S.F. Martin, come on down!!

You have won yourself a Advanced Release Copy of the much coveted Noah! It was a completely random selection, but I know you are going to LOVE it because you LOVE Noah so much. And thanks, all of you, for telling me why you love this series and the characters in it. I was so surprised by the magnitude of the response and the depth of thought you put into those responses. It was really very sweet...even if it was motivated by greed for Noah 😉 Ha!

Now for something new.

Reading is Fundamental. Remember those words? All throughout growing up I heard it on PBS after Sesame Street, The Electric Company, The Magic Garden. We all did. Not too long ago a notice came out in my RWA Newsletter about RIF and how is was being proposed in Bush's new budget that all government funding be ripped away from this program that provides reading materials to young, disadvantaged children all over the United States...some of whom have never even touched a new book all their own before.

This is the RWA Article:

The 2009 proposed U.S. budget calls for the elimination of funding for Reading Is Fundamental' s (RIF) Inexpensive Book Distribution program. The program distributes free books to 4.6 million children and families and runs reading encouragement programs in 20,000 locations in the U.S. RIF President and CEO Carol H. Rasco says, "Unless Congress reinstates $26 million in funding for this program, RIF will not be able to distribute 16 million books annually to the nation's youngest and most at-risk children ... Since its founding in 1966, RIF's programs have played an important role in improving literacy in this country." Visit RIF's Web site, http://www.rif. org/get-involved /advocate/ what/, to see how you can take action.

I was one of those children. When I was around 9 or ten years old a RIF van came to my school. It was like a truck full of magic. The class lined up and every student got to pick two new books. I remember asking a woman...how do I return these? She smiled and said, "You don't. These are all yours to keep forever."

I remember being awed by the concept. I remember clutching those two books to my chest and thinking "Mine! All mine!" Not a hand me down, not a library book. And I had chosen them myself so I wasn't being told what I had to read. Both covers had little girls on the front of them and I remember both stories to this day...because I still have those two RIF books. Truth and Consequences. And Secret Emily. Secret Emily became a favorite I read over and over, the story so fantastical and mysterious! I was on the edge of my seat with every page. The end was a surprise and a delight.

See. Told you I remember. Do you remember? Do you think for one minute it would be tragic if I had not gotten that book that made me love fantasy stories? Had it not started me down a road of magic and make-believe? My love for the paranormal was born in that book. That book, that one RIF book, could be what spawned the author you love to read.

So CUT AND PASTE THE ABOVE LINK IN THE RWA ARTICLE.

Write to your senators and representative using the pre-made letter. It will take five minutes of your time at most. Please. Because you never know if a little Sherrilyn or a wee Christine or even a needy Kresley might be out there waiting to be born for you. In a book.

One single book.

And if you want more reward than that, I am going to give it to you. EVERYONE who mails out those letters...CC it to me at [email protected] and I will send YOU a signed cover flat of Noah. Include your address. I will send cover flats of Noah until I run out of them, then will switch to Damien until I run out of THEM and then Elijah.

Deal??

If you think that makes me crazy...I say it makes me serious and passionate.

Get to it.

Hugs and Kitties
Jacki