Paying the Piper

Posted on by Sarah A. Hoyt

Boy, I’m glad I warned everyone that last year’s fundraiser would be a mess. But I never imagined it would be a mess to get the electronic swag to people.

THAT was idiotic because I had in the past tried to start a “mailing list” and got the email bricked up. Now they just don’t send things out. Which is hilarious when you consider how many spam items fill my mailbox every day. Apparently hotmail only lets spam-spam through, not well meaning people who have had an account forever trying to send stuff out.

Then there were other things: I still don’t have a list of who donated at what level. It existed for about a minute. And someone tried to send stuff out. Then …. then it defaulted to younger son’s job. And younger son got…. for a while three other jobs. And a fiance. And in the meanwhile the list… well, let’s put it this way, I know more than three of you donated at level 9.

And scrubbing the data from paypal is — tears out hair.

There was also dereliction of duty on MY part due to the fact that this year has been “fun with doctors.” (Look, we’re in the home stretch, at least for tests. If you wonder why yesterday’s post was so late. “Fun with doctors.”) As in I haven’t finished the one original story or ASSEMBLED the collection of USAian stories. They exist. I need to assemble the dang thing (This weekend. Has to be.) I also haven’t fulfilled the tuckerizations and mass deaths (And one MATH DEATH. You know who you are.)

Yes, you can send out things with stuff like mailinator. But at this point the emails are a mess.

So, here’s what we’re going to do: We’re going on the honor system. Because the piper has played and will be paid. Or the piper has paid and will play, whichever you choose.

Starting tomorrow, I’m going to do a post with things to download, for the various levels where the content was digital. (Yes, including finishing the short story, and giving a book funnel link to the book.)

In the mean time, I’ve established an account: SAHSWAG at outlook.com.

If you donated anything that warrants more than the MP3 of Moose and Squirrel and anything physical or involving my working at it, this is important:

1- Physical books or other things I need to mail: will be after July 4th, because we’re going to be gone from early next week till then. Sorry. In the meantime, send me an address I can mail (I think books is all, really) to. I.e. snail mail address.

2- If you donated enough for red-shirting, I’m ASSURED we have that list, and your number will come up. (Eheheheh. Math death.)

3- If you donated enough for personalized, extensive tuckerization, one person sent me the details. Two might have, but in that case I lost the second and my email is not disgorging it.

4- So, if you paid for a personalized tuckerization, I APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY but please email to SAHSWAG at outlook. And again, tuckerizations should happen through this year. Sorry it’s late. Writing has NOT happened because…. well, it’s about to get resolved, anyway. Sometimes I will hold off because the one I have is for a military gentleman who should be honored. I don’t want to insert him in the cavalcade of silly in the cozy mysteries, for example.

5- If you paid for critique/mentoring: I have two of those on deck, one of which will be “paid” at Liberty con in person (the other one should be emailed this evening. I might have questions.) But there’s more people who qualify. Again, please send to SAHSWAG at outlook, if you have not contacted me about this yet. (ALSO the person who got one through donating to Lawdog)

6- No one paid to fly us somewhere for dinner, so you’re out of luck if you claim that. :D

ANYWAY, please contact me at the email SAHSWAG at outlook for anything but the electronic content, which will be put here on the honor system before the end of the month for sure. (Again, doctors and also getting ready for 2 weeks away, including boarding the cat-tle.)

ALL of this is for the blog fundraiser almost exactly a year ago, not the rescue fundraiser Nov. 21. I can’t give anything for those, because IRS. I.e. it wasn’t a “business” thing.

And I’m sorry this has been such complete insanity. The problem was basically that I couldn’t/wouldn’t use gofundme for obvious reasons. There it’s easy to see in the back panel who donated at what level and have ALL the info. With Paypal, which is now well, not usable, it was a massive headache involving hours of work I couldn’t do, and couldn’t get anyone else to reliably do.

Which is why going forward plans are…. different.

The pledges except for kill and tuckerize (which will probably take till September) will be fulfilled by the end of the month, because, as much as I hated it, and as confusing as it was, yes, I will be doing a blog fundraiser, starting on the 4th of July.

