Category Archives: Family

LIFT 4 Autism Auction 2019 Now Open for Bidding!

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Quick link to auction site: charityauction.bid/lift4autism

“My oldest was diagnosed with autism in 2009 just days before my husband left for Afghanistan. He was gone for eight months while I navigated the autism world alone with a two-year-old and a baby. I turned to romance books to keep my sanity. I found out about LIFT and felt so empowered that the community that helps keep me sane as I walk through autism was raising money for autism!”

— Michelle, Romance Reader & Autism Mom

It’s here! Our annual banquet for the bookish, the online auction features more than 300 signed paperbacks, hardcovers, full series sets, out-of-print covers, foreign editions, cannot-even-buy event tickets . . . and MORE, all donated by authors, publishers, bloggers, readers. Just people who wanted to be a part of something to help autism families.

Since 2016, LIFT 4 Autism, a charitable initiative organized each April by myself and Kennedy Ryan (and a whole ton of volunteers who are the most amazingly kind people in the world), has raised more than $100,000 to benefit families living with autism. All proceeds go to non-profit organizations serving the autism community. This year’s charitable partner is Kulture City, whose programs serve the autism community with compassion and generosity.

Every item up for bid is deeply appreciated! We have highlighted just a few that we anticipate being hot commodities here: http://bit.ly/LIFT19High

★ Here’s some FAQ about the auction and the bidding process that may prove helpful★

http://lift4autism.com/auctionfaq/

★ Winning bidders will be emailed with payment instructions.

★And if you don’t win your bid, you can STILL be involved!

  1. Make a tax-deductible “no amount is too big or too small” donation to our Kulture City Fund: https://bit.ly/2JLKLuP
  2. Buy LIFT Gear like t-shirts, mugs, sweatshirts, mugs, etc…
    https://teespring.com/stores/lift4autism
  3. Help share the news with others!

ABOUT OUR PARTNER:

Kulture City, with its emphasis on acceptance, accessibility and inclusion, is innovating service to the autism community. In addition to partnering with the NBA and other organizations to make stadiums sensory-friendly, they provide much-needed safety resources through their lifeBOKS program and equip autists with tablets to bridge communication gaps and open new opportunities for learning through their tablet: KULTURE program. We are so very honored to stand with Kulture City in their compassion and ingenuity.

Thank you all for helping us each and every year! Together, we LIFT for autism, and together we are mighty! XOXO

I’m going back to the start…

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Let’s all take a moment to hear the Coldplay song my headline quotes in our heads. (If you don’t know the song I reference, it’s The Scientist…and that song has the power to make you cry, I tell you!)

Those words just felt fitting for this post. It’s release-eve…though by the time most of you read this post, The Hail Mary will be live and out in the world. This book…it was the end of a journey for me. I’ve been thinking about what to write here, for my regular-irregular blog post…and the thing that just kept sticking in my mind is the fact that this trilogy was a duet for so long. I keep asking myself why?

I know…I know…a lot of you have been asking me that for about five years. Six? Damn…shoot, yeah…six years. I know…I know…it always was meant to be a trilogy. I think I probably knew that deep down. But these characters, more than any I’ve ever written, are family. My bones are their bones, my insecurities are Nolan’s, my bravado is Reed’s, and the wisdom of my family members is in Buck. This series is my home. It’s rooted here, quite literally. And the truth of the matter is I never wanted to do anything to these books – the first two…Waiting on the Sidelines and Going Long – that would make them less than what they were.

Waiting was my first, and it will always be my precious baby. It’s the book I always wanted to write, and every time a girl like me finds it and identifies with it, my heart beats a little harder. Going Long was the ride. That book was fueled by joy and a new-found confidence that yes…I could do this. But their story–the story of the girl with a boy’s name and the screwed up, competitive, little jerk that she loved and forgave maybe more than she should–yeah…it wasn’t over. You guys were right. They needed their sunset.

I’ve said this a few times in posts and in various places, but this book – The Hail Mary – is the most satisfying cherry on top I could have ever written. I’m never this certain at the finish. I’m never this bold or confident at release. But I know that if you’ve loved the ride, you’re going to love this trip back home. The Hail Mary is for you. Turns out…it was for me, too.

It’s perfect.

I hope you all enjoy!

XOXO

Ginger