I first discovered Gone Reading over at the Bookbinge, I think.  Gone Read is a new webstore that sells reading related merchandise. They have everything from t-shirts to book journals.  And the best part of it? They donate 100 % of their after tax profits to charity organizations.   Can it get better than that?

So, it is April 29th which means that Brenda Novak’s Cure for Diabetes Auction starts soon.   I The Auction is a tresure trove for readers. There is a lot of ARCs and author meetings offered.  The unique items are one reason thart the auction is the world’s largest online event for diabetes research.

You can see what is available this year, and join, here.

Some frequently asked questions ( from the press release):
Q: What makes you so passionate about Diabetes?
A: My youngest son was diagnosed with diabetes at 5 years old, that’s when I learned how serious this disease is. After his diagnosis, I spent months racking my brain on how I could combat it.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for your charity?
A: Once my son was diagnosed, and I realized what this could mean for his future, I wanted to get involved, to do anything I could to give him a better chance at a healthy life. But I have four other kids and a busy writing career and wasn’t sure how I’d manage to make time for fund raising, didn’t even know where to start. Then I went to a silent auction at my son’s elementary school. There were some fantastic items that had been donated, but the turn-out was poor and the school didn’t make much money. I started thinking about the difficulty of trying to get a large number of people inside one building all at the same time, and the advantages of doing something on the web became very apparent. I figured I could use the support and traffic I already receive from my fan base to help my son and others like him, and the idea to do an on-line auction was born.
Q: How did it go the first year?
A: My first year was more of a test market to see if it would work. When we raised $34,982, I realized it definitely had potential. The second year, we nearly doubled that amount (at $63,000), and it has continued to grow bigger and bigger every year and, thanks to the generosity of my donors.

Q: How much time does it take to put it on every year?
A: It’s an incredibly time-intensive endeavor, but it’s also very fulfilling. We work on it year round. I started out running it on my own–just one person–and did that for three years.
Then I hired a part-time assistant who has become a bigger and bigger part of the behind-the-scenes work as the auction has grown.

Q: What makes your auction model work so well?
A: I think it’s the unique items that are offered, as well as the community. At the auction, readers can bid to win unique experiences–like having lunch or dinner with their favorite author, or staying in their favorite author’s guest house, or reading their favorite author’s book before it’s ever even published. We also offer opportunities to aspiring writers of all genres–and millions of people want to write a book. Some of the most powerful agents and editors in publishing have donated their time to read submissions and give feedback, some with a turn-around time of twenty-four hours! In addition to these unique items, we have everything from trips & stays, to antique jewelry to celebrity items.
Also, the friendships we form, the prizes we give away, and the spirit of fighting back together brings us closer as a community each year. I’m not the only one driving this. We’re all in it together.

Q: Do you believe there is a cure for diabetes in sight?
A: I’m absolutely optimistic. When I went to Florida to tour the Diabetes Research Institute and actually talked with their scientists and learned what they were doing, I felt we were SO close. I got very excited because I could really see a cure coming in my lifetime, which is my goal. This is not a mystery disease. I believe it’s curable, and I believe we’re close.

I thought of writing something, but in the end, I think I’ll just show the video.   Watch it, and then visit their webpage for more information.

(I cheered when I discovered this on twitter. Since the shooting Trayvon Martin was just so pointless.)

 From the Press release:

The Price Of Candy
On Feb. 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin’s life was cut short when he was shot as he walked to a family member’s home from a convenience store where he had purchased some candy. The price of candy for this seventeen-year-old child was his life.
Stand Your Ground
Florida, along with twenty other states, has a “Stand Your Ground” law. This law allowed George Zimmerman to fatally shoot Trayvon simply because he claimed he feared for his life when he saw the candy-toting, hoody-wearing child. Now Trayvon’s family is left to pick up the pieces, but it’s not that easy. It’s time for us all to stand our ground and not allow anyone to hide behind laws like these. It’s time for George Zimmerman to answer to the justice system.
Authors4Trayvon
We come together as a community of readers and authors to support Trayvon’s family in their battle to ensure justice is served in this sad case. Participating authors will donate 17% of royalties made on purchases of their titles (eBook and print) April 1-7, 2012, to the Martin family.
Call To Action
 Visit http://www.Authors4Trayvon.com for links to participating authors’ titles and purchase away April 1-7, 2012. If you’d rather make a monetary donation, information is available on the website. No donation is too small: $170, $17, $1.70, $.17 anything will help.
 Share the link to the website using your social media connections, emails, word of mouth.
 Authors, visit the website at http://www.Authors4Trayvon.com for instructions on how to participate.

Charity Sunday is back, and this time the limelight is on Pat Rothfuss Worldbuilder campaign. Every year, Pat Rothfuss raises money for Heifer, by running the Worldbuilder campaign.
There are three ways to donate:
1.The lottery. Which is simple.  Go to his page on Heifer.com. Donate 10 dollar by clicking the Give to this team button, and you can win a lot of books and other cool things.
Also, Worldbuilders match 50% of your donation.  

