The nicest thing happened to me on Monday morning. Lovely Lisa Gail Green over at Paranormal Point of View offered me a Random Act of Kindness in honour of Angela and Becca over at The Bookshelf Muse. These 2 wonderful ladies celebrated the release of their book The Emotion Thesaurus with an amazing Random Act of Kindness Blitz. All over the bloggy-verse, people performed amazing acts of kindness. Incredible stuff! AND the ladies are offering up a gift or two to everyone at their blog!
Anyway, Lisa offered me a critique - I'm thrilled with such a great opportunity! And now I'm going to pay it forward twofold. :)
First, I'd like to do a shoutout to my two critique buddies. They are amazing ladies who are incredibly bright and have eagle eyes when it comes to critiquing! They're also kind, generous and fun! I joined Agent Query Connect as a total newbie and lucked into a crit group with these two. They've taught me so much! Here's a little more about them:
Jean Oram writes chick lit and contemporary romance. She's also working on a chapter book for kids that has a fabulous premise. She's got an agent for a nonfiction project that revolves around her It's All Kids' Play website and blog. There are about a bazillion ideas for parents on this site - you'll love it!
Calista Taylor has published steampunk romances (Virdis and Devil on a Sparrow's Wing) and a grim reaper romance (JACK). She also has the Steampunk Your Wardrobe craft book coming out with Fox Chapel Publishing in the fall. In addition, Cali creates fabulous book covers!
Both Jean and Calista are also part of the From the Write Angle Blog team. Please visit these 2 lovely ladies and say Hi! :)
Second, I'd like to offer up my own critique for someone who comments. Please know I have absolutely NO credibility other than my own experiences (and putting out the offer is making me extremely nervous)! I'm not sure how valuable my input might be, but, sometimes an extra set of eyes is welcome. I have more experience critiquing queries, but I'm willing to look at the first 5 or 10 pages instead. Whichever the winner chooses...if anyone is willing to take a risk on me! Let me know in the comments if you are interested and I'll select a random winner on my next post. Because I don't blog on a schedule, I don't know when that will be - but probably in a couple of days! :)
Thanks again to Lisa, Angela and Becca!
What's one of your favourite random acts of kindness?
59 comments:
An incredible offer from you Jemi. Thanks for thinking of this. And you did receive incredible kindness from those ladies!
RBH - I know not everyone is needing a critique, but I hope it can help out someone!
I'm loving this RAOK event. It's been so fantastic. And yes! Critique partners are invaluable!
Lynda - crit buddies are the BEST! :)
What a fun idea for a meme! I just turned in my book and don't have anything to crit right now, but I bet someone's going to love that prize. Great idea!
This random acts thing is a cool idea. And my favorite was my theme for this year's Challenge.
Caryn - thanks! I hope so - at least the offer's out there :)
Alex - I loved your theme too - such a GREAT way to give back :)
What a nice offer! One of my favorite random acts of kindness is to buy someone flowers who rarely gets them. They sure brighten up someone's day.
Www.dianeweidenbenner.com
Its great to have critique partners. I like a simple smile as a TAOK. And they're free. Hugs too.
Hi Jemi,
I've been ROAKed too and agree, I feel nervous about choosing someone and deciding how to ROAK them - although I like Stephen's idea, and I'm pretty sure that young hunky guy making my hot chocolate in the cafe needs a hug... what? That's random.
Diane - that's a really nice idea! I can think of a few people I know who would really like that!
Stephen - a smile can make a huge difference in someone's day - great idea! :)
Charmaine - there's pressure! :) Oh, and I like your choice for the hug idea - very, very smart! :)
I've seen this around the blogosphere and think it's totally awesome! How cool that Lisa offered you a critique. I swear, it's the hardest thing in the world to find someone you trust to critique your work (well, besides actually putting your work out there--that's so freakin' scary!). I'm sure you'll do whoever wins the critique right! You're brill! :) *hugs*
Mary - awwww, you're such a sweetie! It really is hard to put yourself out there and get a crit - but it was the best thing I ever did! :)
It's always great to randomly buy dinner for people in restaurants and fast food. I think that's a good one.
I'll go and visit the blogs.
T
Teresa - that's a very good one! I've never paid for someone's meal in a restaurant, but I have paid for the person behind me in the drive through a few times! :)
Awesome Jemi. I'll let someone else win because I just won a critique and am trying to digest it and correct my first chapter.
Natalie - it is nice to get those extra eyes on those pages - especially that first chapter. :)
I've gotten critiques over the years and they are invaluable - so it's so nice of you to offer one! Wish I could "cash" in - but I've been. . . not able to. Good luck to you and whoever gets your invaluable advice!
erica
I love the whole RAOK train. If I were to get lucky on this, I'd gladly accept that critique. Nothing better than a pair of skilled eyes checking the WIP.
Wow, those are SOME random acts of kindness! My favourite random act of kindness was when a reader sent my youngest son a teensy bottle of fairy dust. He was only 5 at the time and was utterly captivated by it.
