Death and I shared a complicated history. During most of my seventeen years of life, it had followed me like a shadow I couldn’t outrun. Its icy fingers had closed around me more than once, but each time, I narrowly escaped. Even thinking about those encounters chilled my soul, but something always intervened. I survived. Not without more than my fair share of scares, though, and the knowledge that every second is precious.
Some sense of foreboding accompanied my dark thoughts, and apprehension haunted me as I stepped from the limo into the balmy Florida heat. The humidity caused my robin-blue gown to cling to my skeletal frame like shrink-wrap. My bald, scarred head was covered by a wig, perfectly styled and immune to the hot, sticky air.
Tall, slender palm trees swayed in the breeze as Nikki and I wove our way from the parking lot and into the hotel’s crowded lobby. Tonight would be perfect. It had to be—because tonight would be the highlight of my short life.
— excerpt from “Kiss of Death” by Lani Woodland and Melonie Piper, one story in Transcendent: Tales of the Paranormal
Much like the character in this excerpt, there are children and teenagers who live with pain every day, their bodies riddled with illness. Browsing the St Jude site, I am mesmerized by the smiling faces of the small patients. My own girls are running around the house, dancing and laughing. I can’t imagine watching my child go through something like this. I don’t WANT to imagine it. But for some parents, that is not an option.
If there is one thing I want as a writer and publisher, it is the opportunity to be generous. With February being the month of love, Robot Playground Inc will donate 50% net profits (minimum $30) from February sales to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The benefit on the lives of others:
• $30 can help provide a St. Jude family with meals for one day.
• $100 can help provide one pair of pediatric crutches.
• $140 can help provide two platelet count tests.
• $500 can help provide two transfusion units of red blood cells.
• $1,000 can help provide two days of oxygen.
• $1,500 can help provide a day of chemotherapy.
• $4,000 can help provide a day of outpatient care.
These sales can be eBook or paperback, from Amazon or B&N. Purchase for yourself or as a gift. The more you buy, the more we can give.
Purchase Information:
Paperback: $10.99
Kindle: $2.99
Nook: $2.99
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I think this is awesome. It would be to have a twitter button or something we can just click to help spread that word. But I will post it on facebook. thanks
ReplyDeleteGood thought about the Tweet button, so I added one. Thanks for sharing this on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteJust bought the book & really looking forward to reading it! What a wonderful thing you're doing! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteJust bought it. Glad you're helping out St Jude. In the fifth grade my best friend died there, but the doctors and nurses did all they could. Still remember the phone call. Now I have 2 daughters, 6&8 years old. Scares me a lot to think about it happening to them. I support St Judes all I can. I never want to see a family go through what my friend and his family had to...
ReplyDeleteWill