Tag: charity

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Do They Know It’s Christmas?

Hey gang. Great news: Until Dec. 31, 2012, Where the Butterflies Go (my first poetry collection) and The Friends I’ve Never Met (my most recent work ) will be reduced to $1.99 on Kindle.
That means I make a little less than $1 a book – but instead of donating half proceeds as I have been doing, Graceful Publications will donate ALL proceeds from sales of these two books, as well as proceeds from sales of my 2nd collection, LEAP -to Hearts for Change – an incredible, hardworking Canadian charity that helps orphaned and needy children in Kenya, and is working toward helping needy Canadian children in the near future.
My books are available in several countries now on Kindle, and it only takes seconds to download an ebook. IMAGINE the differences we could make in these childrens’ lives if even just 100 of you buy copies!
New pencils. New books. School fees! Please share this note and consider giving $1 to a great cause.
♥ ♥ ♥ (P.S. Sales from Kobo, Nook, and iBooks will count too, but I can’t reduce the book prices quickly enough on these systems- but if you buy them there in this time period I will donate 🙂 )
Merry Christmas everyone,
Heather xx
The Groovy Granny made its way to children at Hosanna Children's Home in Kenya through Hearts for Change http://heartsforchange.ca
The Groovy Granny made its way to children at Hosanna Children’s Home in Kenya through Hearts for Change http://heartsforchange.ca   This is Mercy, our sponsored child.
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My Path to Print On Demand Poetry

 

via Guest post: My Path to Print On Demand Poetry.

Poet uses print on demand to publish her poetry and raise funds for UNICEF.

Thanks to author Paul Lima for inviting me to write a special guest post on his blog.

There is a special GIFT (which you have to wait to open until Thursday June 21, sorry 🙂  for all interested readers of my poetry and this blog, if you read all the way to the end!

Heather

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Where the Butterflies Went? Kindle!

It’s been a long journey to this day, and I want to thank you readers first and foremost for helping get Where the Butterflies Go to here.

Where the Butterflies Go is finally out on Kindle! I’m also thrilled to announce that I’ve decided to put it in the Kindle Select program, so for 90 days, it will be part of Kindle’s unique lending library. Readers with an Amazon Prime membership can now choose from thousands of books to borrow for free once a month, including Where the Butterflies Go!, with no due dates. For more info, click here.

Even if you don’t have a Prime membership, I’ve kept Where the Butterflies a low $4.99 US, with hopes that more downloads will mean more proceeds that I can give to Unicef’s Gift of Education program, and other children’s charities that promote education, such as Hearts for Change.

I’m still convinced that giving half the proceeds from sales of this book and of LEAP to help educate children who wouldn’t otherwise get educations is the single best thing I can do with my words and images.

So, here we go! Let’s see if a few Kindle clicks can help change our world for the better. Sure doesn’t hurt to try. Let’s Leap!

Thanks for reading my friends.

Heather

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What Christmas Means to Me

Look what arrived in the mail yesterday–the certificate for the latest Gift of Education donation I made on behalf of readers of Where the Butterflies Go and Leap. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and wishes for a 2011 filled with love, laughter and good surprises for all my other readers. Thanks so much to those of you who have bought my books–you’ve just helped make an entire school of young children happy.

May I ask one more thing of you? My latest poem, “Words,” with themes of anti cyber-bullying and anti gay-bashing, is, to my surprise, taking on a life of its own–over 50 comments, and readers are posting it on their own blogs, Facebooks, and even tweeting about it. I’m thrilled, because you never know who it might be able to help–and with the holidays here and so many kids off school, I’m sure cyber-bullying will be at its height. So, please do continue to pass it on (just link back to here okay? ) Thanks again for reading.
Cheers
Heather

Our December 2010 Gift of Education
Through sales of WTBG and Leap, we gave a simple yet necessary gift: pencils to a whole school.
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A Few of my Favourite Things: Blogging

I have found a second home here in the blogosphere, with too many benefits to mention.

I started my blog a little over two years ago, but I didn’t get really involved with the blogging community until my book Leap came out in February 2010. I had posted a few of the poems from my 2008 collection Where the Butterflies Go, but I hadn’t tried a poetry rally yet, or done an interview with any other blogger. I hadn’t hung out with you guys yet. Now I have, and I’m hooked. Plus, I’ve had people from 84 different countries visit me in the last three weeks (actual page-view visits of more than five minutes)–how cool is that?

Getting feedback on my work, reading your lovely comments about my poems and photos, checking out your posts–that would be enough for me to keep doing this forever, but wait, there’s more.

Publishers have found me through my blog and bought the rights to my photographs and poems. Young writers have found me through my blog and asked for some advice. It’s very rewarding to be able to help them out as best I can, and I’m looking forward to watching their careers unfold.

I’ve sold more books thanks to my blogging than I have at any public reading (a lot of swapping, not buying, goes on at readings) and best of all, through sales of both books, I’ve been able to donate to Unicef’s Gift of Education project three times. That’s three children who have received an education they may not have otherwise received, thanks to you readers!

Today, as a Christmas gift to thank you for visiting, commenting, giving me special awards, buying my books, and for your friendship, I’ve donated to Unicef (Canada) again. The $18 just bought 900 pencils for an entire school. Can you believe how much just $18 can do? Please do look at the Unicef link if you still have hard-to-shop-for people on your list.

My hopes for my 2011 blogging year? New friends, new projects, and more book sales so I have can get a fourth ($75) education for a child in need–or, perhaps–and this is a big reach but it’s a dream–a $500 water pump for an entire community.

I said it in 2009 to some most excellent friends (who later got me a t shirt saying I can’t rap), and I’ll say it again: I’ll be the very model of a modern networked blogger, yo!

My blogging "Mews" Sam