See what you can bid on:
http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Home.taf
Romance Books '4' Us is offering a one-year, full page, advertising page at our website: http://www.romancebooks4us.com
Thank you, RB4U, for inviting me to join your blog today. And for your donation to Brenda Novak's Online Auction for Diabetes Research! Can you believe our 9th Auction began on the 1st?! Our goal is to hit the $2 million mark this year--and it's doable, especially with the amazing contributions our generous donors have made and the dedication of our shoppers. Where else can you shop for birthdays, the holidays and yourself all in one place!
In the years I've worked with Brenda on her quest to fund a cure for diabetes (her youngest son has the disease), I've come to the conclusion that this event is akin to opening an enormous shopping mall that's only open for one month out of the year. We spend the year stocking the shelves, finding new vendors, and marketing to the masses. We gather books, jewelry, beauty and fashion items, find amazing trips to offer and open doors to aspiring authors with reads from some of the top houses and agencies in the publishing industry. And when the doors burst open on May 1st, let the craziness begin!
The surprise of what's donated next is part of the fun of running the auction. We never know what we're going to get--like the concert and personal meet and greet with Bret Michaels (author Nancy Naigle wrangled that one!), or being able to see Celine Dion in concert and chat with her. This year we have an autographed leotard from Olympian and Dancing with the Stars contestant Ali Raisman up for bid along with numerous writing conference donations and unique experiences. And that's on top of the donations from authors like Nora Roberts, Sylvia Day, Meg Cabot...the list is exhaustive and the energy that accompanies their donations is palpable. Imagine me squealing as new donations arrive via email. Needless to say we're on an adrenaline rush for months on end.
Don't get me wrong. While the auction is fun, it's also a lot of hard work with long hours (I don't sleep much in April). And I'm so grateful for the volunteers who have come on board to help. But when I know every penny we raise brings us that much closer to a cure, how can I not acknowledge I have an incredibly rewarding job. Who knew my love of reading would lead me to writing, which led me to RWA (Romance Writers of America) and my local chapter where I met Brenda. To work for a woman I greatly admire in the industry I'm working to break into (I write paranormal/UF romance under the name AJ Stewart)--being able to contact anyone and everyone I want in the hopes they'll join the fight against this disease...life does not get any better than that. And the bonus--the number of authors' books I now read in part because they were so generous and kind in donating to the auction. I'm a big believer in karma. Our donors have a ton of good luck coming their way. And so do our shoppers! Hope to see you all bidding up a storm! We are SO close...and as much as I love my job and being employed...I'm okay being put out of work if it means a cure for diabetes!
When not at work at her day job as assistant to NYTimes Bestselling Author Brenda Novak, Anna J Stewart writes contemporary, urban fantasy and paranormal romance. A past RWA Golden Heart nominee and a three time past president of her local RWA chapter, Anna firmly believes in the law of three--what you put out comes back to you threefold. You can find her online at www.ajstewart.net.
23 comments:
Our school does a wonderful auction and dinner/dance each year. I see how much that takes and it's small compared to the Diabetes Auction! Thank you for all you do! It makes this a world wide event!
Sincerely,
Melissa Keir
This is such a wonderful event. You should be very proud on this as well as your other accomplishments. Jean
Thank you again for hosting me and for helping get the word out about the auction, Marianne! We so appreciate it.
Thank you, Melissa--it is definitely an undertaking but we are SO close to a cure. Makes the long hours worth while . Hope you're bidding up a storm!
Thanks for stopping by, Jean--and for the lovely sentiment. I appreciate it (and so does Brenda ). Happy shopping! Here's to a cure.
This such a great way to become involved in the community of people who care about finding the cure for diabetes. I know every year I donate a baby quilt that it makes me proud to join Brenda and Anna in helping out the children. Anna is right - so many fantastic items to bid on and even for a non-shopper like me, I get addicted to going through all those items. Join the fun.
Hi Paisley!! Thanks for dropping by! I LOVE including your quilts every year--definitely one of the highlights of my job as you never disappoint. Hope you find lots of fun stuff to bid on! Happy bidding.
Brenda's auction is a wonderful event for a worthy cause. You all do a beautiful job on it. Kudos to you, Anna and your assistant volunteers! (Diana who is going over to check out auction)
All of your hard work and dedication to Brenda and this cause are apparent every time I see you and hear you talk about the auction. You're an amazing asset to Brenda and I know she really appreciates you.
Thanks for everything you do.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
Great to see you, Diana!! Hope you find lots of stuff to bid on--I can't believe the array of items this year. We miss you down here in CA! Hope all is good with you.
Thank you, Patricia--you and the Sacramento Chapter of RWA have been so generous to the auction and always help spread the word. We really appreciate it. :) Thanks for dropping by today.
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I can't believe how much work all of you put into the auction every year. Great job Anna, Brenda, Pierce, and everyone else who volunteers!
HI Lauren!! Thanks for coming by--and I know how personal you take the auction, now especially. You've been there for the auction almost from the start--and we love you for it! Happy release day on BLUSH! My Kindle already is singing a happy tune.
Let's hope that this year's efforts leads to accomplishing the auction's goal of hitting the $2 million mark! Thank you so much for your dedication to this cause.
Hi Paris. Great to see you here. :) And for your good wishes--if we hit that $2 million mark, I am going to be SO happy!! Hope you bid on and win something fun.
What a wonderful event! Organizing an auction of this magnitude is daunting and ya'll do a remarkable job. I'm going over now to check out the great items. Thanks for stopping by Anne.
Hi Gray--hope you have a great time checking out all the fun stuff. Happy bidding!
hi Anna, I didn't know you write, missed that, lol. :)
the auction is a wonderful thing also, need to find many cures
Hi Dina! Boy, you're all over the place with the auction, LOL. Hope you're winning some fun stuff. And yep--I write--that's how this all started. Hopefully one day soon you'll be able to read one of my books...fingers crossed. :)
The auction is a wonderful event. I hope you make your mark this year.
Together...we can make a difference!
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