Hello, everyone!  It has been awhile since I posted.  Things have been going well for my family–we’ve found some treatments that really work for my son, who we lovingly call, “The Professor.”  Some of you may know that he has severe autism and cannot speak.  That’s a tough thing to swallow as a parent, but with therapy, he has learned to say a few words, and just this morning, he said, “Hi,” when I woke him up.  When I gave him a hug in his bed, he said, “Night night,” and laid down. That’s progress by any definition.

Here’s the thing, though: that therapy is expensive–about $2600/month for the required 8 hours of Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy a day.  ABA, combined with naturalistic teaching strategies and discrete trial training, is the only therapy with clinical, proven results for severely autistic kids.  No insurance company in my state will cover a dime of it, and the school system’s services are terrible.  It’s not necessarily their fault, but they don’t have the resources required to get the job done.  We have tried to match what the therapists do, but we’re nowhere near the level of professionals that they are.  I need help with the therapy, though, and that’s why I’m having a fundraiser.  I don’t believe in accepting donations for nothing, so I have things to sell you!

Click the ChipIn link to the right to donate.  Depending on the level, you’ll get a download code in an e-mail within 24 hours.  All download codes will go live next week on 11/22/11.

What you get:

$5

• You get a PDF and ePub of “Festival of the Bizarre,” my unreleased, near-future noir novel!  Here’s a synopsis: Vincent Mulwray and his band of killers were the kings of the crime world, and ghosts among assassins.  However, when his latest job hits a snag and no one gets paid, Vince’s identities become compromised.  On the run from paramilitary forces, Vince must solve a murder mystery in reverse– he was the killer, but what was the motive?  Who hired him, and what did they really want?  Will Vince hold the group together long enough to find his client, or will they turn on him like hungry dogs?

$10

• “Last Days of the October Squadron,” an unreleased, 11k-word Gearheart short story in PDF and ePub format
• “Fires in the Snow,” an unreleased, 7k-word Gearheart short story by Starla Huchton in PDF and ePub format
• “Festival of the Bizarre” PDF and ePub

$20

• “Maiden Flight of the Avenger” in PDF and ePub
• “Maiden Flight of the Avenger: The Remastered Soundtrack” – all 11 tracks in their glory!
• “Last Days of the October Squadron” in PDF and ePub
• “Fires in the Snow” in PDF and ePub
• “Festival of the Bizarre” PDF and ePub

$30

• “How Peculiar” – The theme from Philippa Ballantine and Tee Morris’s “Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Book 1: Phoenix Rising”
• “Deacon’s Call” – The unreleased theme from Philippa Ballantine’s “Books of the Order Book 1: Geist”
• “Dragons Intertwined” – A tribute to BioWare’s Dragon Age series
• “Maiden Flight of the Avenger” in PDF and ePub
• “Maiden Flight of the Avenger: The Remastered Soundtrack”
• “Last Days of the October Squadron” in PDF and ePub
• “Fires in the Snow” in PDF and ePub
• “Festival of the Bizarre” PDF and ePub

$50

• I will write a “Disasterpiece Theatre” pitch based around YOU!
• “How Peculiar” – The theme from Philippa Ballantine and Tee Morris’s “Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Book 1: Phoenix Rising”
• “Deacon’s Call” – The unreleased theme from Philippa Ballantine’s “Books of the Order Book 1: Geist”
• “Dragons Intertwined” – A tribute to BioWare’s Dragon Age series
• “Maiden Flight of the Avenger” in PDF and ePub
• “Maiden Flight of the Avenger: The Remastered Soundtrack”
• “Last Days of the October Squadron” in PDF and ePub
• “Fires in the Snow” in PDF and ePub
• “Festival of the Bizarre” PDF and ePub

$100

• I will design your logo!  I normally charge $200 for that!
• I will write a “Disasterpiece Theatre” pitch based around YOU!
• “How Peculiar” – The theme from Philippa Ballantine and Tee Morris’s “Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Book 1: Phoenix Rising”
• “Deacon’s Call” – The unreleased theme from Philippa Ballantine’s “Books of the Order Book 1: Geist”
• “Dragons Intertwined” – A tribute to BioWare’s Dragon Age series
• “Maiden Flight of the Avenger” in PDF and ePub
• “Maiden Flight of the Avenger: The Remastered Soundtrack”
• “Last Days of the October Squadron” in PDF and ePub
• “Fires in the Snow” in PDF and ePub
• “Festival of the Bizarre” PDF and ePub

$250

• Your choice: I will design your book cover or write a custom, 3-5 minute piece of music for you!  Normally a $350 – $400 value!
• I will write a “Disasterpiece Theatre” pitch based around YOU!
• “How Peculiar” – The theme from Philippa Ballantine and Tee Morris’s “Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Book 1: Phoenix Rising”
• “Deacon’s Call” – The unreleased theme from Philippa Ballantine’s “Books of the Order Book 1: Geist”
• “Dragons Intertwined” – A tribute to BioWare’s Dragon Age series
• “Maiden Flight of the Avenger” in PDF and ePub
• “Maiden Flight of the Avenger: The Remastered Soundtrack”
• “Last Days of the October Squadron” in PDF and ePub
• “Fires in the Snow” in PDF and ePub
• “Festival of the Bizarre” PDF and ePub

$500

• I will refer to you as “Agent [Your last name]” whenever I speak to you.
• Your choice: I will design your book cover or write a custom, 3-5 minute piece of music for you!  Normally a $350 – $400 value!
• I will write a “Disasterpiece Theatre” pitch based around YOU!
• “How Peculiar” – The theme from Philippa Ballantine and Tee Morris’s “Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Book 1: Phoenix Rising”
• “Deacon’s Call” – The unreleased theme from Philippa Ballantine’s “Books of the Order Book 1: Geist”
• “Dragons Intertwined” – A tribute to BioWare’s Dragon Age series
• “Maiden Flight of the Avenger” in PDF and ePub
• “Maiden Flight of the Avenger: The Remastered Soundtrack”
• “Last Days of the October Squadron” in PDF and ePub
• “Fires in the Snow” in PDF and ePub
• “Festival of the Bizarre” PDF and ePub

Thanks for reading this, and if you’re thinking of donating, just know that you’re helping out a wonderful little boy.  As always, I appreciate you listening and all of your help!