(6PM Update Below – keep clicking and commenting on the links!)
You guys are the ones who make this blog, and if you are reading it in a place that’s warm and safe like I am we have so much to be thankful for.
You may have already heard of Heifer International, an organization that works to fight hunger by giving needy families around the world and in the United States livestock, training, or other assistance that helps improve their livelihood. Heifer has been recognized for its work in Fast Company and Forbes, among other places.
I know we’re going through tough economic times, but if you have anything to spare this holiday season I hope you’ll consider making a donation. And, in order to encourage people to spread the word, for every comment someone makes in this post between now and 5PM Pacific time, my wife and I will donate 50 cents $1.00*.
(*Up to $1,000, I’m on a publishing salary people)
And, better yet, if you want in on the fun you could do a per-comment pledge on your own blog and I’ll link to it in this post and encourage everyone to stop by so we can multiply the giving!
In your comment I hope you’ll list:
1. Your name
2. Where you’re from
3. A wish for 2010
4. (optional) A link to your own blog or website if you want to make a similar per-comment pledge (amounts totally up to you). Write a dedicated post on your blog for people to leave comments on your blog and link to Heifer and state your pledge. I will update the post throughout the day with links to other participating blogs.
Thanks again for a wonderful 2009! I’ll be closing comments on the blog between 5pm this evening and Monday as I spend time with my family, and will be back with some reruns from yesteryear on the 28th.
Also spreading cheer with their own per-comment donations (please make sure to click through and leave comments!):
Amanda Plavich
Anna’s Got an Attitude
Where’s My Whiteout?
Single Mom Seeks Sane
Muse Ink
Matt Heppe
Anvil of Tears
John Ochwat
Jennifer R. Hubbard
Kathryn Jankowski
Robin Mullet
Ink Spells
Phoebe Kitanidis
Regan Leigh
Jeri Smith-Ready
Moira Young
Mother Wouldn’t Lie
Houndrat
Linda Godfrey
So Many Dreams
The Book Designer
Irene Rawlins
Patrick Rothfuss
6PM Update: WOW!! All I can say is THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who participated in our inaugural charity drive. Thanks to you, this is the total donation for this blog ($1 x close enough to 1,000 comments = ……):
And according to my calculations, if the other blogging participants reach their comment pledge goals it will mean another $1,250-$1,500+ for needy families. That’s what I call multiplying! But that will only happen if you keep commenting on those blogs. Many of the participants above have extended their deadlines, so if you’re just arriving click those links above and comment!
This has been a fantastic experience, but it’s just the beginning: next year we’ll really blow it out (and hold it at a time when more people are on the Internets). THANK YOU again to everyone. All comments from here on out will be held for moderation (and not generally looked at) as I’m away with my family, but will be back on Monday. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Happy Holidays!
This is Melody from Manhattan with a wish for you to read all these comments at the end the day with a smile for your charity 🙂
How wonderful that you (and your wife) are as generous in other areas of your life as you are with advice to writers in your brilliant blog. I knew there was an organization like Heifer International, but wasn't sure of its name. Now that you've made it easy for me, I'll follow the link and also make my own contribution.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Nathan.
Sharen from Bucks County, PA
This is a completely awesome idea. I love Heifer–have you ever read the kid's book, GIVE A GOAT by Jan West Schrock (Tilbury House)? It is about a 5th grade class raising money for Heifer. Anyway, happy holidays and wonderful idea. 🙂
Margo Dill
https://margodill.com/blog/
Melanie
Hemet, CA
I wish for a year of peace. Merry Christmas!
Hello Nathan. Thanks so much for the wonderfully informative and accessible blog. Heifer is a fantastic group – what a generous thing you're doing! Sending wishes for peace, joy and health this holiday season and into the new year.
Kelly D. (Northern Virginia)
Happy Holidays from Kristin O'Donnell Tubb in the Nashville, TN area. My wish for 2010 is that I can better appreciate the many blessings I've been given. I wish the same for you, too! 🙂
Here's to a wonderful 2010 for all!
Merry Christmas from the beauty of southern Illinois. I'm Cindy and my wish for the new year, other than an improved economy to make gestures like this unnecessary, is to finish my books in progress. Next year, I'll be linking to my author website.
You and your wife are the coolest people ever for doing his.
This is Yamile (Y pronounced like an SH), and I'm from Argentina but live in Utah.
My wish for 2010 might sound "miss Universe Pegeant-y" for some people, but lately there have been so many horrible news in which kids are involved that my wish is for children to be safe. I wish to live long enough to see my kids grow up safely and happily.
My first reaction would be for you to offer representation to me, but if my kids weren't happy, not even that would cheer me up.
