The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you know, the more places you'll go.  - Dr. Seuss 

Hiya!  Me again. *waves*  

What was you favorite book growing up?  

I have and will always be a Dr. Seuss fan.  But who isn't, right?  I also loved Where the Wild Things Are, Charlotte's Web (even though it makes me cry just thinking about it), The Giving Tree, Goodnight Moon, Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?, I could list them all day.

I was a late bloomer when it came to reading (just ask my mom), Hooked on Phonics was NOT my friend.  To this day if you ask me to read aloud in a room full of people it makes my heart race as I think back to the days of counting the paragraphs ahead to mine so I could practice reading it to myself before it was my turn - don't act like you didn't do that too. ;)

Even with those struggles reading was a huge part of my childhood. It shaped me, taught me about using my imagination, how to grow, how to love, how to make friends, how to give...it made me who I am today. I fell in and out of love with reading as I was growing up, sometimes other activities won out over reading.  But I've always come back to books in the end.

A friend of mine (shout out Jemi) was kind enough to let me know of a teacher from my hometown and her need for children's books for her first grade classroom.  Her school was one of the two that was destroyed by the May 20th tornado in Moore.  She was even interviewed by Anderson Cooper for a segment on CNN, yes THE silver fox Mr. Anderson Cooper.

Anyway...this got me thinking.  I can't imagine not having books for those children that have already been through so much in their short lives.  They survived such a devastating disaster and they deserve something as simple yet important as books in their classroom when they get back next year.

I reached out to fellow authors and book lovers about this need and was not surprised that I immediately got responses from some that wanted to donate to this cause.  So I decided to put it out to the masses because I know how much reading means to so many of us.

I started a GoFundMe account to raise monetary donations.  I can personally promise you that 100% of those funds will be put to this cause (minus the fees from GoFundMe).  So click here to visit my GoFundMe page.

I encourage monetary donations so that the books can be hand picked by the teacher themselves.  However, I will not turn away even one book.  So if you have books that you would like to donate get in touch with me and we can arrange that.  Just shoot me an message from my contact me page.

If you'd like to see this amazing teacher that inspired this fundraiser for childrens books...well here's her interview from CNN.  

God Bless...

My home state of Oklahoma has definitely seen its share of severe weather recently.  On May 20th after two days of watching this state that I love and its residents be beaten and battered I was at a loss for what I could do to help.  My family had already donated food, water, and other essentials but I longed to help in other ways.  That's when I decided to ask you, my friends and readers, to help assist me in this endeavor.  I have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support I have seen for my efforts as well as others.

My novel Haven from the Storm centers around the fictional town of Kolby, Oklahoma.  The story begins with the town being devastated by a tornado with numerous lives lost.  The rest of the story is shown through several different characters points of view and how they deal with the emotional toll of such devastation.

On May 20th I pledged to donate 100% of the proceeds from the sale of Haven from the Storm to Oklahoma Tornado Relief.  I created a few images detailing my pledge and posted about it on my blog and was blessed to see it spread like wild fire.

Others in the book community stepped up and offered their support as well.  The lovely ladies at Beauty, Brains, and Books announced the following day that they would match my donation up to $300.  The team at Literati Literature Lovers organized a fundraiser (Acts of Kindness) with the hope of raising upwards of $2,500 with the assistance of numerous authors.  Other authors and bloggers pulled together to raise money and support relief efforts: Ana's Attic Book Blog, Casey Quinn, Amy Cox, Kristie Cook (see info here).  I know there were more that I am forgetting to mention that stepped up in the name of love and support for my great state.  

On May 19th numerous tornadoes ripped through central Oklahoma.  In Edmond at least twelve homes were destroyed.  In Carney a hospital was damaged as well as forty additional homes that were damaged or completely destroyed.  The town of Prague also had several homes receive damage.  A tornado left a path of destruction for over twenty miles from Lake Thunderbird near Norman all the way to Shawnee, claiming two victims with several injured severely.

On May 20th, there were a reported fourteen tornadoes that touched down in Oklahoma with some causing deadly damage and destruction.  Mostly notably was an EF5 that took a seventeen mile course from Newcastle to Moore over thirty-nine minutes and at it's peak was 1.3 miles wide.  This path was very similar to the tornado from May 3, 1999.  Even though I've lived in Oklahoma my entire life and seen all the severe weather that mother nature can throw at us, while writing Haven from the Storm I still researched tornadoes and their destruction, and this was the tornado I focused on because of the sheer magnitude of power and destruction behind it.  That deadly tornado in 1999 claimed 36 lives.

This time in Moore there were a total of 24 deaths and over 377 injuries sustained during this storm.  Approximately 12,000 homes were damaged or destroyed with over 33,000 residents affected.  Two public schools were hit, Briarwood Elementary School and Plaza Towers Elementary School.  When the tornado struck Plaza Towers there were seventy-five staff and students still present, nine fatalities were reported from the school.  Moore Medical Center was heavily damaged but no injuries were sustained as staff were able to relocate all thirty patients to nearby facilities.

Over 100 were pulled from the rubble alive.

Last night (May 31) while preparing parts of this post another deadly storm system moved through central Oklahoma.  A reported five tornadoes touched down claiming nine victims and injuring at least seventy-five.  This storm also caused life-threatening flooding in many parts of Oklahoma.

Thanks to your support  and helping me spread the word, I am please to announce that the proceeds from Haven from the Storm that I will be able to donate are just over $800.  That does not include any matching funds that have been pledged by other entities.  Half came from the sale of the ebook on Amazon.com and the other half came from the sale of paperbacks, most signed and purchased from the two events I was able to visit this month in my hometown of Hobart, OK.  

That is above and beyond what I ever imagined I would be able to donate, and I could have never done it without your support and encouragement.

The donations will be split equally between The American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

I can't thank you enough for your generosity, it truly means the world to me.  Additional donations are always needed if you can spare, but prayers are very much appreciated as well.  Lives were lost during each of these storms this month.  The families and loved ones of each victim needs your support and prayers during this time.  And let us not forget those that were injured and those that have lost everything.  Although worldy possessions can be regained it still takes a heavy toll.

So please take a minute and remember these individuals in your prayers everyday.

May God Bless you...