The Kindness of Strangers

Although, they aren't really strangers.

We are Facebook friends and sister authors and they have both joined forces with me and 3 Grunts Productions.

As you know, we are in the middle of a fundraising campaign to complete the post-production of and promote our short film, "Survived by..." We started being shot out of a cannon by almost immediately reaching 20% of our goal. Then the excitement seemed to fade away and now we need to ratchet it up once more.

You can check out our progress here:

http://www.indiegogo.com/Survived-By?a=32591&i=addr

Two authors, Baxter Clare Trautman and Lynette Mae, have generously offered to support our cause by raising funds for us.

For the month of August, all proceeds of The River Within will be donated to our IndieGoGo film fund. For those of you who may not know, this is a magnanimous offer as lesbian authors who self-publish or publish through small independent publishing houses (like me) do not make a lot in royalties. Profit for us from sales does not mean that we can live a lavish lifestyle or even build a retirement fund. It means, for most of us that we may have a little extra to pay a bill, car insurance, internet fee or put extra food in our cupboards, for example. For those of us who don't live paycheck-to-paycheck or month-to-month, it may mean we have a little extra to take our patient, supportive significant others out to a grateful, rewarding dinner. For an author to make the decision to donate her profits to us instead, is a gift that should not be under-appreciated.

So we were thrilled when Baxter Clare Trautman contacted us and said she wanted to do that because that's how much she believed in our film.

You can find out more about her and her offer here:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/56653

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-river-withi...

http://amzn.to/oDHgQo

The River Within, from Lambda Literary Award nominee, Baxter Clare Trautman, follows three women whose bonds are strained, reforged, and ultimately strengthened as they struggle to choose between the lives they think they should have and the lives they want.

For thirty years Foreign Correspondent Greer Madison has competed brilliantly in a man’s world. But the hardships of a life spent reporting from war zones are catching up to her. In a foolish attempt to impress a young colleague, Greer involves them both in a deadly accident, that only she knows the truth about.

Returning stateside, she recuperates at the home of her best friend, Darlene Richardson. For the first time in the course of their thirty-year friendship Darlene is reluctant to accommodate Greer, for Darlene suddenly has secrets of her own.

Kate, Darlene’s spontaneous, willful daughter is desperate to bring her struggling family together after the death of her brother, Chris. Vowing to settle down and be a “good daughter” Kate becomes engaged to a man she doesn’t love.

While Darlene retreats into her secrets, Kate and Greer find unexpected pleasure in each other’s company. Restless evenings in the Richardson’s guest house foster a deepening intimacy between the two women, culminating with each having to admit the secret they would rather hide. The aftermath of their painful revelations force Darlene’s own confession and with all secrets bared, each woman must choose whether to stay on the safety of the known shore, or dive into the uncharted but healing waters of The River Within.

Sounds good, doesn't it? It is excellent. Buy it and support us both!

Lynette Mae contacted me the day after Baxter Clare Trautman and also made a generous offer. She will be doing a book signing event on August 14, 2011 at 1400 hours (2 PM for all you civilians out there), at Cork and Olive in Brandon, FL (just east of Tampa).

If you are anywhere near that area on that day, stop by and buy a personally autographed copy of Lynette's book, meet her and see just what she has in store for supporting our IndieGoGo project, "Survived by..."

Faithful Service, Silent Hearts is the story of Devon James, a bright young military officer, dedicated to serving her country. She soon learns that finding love under any circumstances is difficult, but when your love is forbidden by military regulations and a relentless zealot pursues you, it can seem impossible. Following an investigation that destroyed her first lover’s career and their relationship, Devon hopes her new assignment will allow her a fresh start.

She is reunited with an old college friend, and together, they form an impressive intelligence team and red-hot couple. When their assignments take them to the war-torn Middle East in the early days of terrorists targeting Americans, then things really get interesting. She returns home a decorated veteran struggling to put the horrors of combat behind her. Devon soon discovers that the battle for her own integrity and faithful service has only begun.

Another excellent story! You can find out more about Lynette here:

http://lynettemae.com/?p=21

I will make a more detailed announcement about Lynette Mae's offer tomorrow.

Brenda and I cannot express enough gratitude to these two women who have put our cause in the forefront of their own writing careers. They both want people to know that's how much the message of this film means to them.

Thank you once again, ladies!

Again, as a reminder, any donation to this project through IndieGoGo/Fractured Atlas is tax deductible.