Have a merry Christmas Nathan. May God bless you and your family.
What a lovely idea!
Debra(aka houndrat) from San Diego, CA. Yes, it really is sunny and in the 70's here.
Wishes for 2010? Um…preserve my sanity, spend more quality time with the kiddage (wait–are those two mutually exclusive?), finish novel, find the perfect agent. Oh yeah, and discover a way to make regular chocolate calorie-free.
Oh,and I'm participating in your charity–WOOT!
https://www.houndrat.com
Cheers, and Happy Holidays! 🙂
Merry Christmas! I love the idea of Heiffer International! Great cause!
feliz navidad! Heiffer International is a great cause!
Wonderful and generous idea.
Alexa
Washington DC via the UK
Happiness and health for those I love and to finally query you.
Happy Christmas
What a great idea. I've admired the Heifer Project for years.
I'd make a mention on my blog, but hardly anyone reads it.
Kay from Colorado hopes you get your millionth reader soon.
Merry Christmas from snowy Penhook, VA. I wish all much success in the coming year.
Linda Godfrey from snowy SE Wisconsin, and H.I. has long been a favorite charity of mine. What a great way to promote it!
I wish peace and good will between authors, agents and editors for every day of 2010, and that every book that should be published will be. You can see my Christmas card in that spirit at https://lindagodfrey.wordpress.com/
where I will go now to post a link to this worthy project.
Peace out, and I mean that!
Here's Tori from Ohio. My wish for next year would have to be to find an agent. (And to have a less selfish wish for 2011. I would now, but I feel like I should be honest about what I'm wishing for.)
Have a merry Christmas!
Awesome, Nathan.
I'm Mira from the Bay Area, CA.
My wish, including myself, is that all those on Earth will have their hearts grow 3 sizes this year.
Lauren from Illinois. I wish everyone safe travels. 🙂 Have a great holiday!
Wonderful idea! And a great organization. I'm happy to help.
I'm Elizabeth, down in San Diego.
My wish for 2010 is for everyone to read Half the Sky, and then DO something. Anything. It doesn't have to be big. But just read the book. And then you won't be able not to do something.
Happy Holidays to you. Thanks for doing this.
I'm Melissa from San Diego, CA. (And now I feel like a contestant on a game show.) Heifer is one of my favorite charities– and my kids love poring over the catalog, deciding which animal to give at Christmastime.
Let's see, a wish for 2010? Other than that our e-book overlords turn out to be a friendly and hospitable bunch? I'll go small: I hope for a nap. At least one. And preferably in the very near future.
…. And another $1.00. Merry Christmas all. Let's hope those less fortunate can join in a little holiday cheer.
Excellent cause. Happy holidays!
Wonderfully generous as usual, Nathan! Good for you!
And good for all those who posted something similar on their own blogs. If I'd checked here before posting my own nonsense today, I would happily have participated. Poop.
Well, I hope everyone here as a happy holiday season!
See you in 2010!
P.S. In answer to the questions, my name is Laura Martone. I live in three places, but I'm in New Orleans at the moment. And my wish for 2010 is that the economy improves – and, by extension, the publishing industry. Hip-hip-hoorah to more books!
A happy, hope filled Christmas to all from Tracy in Colusa, CA. For those not of the Christmas persuasion, happy whatever makes your heart sing.
I'll pledge $.50 per comment (up to $50 dollars – I'm on an even lower than publishing budget.) for any one who comments on my brand new blog, So Many Dreams found at
tkastle.blogspot.com.
My wish for 2010 is that more people will be able to find peace and purpose in whatever their circumstances may be.
This is Jil Plummer from Lafayette, Ca.
My wish for the coming year is that "kindness" be everywhere – some of it spread from the brown eyes of little heifers given to needy families.
I'm Lisa from Texas (mochachick8 on Twitter). My wish? Everyone have a Merry Christmas!
You're the man, Nathan. I'm Rebecca from Hawaii. Wishing you and your wife Aloha for the holiday season!
P.S. it's only 1:30 here, hope I'm not too late. Is is 4:30 there??
Ack, I forgot to leave my name and where I'm from.
Lisa Brackmann
All Over the Place, California, currently Venice.
Nathan, bless you for your big heart. All of us (even we lurkers) see it all year long in your advice, words of wisdom and patented humor. You are hereby dubbed one of The Really Good Guys. 🙂
My wish for 2010 is that people will be able to agree a little more, fight a little less and always bear in mind that the "other guy" is a human being, too. If we can't agree, let's at least agree to disagree politely and attempt not to call each other names. Life's too short, ya know?
Wishing you and yours all the best from Texas,
Kathleen
Maureen from Nebraska, getting ready for our 2nd Snowcaploypse of the season.
