It’s A Wonderful Life

Posted on by Sarah A. Hoyt

So…. So…. So….

Er….. I thought I might get 25k over two weeks, if I begged a lot. And then we’d borrow the other half, pay the bill, and if the house sold quickly, we’d be okay. Mostly. I mean BTB — back to broke — but not in a hole, right?

And then the GoFundMe funded in… 7 hours? And is now double the amount? And I’m not keeping it up because I’m greedy, but because people keep sending me emails and pms saying “leave it up another week, so I can play.”

I don’t get how this is “play” but I get it seems to be cheering people up. The discord group is watching this like it’s election results only better. And I don’t want to take that away. But it seems…. surreal.

People in the discord group keep saying it’s like a real life It’s A Wonderful Life. They’re not wrong.

This side of the keyboard? It’s pretty lonely. I often wonder if I’m flinging out things no one cares about/reads. Like shouting into the dark, and not being sure there’s anyone there. Sometimes there’s glimmers of eyes.

So, it’s amazing to get this kind of response. It’s — life affirming.

And yeah, the fundraiser is at double. And someone — coff Kim Du Toit — has threatened me with deathy death if I take it down before it hits 150k. That seems…. excessive. (I mean the amount, not the deathy death. The man has enough guns to deadify half the planet.) And surreal. But it seems to be headed that way.

And — besides the fact that of course if the house sells fast I’ll use some of the money to help friends I know need it, and who’d never ask — the other part is why it feels surreal.

You see, our married life started with nothing, my degree being of limited value in the US (Well, you know, there are like 3 new translator jobs a year and they might not be in YOUR languages. Even if I had 7) and Dan being a beginner programmer. A year in, he said I should JUST write. Of course we thought I’d sell the first book and we’d be rich. But though I got very encouraging rejections from first submission on, nothing was accepted.

I finally got a job as a translator, just before I got pregnant (finally, six years in) and got very ill, so I had to quit. From then on, we were on one income until I sold a novel 6 years later. And for the unitiated, a mid-list novel, which mine was from day one, isn’t an “income.” It was 5k. And since it was “literary fantasy” they wanted one a year TOPS.

By the time my advances were bigger, the kids were teens. And I was writing five novels (at around 10k a piece) and taking side writing gigs to keep them in food and shoes. (My dainty boys.Would you believe 13 EEE and 15 EEEE — or depending on the cut 17 EEEE?) And we were socking away what we could, but never getting enough for a cushion in case of trouble.

When the possibility of indie raised its head and “the more you write the more you make” I was ill. And it’s been very hard – as you guys know — to write anything. Partly because of stress. This has been very bad the last five years. We bought the last house in CO for various reasons, and partly because it was the cheapest (trust me) we could get and be where we needed to be at that time. BUT it was more house than we could afford, both in price, (Yes, we qualified. But I think those calculations are a bit nuts) and size. Buying it as a short sale, with a ton of stuff that needed to be done was bad enough. But there was also heating/cooling and just regular maintenance. It reminded me of when we owned a 5th hand Volvo. No matter for what it went in, it was going to cost us $500 (or in the house’s case 10k.) Oil change? $500. Wiper blade squeaks? $500. We loved that car, but only had it a year and a half because it was bleeding us. Well, the house bled us for five years, and almost killed us getting it in shape to sell. (Both monetarily and physically.)

And I can’t write when I’m stressed. It doesn’t work. I mean, regular every day stress, sure. But “Where are xk coming from to pay for the food/gas/mortgage?” That shuts me down. Which yes, is counterproductive.

Ultimately, the reason I did the GoFundMe was to be able to write. Because the alternative was to borrow and then sit here, with my hair falling out and without any nails, while I waited for the other house to sell.

I’m actually somewhat embarrassed by how well it’s done. (No, I can’t explain it.) And yes there will be yearly fundraisers (Younger son spent an hour talking me into this.) They might pay a tenth of this, but that’s worth it. But they will be of a different nature, with returns at various levels. Nothing I need to physically mail, unless younger son undertakes to do it (I SUCK at that) but tuckerizations and exclusive stories and stuff. Not this. This was because otherwise I was going to have a heart attack trying to find the money to pay bills.

For now? It’s surreal because for the first time ever, we have a cushion. I.e. if something goes wrong, like the other house takes three months to sell, we’re not going to be broke/homeless.

And for right now? It’s a wonderful life.

The lights in the great dark theater have come on. And the darkness I’ve been flinging words into is full of friendly, loving faces.

It’s stunning. It’s almost unbelievable.

And yes, it is wonderful.

358 thoughts on “It’s A Wonderful Life”

          1. I think I speak for many, if not all, of us when I say this is just a “small” token of what you have given to us over the years.

            Since I started following you I have gotten hundreds of hours of entertainment, joy, education, and hope.

        2. Gratitude is the most important emotion in many ways..Sarah is grateful for the wonderful generosity, and we are grateful for the opportunity to give…

      2. You are my co-author in one anthology and one of the reasons I was (and AM) so proud to be in that anthology was BECAUSE of who else would be in it. My only regret is I couldn’t give more.

        As others have said, your writing is a joy. And it SHOULD be celebrated. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to talk face-to-face (so to speak) at a con in the near future (LibertyCon?) and I can tell you in person rubbing metaphorical shoulders with you in Divided We Fall meant to me.

          1. It would be awesome if you did make it. I saw you and Dan and your boys there in 2016 but I don’t think I ever introduced myself.

  3. You are well loved and we were all very happy to help someone who needed and deserved it.

  6. Bask in the radiance. Oh, and type a wee bit, too.
    As for surreal? Have you not noticed that surreal is the Ground State for this Reality thing?
    When things are Normal, that’s Seriously Weird!

  7. Congratulations. Use what you need (including funding an emergency fund for medical needs), don’t forget to pay taxes on it (Uncle Sugar always gets his cut), use what’s left to help others in similar situations as you see fit.

    Now I’m eagerly awaiting to see what spills off your keyboard next. 🙂

    1. I second Mike’s congratulations. And be sure to pay ESTIMATED taxes on it in four the 4th quarter in January. Otherwise you’ll end up with penalties for under witholding and MIGHT set off AMT too.

      1. Okay, we’ll talk to an accountant, but I’m not giving anything in return. This makes everything given a GIFT. Not true for future fundraisers, but now. Many individual givers, small gifts.
        We’ll talk to an accountant, but taxes are not an automatic, and might not be needed.

        1. Yes, talk to an accountant.

          If you help a friend keep in mind that there is a ceiling of $15,000 for gifts to one person, above which it becomes taxable.

          You have helped more people than you know. There’s a rule of thumb for posters vs. lurkers on internet boards. You are not crying out into the void.

            2. It’s $15K. I have to watch it myself, I have been putting 10% of my pay into my niece’s educations for the last decade.

          2. Yes, but the gift tax falls on the giver, not the recipient:

            https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/frequently-asked-questions-on-gift-taxes

            “The donor is generally responsible for paying the gift tax. Under special arrangements the donee may agree to pay the tax instead. Please visit with your tax professional if you are considering this type of arrangement.”

            I love how it is “you give money you’ve paid taxes on away so you have to pay a tax on giving it away”.

