Following Up on Nicki Kenyon

About 2 weeks ago I posted that fellow gunnie Nicki Kenyon needed financial assistance to help her evict two squatters (one of them a convicted child molester) from her house.  I am pleased to report that, as of this writing, Nicki is over halfway to her goal.

Nicki is all out of bubblegum. 

In order to sweeten the pot, my brother-from-another-mother Oleg Volk has announced that between May 18 and June 1, the highest contributor will get a poster print of their choice. All you need to is:

1. Donate to the fundraiser. 
2. Email Oleg with your amount and date of donation. 
3. Indicate which photo you wish to have posterized. 

As I mentioned in my previous post, any money which Nicki does not need for legal fees or other expenses (I have a feeling the squatters are going to trash the place before they're evicted) will be donated to a charity for homeless veterans. So no matter what happens, you know it will be used for a good cause! 

Gunnies Helping Gunnies: Nicki Kenyon

Nicki Kenyon is the dynamite gal who blogs at The Liberty Zone and contributes the Foreign Policy for Grownups segment on the Gun Blog Variety Cast.  If you've read the one, you know that she's incredibly sharp-witted (in both senses of the word -- she's so inventive with her invective that she's managed to make me blush on occasion), and if you've listened to the other, you know that she's incredibly smart and on-point. She's also managed to raise a daughter who has since become a Marine, and in her copious amounts of free time (when she's not working two jobs) she also rescues Saint Bernard dogs.

Basically, I'm proud to call Nicki a friend, and I want to be exactly like her when I grow up.

The thing is, though, she's been the victim of exceptionally crappy luck as of late, and so she needs our help. I encourage you to read about it in her own words...

• The Virginia “Justice” System
• On Losing Hope
• On Theft

... but here's the TL;DR version:  Nicki has a house that she's trying to sell, but the people who were renting it from her have 1) Stopped paying rent, 2) are actively sabotaging her attempts to sell it, and 3) have lied in court in order to keep staying there (without paying rent) until a trial can, hopefully, force them out. 

Oh, and most importantly, the husband is a convicted child molester (which Nicki didn't know at the time she let them rent, obviously). 

So now Nicki has to raise funds in order to retain a lawyer so that she can force the squatters out, all while continuing to pay a mortgage on a house she can't sell until this is over. Since she clearly needs financial assistance, a friend started a GoFundMe fundraiser on her behalf. 

Here is what's in it for you to contribute:

• The satisfaction of helping a sister gunnie, an Army veteran, and strong pro-gun voice on the internet. That's both "voting your politics" and good karma all at once. 
• The good clean fun of kicking thieving, child-molesting scum square in the nuts. Who knows, if Nicki wins the trial decisively he might even go back to jail for fraud and perjury. 
• The knowledge that if she gets more money than she needs. she will donate the excess money to charity for homeless veterans. 
• The personal gratitude of Nicki, her husband Rob, and myself. 

But wait! There's more!

Maybe you don't want to just give money away. Maybe you want to get yourself a little something, too? Well, say no more! How would you like the chance to win a fabulous prize?  How would you like TWO chances??

 Dennis Badurina, of Dragon Leatherworks, is auctioning off these handsome 1911 holsters individually, with ALL PROCEEDS being donated to Nicki's defense fund.

What's more, these are special edition holsters!  You will notice the special "Sad Puppy" debossing done to the leather, meaning that not only will the winning bid be donated to Nicki, but you will also   make whiny SJWs cry just for bidding.

I believe the proper expression is "Shut up and take my money"?  Well, here's where you go to shove money:

• Right Holster
• Left Holster

These holsters are for 5" 1911s, and the auction ends in 6 days.  Bid now, bid often, and bid knowing that doing so pisses off all the correct people and the money goes to a great cause!

And once again, here is the GoFundMe URL.  Please contribute!

Monday Gunday, Photo Edition

So, this past week Oleg Volk was in my neck of the woods, and because he likes me for reasons I can't quite explain, he invited me to hang out with him, meet interesting people, and shoot some cool guns that aren't yet for sale.

Twist my arm, I said.

