Category: Paying Forward

Opening for Paying Forward Sponsors

Bet you thought I’d bore you with The Vanished Knight updates. Nope. Despite the fact that I’m now published, I’m still me. And I really really hate people pushing their books down my throat the whole time. So, being the fair-minded sort, I thought I’d not do it to my beloved blogging friends.

Instead, I just want to ask, that if you haven’t yet, you please find it in your heart to go to this post and let me visit your blog sometime between now and the end of January. Thanks to everyone who has offered to help already!

Also, I want to let you know that I’m talking about The Vanished Knight‘s cover on the lovely Ashley Nixon’s blog today. If you’ve been wondering what it’s about, and why my pseudonym is what it is, heading over is a great idea! ALSO! It’s the first blog that’ll show my new, shiny new blurb. Oooh!

But don’t go yet! I have something else important to ask. I’m bringing the Paying Forward Awards back. Last month was a bit of a mad rush with visitors and then editing and publishing, but at least now, I feel I should do the Paying Forward awards again.

For those of you who don’t know what the PFA’s are: I regularly ask people to sponsor prizes. These prizes can be anything you think would be appreciated by other bloggers in our community. Once I have the prizes, I open up nominations for people who deserve or need to have their days made. And then, if there are more nominees than prizes, we vote for the winners.

But as you can see, I can’t do it alone (although I always offer a prize). I need your help. Any prizes from crits to books to banners to survival kits to amazon vouchers are welcome. So please. If it’s at all within your ability to offer something, do. We really can make some people’s day a little brighter this way.

How to do it? Easy. You can either let me know in the comments, but please please please add your e-mail address. I need to be able to reach you. Alternatively, you can mail me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com with “Paying Forward” as the subject.

Thanks in advance to all you awesome people!

Paying Forward Awards: The Winners

Sorry for the delay in posting this. Things have been going hectic for the past week or so, with me mainly being nowhere near an internet connection.

Anyway, I think it’s time for me to announce the generous souls who’ve volunteered prizes as well as the winners. Because the nominations exactly matched the number of prizes, there won’t be a vote this time. 
First off, thanks to the following sponsors!

E-Copy of one of his books
Another Legendary Hawaiian Care Package (US Shipping Only)
A Writer’s Survival Kit (US Shipping only)
Signed copy of Giving Up the Ghost (US Shipping only)
30 page/3 chapter critique
E-copies of her whole 13th Floor series
Signed copy of Flank or Genre Shotgun

An e-copy of Christine’s Odyssey or Retribution

Me: 
A $10 Amazon voucher. 
And now, the Inspiring Bloggers: 

If you’re one of the winners, please contact me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com to claim your prize. 
Thanks to all of you who make the Paying Forward Awards possible! 

Paying Forward Awards: Nominations are Open

Hey all, it’s that time again. I have eight prizes available for some wonderful people. However, I’m realizing that giving them away in single categories at a time makes for even counting, I’m going to keep going that.

So. This month’s category is:

Inspiring People

Who inspires you? Who makes you want to do better? Who makes you think that you can achieve those goals you have?

Let me know by e-mail. I won’t accept nominations in the comments, since I like that they’re anonymous.

Please make “Nomination” the subject and include their blog address and/or their contact details. My address is mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com.

If we have enough nominees, you the readers get to vote for the winners next Monday. If not, I’ll announce who wins.

Thanks again, to everyone who supports my efforts to make someone’s day!

Want to Sponsor Another Paying Forward Awards?

Hi all! Yep, it’s that time again. I want to make some more people’s day, but I can’t do it alone.

I need your help.

But before we get to that, let me just explain to those of you who’ve missed the Awards the previous times.

Basically, it works like this. Every month, I open up for sponsorships. usually, sponsors ask for nothing in return, but I’m more than willing to trade guest post spots or interviews for your goodies. The prizes you sponsor can be anything. I usually give away vouchers, but anything from query crits to e-copies of books, to care packages – you name it, I’ve given it away – are welcomed.

All you need to do is think about what you have, that someone else might need or want.

Nothing is too big or two small.

I’ll be closing this round of collections on 18 August. On the 19th, I’ll open nominations in a variety of categories. On 26 August, I’ll open up voting. Winners will be contacted around September 3 and they get to pick the prizes they want. It really does bring a ray of sunshine to people’s lives, so please please please think about volunteering a prize.

Since people seem to insist on commenting, I’ll open the comments up as well. Leave a comment to this blog stating what you’d like to sponsor as well as your e-mail address. Otherwise, please mail me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com with “Paying Forward” as the subject.

Easy as that! Thanks in advance! You generous souls are truly amazing.

Paying Forward Winners

Finally, I’m finally able to announce the winners to the Paying Forward Awards.

First, I’m going to name the ones who’ve claimed their prizes already, and then the ones who haven’t. Please do me a favor and hassle them into contacting me. (My e-mail address is mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com.)

So… the winners who’ve claimed are (in no particular order): 
And the ones you need to go hassle: 
Thanks all for your support! I’ll make a new announcement soon. 
In the meantime, it’s time for me to get started on some rewrites…
OOOH! Before I go. If you’re here to add your crazy writing goal to our slowly growing list, either check out yesterday’s post, or the Do You Have a Goal page at the top. 
Have a great weekend!

