West of Mars

OEBD? Operation e-Book Drop. I’ve mentioned it to you before. One month ago today, in fact. (I’m so slick!)

I’m bringing it back up today because two really cool things have happened that I want to tell you guys about.

First is that I did an interview for the Pittsburgh Literature Examiner about my participation in OEBD. This link will take you to an older article about it, but now you can add it to your reader and keep an eye open for it. I will, of course, let you know when it goes up.

Second is that a mere few hours after finishing the interview and sending it to Holly, I got a note from the kids’ school. One of the fourth grade classes has been writing letters to a serviceman stationed in Afghanistan. This year, the teacher has drafted the other fourth grade teachers to help put together a care package for the Troops.

I’ve got a ton of stuff here: lip balm, thanks to my friend Hank Phillippi Ryan (she sends me a new one with every book that comes my way); sudoku books I’ve never touched; playing cards that the Tour Manager won’t use again for poker.

And then, I’m going to print up some coupon codes for my books over at Smashwords and tuck them inside notecards that include my usual letter — and also offer an explanation of OEBD and how they can get more involved. With 220+ authors at this point, there’s got to be something for every serviceman out there. (The other side of this coin is that with 220+ authors, it’s harder to make Trevor stand out. But we’re dwelling on Only the Good here, right???)

I’m jazzed. I’d love to see OEBD turn into something as routine as those programs that provide books for prisoners. But mostly, I feel a little more connected to this group. Even though it’s not my kids who are writing to this troop, this hits close to home (as does the continued disappearance of Morgan Dana Harrington, but again! Only the Good!). This connection exists within my community.

When I think about all the shit in this world (see above.. Morgan, come HOME, dammit!), it’s these little connections that make me think there’s hope and merit in small acts of tikkun olam — to heal the world.

If you’re an author, why not look into making your books available for OEBD? If you’re not (or if you are; I don’t like to exclude people), please continue to support me and the Trevolution. Giving away free e-books may not cost me anything but time and a few e-mails, but on the other hand, it was you guys who brought The Demo Tapes to life. The bigger this thing gets, the more gestures like OEBD mean.

Happy Friday the 13th.