Warning: Below the jump are pictures of Kel-Tec guns which might cause jealousy.  Also below the jump are pictures of my face, which might make people uncomfortable.  You Have Been Warned. 

Catching up with the Gunnies

Let's check in with some friends and see how they're doing, eh?  Don't worry: I won't be hitting you up for any donations. 

This time.

1)  The Onstott Family

I am pleased to report that Erik and Sabra Onstott are doing about as well as can be expected, given that their daughter with Limb Wall Body Complex died 90 minutes after she born. As her parents said, "She knew nothing but love her entire life", and that's not a bad way to go.

Yeah, I'm sorry about all the dust in here. Go get a tissue, I'll wait.

Anyway, I wanted to thank you all -- give you all the largest, sincerest, most heartfelt expression of gratitude possible -- for everything you've done for this family. Thanks to YOU, and people like you, the Onstotts have had all of their solvable problems fixed as they happened since the moment they asked for help:  their van was repaired, they found a new place, and they moved into it. Sabra's medical expenses, Psalm-Angel's funeral, all of that has been taken care of; and in the wake of her birth and death, more donations came in to their YouCaring site to help cover the shortfall that came about because Erik was missing work to be with his family. Again, thanks to you, this family didn't suffer a single late bill... and all of this was during Kilted to Kick Cancer's month.

(Psalm-Angel's memorial service is on the 21st of October.) 

2) Tin Can Assassin

Mentioned at the same time as the Onstotts, I am pleased to report that things are looking good for TCA:  for the first time in four months, he was able to hug his beloved daughter.  In addition, his wife has dropped the TRO she filed against him (purely for legal leverage if you ask me), and the two of them are moving towards reconciliation. So another big THANK YOU to everyone who donated to his legal fund or otherwise helped TCA out during those harrowing four months.

3) Squeaky Wheel

She's doing pretty well these days. She continues to have issues with Lyme and its related indignities upon her body, but her quality of life is so much better since she had her hysterectomy last year.  Oh, and she has purple hair now!

4) Borepatch

Yeah, this is a recent thing:  As of yesterday morning, Borepatch had a nasty motorcycle accident where he broke a collarbone and 7 ribs, and also bruised a lung. He's doing okay, as these things go: nothing permanently damaged, he's out of the ICU, and nothing appears broken on the bike except for the windscreen.  So go over to his page and wish him a speedy recovery, willya?

In Memoriam: Psalm-Angel Onstott, 9/24/2014

Let's all take a moment out of our schedules to offer prayers and support to Sabra and Erik Onstott, whose little girl Psalm-Angel was born on Thursday and who died 90 minutes later.

This was Thursday's devotional entry, and it seems appropriate:

Erik posted on Facebook:

Been resting most of the afternoon and spending time with the baby, but...

Psalm-Angel Guadalupe lived about an hour and a half before she went home to the Lord. She got to spend time with Mama and me, as well as her sisters and brother. She knew nothing but love her whole life. It was the absolute best we could have hoped for. I'll be a grown-up and admit I was scared to watch them clean her up and dress her, but even with all the abnormalities she was still the most beautiful and perfect baby that I have ever seen. It was at that moment that I learned down to the fibers of my being what love truly is.

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for being there for us. Going to rest now...

I first wrote about the Onstotts back in June, and I've been impressed by the amount of love and support they've been given.  Thanks to you folks, they were able to get their car fixed and find an afforable place to live.

They aren't out of the woods yet, though.  Between medical bills and funeral expenses, things are awfully tight for them right now. Will you please donate some money to help them make it through the month? I have.

Gunnies Helping Gunnies -- 2 for 1 special

This is one of those posts that I don't like writing, because I hate it when members of my tribe end up in terrible situations. On the other hand, this is another opportunity for us to come together as a community and help out our brethren and sistren in their time of need.

In other words:  Yes, Erin is going to shake you down for money to help gunnies in need.

I'm a bit late in writing about this due to my own already-mentioned family medical issues, but hopefully I can help boost the signal to those who wouldn't ordinarily see it.


