It's May! My peonies are blooming, the air is flush with good smells and yellow dust, and my blue car is now a strange shade of pollen-coated green.
It's also time for the Brenda Novak Auction, which has raised over $1.3 million dollars for a cure for juvenile diabetes. The auction is going on all month – and there are a lot of really neat things to bid on. Let's go shopping!
In the Once in a Lifetime Experiences category, there's a two night stay at the Ritz Carlton in Lake Tahoe, and as I write this, the high bid is $165. WHAT? There's 15 days left, but hey, bid early bid often. There's also a 2 night stay at the Grand Palms Hotel in Pembroke Pines, Florida, and the high bid is $50 as of this moment. Hey? What's that over there? Nothing to see here about hotel stays.
There are also cruises, trips to Europe, and an African safari up for bidding. Good gravy.
There are also 25 different meals & drinks with authors up for bids, from coffee with Nalini Singh to drinks with Victoria Dahl – and lunch with Diana Gabaldon. And if you don't want to eat, but you do want to read, there are ARCs – a rather large collection of them.
And if you really want to read, there are auctions like this one: a year of Grand Central Forever titles . Imagine that package of awesomeness arriving on your porch every month.
I donated an author interview, in case you're interested. And DearAuthor has donated an ad and an interview as well. Holy smokes, there are a ton of awesome things to bid on. And now that I've looked at all the categories, I've marked a few things to monitor in the hopes the price doesn't go higher than I can afford. I should probably bid – but then, once you place the bid, the competitive obsession takes over!
This is horrible fun, really.
So, are you bidding on something? What are you hoping to win?
I overspend, but it’s for a great cause! My mother’s stroke was caused by her diabetes, so I always donate something a little different than other authors—a critique of a contest entry. (Made sense since I’m an unapologetic contest diva. 10 books/50 wins or finals.) I’m listed with the Carina authors. 🙂 My big “win” last year was having a new website designed by the fabulous Rae Monet!
Big thanks to Brenda and her staff for all the hard work on the auction, and equal thanks to the editors/agents/authors/industry professionals who offer such wonderful things for us to bid on!
I hope nobody noticed that Smart Bitches is offering an author interview because I’ve already decided to win that and I’m prepared to crush the competition (you know, for charity!) 🙂
I had my eye on a Sonoma vacation but that bid price quickly got out of hand, so maybe the Lake Tahoe trip is more my price range. And I’m currently the high bidder on breakfast with Sarah Maclean. I wish to gush to her over mimosas and pancakes about how much I love her books.
What great items to bid on for a truly worthy cause! Like you said, Sarah, bid early, bid often. **just not on the Smart Bitches interview, ahem.
For business boost Therese and Morgan from Author Marketing 101 have donated 6 hours of dedicated time to this auction.
http://brendanovak.auctionanyt…
As a juvenile diabetic, I’m stoked about the charity cause – you don’t see it much. As a romance reader, I’m even more stoked that it’s the romance community that’s doing it! With type 2 in the news so much, it seems like everyone forgets about us poor Type 1s!
Bid early and bid often!!
Curing Type 1 diabetes will go a long way to eradicating all diabetes, so this is a fabulous cause to support! Mistah Midnight is a Type II and he has had some pretty serious complications. I support this auction (and Brenda) every year.
The only way to get one of my charm bracelets is to win them as a prize, do something awesomely nice for me, or place the winning bid in a charity auction. This year I recruited another talented jewelry maker to help me round out my category (CHARMING Bracelets by Liddy Midnight – TinyURL failed me so I cannot provide a simple link). I’ve included a couple of the books that inspired the designs, too. The out-of-print anthology IN MOONLIGHT accompanies the Blue Moon charm bracelet.
I fear bidding on any of the meetings because I won the critique and in-person follow-up with Kate Duffy shortly before her death. Wouldn’t want to feel responsible for any other tragedies. (Melissa, LMK if there is a competing bidder for that interview you want so badly. If they are offering a critique, we can talk.)
