… you can win all these by bidding on this auction over at Jen Malone’s blogs. All proceeds go to the Red Cross disaster relief fund to help those affected by Sandy.

I contributed a query critique to this particular auction, and several other lovely 2014 (and one 2013) contributed query critiques, 10-page critiques, and Skype chats. These can be applied to the same project, different projects, shared between friends, given as surprise gifts, et cetera. Sky’s the limit!

If that’s not of interest to you, check out the other auctions at Jen Malone’s blog. Kate Messner is also hosting an auction to benefit the Red Cross

Back to sorting out apartment details~

… And instead link to other people doing it.

Some of my future Clarion West classmates — specifically, Jei D. Marcade, Mark Pantoja and Jenni Moody — are trying to raise money to defray the (significant) costs of attending the workshop. Check out their listings and what they’re offering in return for donations — there’s some neat stuff in there!

Also, because I’m a lying liar who lies: My Help Write Now auction for a query + 5k critique will end tomorrow. It’s currently at $60. If it gets any higher, I’ll probably increase my offer. I’d really appreciate it if you could spread the word!

One of the neat things about the online writing community is how, usually within hours of a major disaster, someone will set up an auction community for charity and people will donate and bid en masse.

This is my first time participating in one of those auctions. I’m offering up a critique of a query and the first 5000 words of an adult SF/F novel, or anything YA, at the Help Write Now blog. The auction went up a couple of hours ago and will run a full three days.

Er.

That’s all, I guess!

First up: I guest blogged over at Juliette Wade’s blog the other day with a post about bicycles in the Netherlands.

(Spoiler: We have lots of ‘em.)

Now time to share the love!

My critique partner and friend Jodi Meadows is offering a 100-page line edit on the Help Write Now blog, with the proceeds going to charities supporting the victims of last week’s tornadoes in the south. If you have the money and need a thorough set of eyes? Bid.

My other critique partner and friend also has an auction up: This time it’s Beth Revis, with a signed hardcover copy of her book Across the Universe. The higher the bid, the more snazzy things you get — and better yet, every single bid gets book swag.

Not a critique partner, but still recommended: Janice Hardy’s The Healing Wars trilogy is up for auction as well. (She’s the author of an amazingly helpful blog I recommended a while ago.)

Here’s an interesting article about the representation (or lack thereof) of girls and women in children’s books from 1900-2000. The results will… probably not surprise you.

Author/agent Mandy Hubbard breaks down how much money you’ll actually see when you sell a book — even in one of those delicious “major deals.”

I could swear I had a draft of this all typed up and ready to post… damn you, Internet goblins.

Anyway, I will keep this short and sweet: Clarion and Clarion West are great. I’ve never attended myself (although not for lack of trying), but I’ve only heard positive stories from graduates. I mean — learning about writing, the business, and networking with fellow writers, publishers and editors. What’s not to love?

Right now, the Carl Brandon Society has an awesome fundraiser going on. To use their words:

The Carl Brandon Society is holding a prize drawing of five eReaders starting on November 5th and ending November 22nd, 2010. The funds raised will benefit the Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship, a fund that sends two emerging writers of color to the Clarion writers workshops annually.

Entrants will have the opportunity to win one of two (2) available Barnes & Noble Nooks, one of two (2) available Kobo Readers (with Wi-Fi), and one (1) Alex eReader by Spring Design. Drawing tickets cost one US dollar ($1).

In addition, each eReader will come pre-loaded with books, short stories, poems and essays by writers of color from the speculative fiction field. Some of the writers include N. K. Jemisin, Nisi Shawl, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Terence Taylor, Ted Chiang, Shweta Narayan, Chesya Burke, Moondancer Drake, Saladin Ahmed, Rochita Loenen-Ruiz, and there will be many more.

You can’t tell me that’s not freakin’ awesome.

And if that’s not enough, here are five more reasons to participate.

Keep in mind it’s only open until tomorrow, so if you’re going to buy tickets — now’s the time.