New York Times & USA
Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak is a three-time Rita nominee. Her books
have won many awards, including the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s
Best, the Book Buyer’s Best, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne and many others. Brenda
joins us today to talk about a topic near and dear to her—her annual online
auction to raise funds for diabetes research. Learn more about Brenda, her
books, and the auction at her website.
Cilene Dion concert and meet & greet |
How would you like to
attend a Cilene Dion concert and meet the singer? Spend seven nights in Hawaii?
Become a character in a John Lescroart novel? Have author Hank Phillippi Ryan
attend your book club? Become the owner of a Kindle Fire HDX filled with six
Sandra Brown novels? All these and more can be yours if you participate in
author Brenda Novak’s annual online auction for diabetes research at http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com from May 1 - May
31st.
Brenda started the auction
ten years ago, as a way to fight back after her youngest son was diagnosed, at
five, with Type 1 Diabetes. Since then, she’s become acutely aware of the need
for more research, and the funding that makes it possible.
Thad and Brenda |
Brenda stops by today to
tell us:
Ten things I
love about my annual online auction for diabetes research:
1.
It reminds me
that people are GOOD. More than good—AMAZING! Every year, I approach over 1000
donors and ask them to once again contribute a good or service to be auctioned
off for the benefit of those suffering with diabetes. And the response is
almost always an overwhelming yes, with fellow writers and industry
professionals leading the pack in generosity. Touches my heart every year.
2.
I love, love,
love getting the positive feedback when an aspiring writer gets an agent, sells
a book or finds great value in published author’s mentorship or critique. Or
when someone enjoys one of the trips—or another item they’ve won. It makes me
feel good to know the auction is a win/win.
7 nights in Hawaii donated by author Cindy Sample |
3.
Watching and
charting the numbers. My family wants to kill me every year because I’m
absolutely ADDICTED. I check and check and check—and pray and pray and pray
that our totals go up.
4.
I love
knowing that Author Lauren Hawkeye’s son, Ben, and that my son, Thad, probably
won’t have to cope with diabetes longer than another 5-10 years because of the
fabulous research we are funding.
Book club visit from Hank Phillippi Ryan |
5.
I love so
many of the cool items—like the Celine Dion tickets/meet-and-greet, the Kindles
and Nooks, the promotion packages for authors, the cool jewelry, the handmade
chocolates, the designer handbags, the themed baskets and the agent/editor
evaluations.
6.
I love my
auction team—my assistant, Anna and the four auction volunteers who have been
so loyal and devoted this year, which include Danita, Stephanie, Debbie and
Janice. These people have been instrumental in the auction’s success. I enjoy
our planning sessions and getting to spend time with these wonderful people.
Kindle Fire HDX w/6 Sandra Brown novels |
7.
I love
talking to the press and trying to get the word out. It’s certainly given me a
lot of experience with handling interviews!
8.
I love that
the auction runs every May because it’s a celebration of Mother’s Day and my
birthday, which are usually only a few days apart. After ten years, May would
not be the same to me without the auction.
Your name in a John Lescroart novel |
9.
I love that
my kids and other members of my family (like my sister, Tonya) do what they can
to support me by making things they can donate. My husband and children pick up
part of the household load so that I can focus on the auction.
10. I love that my dream has
come true. When I first started the auction, I imagined what it would be like
to raise $1 million. It’s all I could think about. Now we’ve raised over $2
million and are shooting for $2.5!
If you would like to be part of this fun
event, please join me! All you have to do is register at http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com and the information you
need is right there (or feel free to email me with any questions via the
contact button on my website.)
1 comment:
I look forward to this auction every year! It helps support such a great cause, and there are so many awesome things to bid on. I went though and made my watch list yesterday, and it ended up being pretty long! :)
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