              1. Not entirely insane. Do not doubt that there are many who would use it as a dodge to proffer income to others without a tax bite. MANY. People with names like Kennedy, Warren, Clinton, Kerry, and even Biden. The kind of people who put family funds into a single trust whose function is to provide for family members (the trust owns many houses, for example, deducting property taxes IN FULL as legitimate operating expenses, and permits family members trust beneficiaries to live rent free or for a token sum – if not paying the beneficiaries “property management” fees for overseeing landscaping crews, household staff and support personnel.) Even more “clever” are those who establish “charitable” trusts, ostensibly on-profit but paying large percentages of their receipts in “expenses”.

                Because some people are wont to dodge paying their “fair” shares the rest of us are stuck jumping through stupid hoops.
                ~

        2. Yes, the money is a gift, and should not be taxable to you…For us, it would be subject to gift tax, but that would be canceled out by the Estate tax exemption…

          1. If it’s under the $15k yearly limit, you don’t have to worry about the unified gift and estate tax.

        3. Definitely find a tax accountant. I’ve heard rumblings of IRS treating go fund me as a single windfall (like a lottery win, or a single large gift). And seeing Kim du Toit has already traveled this road definitely ask what he did. The IRS has never been our friend, but recently they’ve been weaponized against anyone that doesen’t toe the ideological line…

  10. You have more fans then you’ll ever know.
    Kim’s correct. Let it ride. Have some peace of mind for a bit. Help a few friends.
    Oh. And yeah, do the annual ask. Might surprise you again.

    1. I’m thrilled beyond words that it worked for you, and worked so well, although I am not surprised. A good few years ago, I also had a financial emergency – it wasn’t quite so dire – but an employer died suddenly, owing me a paycheck and leaving me without a job which had been my secondary means of support. Fans and friends came through generously, when Insty linked to my tale of woe and sorrow, and the economic wolf was banished, if not from the doorstep, then all the way to the end of the block

    2. I think the annual ask is a good idea. It’s no different, really from the Patreon model that’s in common use.

        1. Patreon seems to work out, although they have deplatformed some people. You might consider spreading your revenue sources around to dedicated free-speech platforms. Recurring revenue is a big, fat target.

      2. If I may suggest, Subscribestar is way better than Patreon. For one thing it doesn’t punish people for wrongthink like Patreon does.

  12. Yes, we love you. I couldn’t exactly donate (bad timing of spousely paycheck–one income household–and BIG bills), but I’ve been watching, praying for you…and cheering.

    This could not be happening to a nicer, more deserving person.

  13. It was my pleasure to donate, I enjoy your work and your blog kept me grounded while I was stuck in Afghanistan last year. It was a small price to pay as a means to say thanks.

  14. Damn. It’s kind of dusty in here. Never forget this, Sarah. You are loved, both for who you are and what you do. May God bless you and yours.

    -Padre

  15. I suspect that you feel embarrassed because you have so frequently been on the gifting side of the equation. Please think of how great the folks giving to you feel in helping you. You have given so much enjoyment to us in your writing and we hope to help you continue.

    Thank you for giving us this opportunity to express our appreciation of you.

  16. Don’t ever think you are casting words into the void. I am a lurker on the internet but, devour everything word you write.

  17. It’s the least I can do after you’ve kept me thinking and hoping for … when did I start reading you, nine years ago now?! But I’m going to be looking forward to the next fundraiser, because being tuckerized — especially by the Space Princess — is VERY high on my bucket list. I was fairly outbid for it at LibertyCon XXX, and I’ve been hoping for a second chance ever since!

  18. Rest assured on that side of the keyboard that we on this side of the keyboard are very much listening. God bless you!

  19. I very much enjoy your commentary that you give for free. I was more than happy to contribute to your cause!

  20. Sitting here in the Sam’s Club parking lot crying. And blowing my nose. And can’t drive.

  21. I am so glad to hear this. You are so important to so many people. Thank you for giving us an opportunity to show you and give back in a meaningful way. Hope your health improves quickly. I look forward to reading more of your work.

  22. It’s wonderful how well your campaign is going! Not all that surprising, though, in retrospect — your fans are pretty supportive (not to say, rabid).

    Oh, by the way, I connected with what you said about the translation biz. Middle daughter worked for a translation firm for a couple years. The translator pay was pretty paltry unless you were skilled in a particularly exotic language.

  24. Incidentally, if you haven’t already, put this blog post in a link at the go-fund-me as an update.

    That’s the second reason to keep a go-fund-me up– so folks get feedback.

  26. To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the ‘inspiring words of great writers.’ It is it’s natural manure.” Your readers and fans have, in essence, invested in you to be a steward for our collective liberty. Write on …

    1. “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the ‘inspiring words of great writers.’ It is it’s natural manure.”

      Merely good writers also nurture, although not quite so completely.
      ~

  27. Well, nothing says “I love you and want you to create!” quite like cash.
    When I saw the post on Glenn’s site and checked the amount I burst into tears. For maybe the third time in my life. There’s something in this that gives me the dangerous scary hope that I can do things too.
    It’s gonna hit a quarter mill if you keep it up. Bet on it.

  28. You have inspired me to continue with dream of writing. I’m happy to have an opportunity to thank you for that.

  30. Told the wife I’d donated, and her response was “Yay!” and “She has an awesome fan base.”
    And yes, you do.

    What was very interesting is I don’t think I have seen a comment section on an Instapundit post that was ever as united and positive as the one where Glenn bumped your gofundme.
    You do matter, and we Usaians do need and read your posts.

    1. The only commenter on a conservative blog I’ve seen who openly didn’t like her was someone over in the weeds at Ace’s blog who complained about her, and had an anti-Sarah Hoyt handle.

      It’s been at least a month since I last saw that handle used.

      Aside from the occasional oddity like that, she’s generally well-liked and respected for her efforts.

        1. He claimed that you’d told him he was a paid foreign troll before blocking him, and named himself accordingly.

          Regardless of the exact story, it doesn’t matter. You have developed and earned a positive rep over the years, and the blogosphere by and large trusts you and appreciates you.

  31. We Your Readers have chipped in because you deserve it. Because you deliver something we value very much, a voice that represents us, belief in what we hold sacred, and some damn fine reads to go with it. If you must know, we’re being selfish. We don’t want to lose you.

    And please save a little of this aid for your next emergency. They’re not as regular as the seasons, but they’re as sure as the river rising one day.

    1. THIS. So much.

      Thank you, Sarah, for being a voice that represents us (and chides, encourages, and informs us), for publicly defending what we hold sacred, and for a whole raft of great stories. For helping me see that there actually is a great big “us” that I’m part of, even if I only see it in bits and bytes and letters. I put my little bit into the fund… Usaians take care of each other.

  33. “The man has enough guns to deadify half the planet.”

    And that’s after he cut back in that canoe accident….. 😎

      1. He’s not the only one, I lost all mine, went right to the bottom, when I tipped the canoe in February on the Chena River, when the ice was three feet thick. Oh well, fit snappens.

            1. Bah. T’was the swamp what got me. Catfish the size of a volkswagon. Durn near drowned me, it did. Got my good hunting rifle that time. Then it was the great storm of ’08. Flooded my good huntin’ shack, and my shotguns with it. Never did find ’em after that. Lost my pistol diving in at the dam after some fool kid what forgot she couldn’t swim. I miss that one, I do.

              Could’a been worse. I know a guy, his whole gun safe sunk straight into the ground! Sinkhole opened up in his brand new basement all of a sudden. Took five truckloads of cement and gravel to fill it in. Poor b*stard.

              Then there’s the gal what had the Great Balloon Incident back in late 2012. Still don’t know how she got her whole collection up there, but it sure didn’t come down the same way she did.

