I wanted to share some good news and thank you all for your prayers and support the last several months especially! As some of you know, I’ve been working on fundraisers for a dear author friend who lost her home and wellness to mold poisoning. As a wildfire survivor who’s had to rebuild her own life, I couldn’t just sit by and watch as Mary Weber and her family dealt with so much (more background HERE). So, I reached out to friends and over time we built a big team—and the team has just done something AMAZING. It has been so intense and interesting watching MUCH more than we expected happen with every little step.
When we started last fall, I thought the Weber’s Warriors would be supporting Mary’s GoFundMe on social media, and then a fun giveaway with her writing friends emerged and was supported well in the writing community. It helped raise a lot of awareness for her fundraiser.
At the same time, not one but TWO publishers came forward to help organize an anthology competition to benefit Mary Weber. They offered to handle the work and logistics and give the profits to her. ALL of them. What a great idea! So, author Lauren Brandenburg and I jumped in with both feet and swam in the deep end—getting lots of details tended to amidst Lauren’s book launches and pushes and my deadlines and two family surgeries.
And then COVID virus hit and we thought….it will take God to actually pull this off.
Will people submit their stories if we still build this? Behind the scenes, we asked what to do. But we all decided to continue to press on with the project. And then…such joy!
When it counted the most, many authors helped with reminders about the deadline which was May 4th, 2020, a fun day with it being May The Fourth Be With You (a tribute to Star Wars). I was juggling my writing, kid’s school projects, and college things to understand for my son—all hitting at once.
But then, submissions started flying in. Suddenly the team was far and away above our needed participation numbers. Now it was a strong competition to be chosen to participate in the anthology. I personally think anyone who was able to write a story given the way the world had tilted sideways was ALREADY a winner!
Above all we could ask or imagine.
There are some days it’s important to stop and recognize that something special was happening, to maybe let life linger in slow-motion. I’ve never been involved in planning a fundraiser (or three) during a pandemic with our own family’s medical things happening before. I had to let go of the wheel while caring for my father in hospital (before the lockdown) and helping him get medical care after breaking his hip and then my son’s foot surgery arranged and caring for him. And preparing for many months of lockdown in Northern California. And then my husband’s job changed and suddenly we were moving out of state…yet the team kept everything on track and so the launch is approaching, on the very day we close on our home sale. Wow!
Sometimes letting go isn’t such a bad thing. Not when you have many prayers from people who care about Mary and the possibility of hope.
It’s that leap of faith moment coming to pass beyond all the odds being against it! Twenty wonderful authors get to shine and so does everyone who touched this project in some way. I want to thank Weber’s Warriors and prayer teams and the publishing teams at Havok and Mt. Zion Ridge Press. Especially for Michelle Levigne who had the idea in the first place and Andrew Winch who edited all the lovely stories. Teddi Depner and Lisa Gefrides who made so much of the competition come to life. To Kirk DouPonce who designed the amazing cover, so much talent. Jeane Wynn who will be helping with media. And my wonderful co-leader Lauren Brandenburg who’s been super in so many ways throughout every part of this journey.
Now the book is ready to be launched, next week! We’ve already raised hundreds of dollars on the preorders alone.
People still care. God didn’t just show up. He broke the mold.
Stories enable the heart and soul to soar and entertain us all in a season when we’ve been stretched, when we all are
Warriors Against The Storm.
Please continue to spread the word about this fundraiser and her GoFundMe as well. We all love you so Mary, as you continue to heal let us come alongside and add to the wind beneath your wings. Please go order HERE!
There is a fun Instagram challenge happening next week as well, come join the fun! And watch for lots of giveaways from some of the authors as well and more to come.
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