Awwww you are such a star lovely Jemi!! Yay for gorgeous acts of kindness!! My lovely neighbours tend to push pouches of cat food and pics of charlie through my letter box. These very kind gestures always make me smile as I open my door after a tiring commute from work! Take care
x
The RAOK has been amazing! I think it's great to have an opportunity to think about the people who support us in our writing. I enjoy reading your blog posts :)
Erica - thanks! I always like getting extra eyes on my pages too - especially those first few!
Linda - awesome! Angela & Becca have really got a great RAOK train rolling here! :)
DJ - that's an awesome RAOK! I bet he remembers that gift forever!!
Old Kitty - you have some awesome neighbours!! I bet Charlie charms everyone in the area :)
Andrea - I agree. There are so many amazing people in this online writing community - it's nice to highlight a few of them! :)
I'd be willing to enter, to have some of my book critique. 8-)
I love the kindness all over blogland this week!! What a wonderful way to celebrate a book release!
Jack - that's awesome! I'll put your name in the draw! :)
Kelly - I know! What a great idea it's been! :)
Awesome act of kindness, Jemi. Sounds good. Not for me now as I'm swamped in studies.
Riya
Riya - those studies do tend to be overwhelming, don't they! Good luck with them :)
You are such a sweetheart, Jemi! Luv you!
Beth - awwww - thanks Beth! You just made my whole day!! :)
I love RAOK blitz. I'm off to check out you critique partners.
Ciara - it's a lot of fun for sure! I know you'll love both of them - they're so awesome! :)
The RAOK Blitz has been so much fun! CONGRATS on being RAOK'd.
: )
What a nice offer Jemi :-)
Yay, Jemi!!! You are AWESOME! I'm so excited that this whole thing is contagious. :D
I'd say you have some fine credibility for critique--after all being a teacher counts for something. Besides I think a critique from anyone who can read can be valuable in its own way if done with honesty and sincerity.
Lee
An A to Z Co-Host
Tossing It Out
Susanne - it really has been fun! There's a lot of goodness going on right now! :)
Agnes - thanks! I hope I can help out someone!:)
Lisa - thank you again! It's fun to be able to pass along the love! :)
Lee - thanks! I do have some experience - but without 'formal' credits, it feels odd to offer up services! :)
What great people to honor! I don't have anything that needs critiquing right now, but I think your RAOK idea is wonderful.
Miriam - thank you! Jean and Chrissy are the absolute best! :)
It's hard to pick my favorite random act of kindness. Anything done with a generous heart is top-notch!
Beth - agreed! And there have been SO many examples of kindness floating around the bloggy-verse lately. Love it! :)
Hey Jemi,
Ah yes RAOK are cool. Anyone who does something kind without expecting reciprocation has my total respect.
And speaking of RAOK, thanks for the shout out on twitter. Very kind of you and you may um 'critique' my comment :)
All the best and happy writing.
Gary
Gary - RAOK make the world a much better place! You're very welcome on the shoutout! :)
As to critiquing your comment, I'd say it's pretty much perfect!
Thanks for introducing us to Jean and Calista. I'll hop over and check them out. :)
Sharon - you're welcome! They're terrific people :)
Oh Jemi you are so lucky. Lisa is one of my critique partners and she has an AMAZING eye.
Leslie - I'm looking forward to her crit! She's such a fabulous lady! :)
giving money to beggar kids and especially to old beggar grannies is my fave random act of kindness...
What a nice post. Love the idea of all this kindness being spread around! And what a nice offer from you too.
Hi Jemi -- I already have critiquers galore, so I'll let others compete for your input. It's a great idea though, and I'm a big fan of random acts of kindness that brighten a person's day. Nice idea.
Dezzy - that's a lovely idea. It's so sad that people don't have enough for the basics - never mind the extras that can make life so much easier!
Theresa - thank you! RAOK has become huge! :)
Pat - RAOK really are a whole lot of fun! It's great to see the surprise on someone's face when they are RAOKed :)
I was recently critiqued, so you don't have to enter my name. But what an awesome thing to giveaway. :)
I missed this blogfest, but I loved reading all these kindness posts this week.
Mediea - it's been such fun! Angela and Becca have done an amazing job!! :)
Congrats on your critique - and how wonderful of you to pay it forward!
Susan - thanks! I'm looking forward to the crits! :)
critiques are a great thing! i used to do it on my blog as a regular post but to be honest found it too time consuming lol
but ive learned so much from others critiquing my work
Jeremy - I agree - crits are so helpful. It's nice to get another set of eyes on our work - get another opinion! :)
Jemi, congrats on being honored! And kudos for passing on the love. That's what the RAOK blitz was all about. It was so fun to see the kindness spreading as the week went on. And I'm sure your input will be valued; everyone has a different perspective to offer.
Becca
Becca - thanks so much! It was such fun seeing the RAOK posts everywhere! Critiquing for non-crit buddies is a bit unnerving, but it's going well - I think!
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