Paying Forward Awards

Hey all! Sorry for being so late with this! My life went nuts this past week. But finally, I get to make an announcement about June’s Paying Forward Awards.

So here goes:

I’ve received over 20 nominations, but some were repeats, which means that I ended up having 19 nominees. Because of the wonderful reasons you who nominated gave, I’m adding voucher prizes to the list I already have so that we automatically have 19 winners!

So thanks again to everyone who nominated.

And a very very special thanks to the following amazing people who volunteered prizes:

First Chapter Critique
First Chapter Critique
Paper Copies of  M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine l’Engle, The Return of the Indian by Lynne Reid Banks and This and That by Emily Carr. (US Residents Only) 

E-Copies of his Moonsongs Trilogy



E-Copy of one of her books or a three chapter critique


A Hawaiian care package. (US Residents only)

First Chapter Critique

Three chapter/30 page critique


And then I’ll be adding two one (one has been claimed) $10 and two one $5 Amazon vouchers to be making a total of 19 prizes. 

That’s it from me. I’ll be contacting the nominees with instructions, but would you all like to know who they are? 

Paying Forward Nominations closed

Hey all! Just want to let you know that I’m closing nominations to the Paying Forward Awards.

I was going to make an announcement with regards to this today, but I’m way behind on my writing, which means that I can’t do the announcement as properly as I’d like.

I WILL do it tomorrow, though.

See you then!

Paying Forward Awards: Extension of Nominations

Hi All!

Sorry for the last minute change in plans.

I’ve received many wonderful Paying Forward Awards nominations this past week, but I still don’t have enough to give out all the prizes. So, please please please send in more nominations.

Who deserves having their day made?

Please send in names, with their blog-links and a short motivation to mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com. The subject needs to be “nomination” or I won’t be able to find it again.

Thanks in advance!

And before I leave, just want to say Happy Canada day to all our Canadian friends.

Paying Forward Awards: Nominations are Open

Hey all! Welcome to June’s Paying Forward Awards!

For those of you unfamiliar with how Paying Forward Works, let me quickly explain.

Every month, I ask for people to volunteer prizes. Then, I ask for nominations from you, my awesome readers.

After that, you get to vote for those you think deserves to be awarded.

Those who win, get the prizes.

Easy peasy.

Since it’s vacation for most of you, I’m making it even easier.

I’m announcing ONE category for June. Please send your nominations to my e-mail address at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com. Nominations must please include a name, link and a motivation. Why did you nominate this person?

Please make Nomination the e-mail’s subject.

Now. Without further ado, the category is:

Blogger Most Deserving of Having Their Day Made


Who do you know that needs a pick-me-up? Why? Any reason you can think of goes, but make it good, because your motivation will go up along with the nominee’s name, which might just affect votes.

Get thinking and get mailing! I have awesome prizes waiting to be announced along with the nominees.

Nominations close: 30 June 2013
Voting Open: 1 July 2013-7 July 2013
Announcement of Winners: 8 July 2013

News Day?

Seriously. Is it Thursday already?

Man… I feel terrible for just disappearing, but this week has been a tough one. And…

Well… I don’t see my workload as getting any better in the near future.

Which, of course, means that I won’t be able to do a News Day either. So. I think I’m going to let it fall away. Instead, I’ll try and post one or two interesting links whenever I find something worth sharing.

I’m really sorry to do this, but I just need to make life easier on myself somehow.

BUT! For now, the Paying Forward Awards and the Word Master Challenge will be continuing for now.

Here’s a recap, for those of you unfamiliar with these two events.

Paying Forward Awards

The Paying Forward Awards are basically a way for the blogging community to make some of its members’ day. We do this by recognizing and rewarding excellence. But I can’t do this alone. I need your help. If you have anything that you think will make someone’s day that you feel you can give as a prize, please become a sponsor. When I say anything, I mean anything. From query crits to care packages to vouchers to beta reads to e-copies of books and everything in between. Nothing will be turned away and nothing will go wasted. Also, I’m willing to reciprocate by hosting guest posts and/or interviews to promote your book or blog etc. 
If you are interested in taking part, please contact me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com with “Paying Forward” as the subject. You have until 23 June 2013 to volunteer. 
Please note: I can only take gifts offered by e-mail, as I can’t always reach everyone through the comments. 

The theme for May/June is:

Famous Adaption

Take your favorite famous book. Write a scene from it. In a totally different genre.

Bonus points if the reader can guess the original book without you telling us. More points if you can do the scene without it strictly being from the book itself, but we get the same sense from it.

Word Count: No more than 300 words.

Closing Date: 30 June 2013

Prizes: $10 Amazon Voucher or a 10 chapter critique by me or a query critique by me.

PLEASE NOTE!!! Don’t enter your link until you’ve written your entry. I want to be linked directly to your Word Master Challenge Post. NOT to your blog’s home page. Also, please make it clear that the entry is in fact for the Challenge. I don’t want to wonder about this later. Easiest way to do this is to copy/paste the badge above. Or to start the post’s title with “Word Master Challenge“. Go to this link to enter.

So yeah… that’s me for today. I’ll be having to rethink my blogging now, because I need to fit it into many many other necessary activities. Any suggestions?