SW) USN, RET
s00j gave me the okay to post here and for your rallying help!!!
I'm calling on all the people I know and love, especially those who know and love Tzaddia. And for those that don't know her, you have probably seen her polymar clay work!! (She donated the horns for the auction here)
I've created a community for hermorningstarhope. The purpose of this community is to raise funds for medical expenses not covered by her insurance (more explained on my opening post to the community) and the travel expenses that I'm sure are mounting for Chad & Garrison.
Please visit, read my opening post, and join!! If you have an item or service you can offer up for donation or for auction, please do so. Everything little bit will count and mean the world to her.
This crew did so much for s00j that any little help you can give us for Tzaddia would more appreciated than I can ever tell you!!!
Thank you!!!
*cross-posted everywhere it counts
I'm calling on all the people I know and love, especially those who know and love Tzaddia. And for those that don't know her, you have probably seen her polymar clay work!! (She donated the horns for the auction here)
I've created a community for her
morningstarhope. The purpose of this community is to raise funds for medical expenses not covered by her insurance (more explained on my opening post to the community) and the travel expenses that I'm sure are mounting for Chad & Garrison. Please visit, read my opening post, and join!! If you have an item or service you can offer up for donation or for auction, please do so. Everything little bit will count and mean the world to her.
This crew did so much for s00j that any little help you can give us for Tzaddia would more appreciated than I can ever tell you!!!
Thank you!!!
*cross-posted everywhere it counts
Hello, lovely saveours00j supporters. I hope that you are crooning over new pretties, stuffed with delicious noms, and eagerly awaiting your Ravens anthologies...I know I am!
On thetrainsofheaven, S.J. gave me permission to let y'all know about con_or_bust, another great fandom auction that I am co-modding now through mid-April. Lots of good stuff is on offer over there, including enough books to satisfy even the most voracious library raven. Friends of s00j Ginger Doss & Bekah Kelso (the other two Traveling Fates) have upcoming items for auction that are not yet posted, and you'll see a few familiar faces whose work you admired here offering other great things. At least one s00j-themed offer is also coming from little ol' me this week.
( Check out the cause and the auction offers under the cut. )
Again, please visit us. Please tell your friends, both about the auction and the offers for assistance. The info post has everything you need to spread the word.
We'll see you at Wiscon, and if not, we'll be seeing you. Thank you again for supportings00j, and for generally being the best of the best in all that you do.
saveours00j supporters. I hope that you are crooning over new pretties, stuffed with delicious noms, and eagerly awaiting your Ravens anthologies...I know I am!On the
trainsofheaven, S.J. gave me permission to let y'all know about con_or_bust, another great fandom auction that I am co-modding now through mid-April. Lots of good stuff is on offer over there, including enough books to satisfy even the most voracious library raven. Friends of s00j Ginger Doss & Bekah Kelso (the other two Traveling Fates) have upcoming items for auction that are not yet posted, and you'll see a few familiar faces whose work you admired here offering other great things. At least one s00j-themed offer is also coming from little ol' me this week.( Check out the cause and the auction offers under the cut. )
Again, please visit us. Please tell your friends, both about the auction and the offers for assistance. The info post has everything you need to spread the word.
We'll see you at Wiscon, and if not, we'll be seeing you. Thank you again for supporting
s00j, and for generally being the best of the best in all that you do.Thursday evening satyrblade and I picked up the first 200 copies of Ravens. Friday afternoon the next 622 were delivered to Gestalt, where the next day k_crow hosted a packing party for us where 16 amazing people* came and made magic happen--we started out with books in large boxes and a pile of shipping materials and two lists of who ordered what, and ended up about six hours later with those same large boxes (and more) packed full of smaller boxes, each packed with a book or books and labelled to ship out to the 896 (!!!) people who had, at that point, ordered the book. Very special thanks to mholmesiv who took the badly formatted shipping information from e-junkie and turned it into something that could actually go into a mail merge, so that we could print out the shipping labels. (We'll note that google checkout *doesn't let you* download shipping information, so people who paid that way are getting hand-written labels and we're not using Google checkout again. Ever.)
It took two trips with two cars each to get them all back to our apartment, where they turned into a large stack of boxes only slightly smaller than our livingroom.
I spent Sunday going through each and every one of those boxes and pulling out as many of the local orders as I could quickly and easily identify so that we could possibly arrange in-person delivery and save Sooj the postage. I also rearranged the stack so that we could see at least a few square feet of floor again, not to mention walking from one side of the room to the other. Satyr did a bunch of research into various book-related subjects and graded papers (important; this is finals week for him!) and then we both collapsed in a dazed and mostly-unconscious heap around 9:30 last night.