Thanks for milking this opportunity to help.
Wish for 2010– everybody stop being so hysterical.
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a great new year!
BJ from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
I'm commenting for the cause.
This is Jodi in Pennsylvania. I could take a 15 minute car ride and be staring at a field full of heifers(actually it's snowy so they're probably in the barns). My wish is that my new blog would have 1/10 of the followers Nathan has by Dec. 23, 2010!
Sometimes I am so slow! At first when I posted my link to Nathan's blog at https://lindagodfrey.wordpress.com I just said I'd give my own donation rather than per comment because I am so way less popular than Nathan that I figured I wouldn't be giving much. But a few seconds after I posted that I realized – duh – that doesn't take his generous matching offer into account. So Nathan, I have been assimilated and I only regret I didn't have time to come here sooner today. My wish from before still stands! (I tweeted too)
How nice ^_^
LOVE this blog!! I've followed it every day since last spring! ::sighs as she remembers warmer weather::
1. Cynthia Gael
2. Spartanburg, South Carolina
3. For The Balefire Chronicles to be on bookshelves by this time next year!
4. https://cynthiagael.blogspot.com/ (brand spanking new!!)
Hi, Nathan! I'm KD from Tucson, where it's bright and beautiful. I wish for us all to take better care of each other and our planet (and also that I will find Mr/Ms Right Agent!)
I applaud your generosity!
I am Beatrice from Lexington, KY.
For 2010, I wish to see my boyfriend more often. And maybe get published.
https://beawrites.wordpress.com
Bryan Russell, from The City of Windsor.
I'm guessing you already know one of my wishes for the year…
Another would be getting to delete Mira in the forums. 🙂
And another would be for Tyreke Evans to be traded to the Toronto Raptors. For Marcus Banks.
Plus world peace, God bless us, everyone.
And a healthy new baby.
And goats for everyone!
anne vinsel from salt lake city. i've been giving parts of animals for that last five years, and everybody loves them, especially the kids 😉
i wish to be snowed in for a week but with electricity and heat, so i can get some serious work done and finish Night Surgery.
Thank you for supporting my favorite charity. Happy holidays!
I'm Stephanie Perkins from Asheville, NC. My wish is for my friends to have as happy a year in 2010 as I had this year. (One meaning: I wish for Natalie Whipple to sell Ninja!)
1. Liana Brooks
2. I'm originally from San Diego, California. Right now I live on the GA/AL border.
3. My unselfish wish for 2010 is that everyone I know has a healthy and safe year. My very selfish wish is for a free ARC of either Bewitched & Betrayed or the new Jack Campbell book (both coming out in April).
4. I'm acting locally for charity this year. :o) But I love this charity!
Greetings from Fresno, CA. Tricia Sutton here and my wish for 2010 is to find an agent, preferrably Nathan Bransford.
My name is Kim Strother and I'm from Graniteville,South Carolina. My wish for the New Year is that people would be kind to each other (I know, that's a BIG one) LOL! Jacob, you're the best for doing this! Blessings to you!
Merry Christmas, Happy late Hanukkah, Happy New Year, and whatever else people might celebrate! It's Alissa from Webster NY. My wish for 2010 for myself is to finish editing/revising my novel. I wrote with NaNoWriMo and wrote 69,000 words approximately and I know so many of those words are probably lame and need to be edited out. My wish for everything else is to donate to a charity. I'm big on helping animals. They're being recklessly murdered and there's nothing they can do about it, and that upsets me. So I'd really like to donate to a charity for animals.
All my personal wishes have been fulfilled already this year (or will be.) Except that I wish to once again survive through winter! -Carrie from Utah.
Hi Nathan,
Merry Christmas and congrats on supporting Heifer. I've read about them before and they seem really cool. (Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to donate myself yet.) Hannah Jenny is my real name, just not including my last. And for 2010? I want to finish writing the fantasy ms I've been working on for more than three years now!
Jennifer from New Jersey. My wish is for a more stable, happy year for everyone, in publishing and in the world.
Yep. Yep. Yep. Heifer International and Kiva are so incredibly needed.
I'm Irene Rawlings from Denver and my wish for 2010 is that prosperity will return–in whatever form it takes. My blog is http://www.kbco.com/pages/focus.html and, although I can't contribute per comment, I can contribute per email I get at the radio station. I'll get this up and running tomorrow and it will run through the Christmas weekend. Best wishes for all good things in 2010 for you and yours!
Merry Christmas, Nathan!
This is a subject so important to me-everything I make writing has gone to charity-so I can't tell you how happy this makes me. So, I'll be on my blog donating to http://www.AngiomaAlliance.org and spreading the word.
You're awesome. Just. Awesome.