              What with the ongoing Summers of Recovery and the economic progress since, why we just ain’t got the spare scratch to replace all them guns. Been making do with a slingshot in deer season. Hasn’t been going well, sadly. My godson, that boy couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with it. From the inside.

              Been a sad, sorry state of affairs down the holler these past few decades. We just can’t catch a break.

              1. I am reminded of the winter we went ice fishing/skeet shooting out on the lake. Everything was going fine until Manny built that fire inside the shack to roast his trout.
                ~

                1. What did you do? Add in some target practice with the deer rifle, and had the handgun on hand for protection against bigfoot(?), polar bears(?), or ?, lost everything when the fire ate through the ice? Come on. Tell us all about how you all barely escaped the ice 🙂 but all the firearms went bravely to the bottom 🙂

          2. #ustoo Why do you think we sold the boat?

            “Best two times of a boater’s life. When the boat is bought. When the boat is sold.” 🙂

            2. !!!!! I watched through part of the opening credits. I would have sworn that $SPOUSE$ knew of every Val Kilmer flick EVAH made (some people have a tradition of watching Die Hard on Christmas. She has a tradition of watching Tombstone).

              Bookmarked for a weekend when we can both sit down to watch. Thank you.

              1. Val Kilmer is hard to catch– he’s too good of an actor. You can get into fights just like the “Wait, Snape is the evil boss in Quigley Down Under?! NO WAY!”

              2. I also recommend “Val”. It’s an original on Amazon prime streaming. An autobiography of Val Kilmer using the film he’s shot throughout his career as well as looks at his career. Since he’s recovering from throat cancer, he has his son narrate it in his voice. It’s a must if your spouse is a Val Kilmer fan.

          4. Real Memories – A shotgun club had a big fundraiser event that we attended years ago. One of the stages was shooting skeet targets from a small boat in a pond.

            1. In one of my uncles’ letters from WWII training camp – he was training to be a gunner on a B-17 – he wrote about a session where his class went skeet-shooting from the back of a truck roaring across the gun range at top speed.

  36. See, you’ve got to understand that we feel like these are just past-due payments for the years of pleasure your blogging has given us–even someone like me, who disagrees with you from time to time.

    So please don’t feel like it’s charity. You’ve earned every dime.

  37. dogpiling on – lurking on Glenn’s site for years. have quoted your posts to the great unwashed (and usu credit you, except when quoting you to (cough) others who have a tendency do get diaper rash). saw the GoFundMe – and – easy-peasy + a big heaping scoop of you deserve it. sent some over the horizon to Kim DT when he lost his bride, don’t remember if I donated to Kathy S’s funds or not. you guys n gals help me keep sane here in enemy territory on the banks of Mordor…

  38. Looks like the Lord decided to shine his light on you, so glad you are getting a sense of security. Thanks for the hard work on Instapundit.

    1. I was about to say that Larry C. might disagree, but he doesn’t have much of a rack. (At least he didn’t in the past photos I saw, or at Liberty Con.)

  41. Kim is correct. Leave the GoFundMe post up. If you take it down, you prevent further donations by people who WANT to give you money. As one of Kim’s donors told him, “It’s my money, and how dare you tell me how to spend it as I wish?”

    WE will tell YOU when it’s time to take it down. You’ll know when the donations stop coming in. Until then, leave it alone!

  42. Please be cautious about giving away any “surplus”. It will be much better if you have an ample “rainy day” fund, and you will be much more comfortable and relaxed knowing you are financially secure. Then you can concentrate on your health and your family and your writing.

      1. There’s no sin in giving away money that is excess to needs. Just make sure that it is truly excess…and be careful about the numbers of what “needs” are-it’s going to be a crazy 2-4 years, minimum.

        (It’s also why I don’t give people money in general or specific-pay bills, get groceries, etc, etc, etc.)

          2. And they are crazy about qualifying. Learned that years ago. A realtor will tell you, with a straight face, that your income is of course big enough to get a huge mortgage. Even if you don’t agree. (We didn’t. She was trying to get us into a bidding war).

            1. I know what our rules are.

              I don’t agree with them, but I work with “laundered” loans mostly (already run through one of the federal guarantee agencies) or with loans we originated that we are selling to the secondary market.

              That said, I don’t consider why we say about them lies when we sell them (we aren’t the various mortgage companies of the aughts). I just have more conservative views on what I would take on as a mortgage (hence renter at 54 who has given up on owning) and what banks consider acceptable numbers (I’m a 1/4 of net guy, but most banks are 1/3 or net or some gross)

                1. That’s not entirely irrational on their part. You need sufficient revenue from the good borrower to pay for the losses, assuming the default probabilities don’t change, which they do but not as much as you’d think. Within reason it all works out though yours seems extreme.

                2. At least with (most) home equity loans, you only pay interest on what you actually use; plus whatever annual fee they charge you for having the equity loan (if any). So, $80k ceiling, but you only have to use the $15k, or less. We do not have a credit line. Not since it got paid off on the last refinance. Wasn’t going to refinance at that time because refinancing requires paying off and closing the credit line. Unused amount of credit line was the buffer for kid’s college expenses. Then we got credit jacked down to what we actually owed; buffer gone. Bye reason to not refinance (halving the interest rate). (Also the first home loan the loan wasn’t sold before we made the first payment. Same mortgage company still owns this loan, for 11 years.)

                  1. straight loan. At the time we wanted it for something very specific, which now I’m glad we didn’t do, as it probably would militate against getting house sold. We wanted a gazebo. In a modern house. We were just trying to make ourselves feel more at home.

                    1. If I ever build a gazebo (probably out at Tierra de Balzacq, I don’t have any room for it here), I’m putting a fancy scrollwork sign over the doorway saying “It’s a gazebo, Eric” and shooting an arrow into one of the posts with “+3” painted on the fletching.

            2. I knew a crash would come, so I timed the market and went house shopping in 2009 after the crash. My mortgage broker said, “You qualify for $X!” and I literally laughed at her and said, “No I don’t, I know how much my bills are, I’m not buying anything for more than $0.6X.” And then I bought a short sale fixer like Sarah did for like $0.5X, so now I have a comfortable if only half fixed house in a pretty good part of Seattle that is worth WAY more than I paid for it.

              1. After our 1980 – 1989 owned house, that we only got to live in from ’80 to ’85, the house we bought in ’88 in Eugene we went for something we could afford, easily, then. Note, we had two houses (until about Apr ’89). A house, that if worse came to worse, and the same thing happened again, it would sell easily, even if we didn’t make any money on it. Other than maintenance, and some clean up, we haven’t put a lot of money into it. It is worth almost triple what we owe on it. We owe 1.35 what we paid for it. Extra bonus, it is on a quiet street close to the grade school.

                1. We also refused to buy in ’88 at what “everyone” was saying we “could” afford. In ’80 we were a little more limited, as we only had an 18 month credit score. (VS now when the response is always “Holy … Wow! They really like you two.”)

          3. Just to poke another stick into the tax man’s face – that should also be tax free! (I think it’s been two years since the last move, right? Not that it matters if you didn’t take the deduction that time.)

            Financial security – healthy altitude – I am much relieved. The only bummer is that your beloved Denver left you in the lurch. (No, you aren’t leaving Denver; it left you a while ago.)

              1. Urp. Okay, good for your tax picture. Bad for my obviously massive contraction of time perception.

                I shall console myself by thinking that I would remember better if I had been the one humping the boxes.

                1. At least the short term memory is still working. Just got that donation made. Would have been earlier, but my internet was being wonky this morning, so I went out to get the two turkeys for this season while they still had the big ones.