First off, Erik and Sabra (yes, THAT Sabra) Onstott are in a bad place right now.  Sabra is pregnant and their baby has been diagnosed with a truly awful disorder called Limb-Body Wall Complex. I'm not going to go into graphic detail, but yes, it's as horrible as you imagine it is; official medical literature describes the condition as "incompatible with life."  More information can be found in Erik's post here,  or if you really want your heart to break you can read their pregnancy blog, but the short version is that they're going to bring their child (whom they have given the gender-neutral name Psalm-Angel) to term so that, hopefully, they can hold their baby in their arms and say goodbye.

Sabra is due to deliver sometime between mid-August and September, and instead of getting ready to celebrate a birth, they're having to plan a funeral for a baby.

Is it suddenly dusty around your computer? Yeah, mine too.

But wait, it gets WORSE:  their landlord has given them 30 days notice and is kicking them out of their home, so now they have to find a new place to live by July 7.

Oh, and their car needs repairs as well. Erik has the parts, he just doesn't know how to install them so he can have a functioning car for this whole "moving and a funeral thing."

So here is how you can help:

• If you live in or near San Antonio, or have contacts there, please help the Onstotts with 
• finding a place to live,
• repairing their car,
• planning Psalm-Angel's funeral. 
• If you have the skills to help them directly (such as by being a mechanic, a real estate agent, or a funeral director), so much the better. 
• If possible, please donate at their YouCaring page. They have set a very modest goal of $3,500 (too modest, if you ask me) -- I call upon all gunnies to blow the fuck out of that total by giving at least twice that. Personally, I think we can give them an easy $10k. 
• Boost this signal wherever you can:  On your blog, on Facebook, on Twitter.  Wherever you have social media presence, you talk about their situation and you link to their YouCaring page. 
• Pray for them. I have specifically asked and, yes, non-Christian prayers are just as welcome. 
• If you would like to contact Erik directly (to help out, offer moral support, etc), you can email him at Erik dot onstott at sbcglobal dot net.

Now that I've gotten you in the spirit of giving, will you also consider helping out Tin Can Assassin as well? Fortunately no one is dying, but his wife has taken his daughter and fled to another state.

TCA needs help with legal fees, as not only does he need to fight a TRO (no doubt filed as leverage), he also needs to hire a good divorce lawyer so that his daughter isn't removed from his life.  (For more details go here; I can also corroborate the fact that if you send him an email, he will answer any questions you have.)

TCA doesn't have a GoFundMe or YouCaring page because, in his own words, "I don't want to shame my wife the way she's shamed me."  So far he's managed to raise $558 for his legal fees, and will need somewhere between an estimated $1300 and $2900 to pay the legal fees.

How you can help:

• If you have any money left over, please donate via PayPal to donovan_dion_oblsb AT yahoo DOT com, so that a wrongly accused man can get his life back in order and continue to see his daughter. 
• Prayers and well-wishes are also welcome. 

I thank you all, in advance, for all the help you're going to give to these two deserving causes. And no, you don't have to be a gunnie to help (It's not my  intention to exclude anyone!) -- I just thought that "Gunnies Helping Gunnies" was catchy. 

Monday Gunday: Erin Shoots Cool Things

During my recent sojourn to the Land of Lincoln last month (prior to roadtripping it over to Indianapolis for this year's NRA Annual Meeting), I had the privilege of going shooting with Da Tinman and Snooze Button Ronin. In addition, I got to shoot some rare and unusual firearms I hadn't gotten to see, let alone fire, before then.

I apologize in advance if this post causes feelings of envy and/or covetousness. It's not my intention to go "Neener neener, look what I got to shoot!"... but it does kinda end up sounding like that. Sorry. :/

Also, fair warning:  This post contains pictures of myself. Hateful comments about my appearance will result in you being blacklisted from this blog.

Not sure if I'm professional enough to have a business card...

... but fortunately for me, these cards are entirely UNprofessional.

You had to have known that there was going to be a pony involved. 

While the internet may be SRS BSNS, I've pretty much made a brand out of being off-kilter. I mean, I'm a queer gun-toting gothic My Little Pony fanatic, which is a pretty small subset of oddity. In short, I am weird, and I luxuriate in my weirdness.

Apparently the internet likes my weirdness. That was how I scored my first review, after all: who else but a weirdo would think to ask "Hey, why don't we give this laser sight to a novice shooter in her 70s and see how well she can install the thing?"

