There I was, thinking that the ultimate high is reading a piece of your novel, (pun intended), in front of a group of adults, who smile, laugh, frown, and applaud at the appropriate times.

And then, I read in front of a group of children.

I did this three times in five days, so the margin for error is considerably low, and I promise you, there is nothing more uplifting than reading your story to a bunch of humans who are by nature, filter-free, who nevertheless stare at you and your book in awe. Who patiently line up and wait for you to sign their book, the first book they’ve ever had signed by an author and an illustrator. Who kneel down at the box of books you have next to you and ask if there are other, different books like this one in there.

Adults know how to be polite, they know how to pretend, how to force a smile, a laugh, a frown,  an applause. But kids, they only know to tell the truth.

Us writers are a vain bunch, but that’s only because we spend so much time in the solitude of our tumultuous minds, creating something we are forever convinced is not good enough. If the opportunity for praise and acknowledgment arises, we grab it with the hunger of a  jilted lover reunited with their soulmate.

So thank you, children, those that were at the launch of “When Clouds Embrace” this past Saturday, and to the brilliant groups at Byron College today.

I’m going on a children’s book tour.

In the great scheme of things, I know I’m just one small person, who wrote a small book, for small children, and put together a crowdfund for small donations. I’m no grand charity and you are no billionaires blindly throwing funds my way.

But together, we are grand.

Whether or not you believe that the smallest contribution counts, it does. The smallest sentence to a friend or colleague about this small project, makes a difference. A simple click on the “share” button below this post, may help bring “When Clouds Embrace” to life. Our cluster of smallness will grow into a huge storm of kindness, charity, humanity.

We’ve decided to cut the first print run of When Clouds Embrace from 2,000 to 1,000 copies, so the amount needed is no longer the one you see on the crowdfunding pages. Not because our book won’t sell, not because we won’t gather the funds we need eventually (those of you who know me, know I’ve deleted the word “failure” from my dictionary long ago), but because we are in a hurry to to help. When our 1,000 copies sell, we will have raised over $10,000 for Giving for Greece, who will channel the funds to unaccompanied refugee minors in Greece. That’s pretty grand from a bunch of small people.

Please continue to spread the word, even if it’s just a whisper. (Links below)

Today has been a good day for little Lukas, as donors from two corners of the world pushed him closer to existence. And helped us all make a small step towards improving the dire living conditions of an orphaned refugee child. I thank Katerina Papatryfon Drako in Dubai, an anonymous donor from San Fransisco, and my grand, dear, nutty friend Dimitra Capas, who made a donation box out of a shoebox, sported a hat, and walked around the offices of the law firm she works at, gathering donations. Her box will be doing a tour of Athens, keep an eye out, it’s pictured below. 😉

International donations: https://www.generosity.com/…/book-for-the-support-of-syrian…
Greek: http://www.giveandfund.com/giveandfund/project/45rqh76e7e
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