2.Buy something from his store.

3. Bid on an auction.

The lottery ends FEB 7 so hurry up and the auctions FEB 6.

More info about Worldbuilders, and a list on the books you can win, can be found here.

 
There are several charities that distribute paper books to children in Africa ( Books for Africa is one example), but Worldreader has taken it to the next step.  They distribute e-readers and e-books to children in Africa.   They don’t do it alone, both USAID, Amazon, and several publishers are involved, as well as the Goverment of Ghana.

When I first read about it, I was a bit surprised but it fit.  In many African countries they jumped directly to cellphones, so why not e-readers?

You can read more about Worldreader here.

                 Join The Challenge

We have started a $10 Million Dollar Fund to support and promote reading. For every 10 Million minutes read with Kobo up to 1 Trillion Minutes, we will support a school, group or organization that focuses on literacy and a passion for reading. Let us know who you think demonstrates a passion and commitment to reading in your community and they might just be the recipient of an eReading program from Kobo including eReaders and eBooks.

WE CHALLENGE YOU, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILY, YOUR SCHOOLS, YOUR COMMUNITY TO JOIN OUR EPIC CHALLENGE — TO READ ONE TRILLION MINUTES TOGETHER! 

Voyage into the realm of the paranormal with this nine author short story anthology. Sink your teeth into:

A Ghoulish Valentine by H.P. Mallory:
Dulcie O’Neil can’t help her attraction to Knight Vander, much though she tries to fight her feelings. When she begrudgingly accepts his invitation to dinner and a movie, the last thing she expects is that she’ll be defending herself against a cemetery full of hungry ghouls and one incredibly sexy man.

Cat Fight by Zoe Winters:
Cat Fight takes place in Zoe Winters’ “PretVerse”. Greta is a cat therian (shifter). She’s been involved with Dayne, a local sorcerer since she sought his protection from her murderous tribe. After a fight, Greta shifts into cat form and refuses to come back out.

Impulse Control by Susan Bischoff:
In the world of the Talent Chronicles, kids born with supernatural powers are taken from their families and forced into government research facilities called State Schools. At one such school, a group of Talents must work together to stop a dangerous experiment that’s already killed two of their peers and threatens others. If they’re caught they face Detention, and Detention at a State School has a whole different meaning.

Wild Passion by Lori Brighton:
James is a treasure hunter intent on collecting a deadly, priceless statue. Then he meets Adelaide, a stubbornly beautiful and mysterious woman who knows more about the statue than she admits. Suddenly, James is tempted to give up everything for the one treasure he can’t seem to own … Adelaide.

A Fairytale Ending by M.T. Murphy:
An unlucky actress discovers that there is no good and bad when it comes to vampires and werewolves, only bad and worse.

Blind Sight by Kait Nolan:
Isla’s ability as a Seer has made her a life-long captive of a paranormal crime lord. Fae assassin, Ransom, offers her a chance at escape, but when she touches his hand she sees only blood, horror, apocalypse. What reason can Ransom have for wanting to rescue her, and can she possibly trust a man who deals in death?

The Sacrifice by Toni LoTempio:
After a chance meeting with the mysterious Alfred Barstow, Jennifer is swept off her feet by his whirlwind courtship of her, so much so that she accepts his proposal of marriage. Leaving her boyfriend Peter behind, she heads off to start a new life in California, unaware there’s more to Alfred than meets the eye – and a sinister plot behind his proposal. The Sacrifice is a story about what happens when the man of your dreams turns out to be your worst nightmare…and then some!

Until the Breaking of the Day by Daniel Arenson:
The Underground. A realm of flame, blood, and knives in the dark.When its prince returns from exile, a young demon girl will learn his secrets.

If You Leave by Stacey Wallace Benefiel:
Despite their devotion to one another, Gabrielle and Jorge have been living separate lives. That is, until Gabrielle’s life ends. Reunited and it feels so…complicated?
 
 All proceeds from this anthology is donated to GreaterGood.Org

“Britain’s Kindest Kid”, Harry Moseley, is more than a nice kid with a big heart; he’s a real life hero.

An eleven-year old hero with an inoperable brain tumor who has raised over £500,000.00 for Cancer Research UK.

Joining Harry in his quest for research funds, are an amazing group of 19 romance writers, along with a wonderful cover artist/graphic designer,
who have come together to support Harry, and his charity: Cancer Research UK.

“Author Moments” is a collection of essays written by these talented writers. *As a bonus, each author has included an excerpt from one of their current, or upcoming, releases.

From the New York Times bestselling lists to the writer who is just beginning their quest, you will find this anthology filled with generous writing advice and anecdotes.
It won’t matter where you are on your road to publication or even in your life journey, Author Moments will fill you with love, laughter and a renewed hope that all things are possible when you care enough to come together and make a difference. Like real life hero, Harry Moseley.

The Authors Helping Harry invite you to pitch in and help Harry find a cure simply by purchasing a copy of this wonderful anthology. 
The anthology is available at Smashwords.