Dear darkness

[sovay]

As some of you will have already read, Caitlín R. Kiernan has been diagnosed with PNES (psychogenic non-epileptic seizures). She is a professional freelance writer. The impact on her ability to work has been considerable, and therefore the impact on her continued stability and finances. She is an extraordinarily talented artist. So if you have ever enjoyed any of her work, please strongly consider a demonstration of your support. Subscribe to Sirenia Digest. Check out the eBay auctions. Purchase the new editions of her novels. Donate. I am not in the habit of pointing toward posts of this nature, but there are things worth holding on to, and the worlds and words of the construct sometimes known as Caitlín R. Kiernan are high among them.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Done. You're a good friend.

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

Tomorrow, I'll know better what I can do. Sadly, it won't be a lot.

[stsisyphus.livejournal.com]

Stolen. Posted. Expanded. Compliant.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

I left this suggestion in stsisyphus' blog:

Has anyone thought of doing a benefit fiction anthology? Even as a PDF like Sirenia?

Cait has friends. Like Neil Gaiman. And Harlan Ellison. Maybe, just maybe, they'd be inclined to contribute a story...

[readingthedark.livejournal.com]

It's ongoing but, yes o frelling goodness yes, she's as brilliant as they get.

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

I'd gladly donate a story if a benefit anthology was in the offing.

[upstart-crow.livejournal.com]

I've finally subscribed to Sirena digest (been meaning to for awhile now) and will keep getting it as long as I can pay for it. I'll also buy the rerelease of Threshold (I have Silk already).

That's so unbelievably sad to hear that she is ill.

Auction idea--crits

[shalanna.livejournal.com]

Why doesn't someone who has the resources to do so open up an online auction of critiques/reads by editors and published authors? That worked SO well for several romance authors. The first one I knew about actually took place on eBay and I "won" crits from Chris Keeslar at Dorch and Kate Duffy at Kensington. I know the official line on eBay is that you aren't supposed to auction a service like that, but they just listed it as goods--something like "critique of 60 pages with written feedback or phone call"--and the auctions went for $300. I know because that came out of my retirement account. (grin) MDA did a similar auction last October and I won an hour as a radio station DJ. MDA used some other auction site . . . can't remember which one. eBay is most well known and visited by many people, though.

I am all charitied out, frankly, after giving $200 to one cause this month and giving even more than that in December, thinking too positively about our income. So I can't justify doing another straight donation of MONEY (time, possibly--see below.) However, I can't resist bidding on editor auction stuff. One caveat is that the two editors I "won" were not very quick to actually do the crits--I had to have people nudge them--but you could find people such as Melissa Senate (author) who are very quick to respond. Not her specifically (I won an auction of hers on some other auction site to relieve someone else's medical expenses burden, and she critted within a couple of weeks), but someone who used to be or still is an editor AND promises to do it right away. Agents can also be recruited for this.

Just a thought. I just know that with one author whose house had burned down (no insurance), they came up with $6000, and for another with medical expenses, they paid off at least two bills. Individuals sponsored these auctions, not an RWA chapter, so it wouldn't violate something or another.

Let me know if I can help. My cousin and I have an eBay account with perfect feedback, although she has only sold one thing and I've mostly bought stuff . . . we would be willing to host such an auction, BUT we don't have ANY connections with editors/agents or anyone whose crits would appeal.