So, locals--if you ordered a book or books and are interested in getting together in the next few days to pick up your book(s), let me know!** And if you'd prefer that we mail it, please let me know that as well, and we'll get it sent to you ASAP.
Satyr is spending today getting all of the non-local and non-international (which are going to require Paperwork and thus will go out in a day or two) orders shipped out. We've got 178 more books to pick up from the printers today or tomorrow, depending on when they're done, and then the last of the pre-orders will go out. (And yes, we're packing them and shipping them out in chronological order, so if you ordered your book back in January you'll get it as soon as media rate postage can get it to you.)
And now, an announcement! We're holding a signing, and several of our local authors and artists are going to be there!!! Please come join us, pick up a book if you don't already have one, and get it signed!
When: Wednesday March 25th, 6pm (Yes, that's the day after tomorrow.)
Where: The Dreaming Comics in Seattle's University District
5226 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 525-9394
We're also going to have an event at Norwescon on Friday April 10th at 3pm--a combined Sooj/Palimpsest/Ravens event with music and readings and signings.
* The utterly amazing people who showed up and spent their Saturday helping us to get this book out to you:k_crow, violindaine, chinchillagirl and her LJ-less R, lisakit, dianthus, silenceleigh, zaratyst, mholmesiv, innowen, kenderbunny, mutantenemy, technoshaman, libraryraven, tanuki_green, dustin_00, and tereshkova2001.
** If you're local and want to pick up your book from us the quick and easy way, there are 3 events we're planning to be at in the next few days. Please let me know which one(s) you'll be at, so I can be sure to bring the right boxes with me!
Wednesday 3/25 6pm--Ravens signing
Saturday 3/28 all day--Freeple truck-loading party (seelordandrei for further information)
Saturday 3/28 evening--Marian Call/Vixy&Tony concert at the Wayward coffee house in Greenwood
satyrblade and I picked up the first 200 copies of Ravens. Friday afternoon the next 622 were delivered to Gestalt, where the next day k_crow hosted a packing party for us where 16 amazing people* came and made magic happen--we started out with books in large boxes and a pile of shipping materials and two lists of who ordered what, and ended up about six hours later with those same large boxes (and more) packed full of smaller boxes, each packed with a book or books and labelled to ship out to the 896 (!!!) people who had, at that point, ordered the book. Very special thanks to mholmesiv who took the badly formatted shipping information from e-junkie and turned it into something that could actually go into a mail merge, so that we could print out the shipping labels. (We'll note that google checkout *doesn't let you* download shipping information, so people who paid that way are getting hand-written labels and we're not using Google checkout again. Ever.)It took two trips with two cars each to get them all back to our apartment, where they turned into a large stack of boxes only slightly smaller than our livingroom.
I spent Sunday going through each and every one of those boxes and pulling out as many of the local orders as I could quickly and easily identify so that we could possibly arrange in-person delivery and save Sooj the postage. I also rearranged the stack so that we could see at least a few square feet of floor again, not to mention walking from one side of the room to the other. Satyr did a bunch of research into various book-related subjects and graded papers (important; this is finals week for him!) and then we both collapsed in a dazed and mostly-unconscious heap around 9:30 last night.
So, locals--if you ordered a book or books and are interested in getting together in the next few days to pick up your book(s), let me know!** And if you'd prefer that we mail it, please let me know that as well, and we'll get it sent to you ASAP.
Satyr is spending today getting all of the non-local and non-international (which are going to require Paperwork and thus will go out in a day or two) orders shipped out. We've got 178 more books to pick up from the printers today or tomorrow, depending on when they're done, and then the last of the pre-orders will go out. (And yes, we're packing them and shipping them out in chronological order, so if you ordered your book back in January you'll get it as soon as media rate postage can get it to you.)
And now, an announcement! We're holding a signing, and several of our local authors and artists are going to be there!!! Please come join us, pick up a book if you don't already have one, and get it signed!
When: Wednesday March 25th, 6pm (Yes, that's the day after tomorrow.)
Where: The Dreaming Comics in Seattle's University District
5226 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 525-9394
We're also going to have an event at Norwescon on Friday April 10th at 3pm--a combined Sooj/Palimpsest/Ravens event with music and readings and signings.
* The utterly amazing people who showed up and spent their Saturday helping us to get this book out to you:
k_crow, violindaine, chinchillagirl and her LJ-less R, lisakit, dianthus, silenceleigh, zaratyst, mholmesiv, innowen, kenderbunny, mutantenemy, technoshaman, libraryraven, tanuki_green, dustin_00, and tereshkova2001.** If you're local and want to pick up your book from us the quick and easy way, there are 3 events we're planning to be at in the next few days. Please let me know which one(s) you'll be at, so I can be sure to bring the right boxes with me!