It worked, and now people give me things and in return I write words about them. While I don't know if people make purchasing decisions based upon my advice, I do know that my reviews are pretty darn popular, if pageviews are any indication.

So, weirdness is my stock-in-trade, and I honestly don't care how "professional" I look. I am me, and that is sufficient.

I'll be passing these out at NRACon in Indy this year (April 25-27). If you see me, I'll happily give you a pocket full of weirdness to take home.

Boosting the Signal Again

A few odds & sods to start off the week:

1. 
Remember my SHTFriday idea?  It's turned into a spin-off blog called Blue Collar Prepping. Unlike this blog, BCP is a collaborative effort among like-minded preppers (one of whom is my good friend Evelyn Hively). We currently have 3 people who have committed to being regular contributors, but I'd like at least another one; that way we can each write one article a week and have 5 full days of content (everyone deserves a weekend off). However, if we get more, all the better!  We also accept guest articles as well (guidelines here).  Head on over and have a look!


2.
Speaking of Evelyn, her project to raise $800 by the end of the month to help out her older siblings has stalled at around $470.  I encourage all of you to look at her catalog of goodies (Etsy store here, photo album of crocheted work here) and see if there's something you'd like for her to make for you.

Doctor Who scarves
1- There's a hundred dollar one made with better yarn at six feet long and a more more manageable size. (Takes 1.5 months to make)
2- A full sized at 12, very accurate reproduction of season 12 is available (it's $425 but that covers everything, takes 3 months to make.)

Shawls
1- I have mutiple patterns for these and currently have black and turqoise available as color choices. These are $50.00 and take roughly 2-4 weeks to make.

Bags
Take your pick of small hand bags, neck purses, messenger bags and tote bags.

Dolls
I can do a very broad range of hair colors, skin colors and dress colors. These are $35.

Traditional hats and scarves:
Any color or combinations.

Crocheted jackets, afghans, etc.

3.
Squeaky is having financial problems again.  I'm at my wit's end about what to do, as I know folks are all fundraisered-out from last year, recovering from Christmas bills, a recession going on, etc. I don't know how to help her and this is freaking me out. If anyone can think of ANYTHING that would help, please let me know, okay?

On a related note, if there is anyone in the Memphis area who is willing to donate 10 square feet of storage for little to no rent, OR is willing to donate a yard shed of roughly that volume, please let me know immediately!  This is quite important.


Don't make me break out the gif of Pinkie Pie giving sad puppy-dog eyes, because you all should know by now that I am totally willing to fight dirty when it comes to helping my friends.  ;)

I have been Batman'd

So yesterday, the Queen of Snark paid me one of the nicest compliments I've ever received.

I was talking about how I wished I had the courage to do a photo shoot with Oleg, because I have this idea for a poster that would have an incredibly powerful message -- but I'm hesitant to do it because I know it will draw a lot of flack, and I don't know if I can handle all the hate and mockery that would result from it.

And then she laid this on me:

1/16, 7:06pm

Tamara Keel
Fuck 'em. They ain't nobody, and you're Erin goddam Palette.

WOW.

I realize I sound like I'm bragging here ("Look, everyone! Look what Tam has to say about me!"), but my only reason for bringing this up is honestly because I want to thank her in as public a way possible for making me feel so very good about myself and giving me what is one of the best compliments I've received in a long time, right when I needed one.

For context, here is why I call this "Batmanning":

So now you know why I'm so flattered. Thank you, Tam. You really don't know how much this means to me. I really don't get what people see in me (and no, that is NOT fishing for flattery, so please don't), but I am delighted every time people that I like and respect tell me I have good qualities and that I should be proud of who I am and what I have done.

So thank you. Not just Tam, but everyone who has stood beside me, everyone who has boosted my ego, and everyone who calls me friend. Thank you all so very, very much.

Boosting the Signal

I'm echoing a post from Evelyn Hively, the lovely lady who donated the Jayne hats for my Squeak or Treat raffle, as she has some family members who are in financial trouble and she's trying to raise money by selling pre-orders of her stuff:

Okay folks so I got handed a challenge by the Universe in the form of my big brother and big sister. They fell on hard times recently, complete with a job loss and the need to pay for their storage unit (which has a large chunk probably 80% of their belongings) by Febraury 1st. I am going to try to come with 800 by the 28th of this month in order to get it to them by 31st hopefully.

