A Call To Arms

I have two things today that I really feel the need to bring to your attention. The first story is the sad case of Clay and Harold. Click on over and read about it and then come back to hear how you can help. Seriously, GO READ and then come on beck.

I found out about this case while reading my WildFire newsletter from AllRomanceEbooks and Omnilit. I can't tell you about it any better than they did so here it is...

Sometimes the best ideas come from out of the blue. Spur of the moment flashes of brilliance triggered by something we stumble upon in life. That is how ARe's most recent charitable venture came to our attention.

It all started early one morning with an email from book blogger Teddy Pig. The subject line read "Good Deeds and Dumb Ideas". Needless to say, we were intrigued. In spite of the comical title, the email contained a heart wrenching story and Teddy's reaction to it, a reaction we at ARe immediately shared.

To sum it up, there is a court case happening in Sonoma County, and until you read the details for yourself, you'd be hard pressed to believe that something like this could happen in the year 2010. Harold and Clay were partners for 20 years, doing everything they thought legally necessary to insure their future and security together. However when 88 year old Harold was hospitilized, his wishes and his power of attorney in the hands of the 77 year old Clay was not enough. The County of Sonoma declared everything the couple had built in their life together, as Harold's property alone, and auctioned it off to pay the bills, leaving Clay destitute.

We suggest you read the story HERE and form your own opinion.

Teddy was deeply affected by this story and immediately made a personal donation to the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) who is now working to get Clay back what was taken from him. Then Teddy, who is an avid reader, remembered that author JM Snyder had a book with the theme of this story for sale at ARe. Wouldn't it be great if we could capitalize on this book to somehow help, he asked? He was right, it would be great, and when ARe decided they wanted to help, and approached the author it all came together. JM Snyder was not only willing to donate a portion of the proceeds from her story Henry and Jim, she wanted to commit all JMS books for the cause.

JM describes the story for us. "Henry and Jim is a story I wrote with my grandfather in mind. He died of Alzheimer's Disease when I was younger, and I wanted to write a story about an older couple because so many M/M authors just deal with young, gorgeous characters who don't realistically portray today's gay men or their relationships... The story centers around two men, Henry and Jim, who have spent a lifetime together. Old men now, Henry reminisces about the love they've shared as he learns to cope with Jim's fading memory and his own fear of being forgotten."

During the month of May, 25% of the proceeds from ALL JMS Books will be donated to NCLR and ARe is matching her commitment and will be donating 25% of our proceeds as well. Readers who shop at All Romance/OmniLit and buy JMS Books by J.M. Snyder during the month of May will not only be getting a great read, they will be contributing to a great cause.

I've already bought my copy of Henry and Jim (it's only $1.99...wow) and I'm going to buy another book or two when my hubby gets paid. Even if you don't read romances, this is a great cause. Go buy a book! And, book challenge participants, in order to help get you to support the cause, this eBook (only an 18 page PDF) will count as a whole book!

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*HaBO: the Anissa Mayhew Edition

This is a much happier cause to support. I know a lot of you have been following Anissa's story. For those of you who haven't been following her story, why the hell not here is a quickie summary. Anissa is an amazing woman with a cast iron willpower who has seen one child through pediatric cancer and is now recovering from a nasty series of strokes. I haven't met Anissa myself but people I care about deeply introduced me to her blog and her story and I am totally hooked.

While Anissa has come phenomenally far in her recovery, she still has a ways to go. Her husband has decided to apply to Extreme Makeover Home Edition for help. Anissa's recovery would be helped immensely if they had a more disabled friendly home.

What I want you to do is go read about Anissa's journey and check out her return to blogging. If you feel even half as inspired as I do by her story, CLICK HERE and get the info on where to send a letter supporting their Extreme Home Makeover application. I know y'all can write. After all, most of you are bloggers. Even if you don't personally know Anissa, every single letter helps.

Now come on and HaBO. Anissa is most deserving


*Habo stands for Help A Bitch Out, a phrase I got from the lovely ladies at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books