Wednesday 3/25 6pm--Ravens signing
Saturday 3/28 all day--Freeple truck-loading party (see
lordandrei for further information)Saturday 3/28 evening--Marian Call/Vixy&Tony concert at the Wayward coffee house in Greenwood
26 authors.
12 artists.
2 editors.
384 pages.
Less. Than. Three. Months.
12 artists.
2 editors.
384 pages.
Less. Than. Three. Months.
Status Update:
We were supposed to have our copies of RAVENS IN THE LIBRARY delivered to our shipping address yesterday afternoon. Our supplies and crew are ready to go. Sadly, there were some last-minute technical issues with the cover; although they have been resolved, the protective UV coating on the prints takes 24 hours to dry, and so the covers were not shipped to the book bindery until Friday. The binding glue needs time to dry as well, and the bindery isn't open on weekends.
Short version: we are supposed to see our copies of RAVENS by mid-next week, and will be shipping them next weekend.
Irritating as the delays have been, they're all pretty standard. Normally, a book like this takes six-to-ten months to put together, and often longer than that. RAVENS took two-and-a-half months from inception to press. Due to the urgency of the cause, we solicited sales earlier than usual. In hindsight, maybe we should have estimated a shipping date of mid-March rather than late February.
Meanwhile, RAVENS itself has been printed, and it looks great. Here's another excerpt to tide y'all over until we ship the book. Enjoy!
( Read more... )( Read more... )
- Mood:
quixotic - Music:Scott Huckabay - "Alchemy"
I wasn't very involved in this community except passively, largely because I had just come off a similar endeavor over at helpvera and was exhausted. However, as I look at other communities, I see an increasing need for this sort of emergency fund raising. So that others don't have to worry about re-inventing the wheel, I have started to gather my thoughts together over at my wiki: here.
What happened in this community was NOT a one-person show. I know that a collection of notes by all of us will be more helpful than just mine, so I have setup the wiki to allow your LiveJournal login to allow you to edit. (Basically, it uses OpenID to say "if LJ says you're cool, you can edit me". At no point do I get your password, it's just a trust thing.) Details on that are at the "Logging In" section here.
I'd like to ask those of you who are still following this community to take the time to update the documentation, so that future fund raisers for similar causes can run more smoothly and with less stress for all involved. If you're familiar with wikis, just go in and make your changes. If not, just make a comment here and I'll get them merged in.
Thanks.
(Hope it was OK for me to post this here.)
helpvera and was exhausted. However, as I look at other communities, I see an increasing need for this sort of emergency fund raising. So that others don't have to worry about re-inventing the wheel, I have started to gather my thoughts together over at my wiki: here.What happened in this community was NOT a one-person show. I know that a collection of notes by all of us will be more helpful than just mine, so I have setup the wiki to allow your LiveJournal login to allow you to edit. (Basically, it uses OpenID to say "if LJ says you're cool, you can edit me". At no point do I get your password, it's just a trust thing.) Details on that are at the "Logging In" section here.
I'd like to ask those of you who are still following this community to take the time to update the documentation, so that future fund raisers for similar causes can run more smoothly and with less stress for all involved. If you're familiar with wikis, just go in and make your changes. If not, just make a comment here and I'll get them merged in.
Thanks.
(Hope it was OK for me to post this here.)
I thought every one would like to see the photos from last weeks NYC show, they came out good and it shows who we are trying to help. http://community.livejournal.com/saveou
The rest of the set is here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaborwhalk
The rest of the set is here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaborwhalk
- Mood:awake
From satyrblade:
Hello, everyone!
Well, after a few false starts (like a handful of technical glitches and both editors coming down with intestinal viruses during proofs week!), Ravens in the Library went to press earlier this week. We are expecting galley proofs today or tomorrow, and our printer estimates a 10-day turnaround after final approval.
Sooj is currently on the road with Ravens contributor Catherynne M. Valente, whose book Palimpsest was just released as well. Sooj's recovery is going well, although she's still taking things easy compared to her usual frenetic pace. She just had a birthday this past Sunday, too, and is feeling great love and gratitude to you all.
Contributor copies for Ravens will be sent out as soon as pre-orders are taken care of. We have a 1000-copy run at press that will cover everyone and leave a handful of copies to spare. That said, we're currently moving 10-30 copies per day in pre-orders, so the first run might be sold through by the time the books come back from the printer... at which point we'll start a second print run immediately.