                    1. Best way to properly christen a new domicile.

                      I picked up a 16# for Thanksgiving, since I’ll only have four out of five (son is still TDY in Cali). Then a 19# for Christmas, when he’s home.

                      Probably the last Christmas I’ll have everyone for a while… Eldest is planning to move to Buffalo in the spring. (I know, I know. Boyfriend is there.)

      2. Extra money is what you have the night before the car breaks down and as my father used to say “money is a wonderful thing unless you spend it.” Then again, he and I were bankers and you know what they’re like.

        For myself, the margin of safety is a year’s expenses,

  43. re: loans size and qualifying
    When I was doing the initial look into places here for the move from Texas (man has this last week been making me regret that, but I digress) I looked at getting a loan via “Employee Perks” associate(s) and even though I had a short list of places I needed to use one address for the first request . . . older place, updated wiring, plumbing, newer floors lots of attached garage . . . $63,000.
    Here you go loan folks, I’d like a quote on this, and what would a paycheck deduction be etc, for this and any near that price (I had my eye on a few others about the same price)?
    “Sorry, we will not loan the LOW of an amount”
    come again?
    How about this place on the lake, with the indoorish pool, (heated pool but really just a big porch to keep the snows off)?
    Nope, $69,000 is too low too.
    WTF

    1. I ran into a few similar hiccups looking for a home loan in fall of 2007. Four times my annual salary, no problem finding lenders. About the same as my annual salary, very few lenders.

    2. So, I can argue for that. The mortgage has to be big enough to either sell or provide enough income to cover the costs of owning it. Of course, those are both tied to quality and interest rate. At home mortgage rates $69,000 just doesn’t generate enough to cover the overhead and isn’t a viable sale amount.

      Probably also too small to sell to FannyMa or FreddieMac or GinnieMa, thus not getting a federal bailout pseudo-guarrante.

    3. JP, when we moved to Plano in 2006, loan offers were routinely twice what we were asking for. What part of “borrow only what you can repay” escaped them? Grrr.

  45. Sarah, I have been reading your posts on Instapundit for several years now and enjoy your frankness, ability to express yourself with cogent and pithy comments, as well as your perspective on life. We were in a similar situation years ago – one month from not paying the mortgage (and everything else) when a good job opportunity came by and got us out of the hole we were in. I donated because you work hard at your writing and family takes care of family when in time of need -and while we will never meet, you are like one of my many cousins who shoot out their thoughts on a daily basis on our group chat. Take care and enjoy this period of time in an oasis.

  46. Once upon a time, there was a Web site. It was maintained by a big fan of the Oh My Goddess! manga and anime series and had collected a fair following of fellow fans. It was full of interesting content and fun folks. I kept a Firefox tab open to it at all times, and contributed some Fan Fiction and a lot of comments.

    Around April 2021 the site abruptly went off-line. Soon after that, every attempted access returned a notice that the domain name was up for sale. Now it looks like the domain has been sold to some sort of East Europe gambling site.

    I fear the sysop died; he’d been posting about his health problems for years. The whole community that had grown up around his Web site was left without a clubhouse to meet in, and no substitute has turned up. All that wondrous content is now inaccessible, too.

    A light was snuffed out. The world grew a bit darker.

    AccordingToHoyt is another light, possibly a brighter one than the Goddess Relief Office. If a few bucks can help keep it shining, we are proud and privileged to contribute. Sarah pays us back by holding that light high.

    Along with her middle fingers. The bastards deserve them.
    ———————————
    “Ehh, on second thought let’s not go to Camelot. It is a silly place.”

  47. We USAians are a giving people. We have never stinted when we hear a legitimate call for a wee bit of help. And you have given us so much, how could we not.
    Contrast American private charities that truth be known feed and clothe and provide critical resources to just about the entire rest of the world against most government programs that give begrudgingly and with conditions and hooks, and always with a hidden agenda. Not to mention that the skim off the top rivals the most corrupt of our independent charities. Those ever so caring public “servants” of course deserve to get rewarded out of the first cut. Never mind that we are told what our donations must be, yet are never provided with a traceable record of how they’ve been put to use.

    1. ^^^ THIS ^^^

      Other than whatever loose change I have on me during the holidays that goes into the SA kettles – I am extremely cautious about giving people money. This one was a no brainer (will be when I can chip in tomorrow). Sarah is family – something very different.

  48. You keep reminding us that Americans are the most generous people on the planet. We also like a challenge. Congrats! And also, if you felt like you were tossing words into the void, well, this is the voids answer. Seems like a positive one. Also, Lima Golf Bravo!

        1. A tightly wrapped stack of bills will also hurt, especially if it’s launched from a slingshot made with surgical tubing. Not that I would ever do that.

  49. Congratulations! I’m glad that things are getting better in your end of the world and I’m trying to get things going and working in my part of how the world (in theory) works. Lot of changes, some of them are even good ones.

  50. Leave it up. I’m currently broke as a joke and looking for work again, so it’ll be a bit, but you pay your debts in this life. This counts. It may feel like generosity to you, but to some of us it’s just the minimum requirement to call ourselves human. You help others in need. That ought to be the baseline to get in the door.

    Also, tell Kim he’s a piker. Needs at least twice that many guns. You never know when you might need to supply a small town or territory with enough firearms to fight off zombie plague/invasion of the kleptocrats/commies/extended warranty salesmen.

      1. Ooooh yeah. “Small business must comply too. Please comment on what procedures you are already applying.” That’s going to go over well . . .

  51. Fairy tales
    Can come true
    They can happen to you
    If you’re young at heart

    — Frank Sinatra

    1. Good reason to grow old at heart as quickly as possible. Who wants to sleep for a hundred years, or in a coffin in the woods, or be stuck in a tower. . . .

      1. If it leads to Happily Ever After with the one you love, I suspect most of us could put up with it.

        Besides, sleeping for one hundred years Sleeping Beauty-style means you won’t even have a chance to get bored. The time will pass without you even being aware of it!

        1. Or having your stepmother chop your head off.

          Or being drowned.

          Or chopped to pieces with no certainty that you will be brought back to life l

  52. Yes, we are reading you! Mostly at 0630 after I get the morning flight plans squared away and before attacking the emails from the gargoyles. your writing often confirms, to those of us who mostly work alone, that at least one other (famous in your case) person sees events in a similar fashion

  54. You deserve every penny and all the love. You are a great American and we want you to keep writing and scolding the idiots who hate this country for a long time to come. Breathe easier, now, and keep up the great work.

    1. Yes, thank you Sarah!

      This!

      Nathan, thanks to your post and advice from the hams on this blog, I passed the Tech/General/Extra tests in February, then promptly blew out my knee. Now, I finally have an HF rig almost ready to activate, and a 2m/70cm one with pieces on order. $TINY_TOWN has a small active group, as well as a decent sized club in Flyover Falls, Oregon.

      For anybody considering ham radio, Nathan’s post is golden. HamStudy dot org is a great tool, too.
      https://accordingtohoyt.com/2021/01/13/communicating-in-an-insurrection-amateur-radio-and-you-a-guest-post-by-nathan-brindle-kc9ytj/

      1. I’ve got my license, I just haven’t had much call to use it so far. My father and a bunch of others used it a lot immediately after the ’89 Quake in Cali. We lived five miles from the epicenter at the time, so it was driven home how very, very useful that sort of ‘unofficial’ communications channel can be.