Here's what I'm doing as part of what will be hopefully a mutiple pronged attack.

I am offering Dr. Who Scarves (there's a 100 dollar version and a 425 version which is a very accurate one, as per several hours of research), they are both full sized but take 2.5 months to make. I am offering Ma Cobb hats (these are usually 30), Tardis themed hats (30), dolls, shawls, bags, afghans, normal scarves, baby gift sets, custom coats etc.

This is not a donation, but a loan that I am paying you back with knit and crocheted goods as fast as I can make them. There's two ways to get ahold of me:

1) On Facebook I am Jade Rose Zen.
2) Etsy located here.

I can whip up a custom order listing in under a few minutes. Please and thank you.

Please consider buying something from her, she's really quite talented.

Well Done, Flying Monkey Legion

A big THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to my last minutes "Make a Christmas Miracle Happen" post. Thanks to you, my generous and kind readers  (whom I have affectionately named my Flying Monkeys), we were able to help out three cash-strapped single moms by helping them buy presents for their children along with Christmas dinner for all!  In addition we helped a gent pay his rent for the month, so that he and his dog weren't evicted in the middle of winter.

You're all wonderful and I'd like to give each of you a hug for making these miracles possible.

I seem to have a gift for getting people to donate money. I take that as a huge compliment, because you are effectively saying "We trust your judgement that these people need help, and we trust you to get this money to them."  That might not seem like much to you guys, but that's a huge deal for me, so thank you very much for the trust you've placed in me.

I don't know how it could be done, but I would love to be able to administer/maintain a small cash reserve (say, $1000 or so) that could be held in reserve and donated to good folks who need it. It would really make me feel like I was accomplishing something with my life if I could solve some of life's small crises for decent folks by just saying "Here, some cash ought to fix that for you," and BAM! Problem solved like a bullseye.

If anyone has experience with this sort of thing, please let me know.

Two quick updates

1.  My shooting range, which was supposed to reopen "sometime mid-November," is now saying "We hope to reopen Tuesday Nov. 26."  Kindly note the use of the word "hope".  Call me a fuddy-duddy, but I firmly believe that hope has no place in any kind of logistical planning:  If you have to resort to "hoping" you will open at such-and-such a date, clearly you're being run by incompetents. Either get it done on time, or admit that you have no clue and just leave it open-ended by saying "It gets done when it gets done."  Continually pushing back the date does not fill me with confidence.

As an aside, who wants to bet that this will be done before Christmas?  I've got even money that it won't be finished before the first of the year.


2.  All the raffle winners have been matched up with all the donors. While I cannot state with authority that everything is in the mail (heck, I still have to get down to the P.O. to mail out the three prizes I have in my possession), I think it's safe to say that all winners should receive their prizes before the end of the month.  If December rolls around and you haven't received your winnings, please contact me and I will immediately work to fix it.

Vogue

Back during Squeak or Treat, I mentioned that JayG had offered a sweetener to entice folks to donate:

Jay Grazio of Ma-rooned has graciously offered to encourage donations by posing for pictures! For each $20 donated, Jay will put on his kilt and be photographed doing whatever you choose, so long as 1) It isn't illegal, and 2) Won't get him in trouble with his wife.

Well, because of lame excuses like getting a new job in a different state and house-hunting and moving his family and all his worldly belongings,  Jay has been negligent in his duties.

So I'm posting this as a sort of "call to arms" to everyone who donated. There simply aren't enough of these suggestions! If you donated $20 or more, you have the right to request a pose. I want there to be LOTS of these requests.

So far, these are the only requests I have written confirmation of:

• Jay doing the doing the Jayne Cobb "Let's be bad guys" pose
• A shot of Jay sans shirt, leaning over his bike and washing it, in the style of a 1940s pinup.
• "Can Jay do something where he looks like he's facing off against ninja's or Darth Vader? And, if he can, ask if he minds it being used in part of a real estate ad. "
• "imagining him in OB/GYN stirrups might make for a nice circular finish to this whole thing..."
• "I want to see a picture of him contra dancing in a kilt. If he needs more information on where to find a dance in his area, he can go to http://contradancelinks.com/ or http://www.trycontra.com/ ."
• "JayG either slicing something with his sword or or annihilating something with his favorite rifle. Bonus points for WW2 era."

