"We do not choose what happens to us. We can only choose what we do after. What we do now. We can..."

""We do not choose what happens to us. We can only choose what we do after. What we do now. We can only choose to keep going." -Deni from Sea"

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Since the tsunami hit in Japan, I've received so many messages from readers: teachers, librarians, parents, teens—telling me how much more they are affected by this recent tragedy after reading Deni and Sienna's story. 

But it was email from my friend Debbie Duncan, who is visiting her daughter, an English teacher at a Bahamas middle school, that inspired me to host this fundraiser. The students  have one copy of Sea that they share, that they love—this well-worn book has opened the discussion for them about this current tragedy and brought it to a whole new level of understanding. Thank you, Debbie, for sharing the book with them, and the story with me.

My intention in writing Sea, was to give a face, a name, a back story to a faraway place, dealing with an unimaginable disaster so teens could relate to it here. Now it's happening again.

A reader uploaded the above quote from Deni onto Goodreads. It's one of my favorite lines from the book. And it's true. It's so hard to do, but it's true. Going on is our only choice.

My husband works primarily in non-profits, and has donated his time overseas. He knows a lot about which charities are doing the best work, who give the most of their donations to the people themselves.  He recommends giving to Doctors Without Borders or Partners in Health.

Starting on my birthday tomorrow, our family is going to donate 20% of any new purchase of Sea, whether it be via Independent bookstore, Amazon, Nook, Kindle, discount stores, used online, or from me*, anywhere they sell books— to Doctors Without Borders.

As long as I know about the purchase.

What you need to do, is take a picture of your receipt and send it to us at:

sea4tsunamivictims@gmail.com

Your email will automatically enter you to win one of TEN "Dare to Love" tank-tops, available in turquoise and peach in all sizes,  and a signed poster of SEA. 

*What about those of you without credit cards, without a nearby bookstore?

U.S. FRIENDS: snail mail me $25.00 CASH ONLY to P.O. Box 7837, Menlo Park, CA 94026, with your name and address. I will purchase a copy for you, sign it and ship it to you. Please only do this option if you have no other way to purchase the book. I will purchase the copies at a local indy store.

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDS: Send $30 AMERICAN DOLLARS to P.O. Box 7837, Menlo Park, CA 94026, USA.  I'll get a signed copy shipped out to you. Include your full name and address.

You will all be entered to win the drawing.

Why am I offering to ship the books myself? Many bookstores are closing. Many of you don't have an indie nearby. Or a credit card to order online. This shouldn't prevent you from reading Sea.

I realize its ambitious to tackle this huge project when my dear husband is having surgery on Monday. But the work he does is incredibly important, and the more people that recognize the mental trauma experienced after a disaster like this, the better.

His prognosis is good, and he should be just fine after a month of recovery. If you could keep him in your thoughts and prayers, I would appreciate it. He does so much good for this crazy world. (Never mind his crazy wife. :) )

Thank you for spreading the #sealove & for reposting this fundraiser on your blog & website.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Love,

heidi

PS. If you already own a copy of Sea, and still want to spread #sealove, I kindly suggest you donate your new copy to a public or middle or high school library near you. They are in desperate need of support—now more than ever.

I will post how much money we were able to donate and the list of donators when the fundraiser ends, if you wish to remain anonymous, please specify that in your email. Thank you!