  56. I’ve been lurking here for years so I was thrilled when I found your GoFundMe. I was finally able to repay a tiny bit of the pleasure you’ve given me.

  57. I’m a selfish bastard – gotta keep our dear writer in good enough shape so I can eventually buy the next Darkships, Shifters, etc…. 😉

    Seriously, Sarah, take this as an affirmation of how much you and your work are loved and valued by this community. I’ve forgotten when I first found your blog; it’s been a voice of sanity in a world seemingly gone completely to ****. And “Despair is a Sin” is a mantra that helped me get through some really discouraging times during the last few years.

    Take care of the short-term emergencies; give yourself some breathing room; recover, and do what you do best….

  58. Sarah: it’s a privilege to help you. You are a force of nature, wildly fluent and brave, and we need more like you. Stay well and kick ass.

  59. Y’all deserve this. And the move was what you needed for your help. Thank us by getting us more stuff to read.

  61. Pingback: Ok, so mehbe I fibbed a little,,, | Dio's Workshop

  63. Sarah, we still live in (a virtual) Bedford Falls, not the Pottersville (?Brandonville?) of the regressive’s fevered dreams.

  64. It’s simple – people strongly approve of you. (In case you ever doubted.) Now about that ten spot I loaned you last week…..

  65. You deserve this. Take a breath. Keep the cushion, even after the old house sells. It is hard not to help everyone when you can. But putting yourself back into brink of trouble isn’t the answer either. But as someone else has said “Cannot help everyone. Doesn’t mean can’t help anyone.”

  66. Now you know. Those were not words into the darkness. They were sparks into the darkness helping to illuminate your area.
    Thank You for the enjoyment and entertainment you have provided.
    Use it for what you need to use it for.
    And get a good backup generator installed so that you may continue to shine your light into the darkness.
    It is good to know that other people are thinking the same thoughts.

  67. You’ve been creating value for your readers and fans and commenters for so many years, creating an imbalance. We are all glad that you have given us a chance to reduce that imbalance. When I weigh how much I’ve gotten from you against the handful of dollars that i donated, I’m pretty sure I owe you even more. So do be sure to do this every year.

  68. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that you don’t have to pay taxes on individual gifts under $600 (consult a reliable accountant for sure) so you should only have to track and pay taxes on the donations over that amount. YMMV but it should make the task easier for you work out what you owe…..

    1. You don’t have to pay taxes on individual gifts under 20k NOW. I know because at one point my mom was going to give us that. But she didn’t. LONG story. Anyway 40k for a married couple.
      Used to be lower.

          1. And forgive me for going on–it’s a family trait, and I hate it when my father does it–but you should use an accountant to file this year’s taxes because you will have bought a house, sold a house, changed state of residence, and had a successful go fund me. And the year isn’t over! I am optimistic that you will have capital gains to pay; keep receipts of any work done to get the house ready for sale. Most won’t be deductible, but a professional can sort out things that are. Change your mailing address and register to vote in your new state, and keep the receipts.

            My uncle used to say, take the first offer you get, because it will be the best. We’ve sold a few houses in our time, and I would not say that that would have worked out for us, because we’ve had a few lowball offers thrown our way at times. But, I do think your house will sell quickly. Good luck!

              1. Dan can not be a slave to taxes

                –
                We use Quicken Turbtax (purchase it because we use it on ours, son’s, and mom’s). But then our taxes are super simple, even before we retired. Now that we’re retired, we’re on the short form (enter deductions but anymore they don’t count even with house interest and property taxes). We go to an accountant only when we get stuck on something. Selling and buying a house counts as “being stuck” on something.

                I still get a kick out of the first accountant we used in ’80 for our ’79 taxes, our first full year of marriage (in ’79 for ’78 tax year we couldn’t afford an accountant, I was still in school, and neither of us were working, yet). Anyway, handed over our work stubs and her comment was “Wait! Same job. Same position. Same time on the job. Why is your gross income lower than his?” Easy answers: 1) He started two weeks before I did (I had finals to finish). But the main answer was – 2) He worked more overtime, especially at night.

                By mutual consent, I declined any nighttime overtime that we were allowed to decline. Essentially if you could get someone else to work it, then you could decline, so if hubby wasn’t assigned at the same time, he took my place. It was a matter of safety. This was dock work where they were loading logs. Not the work we did. That was safe (pulling tags before logs were loaded). But a woman on the docks was not particularly safe, especially at night. In fact women were not allowed on the docks (not that the crews didn’t sneak them on to the ship, but …) … which was interesting when a new guard was posted (had to have supervisor’s of the dock and our supervisor come down, every single time.)

              3. Spouse says, “Here I am.”
                Enrolled agent, has experience with Colorado taxes. Can work remotely or via phone.
                I’ll send an email if you decide you’re interested.

            3. “My uncle used to say, take the first offer you get, because it will be the best.”

              If you accept the first offer you can be quite confident it is the best you will get. Of course, the cost of sitting for a better offer includes the risk it will be lower (adjusted for inflation), that a meteor or other natural disaster will strike the house before it sells, the opportunity cost of what you could have done with that money in the interim between the first offer and the one actually accepted (for example, invested at 4.5% rate of return for a year, the cost of waiting a year on a $200,000 offer is $9,000, meaning the “better” offer would have to come in at $209,001), maintenance costs during that interval, and the stress entailed of wondering when you’ll be able to unload the dump — to name just a few elements.
              ~

      2. We’re suppose to get with a financial estate planner anytime now, you know, for the last 32.5 years, and counting … so we can get that Will “the kid gets it all” written, and so we can start transferring, tax free to him, now-ish. Well truth be told, in 2 years and 4 months -ish (as of now, unless they drop it back). When we HAVE to start taking out of hubby’s IRA paying taxes on it anyway.

  70. I’m Crazy!

    Seeing all of the emails with the Title of “It’s A Wonder Life”, I got thinking of this story about a strange-looking Three-Year-Old who had very strange powers.

    People around him keep thinking “It’s A Good Life” because of the “interesting” things he might do to them. [Very Big Insane Grin]

        1. Speaking of which, do you know if the corn crop in your neck of the woods was good this year?

    2. I had toyed with writing a guest post exploring the idea that “It’s A Good Life” was anticipatory of Cancel Culture, but writing thoughtful essays seemed awfully akin to work.

      The Progressive Left has managed to combine the excesses of the Third Reich and the McCarthy Era into a common mania.
      ~

  72. My wife asked me what this was all about, I’m fairly tight with a buck normally — she makes sure we tithe, but that’s something else again — and I had hit the tip jar and then this. Not large amounts, but uncharacteristic of me. I told her “this site is how I survived the WuFlu lockdowns and all the chaos since. Without it as an outlet, I would have broken.”

    My dear Mrs. Hoyt, you deserve well of us and this is only a token of it. Enjoy, celebrate, write books, save cats, and please keep this alive. Being odd is one thing, being odd and isolated something much worse. I was worried for you, and thus for me, since the stress was obvious. You are in my prayers and I ask that you pray for me.

        1. *nod* Just… be careful what you pray for. Himself answers prayers. But He also has a certain sense of humor about it sometimes…

            1. Or some people prayed had for “Anybody But Trump” for President and we got Biden*. 😈

              1. That should be “prayed hard” not “prayed had”. [Embarrassed]

              3. We have a neighbor like that (well half … her, but not the spouse, he knew better). I want to go over and shake her, “Happy Now?”. Don’t get me wrong, there were times I wanted to reach through the news to President Trump and shake him and say “Point made. Shut up!” or alternative reach through to those around him and say “Point made. Block his phone. Dang it.” But never in a million years would I have voted for Biden. Ew. Yuck.