If you donated but didn't request a pose, please do so now!

THANK YOU

First of all, a huge Thank You to all veterans for their service and their sacrifice. Others have said it better -- having never served, I feel like I can't really add anything of consequence other than to nod at the eloquence of others and agree with them.  Still, I thank you for all you've done and all you've given and all you've lost, and I hope that my meager thanks are sufficient.

Second, a big Thank You to everyone who donated prizes to the Squeak or Treat raffle. I quite literally could NOT have done this without you:

• Joie Brown
• Ezra Hinson
• Mark White
• Evelyn Hively
• Allison Babcock
• Thirdpower
• Prentice Osborne
• The_Jack
• Taryn K
• Danica West
• Echo Sling
• Michael Z. Williamson
• Larry Correia
• Julia H. West
• Brook West
• Dan Willis
• Alfred Trujillo
• Jay "Da Tinman" Ater
• Troy Hickman
• Howard Tayler
• Daniel G
• Mike Pondsmith
• Jim Wrench

Speaking of prizes, I have coordinated almost all of the winners with the donors. (Still waiting to get a confirmation from one donor.)  Prizes should be in the mail already, if not this week. If you haven't received your prize by Thanksgiving, let me know. I can nag like you wouldn't believe. 

And of course, an equally big Thank You to everyone who donated money for Squeak or Treat.  While I couldn't have done it without the prize donors, it wouldn't have been a success if no one had bought tickets. There were even some people who donated anonymously and refused all offers of tickets. This was especially kind because that increased the odds of winning for other people!

For everyone who donated this month, or back in August, THANK YOU SO MUCH.  Together, we met our goal and even exceeded it!  According to Squeaky, while she will not know for certain how much the cost of her procedure will be (apparently, medical bills slowly filter in over the course of months), she is 90% sure all her expenses have been covered. 

What this means for you is that I get to hang up my fundraising hat (for a while, at least), and you folks get to enjoy the holidays without me hustling you for more money. And that's a good thing, because I'm pooped. :)

And to conclude, here is a video recorded by the lovely Squeaky Wheel herself. I apologize for not posting it sooner -- apparently, I missed its Oct. 24 premiere -- but other than a wish for a Happy Halloween it's not dated.  So if you want to find out how S.W. is doing, or want to know what your donations helped do, now's your chance to ask her yourself!

Again, thank you all so much.  We now return this blog to its usual insanity.

Ten Dolla Holla!

As promised (though a bit late), here are the winners of the $10 Squeak or Treat raffle!


Carl Eranio was this category's big winner, securing SIX of the big ticket items:  the IWB magazine holder, 200 rounds of .45 ACP, a signed copy of Monster Hunter International, the signed and numbered Schlock Mercenary book, the signed copy of Common Grounds, and the Celestia Mech!

Snooze Button Ronin, not content to sweep the $5 category, also made gains in this one, picking up signed copies of MHI, Hard Magic, and Mind Bridges.

Next we had several dual winners:   Laura Bradshaw won the decorative shield and the MHI challenge coin; Ted Nelson won the metal butterfly and the signed copy of Listen Up, You Primitive Screwheads; and Jonathon Na won both issues of Project: Shadows.

Do Unto Others seemed to be the Michael Z. Williamson book of choice, as both winners -- Frank Earl and John Kochan -- picked that to be their prize.

MHI continued to be the favorite Larry Corriea book, being chosen by both Chris Bridges and Sean Hert.

Clifford Fargason won a signed copy of The Flux Engine.

And finally, proving that dreams DO come true, Brandon Kuhn won the Luna Mech with a single, last-minute entry.  Lucky bastard.  :P


Once again, a BIG thanks to everyone who donated their time, their talents, and their money toward making this fundraiser succeed. We met our goal and even went a bit over! Give yourselves a big pat on the back.