NOTE this will NOT be a rescue fundraiser but a “I read Sarah’s blog, and think it’s worth paying for/supporting.”

Because I learned — the burned hand teaches best — next year we’re going on simplified mode and almost self-fulfilling. There will be… options.

I’m not sure if one of those will be Stripe. Haven’t started an account there. If I do, it will be fulfilled the same way as checks.

Other than that this is the plan ahead, and no you don’t have to read further, because that’s not yet. Unless you want to make suggestions, or whatever.

THE PLAN for this year.

Give Send Go – they forbid giving incentives or really anything back. (Probably because they don’t want to have to report to the IRS. It’s fair.) I’m going to put the total wished for there. (About the same as last year, maybe a little more, but not much. And last year, btw ended up fulfilling on the nose with late checks.) I don’t EXPECT IT TO FILL there, given no incentives, and some people might not want to use the service, for whatever reason. Again, if you donate there, all you get is my gratitude.

So, there will be other options.

Patreon: I am — and yes, okay, I have issues with it — going to put up a Patreon. It will not contain political stuff, but it will have personal stories, and probably videos of my cats “speaking” with buttons. We bought the system and we’re going to try it out. Should be fun, maybe. Anyway, it will have something every week of the personal reminiscence/cat event/look at this funny thing/whatever. Yes, I know the problems with Patreon, but M. C. A. Hogarth informs me that some people like to use it for their writer support. So, hey, it will probably a day of my time setting up, but it will get done. (And heaven help me, last time I tried it was super complicated.) That one will be a subscription/automatic fulfillment type of thing.

Substack serializing blog: As you guys know I have things like Witch’s Daughter, Rogue Magic and Elf Blood started and they stopped due to health/move. Well, the idea is to give you at least two novels and a bunch of short stories per year, and there will be subscription levels ranging from “gets to comment” to “gets to make suggestions, including suggesting self-insert.” (The comment thing, to be fair is a new substack thing.) It will be regular postings of chapters, and in the end you get the ebook in three formats (kindle/epub/pdf.)
I say AT LEAST two books but I’m going to try to run one fantasy one sf and one mystery, because I know you guys all have your specific preferences.
I HAVE NOT set up this substack yet. I don’t know what it will be called. I thought of calling it something like “String writing” but that is a reference to a Portuguese term and…. eh. Yes, I’ll accept suggestions. No, don’t make me carp you.

The substack I currently have is different, it’s for a newsletter (because I can’t figure out more traditional newsletter software. I’m very stupid, in highly specialized ways.) Look, yes, I’ll enable payment there too, because you guys keep trying to give me money there, but understand that’s just a newsletter announcing my stuff, and making fun (hopefully) quips about what I’m writing. And you CAN get it for free. So, I don’t know why, but yes I’ll enable that one too on payments.

Other than that, there will be the option of checks, but please — please, please — anyone donating by check — or cash, wrapped in chocolate wrapper. Really, you guys! :D — should send me an email (unless they REALLY don’t want to.) And I’ll email each person as the donation comes in, and send back something. I don’t know what yet, though I’ll figure it in the next 2 weeks. Either a collection of (mostly previously published) short stories, or a novella. I’ll let you know depending… well, on how the doctor’s report and prescriptions turn out, etc. I’ll know by the time I put it up.

Oh, and I MIGHT make a highly specialized wish list, specifically for books and things I use for work. I mean, I’ll still have to pay taxes on this stuff, but if you guys want to donate and be ABSOLUTELY anonymous that’s a way to do it. Maybe. I need to test something first.

Anyway, that’s for this year, and upcoming, (July 4 to the 16th) and you can see (right?) it will be much easier. Because 2022 really was a mess. And I hate being frustrated and stressed while trying to fulfill promises.

And no, donating is not NEEDED. The blog will continue barring disaster. And this is not a rescue fundraiser. I’m still immensely grateful for that one, but it’s not what this is. This is just “Well, the blog eats half my day and maybe I should get paid?” And going on what people get paid for editorials. (And they do like an editorial a week, not 4 or 5.)