    2. May Himself watch over you and yours. May the burdens of this life rest lightly on your shoulders, and may you greet each coming day with the joy and anticipation of a youth on Christmas Eve!

  73. OK I am the wise guy who said you had to use my donation for a proofreader. The next sentence was that I love you, but, honestly Sarah, I don’t see that it would have be very expensive. In fact, long ago I offered in a comment on Instapundit to do it for you for free. I am not perfect, but I did own a small newspaper for 20 years. I’m sure there are many other qualified people who would volunteer their services. It’s just jarring to me with my OCD to see someone who writes so well but yet makes a lot of simple typos. Don’t forget that I love you!

    2. Voice recognition enables (not really) non-proofread publication; why, just today I saw
      “regulate” for “relegate”. O morays! O tempura!

      1. And by the number of typos in MSM articles, it’s clear that “layers of fact checkers and editors” just do not exist. It’s voice recognition all the way.

        1. To be fair, “Fact Checker” is a job title and does not assert that any actual checking of facts will occur. It is a sub-category of Quality Control.

          OTOH, if you use the definition of “checking” commonly used in Ice Hockey, we can probably agree that in the MSM many facts will be checked.

          In this usage, Merriam~Webster offers:
          Transitive verb:
          2a: to slow or bring to a stop : BRAKE
          hastily checked the impulse
          2b: to block the progress of (someone, such as a hockey player)

          5a: to restrain or diminish the action or force of : CONTROL
          tried to thwart or check our purposes in the legislature
          ~

    3. For the record the cheapest I’ve found on copy editing is a penny a word. For a 70,000 word novel that’s $700. I’ve heard there is cheaper out there, but I haven’t been able to find it outside of the ‘my first novel didn’t sell so I’m going to edit now’ grade mess

        1. There should be a way to dun those volunteer “copy editors” who visit the blog, but I cannot see a path to it beyond a recommendation they hit the Tip Jar. Perhaps signage, such as that employed by Nawlins’ own Preservation Hall Jazz Band* advising that complaints about lack of copy editing entail mandatory tipping to cover the costs.

          *Legend has it that the Preservation Hall Jazz Band has a sign at their performances, stating fees for requests: a small fee for ordinary song requests but a $100 fee for requests of “When the Saints Go Marching In” (but my search engine doesn’t reveal it.)
          ~

  74. Mrs. H –

    Is there a physical address – P.O. Box, or someone else’s P.O. box, or box at a UPS store, or biz of some kind willing to perform as an intermediary receiver, or a sooper-seekret mail drop, something – to which we can send money orders (or “reasonable facsimile thereof”) ?

    1. There is. Look on the copyright page of Another Rhodes (should be able to do so on Amazon.) Send to that PO box for Goldport Press.
      I don’t want to put it here. Yes, it’s in Denver. Friends will check and forward. We’re re-incorporating and moving things around.

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  77. Dang it, read this as I get home and the dust is terrible. 1. Someone I know who needed help, got help. 2. There are a lot of generous people out there. 3. Who accidentally formed a community that cares about each other, helps each other, and roots for each other.

  79. “…Like shouting into the dark, and not being sure there’s anyone there…” Now you know we’re here. We’re reading you and we like it. I look forward to your overnight posts on Instapundit and miss you when you’re not there.

  80. I don’t get how this is “play” but I get it seems to be cheering people up.

    Because it gives a sense of control about how the world treats people. A lot of us have been watching the bad people get ahead and avoid any payment for their wrongs (for example, Alex Baldwin is now being portrayed as the victim of the on set shooting) and there isn’t jack we can do from stolen elections to railroading the innocent who wrong think to allowing criminals to run riot.

    But we can see the author we love get rewarded for all the blogs and stories and such she’s given us for years. Consider it a retroactive Patreon.

    1. Also because being a lone voice howling in the wilderness gets old. Many of us are isolated in some form or fashion. It is good for psychological health to hear others who aren’t part of the democrat-media-education-bureaucratic-big business collective. Even introverts need a (minimal, but important) amount of social activity.

    3. for example, Alex Baldwin is now being portrayed as the victim of the on set shooting

      –
      <deep_breath><rant_mode_on> ARE THEY FUCKING INSANE?!!

      Oh, wait, don’t answer that.

      Alec Baldwin was THE PRODUCER. The one in charge of everything on the set. Did he just assume that because he hired a Designated Gun Safety person, nobody else had any need to know anything about guns, or safety? Or that he didn’t need to ensure the Designated Gun Safety person could actually HANDLE the JOB?

      If you pick up a gun, YOU are responsible for safety. You, Alec, NOT somebody else. If you don’t know how to handle a gun safely, DON’T HANDLE GUNS!

      But of course, Leftroids reject the very concept of responsibility. Nothing is ever their fault, especially when it is. Find any excuse, any Bad Thing that has ever happened to them, or maybe just to some people they don’t know but can sort-of identify with, and claim that sweet Victim Privilege.

      Alec made 3 separate stupid mistakes. He picked up a gun,

      1. Did not check whether it was loaded with live ammunition
      2. Pointed it at somebody he wasn’t supposed to shoot
      3. AND PULLED THE TRIGGER!

      If he had skipped even ONE of them, Halyna Hutchins would not be dead now. There are two hundred million people he could have learned gun safety from, but they are all Eeevul Conservative Redneck White Supremacist Gun Nuts and must be shunned by all Right-Thinking People. Definitely not listened to! The NRA gun safety training programs? Heresy! Blasphemy!

      If he has a grain of integrity, the ONLY thing he can do now is stand up in front of God and everybody and say, “I’m sorry. I made a stupid mistake, and an innocent person died. I have no excuse.”

      Not holding my breath on that one, nope. </rant_mode_off>
      ———————————
      Left-wingers will do the wrong thing just because the people they hate do the right thing.

      1. Did he just assume that because he hired a Designated Gun Safety person, nobody else had any need to know anything about guns, or safety? Or that he didn’t need to ensure the Designated Gun Safety person could actually HANDLE the JOB?

        Designated Gun Safety person wasn’t even allowed on set…. COVID safety rules, too many people.

      3. I suspect that Baldwin will himself be criminally liable for unintentional homicide or manslaughter or whatever the appropriate charge is in Arizona.

        However, when the family sues the crap out of him in civil court for wrongful death, he may be able to spread the negligence around and duck out of a percentage of the damages.

      4. Hey, I stand behind Alec Baldwin!

        Because there’s no way I’m going to stand in front of him . . .

        (Paraphrased from a Meme on Peter Grant’s blog.)

        1. I’d rather stand a long, loooong distance away…

          Behind a hill, by preference. Based on his public statements, I’m not convinced he’s learned anything.

  81. There are a lot of us out here, and even if we’ve never met I’ve still gotten a lot of good stuff from you. I’m happy to pay some of it back. And it’s not just you – the folks here are good folks, and it’s one of the few sites where I take the time to read the comments (and occasionally add one myself). So now you have a better idea of how many USAians are out here, whether just lurkers or not, and I, for one, hope you’ll be around for a good long time.

  82. Don’t underestimate your reach or fan base strictly based on the level of comments. Traffic is what tells the story.

    I come by here pretty much every day, and have been doing so for at least six or seven years now, IIRC. I’ve never previously commented, since I tend to be critical of my writing style in the presence of all the talent around here.