Five - Five Dolla - Five Dolla Winnas!

Sorry about not posting yesterday, everyone -- I had a headache that just wouldn't quit. Oof.

But now, after much wrangling and sorting and emailing, I have the list of everyone who won prizes in the $5 "Squeak or Treat" grab bag!

Some people won more than once -- but that's okay, because they bought more tickets, and that's how probability works!


The_Jack was the category's big winner, walking off with SIX prizes:  the wind chime, the tan Echo Sling, and all four of Ezra Hinson's pony portraits!

Second place goes to the Snooze Button Ronin, who scored a Cunning Jayne Hat, 2 pounds of smoked meat, the militia rocker tabs, and both sets of soaps. (He's not going to need stocking stuffers for female friends this year!)

The Jayne Hats proved to be the runaway hit of this category, with everyone seeming to want one.  Brook West and Brian Hert also got one (in fact, Brian was so generous that he said he ONLY wanted the hat, and forfeited all his other prizes to other people -- thank you for your generosity, Brian!), and Roland VanHorn  picked the "Baby Jayne" hat for his nine year old.   If you wanted a hat but didn't get one, let me know in the comments below and I will put you in touch with the artisan. I'm sure she'd be happy to make you one for a small fee.

Dwight Brown won the second Echo Sling. Fittingly, it was the brown one.

Gwen Patton, one of my guest authors, won the crocheted Sgt. Schlock.

David Baumiller won the Joie Art print, and picked Ponythulhu!  This is doubly cool because his wife, Michelle, bought him a ticket -- ONE TICKET -- for his birthday. And he won!  Happy birthday, David.

Carl Eranio  won the tech support session by Allison Babcock.

Ingrid Shappard  won the painting by Renee Williams.

And finally, Robert Roman  won the Prentice Osborne message -- he's going to have her record a book trailer.  She's never done anything like that before!  She's excited to do something new and he's excited to get professional help promoting his book.


Once again, a BIG thanks to everyone who donated their time, their talents, and their money toward making this fundraiser succeed. We met our goal and even went a bit over!  Give yourselves a big pat on the back.


Tomorrow, Eris willing, I'll announce the $10 winners.

Squeak or Treat

UPDATE (10/18/2013):  Due to Halloween happening on a Thursday, and the financial tightness of the recent government furlough, I will be extending the drawing to happen at midnight Eastern time, November 3rd.  This gives folks time to earn another paycheck before the raffle runs out! 

UPDATE TWO (10/21/13): For clarity's sake, I should mention that when you enter, you aren't just assigned something at random if you win. What I do is, first I will draw to see who wins. Then I contact the winners and tell them to give me a list of, say, their top 5 prizes. The first winner gets #1 on his list, and the second winner gets the first item on his list -- unless the first winner claimed that, in which case he gets #2 on his list, and so forth. By this method, I hope to pair up prizes with people who really, really want them!

Hold on to your pants, folks...

... because you are liable to crap yourself with joy.

I have secured not one, not two, but five signed Larry Correia books for the raffle!

Now, unlike the Michael Williamson books, these are paperback. But you get your choice of the following:

1. Monster Hunter International
2. Monster Hunter Vendetta
3. Monster Hunter Alpha
4. Hard Magic
5. Spellbound

Mr. Correia has multiple copies of these books, so it's not a first-come first-served kind of thing. If you win one of these (with a $10 ticket, natch), you pick the book you want, and not only he sign it for you, he will personalize it for you (he specifically mentioned "doing requests" in his reply). 

The Squeak or Treat raffle ends November 3rd -- that's this Sunday -- so be sure to get your tickets now!

Crocheted Schlock!

That's Sgt. Schlock, as in Schlock Mercenary.   Danica West (daughter of Julia and Brook, both of whom have also donated something to this raffle -- it's a family effort!) has a license from Howard Tayler to sell handcrafted Schlocks and will crochet one for whoever wins this $5 prize.

This is just an example. She will make it to your specification after you win, thereby allowing you to customize:

• the color
• the pose
• the number of arms/eyes
• the weapon (plasgun or other)

Tiny Crocheted Schlock is 4-5" tall and is a steal at only $5/ticket.