Anyway, that’s all. Now let me go do a critique and write a short so I can assemble that collection. So I can fulfill the electronic part of the pledges.

Because I hate being in debt and unable to pay. It messes me up.

Oh, yeah, and if tests are anything bad I’ll let you know. I DON’T expect anything bad. Most of the uh weird symptoms are clearing. This is out of an abundance of caution. It just eats a ton of time. But yes, I’ll let you know.

Thank you for your patience . These posts embarrass me beyond belief. But they must be done.

72 thoughts on “Paying the Piper”

  1. What you don’t like getting Free Money???

    Because that’s what you got from me. :grin:

    Seriously, take care.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Echo. No worries. Columns you write to share are worth more than I donated. Just, please, keep writing.

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  7. To the best of my knowledge, I sent you a note when I donated that said something along the lines of, “Thanks for being you, I don’t need anything in return.” So I’m good. :)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Also nuked Paypal but I only used it once and said “Never again.” I had my bank send a check. Bonus, Sarah is now a payee through my bank, so her snail mail address is locked in.
      Probably will need to delay, again, this year. We will have close to $10k on the CC to payoff. Between our trip (planned, so covered), the dog’s surgery (not planned) to remove her anal glands (one burst during surgery so we had put it off almost too long, and cost just under the 25% JIC max estimate), and now one cat’s small tiny (so small difficult to find) bump is now the size of a large pea, and presents as mast cell, which may or may not be cancerous. Gets removed Monday; another $1k. Won’t know if actually cancer until sent to pathology. We have the money but dang. Good thing we are not into expensive overseas travel.

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        1. We are pretty conservative on spending. When we do open the wallet money seems to suddenly flow out. Normally it happens in 3’s. This summer? Maybe because the year ends in 3? We’re up to 5 and counting.

          Liked by 2 people

  9. I just checked my email receipt from last year and it was $250.00. If I recall correctly that involved an autographed book, but the donation was just that. Any swag is a bonus.

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      1. Whatever you call it, the Reader will be there! The Reader figures it is impolite to carp his hostess.

        Liked by 1 person

  11. I don’t remember if I met “moose and squirrel” or not, though I don’t think I did, but I can’t remember which level I hit. Still, no thanks needed! The blog, and pointing me to my new home, is more than enough! :)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Mildly embarrassed that I don’t remember, either. I’d have to dig back through my bank account, as I know that I did at least two contributions as money came available, maybe three. Probably won’t have the time, either…

      Not that I gave for the goodies, anyway. I know that Sarah is a person that will lend me a shovel at need (digging is out of the question, for physical reasons).

      Liked by 2 people

  13. I was just thinking it was about time for a new bleg.

    The blog will continue barring disaster.
    Good. Barring disaster is an important task.

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    1. Vorpal Carptapult.
      Carpe Jugulum… has probably already been used somewhere.
      Intergalactic Transphasic Gravity Assited Carp Delivery System, (ITGACDS is a silly enough acronym).

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Yeah! I was wondering when you were going to do your annual fundraiser. 3 points to Sarah for doing it again! Jerry would be proud of you.

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  20. I know I donate3d. But after that, I just forgot about.

    I’ll donate again if you are running another.

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  22. Will donate again. No problems on the e-swag.

    Can’t give too much; we’re putting a major dent in the house-fixit budget. Seems fiber cement siding is fireproof, discourages woodpeckers, but doesn’t do well with water splashing on it. (Glares at the wood pile that used to be the wrap-around deck.) ‘Sides, the new stuff will look a lot better than ANSI-STD manufactured home siding.

    Decidedly not a DIY project. I might be crazy, but that’s way beyond commitable.

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    1. Same boat. Not only pet medical issues but we just put a new roof on ($17k) and need to paint the exterior. Exterior, because of upstairs above garage component, requires a contractor. No way am I letting my 71 year old hubby on the structures required to get that done. Trust me, is not happening. Painting s/b < $7k.

