Last year I participated in the Clarion West write-a-thon and made it my goal to finish the first draft of Kat by Moonlight. So it feels like wonderful synchronicity that Kat by Moonlight is going to be shopped around by my wonderful agent (who's back on livejournal, hurray!) at the same time as this year's Clarion West write-a-thon begins...and this year, my major goal is to finish the first draft of Kat by Starlight. The write-a-thon officially lasts from June 22nd to August 1st, and I'm going to try to finish KbS and also revise two of the nearly-ready short stories that have been sitting in limbo on my laptop for far too long.

Going to Clarion West was by far the best decision I've ever made for my writing career. In just six weeks, I saw my writing take a huge leap forward, and I learned how to critique manuscripts - not just other people's, but my own as well. Even more than that, it made me part of a larger writing community, something I'd desperately needed but had never found until then. I would never have been able to attend if it weren't for the generous scholarship Clarion West gave me, based on my financial circumstances at the time - so I'm thrilled to be able to participate in the write-a-thon, to raise money for more scholarships for other writers who want & need that opportunity but can't afford it on their own.

You can check out my write-a-thon page here, and if you're willing to sponsor my write-a-thon goals this summer, even if it's just by donating a single dollar, or 5 dollars, in support, you can donate through the paypal button on that page. I'd like to offer something back to anyone who sponsors me, but I haven't figured out what people might actually like. A copy of one of the revised short stories, maybe? Any other ideas? If there's anything that people would particularly like, just let me know. I can't offer to write anything new right now - I'm going to be working hard to make the KbS and story-revision goals by August 1st, and the baby is due in October - but I'm happy to send sponsors electronic copies of stories I had published in print magazines that are now unavailable (you can check out my bibliography to choose a story), or else electronic copies of new stories that haven't even been submitted to magazines yet. If you donate anything - no matter how large or small the amount - through the paypal button on my write-a-thon page, just let me know that you've sponsored me, and what you'd like in exchange, and I'll be happy to supply it. I really believe in the cause the write-a-thon is fundraising for, and I want to do anything I can to support it.

Wish me luck meeting those goals!