Lambda Literary’s Fall Challenge

Want an autographed copy of Etched in Shadows? Want it early, as in before its release date on November 19th? All you have to do is answer Lambda Literary Foundation’s Fall Challenge.

What exactly is a challenge grant? Each year in the fall, several generous donors step forward and offer to match your gifts to LLF. They give us up to $15,000 if we can raise that much through donations and memberships. It’s a dollar for dollar match, so your gift of $25 becomes $50, $100 becomes $200, and so on. At the end, $15,000 becomes $30,000. Those are precious dollars for operational funds that keep our programs going — the Lammys, the Emerging Writers Retreat for LGBT Voices, Writers in the Schools and our website, the Lambda Literary Review.

What does this have to do with Etched in Shadows? Well, it’s like this … I sit on the Board of Trustees for LLF, and my main responsibility is to raise money for the organization. I do that because I believe in its mission: The Lambda Literary Foundation nurtures, celebrates, and preserves LGBT literature through programs that honor excellence, promote visibility and encourage development of emerging writers. That mission costs money. Salaries for staff, office expenses and postage. Web hosting, stipends for contributing writers and community outreach. Accounting, bank fees and insurance. You know, the bills.

Again you ask, what does this have to do with Etched in Shadows? Simple. Make a donation of $100 to the Foundation in our Fall Challenge, put the words “KG’s Book” in the memo line, and I’ll send you a copy. Can’t afford $100? For every $25 gift, I’ll enter you in a drawing for a copy ($50 gets you two chances). I’ll draw a winner for every $100 donated.

Our forecast here in the NC mountains is calling for snow flurries tonight & tomorrow. I’m so out of here! By Monday, I’ll be back in the warm climes of Palm Springs, and I expect to see a box of books on my doorstep. I’ll start sending them out right away — my way of saying thank you for supporting the Lambda Literary Foundation.