    Having noted that, I will also add that I found it to be an honor and privilege to be able to give a little something back to someone who has given me so much entertainment and even moral support over the yearsl

    You deserve more than we have given.

  83. Maybe I should say this more, but sometimes I just forget. Anyhow, thank you for this blog and for keeping it real. My spouse and I work in crazy-making fields, and there are so many days that he and I wonder, when only two people think the emperor has no clothes, if that means it’s those two people who are crazy. Then I come and read your blog and the thoughts from other readers in the comments, and I am refreshed.

    God bless you, and I’m happy for you that so many people are showing their support for you.

  84. I’m so happy for you. You really deserve it, and I think all who come here appreciate your tireless efforts to ring the bells on behalf of so many who don’t have such a platform. Now, get busy! (restrains foot from tapping impatiently for the next installment of the Darkship series…)

  85. What you’ve given is worth more than the pittance I gave.
    If you’re at a loss for what to say try,
    “But what about moose and squirrel”
    and put the mp3 where we can hear it.

      1. Bah. You may have an accent in real life, but your words always sound as Southern as sweet tea when I read them. The American South is in you, Miss Sarah. We can smell our own. ;p

  86. Heck, even a fixed-income crippled-up disabled vet like myself can kick in $25. Every little bit helps. Glad to do it.

  87. Aughghgh! Now I have diabetes, IN MY BRAIN. Do you know how much metal music is needed to get diabetes out of your brain?! 😛

    Glad to help a little bit. Make sure you move that money out of second-hand control as fast as you’re allowed, so that no political psychos try to destroy what your friends gave you.

    I’m not naturally an optimist. (Also in understatement: The universe is a tad roomy. There are numerous atoms in Earth’s oceans.) The past few years have been seriously disturbing to me. I’m glad for your posts – Sometimes even if I can’t always bring myself to believe them, it’s good to see people who haven’t given up. Every so often, I refer to them, to myself, as the USAian sermons. 😛

    Also, it’s an interesting window into the writing field and the interesting people therein. Your conventions sound a lot more fun than my conventions. 😛

    5. “I’m not naturally an optimist.”

      I am optimistic enough to believe that He has a plan for this world, but not optimistic enough to believe I will enjoy the achievement of that end.
      ~

      1. The proper object of hope is the hereafter.

        We have been warned that it will be very bad before the end.

  88. I think it might also be worth it to specifically fund raise for commentary on current events. You do it anyway, and quite well, so may as well get paid. I’m not saying go full on politics correspondent and youtube channel, but I think people are interested in your take on the news.

  89. I am another who has been reading both your blogs and your books for years. I am glad to have had the opportunity to help you out.

  90. I’m absolutely certain no one considers their helping hand anything but a gift. Given to a wonderful person who has done so much for us, your fans. Your responsibility is to enjoy the gift and have a wonderful life.

  92. Lurker here. You are not shouting into a void, Ms. Hoyt. We hear you, and we value your work. When I see you pulling all-nighters for Insta I worry. When I don’t see you on Insta I worry.

    Look at the safety net that’s just been woven beneath you within just 24 hours. You cannot fall. The Odds favor you. The best people in the world are on your side.

  93. “Well, none of you has 30k sitting around. Never mind.”

    Someone named Sarah Hoyt told me that on Oct. 30th. She underestimated the numbers that would so graciously make this work. We are all glad for you.

    1. I think our response to Sarah goes something like: “Well, maybe no ONE of us has 30K sitting around; but ALL of us collectively sure as hell do. And we’re here for you.” 😀

      Damn, it feels good to help win one for one of the ‘good guys’…..

    2. “Well, none of you has 30k sitting around. Never mind.”

      Individually, maybe not, but when you’re making stone soup the pot gets full as everyone puts in “a little bit”.

    3. Well, actually…

      But I’d have to sell stock, and pay a load of capital gains tax. I’m glad to see the GoFundMe has been so wildly successful. Ready to break $116,000 any minute now.

    4. Milton Friedman liked to point out that people generally overestimate the importance of “big” and underestimate the importance of “many.” This gofundme is an example of that. The average contribution wasn’t big, but the number of contributors was many.

      1. Milton Friedman was a smart man. Between him and Hayek, reading and listening to them, I finally got an education on how economics works that I never did get in school. Much respect to Thomas Sowell and the Mises Institute, but anyone who wants to learn economics from the ground up in plain, unvarnished language needs to read “Economics in One Lesson” and listen to Milton Friedman. Between the two, you’ll find it much easier to spot the things that the marxist/socialist types would rather you didn’t.

  94. Pingback: Yeah, I know that feelin’ | Dio's Workshop

  95. Some of us have been reading you for years. We’ve never paid a dime. We owe you. You have been a beacon of liberty as one who knows how special The United States are, because you came here by choice, from another country, another culture. Thank you.

  96. Still very much in recovery mode from The Year Without Any Conventions, and now looking at a three-month hiatus after our last event of the year, so finances remain tight (examining the projects I’d planned for the house and trying to decide which are the most critical — looking like Fix The Gate is #1, and Repair or Replace the Oven may have to go in front of the acquisition of a freezer, which may happen only if I can catch an older one on sale, because the garage-ready new ones are a bit spendy for me right now).

    That said, I’ve been promoting your books both on social media and to my lists. With luck, maybe I can land you some more sales, and at least a few fans who’ll buy all your stuff.

      1. I know. That’s why I’m promoting your books. It’s at least something I can do, and who knows — maybe someone with a big following will fall in love with one of them, tell their whole circle, and bring a bunch of new fans your way.

        1. *virtual hugs* Bread on the waters. We never know when, or how, things come back to us, no matter how small what we do seems to be.

  98. Sarah, you’ve given me such pleasure with your writing all these years, giving something back is a pleasure too.
    Next time, don’t wait for it to get this bad.
    Kim DuToit is correct, leave the fundraiser open for a while longer.
    The wild, wild world of fandom has spoken, and so shall it be. 🙂

  99. I donated for a simple reason:

    We are all having a terrible year. No, correct that: we are all having, so far, a terrible decade.

    We are all trying what we can do to combat the evil around us. Mostly what we can ‘do’ is stay sane, wait for things to Hit The Fan, be prepared, keep up with our duties … but mostly seethe helplessly while very vile people ruin what was our country.

    Donating was a way for me to strike against the misery. It was worth every nickel.

    I suspect a lot of other people felt the same way, and had the same motive I had.

  100. It was an honor and a pleasure to help out with this. I might be embarrassingly behind on reading your books (just started Uncharted last night, though) but your commentary here at the blog, whether about the issues of the day or being Odd, have always given me a lot to think about and encouragement when the black dog hits hard (another thing I got a lot out of your posts on). All of that is worth preserving.

    I’m grateful for a lot of things on a personal level, too. You encouraging me to start writing again for one… Coming from you that meant a lot even if it’s one of the first parts of my life the black dog comes after when he arrives. And even if I’m a little behind on picking up the pieces in that area from the last hit. >_> Just treating someone who spent the longest time feeling too awkward to do anything other than hit the “Like” button on Faceplant with the kindness you have when I finally decided to put myself out there to ILOH’s Hunters and the Huns/Dinerzens on MeWe meant a lot too. If it wasn’t for this community I wouldn’t have been able to come as far as I have mentally in the last few months. I’m even grateful for taking a chance on King Harv’s Imperial Coffee’s at your recommendation and finding I can drink and appreciate them again just by taking it black! There’s more the end of day brain melt is probably blocking, along with the sudden presence of onion ninjas, but with all of that I couldn’t not donate. Relax and take full advantage of your well-earned assistance this weekend, and may mutual cat sitting be a thing sooner rather than later!