Sandy, you are awesome for the support you give me year after year. THANK YOU! Rae is so good at what she does and one of the most generous people I know. I’m glad you’re happy with her work. I adore her.
I appreciate your kind words!
Sarah has always been a huge support of the auction, too, Melissa. And that is a PRIZED item. 🙂 Thanks for bidding. You’re awesome!
Another great donation. There are almost 2,000. Now you know why I’m not getting any writing done this month. If I’m not writing blogs or gathering donations, I’m sitting there staring at my monitor, going over all the lovely items. LOL
This community doesn’t forget you, Sugarless. They have rallied year in and year out. We will find a cure—so hang in there until we do!!
So true, Liddy. The research my auction supports is for all insulin dependent diabetics so it will help everyone (so many Type 2’s end up on insulin). And your bracelets are AWESOME!! I’m going to feature them in the next newsletter to make sure everyone realizes HOW awesome they are.
I really miss Kate. I can tell you do, too.
Thank you, Sarah, for all you do to support this cause. You are amazing!!
Hi I’m one of the volunteers on the auction and I wanted to thank you for helping us to spread the word on the auction. We have some great items up for bid. We also have some great drawings to take place at the end of the auction. This year we have also added some additional features to the auction. We’ve added a blog where you can stay up to date with what’s happening and a For The Cure store where you can purchase T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, Mugs, Caps, and MORE. You can find those links on the left hand side of http://www.brendanovakforthecure.org. Thank you again. Here’s to making a difference .
I always donate something to this auction every year, but this year I have two special items up—a four-month self-publishing mentorship (for authors), and a year of early Courtney Milan—getting a digital copy of every book I write for a year when I send it to my copy-editor (for readers).
My dad (who is obv. not a juvenile) was diagnosed with diabetes last month, and I wanted to do something a little extra for him.
But there are so many great things, I can’t figure out what to bid on!
I think the early Milan package is the best idea – that’s so awesome.
Like Sugarless, I’m a Type 1 and I greatly appreciate this auction. In fact, I emailed Brenda and thanked her and she sent me a lovely note back. I can’t decide what to bid on, there are so many amazing prizes! That early Milan is looking good though. 🙂 I guess it’s time to go break the bank.
Liddy I’ve been looking at all the bracelets you’ve donated and trying to decide which to bid on for my mom’s birthday. Her and I both have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Sandy thank you for your continued support. There are so many fabulous items available for bid. New items are being added almost daily.
Hi Everyone~It’s A Twitter Party!!!! Brenda Novak’s Online Auction For Diabetes Research will be having a final Twitter Party on May 27, 2012 at 1:00 PM PST using the hashtag #bnda (Brenda Novak’s diabetes auction) hosted by Julie Rowe from Carina Press and will last until 2:00 PM PST. One lucky tweeter who uses the hashtag #bnda during the hour will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card. Be sure to follow @bnovakauction to be part of the Twitter Party.
I’ve always dreamed of being a writer. Since being a volunteer on the auction and seeing all the fantastic items that have been donated for writers I’ve made up an imaginary wish list of items if I were to live out my dream as a writer. I thought I’d share that with you: The Complete Author Package Book Collection from COOL GUS PUBLISHING (Bob Mayer & Jen Tatly) (Current Bid: $34), Contract Review from Agent Marisa A. Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency (A) (Current Bid: $67), Submissions Workshop (3 Weeks Online) POLISH YOUR PARTIAL SUBMISSION from Document Driven (Current Bid: $30), NEW!!! Lawson Writer’s Academy: Ten Online Classes! Donated by Margie Lawson ($350-$400 Value!), (Current Bid: $130), First Three Chapters of Your Novel Edited by Document Driven ($420 value!) (Current Bid: $42), Up to 20 HOURS of Consultation Time with Forensic Expert Tom Adair!! ($3500 value!) (Current Bid: $140), “MICROSOFT WORD FOR WRITERS” Workshop Lesson by Catherine Chant, (Current Bid: $35), YOUR BIO (Short!), Written by Donna Erickson of AFLAIRFORWRITING.com (Current Bid: $12). These are all the items I believe I would need to start my career as a writer.