Speaking of: the current web pre-order offer of $25.00 with shipping included ends once we ship that first batch of orders out. We will keep you all informed about the status of the run, and we'll post a 48-hour public notification before we end that offer. After that offer ends, though, the price will be $25.00 PLUS $5.00 for shipping and handling, for a total of $30.00. Still, given that we have a 384-page illustrated collection of great stories by top-name talent, we expect sales to continue at a good clip once the book comes out. I think folks will be very pleased with what we've all put together here.
On a related note, we have been stressing in our press releases that this book is tied into a greater issue: the wretched state of American health care. Given that President Obama has put that issue high on his list of public priorities, we hope to make the subject of health care reform a primary point in Ravens publicity. In my Introduction to the book, I point out that benefit efforts like Ravens, cool as they are, should not be necessary. In this day, age and culture, the idea that someone needs a small army of generous celebrity friends in order to afford medical treatment is utterly absurd. I ask folks to shake things up and get involved in reform and activism efforts. This book alone shows just how easily and how quickly things can be done. As the Introduction urges: "Don’t just read about fantasy magic changing imaginary lives; in your own, real life, reach out to folks in need. Shake up the status quo. Fix the system. Use the tools and toys of our age to craft new possibilities. Don’t just look for heroes on stages, pages and screens. Look in the mirror as well." When our Ravens finally head out to roost, we plan to continue to press this point on our blogs and in news articles. If any of you could do the same as well, that would be greatly appreciated.
satyrblade:Hello, everyone!
Well, after a few false starts (like a handful of technical glitches and both editors coming down with intestinal viruses during proofs week!), Ravens in the Library went to press earlier this week. We are expecting galley proofs today or tomorrow, and our printer estimates a 10-day turnaround after final approval.
Sooj is currently on the road with Ravens contributor Catherynne M. Valente, whose book Palimpsest was just released as well. Sooj's recovery is going well, although she's still taking things easy compared to her usual frenetic pace. She just had a birthday this past Sunday, too, and is feeling great love and gratitude to you all.
Contributor copies for Ravens will be sent out as soon as pre-orders are taken care of. We have a 1000-copy run at press that will cover everyone and leave a handful of copies to spare. That said, we're currently moving 10-30 copies per day in pre-orders, so the first run might be sold through by the time the books come back from the printer... at which point we'll start a second print run immediately.
Speaking of: the current web pre-order offer of $25.00 with shipping included ends once we ship that first batch of orders out. We will keep you all informed about the status of the run, and we'll post a 48-hour public notification before we end that offer. After that offer ends, though, the price will be $25.00 PLUS $5.00 for shipping and handling, for a total of $30.00. Still, given that we have a 384-page illustrated collection of great stories by top-name talent, we expect sales to continue at a good clip once the book comes out. I think folks will be very pleased with what we've all put together here.
On a related note, we have been stressing in our press releases that this book is tied into a greater issue: the wretched state of American health care. Given that President Obama has put that issue high on his list of public priorities, we hope to make the subject of health care reform a primary point in Ravens publicity. In my Introduction to the book, I point out that benefit efforts like Ravens, cool as they are, should not be necessary. In this day, age and culture, the idea that someone needs a small army of generous celebrity friends in order to afford medical treatment is utterly absurd. I ask folks to shake things up and get involved in reform and activism efforts. This book alone shows just how easily and how quickly things can be done. As the Introduction urges: "Don’t just read about fantasy magic changing imaginary lives; in your own, real life, reach out to folks in need. Shake up the status quo. Fix the system. Use the tools and toys of our age to craft new possibilities. Don’t just look for heroes on stages, pages and screens. Look in the mirror as well." When our Ravens finally head out to roost, we plan to continue to press this point on our blogs and in news articles. If any of you could do the same as well, that would be greatly appreciated.
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- s00j : WOOO!!! [+2]
- corvaxgirl : Spread the Word About Fairyland! [+0]
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- corvaxgirl : Posted with Permission [+0]
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- s00j : To all of the Ravens in the Library contributors [+4]
- pacfenspotlight : Episode 118: Tricky Pixie Interview [+0]
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- popelizbet : Again! Again! [+0]
- damiana_swan : A Ravens Update: Released into the Wild! [+24]
- damiana_swan : "We have done the impossible and that makes us mighty." [+7]
- satyrblade : RAVENS Almost Ready... [+1]
- elionwyr : Status? [+0]
- s00j : Just so you know that I'm flying again [+10]
- guppiecat : Community Documentation [+1]
- jaborwhalky : Photos from last wed . [+3]
- shadesong : Ravens in the Library Update [+2]
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