  101. BTW, for an odd example of, “things you’ve done for us,” spouse and I are enjoying small glasses of Sandeman’s port. Would never have thought of trying the stuff if there hadn’t been a discussion on port here.

      1. Taylor’s is my tipple. My mother liked Sandeman’s. That was her father’s favorite. The joke in the mess was “Port, sir, is the only wine.” When they drank the loyal toast.

  103. I’m glad it’s done so well Mama Taz. I may send you a little. We got the tax return [ we filed late. just ONCE I’d like mom to file on time instead of procrastinating most of a fucking year away.] We had to use some of it for a new fridge. [fuckin finally! the old one was goddamn near as old as *I* am Mama Taz!] Mom wants to use most of the rest for a new couch and I’m itching for a decent wattage portable generator before ‘winter’. because I forsee more power outages and I would dearly love not to lose most of the shit in the fridge this time and be stuck in a house with no fucking heat for several days, with my mom, my sister, and my hyper dog. Plus I live 60miles inland from the coast and occasional hurricanes are a fact of life.

  104. To put this in perspective, I, who generally try to check your site daily these days lest Boxes from Sarah’s Garage start without me, didn’t even *see* the GoFundMe until it was already at $116,526. (Granted, I got on late today, because I suddenly got obsessed last night with finishing a certain story I’d been neglecting for years, but still.) So, yes, this is every bit as gloriously flabbergasting as you make it sound, and please accept my humble soupçon of rejoicing to swell the geyser so rightly surging from your heart.

    1. We will be doing boxes next week. The guy who’ll be doing the donkey work came in at 4 am yesterday. (He SHOULD have left early, but buddies took him to farewell brunch, so…) and is now trying to figure out HOW his computer fried while unplugged in the basement. So, we’re hoping to do that next week?

  105. I’m glad you are going to do the yearly fundraisers. I currently have no funds myself but I hope to be able to donate next time. Also seeing everyone else’s donations and comments has warmed my heart.

  106. Now…with the funding taken care of, the altitude problems disposed of…we expect you to get the water-cooled keyboard and write on a scale that would make John C. Wright gape with amazement. 🙂

      1. I heard a gal talking about writing a formula romance novel in 28 hours. She was a wreck by the time she finished, but the editor loved it, and it saved two people’s bacon (the editor, and the writer who was supposed to do it, but who had a massive medical emergency, both friends of the person telling the story.) No thank you!

        1. 3 days (Plain Jane) is my BEST grossing work so far. It’s been out forever, still pays a couple of thousand a year.
          I actually have no idea what I wrote in it. I was the walking dead for a week after. BUT whatever it was, it worked.

          1. That’s (one of) the things that drives me crazy. A few of the things that I’ve dashed off in days or weeks, often sleep deprived and sicker than a dog, continue to get the most reads. I do not get it. I do not understand it. If I *did* I could replicate it, and make, I dunno, insurance salesman money, instead of gas station attendant money.

            1. Dali famously sleep deprived himself in order to turn off the part of the brain that say “wait, that doesn’t work”.

              With that level of intense flow, and yeah it isn’t that surprising so long as one can maintain the quality.

              1. There’s a famous essay that we read in Spanish class, about how flamenco and writing, and other arts, work best when they are full of… a sort of magic spirit? Basically, a sort of direct pipeline from the unconscious mind.

                So yeah, if you’re sick and feverishly busy, or sleep-deprived and wired, Mr. Unconscious and Mr. Motivator Lizard Brain get to take over. And if it’s coherent at all, it can have that magic power.

                OTOH, it’s also notorious among songwriters that the song you dash off, that you put nothing into, that was just a gimme, could be the song that really takes off. (And of course, it’s really the fruit of all the hard work you put into the other songs, but people don’t take it that way and it annoys them.)

                Better to take it as a gift and be happy, than to be annoyed by that sort of thing.

                And don’t do drugs to write, mkay? Better to do self-hypnosis with smells or an organized workplace.

                1. I can’t even write when I take cold medicine, let alone back in the days when I drank a bit. That stuff completely shuts off the part that does the writing somehow.

                  When writing, you often pull a dozen half-remembered things together, or at least I do. At least some of which are wrong. Conversations overheard, things researched some twenty years ago, stuff I’ve read, stuff other writers have said, things thought about while stuck in traffic, etc. Translating thought stuff into words on a page means you lose things in the process. Less as you get practice with it. Because thought stuff, or at least mine, don’t happen in discrete words and phrases. At least not completely.

                  Perhaps because a big part of it is sensory, images, sounds, smells and such, or even more vague emotion laced if/then and of consequence X,Y, and B. In thought, it’s easy to miss things because you have impressions of connected ideas that assure you you’re on the right track that in text don’t exist. That’s what editing is for. If that makes any sense.

                2. Teaching yourself to write under the influence of drugs may make it impossible to write without it.

                3. “OTOH, it’s also notorious among songwriters that the song you dash off, that you put nothing into, that was just a gimme, could be the song that really takes off. ”

                  Ask Leslie Fish about that….

                  “And we’re banned from Argo, every one……” 😎

  107. > This side of the keyboard? It’s pretty lonely. I often wonder if I’m flinging out things no one cares about/reads. Like shouting into the dark, and not being sure there’s anyone there. Sometimes there’s glimmers of eyes.
    > The lights in the great dark theater have come on. And the darkness I’ve been flinging words into is full of friendly, loving faces.

    I come here for things like this.. that unique perspective on looking at life in a wonderfully different way that just plants itself into my head and sprouts imagery & emotion.

  108. I couldn’t donate via gofundme due to some technical error, so donated via the paypal.me link. Happy to contribute to another shocked face!

  111. Years’n’years ago, at a con in Denver, a friend of mine grabbed me by the arm and pulled me toward a room where you’d be giving a presentation. “You’ve gotta see this woman. She’s a phenomenon. I think you’ll like her.”

    He was right on the first two counts. The third, well, he needed a far stronger word than “like.”

      1. And while I have you, I wanted to mention that moving from 6700 feet in Colorado Springs to 1400 feet in Scottsdale made all my oxygen issues go away. All of them. I’m a couple of SP02 points lower than I’d like, but my symptoms (which were largely like yours, if not so severe) are gone. You’re doing exactly the right thing. I do miss living four or five miles south of you, but that’s life.

  112. I hope you are not surprised that intelligent individuals might also be in a profession that pays well. Since freedomistas tend toward the right end of the IQ curve it would be reasonable to expect a greater than average percentage of the people reading your blog to be in a higher income category.

    Even looking at it coldly, you are an asset to the freedom community. I, personally, have benefited from your upbeat essays and I am pretty sure there are others who can say the same. That those who have profited from you freely given words are willing to help you out of a jam should not be a mystery. Freedomistas also tend toward the right end in of the generosity and pay-it-forward curves.

  113. What goes around, comes around, sweetie. How many people have you helped out over the years, with a kind word, or a rousing blog post, or a pithy breakdown of the latest insanity? How many people have taken hope from your words, your patriotism, your bravery in speaking boldly?

    How is it a surprise that those you have helped would hesitate even a second in helping you?

  114. Think of it this way, Sarah. Some want to help their author, in some cases their friend. Unlike some, in spite of your woes, the darkness, you still reach out and pick/lift people up. Either with your books or your blogs.

    Be happy that people want to help. Esp. with the problems you’ve clearly had there.

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