#KidlitForAleppo Final Stats

I was feeling pretty powerless when I emailed my friend, Dana Levy, last week. I kept reading stories about Aleppo and feeling so very much like I wanted to do *something* to help, but at same time, I kept wondering, what can one person really do in the face of tragedy that large?

After some rapid-fire emails back and forth and some even more rapid-fire postings in kidlit spheres around the interwebs, #KidlitForAleppo was a go. Dana explains it all so much more eloquently than I ever could in this post. (Side note: Do you see why I'm friends with her?)

Since then, we've been blown away by the response from this community. We never expected it to grow into anything so large, and it's a testament to how open hearted and passionate all of you are. The final stats for #KidlitForAleppo are:

100+ authors/editors/agents/kidlit people
150+ donations
$4000+ raised for The White Helmets, Doctors Without Borders, International Rescue Committee, and other organizations doing work on the ground in Aleppo.

IN TWO DAYS. It's unbelievable, and I know I haven't even captured all the numbers, and they're probably much larger.

A huge thank you to everyone who offered prizes, donated funds, or took the time to signal boost. Thank you for pushing through that feeling of powerlessness and Doing Something. I can't tell you how grateful Dana and I are. You are all amazing human beings, and we are so proud to be a part of this community.

I'm going to end with Dana's words because I like them so much.

The whole “light a candle instead of cursing the darkness thing” — it can feel pointless. After all, one candle doesn’t feel like much. But when everyone lights a candle…

Well. The light gets brighter, that’s all.

I think the light just got a whole lot brighter.

Ten Characters I'd Name My Car After

Top Ten Tuesday - a meme from The Broke and the Bookish

This weeks topic is: Ten Characters I'd Name A Child/Dog/Cat/Car/Etc. After

I've had my car for a year now, and it still doesn't have a name. So, when I saw that this week's Top Ten Tuesday was YA characters I'd name my [something] after, I was like, yep. We're doing this. The contenders are below. And here's a photo of my car just so you can get a feel for her personality.

1. Mary Carlson: I just read GEORGIA PEACHES and adored it, and I'm not going to stop talking about it ever. Mary Carlson is the greatest, and her mix of sporty and feminine totally suits my car.

2. Prim: I don't know that my car is really a "Prim", but doesn't it just sound so dang cute?

3. Bellatrix: Because my car is badass. And she might have an evil streak. And Bellatrix is a really cool name.

4. Blue: Okay, so maybe this one is a little too obvious seeing how my car is, in fact, blue, but whatever, SIMON AND BLUE FOREVER!!!

5. Renesme: I kid!

6. Cricket: Cricket Bell is my favorite book boyfriend. And bonus: Cricket is a funny play on my car being a "bug". 

7. Neek-neek: If you know what this is from, you win all the things.

8. Flare: The invisible cheetah from THE MISADVENTURES OF THE FAMILY FLETCHER and just a great name all around.

9. Kestrel: BAMF.

10. If there's something better I haven't thought of, you let me know!