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      1. Yeah. This yer has been very interesting, with Havey’s medical issues… and ours.
        We don’t NEED the fundraiser. We can make do. And I need to write way more. BUT…we’re sixty. and we’re seeing some medical issues and our insurance covers less and less. Ah well.

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      2. Yeah, part of the siding contract is a paint job. (Approx $7K, too.) Of course, $SPOUSE thinks that the south side* of two outbuildings would do a lot better if those were sheathed in fiber-cement lap siding. That’s DIY class work, and we I might not need to repaint so often. (She’s good at interior paint, but is allergic to ladders.) Without the deck, work on the house is a little bit harder.

        (*) Who’d think that UV light at 4000+ feet would do a number on paint? OK, you can lower your hands.

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        1. Heck, from the Reader’s childhood he knows that UV light at sea level plays havoc with paint and varnish on wooden boats. Don’t ask him how he knows.

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          1. Sun-rot destroys most everything, from paint and plastic to solar cells. That’s right, exposure to sunlight degrades solar cells. They’d last forever if you didn’t put them out in the sun. :-D

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  23. I got my blog shoutout and my carped certificate so I’m good.

    Off topic: would substack work for a blog? WP delenda est and Google is evil, there aren’t a lot of alternatives.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Substack would, but it’s complicated. These days you have to subscribe to comment, and that will lose most of the community. NOTE this is not something we asked for. Substack is trying to make money, I don’t blame them, but–

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  24. Well… That is all too complicated for me. You’ll just have to get the annual boxing day subscription paymenr whenever the money is available. Your blog is still better value than NRoDT.

    And maybe a Christmas card if I don,t end up mailing the checks on the Feast of the Circumcision. Did you get the card this year? It was rocky. Some people got none and my best friend got two. 🤪

    Liked by 1 person

  25. I found the mail from you and also remember finding my “shout out” too so, I’m good. I was also digging around as I tried to remember if there was an audio too… nope. But that led me to a search and I did find this!
    June Foray as Natasha Fatale: https://www.wavsource.com/snds_2020-10-01_3728627494378403/tv/bullwinkle/moose_and_squirrel.wav

    An ironic part of that is my partner and I at work were know as Moose (her) and me (squirrel) when we were doing training gigs for the department. When we had a video failure during a training session my comment was – “Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of the hat!” and she said “That’s my line”. Good times…

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    1. Yep! As soon as I saw it, I started humming “Broadsword.” innocent kitty look as pushes whetstone back under blanket in kitty-basket

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      1. There are not many musical lyrics as good as “Bring me my broadsword, and clear understanding”.

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  27. Sent $350 check last year. It posted at bank on August 1.

    Had included note that linked my on-line secret ID to my IRL name. So in addition to the money, I sent you my secrets. Working for the gov. you must be careful what you reveal. I have been Presbypoet since the last century.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Presbypoet, the problem is that everything paper went through Dan who probably has it all super organized, etc, but he’s been working 60 hour weeks, so he keeps saying he’ll give it to me, but…… yeah.
      I’d still appreciate a ping to that email, and I promise not to reveal ANYTHING. I know people in the same situation.

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          1. When the Marxists realize that every human is racist so they change their morning shows to reflect their newest reality, non-reality.

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          2. Tell Disney to leave Planet Of The Apes the hell alone!

            Plus, that scene is highly offensive! Gorillas, chimpanzees and gibbons are not represented! You orangutan-ist, you!

            Liked by 2 people

  29. I have no idea if I sent something or not. I have had some memory issues for a few years, both before and after that surgery I had two years ago, which is probably due to the fact that my brain was stuck in that hole, and when they fixed the hole the part that had squeezed on the wrong side into the sinus cavity was cut off. So some stress there. Memory seems to be improving now, but I probably have lost access to some parts permanently.

    I’ll try to figure out how to send something in the future. I have gotten too much from the blog and the books not to do it.

    Heh. That piper in the picture either has two right feet, or has three feet, the two showing right so presumably the third, hidden one is the missing left foot.

    Liked by 1 person

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