So after we started this year’s fundraiser, something kinda odd happened.

We got a few e-mails and comments that we weren’t expecting. Stuff like this:

“Last year I happened to donate after the $0.33 sub-lottery was announced. That has primed me to delay my donation this year until late into the fundraiser, to ensure I don’t unintentionally disqualify myself from any surprises.”

This is calling back to last year, where we threw in a special lottery for folks who donated and included .33 at the end of their donation. At the time, it was the only way we had of tracking who might be interested, due to the limited nature of the donation page.

Honestly, I didn’t intend to do anything similar this year.

Still, people were obviously expecting it, as shown by some of the donations:

So I decided to do something special for the fundraiser this year too.

Here’s a video explaining it.

God, I really do have an overwhelmingly big beard, don’t I?

Here’s a few more details:

Three complete sets of Cealdish Coins.

These sets of coins include the alternate versions of both the drab and the talent, as well as what is very likely to be version 2 of the drab.

There are only 95 of these. And now three of them are in the lottery, where anyone who donates can win them.

Three Stealth Rothfuss copies of The Slow Regard of Silent Things.

In a previous blog, I talk about how I found this odd misprinted book book. Since then, I discovered that other members of the Worldbuilders team had found a few, too and were hoarding them.

So I annexed them, and now we’re putting these into the lottery as well. I’ll probably stealth sign each of them in a special way, hidden somewhere in the book next to one of my favorite sections….

(Addendum/correction: When I shot the above video, the auction for this misprint was at 200 bucks, but overnight that went over 300 dollars.)

Three Patrick Rothfuss Favor Rings.

One of these is currently up for auction going for over $11,000. Let’s just paste in the description from the auction, shall we?

This is a 10 karat gold ring redeemable for one (1) favor from Patrick Rothfuss.

Possible uses for the favor include:

Asking Pat to insert your name/likeness into a future book or story.

Asking Pat’s assistance wooing the object of your affection, preferably under a balcony at night.

Asking Pat to read & critique your unpublished manuscript (or your published one, if you want.)

Asking Pat give a reading/workshop at your local library or University.

Asking Pat to give a reading/workshop at your house.

Asking Pat to give a reading/workshop in your bedroom.

Asking Pat to help you move a particularly heavy couch.

Asking Pat to follow you on twitter and post kitten pictures to you.

This favor has no expiration date. It can be traded, transferred, sold, or lost. In essence, the ring *is* the favor. You give the ring back when you cash in your favor. So if you lose it, you’ve kinda fucked yourself.

The nature of this favor is fairly open-ended, though some negotiation may be necessary depending on the nature of the favor. Certain ethical or legal restrictions may apply (though not as many as you might expect.) Under no circumstances will Patrick dance for you. Carnal favors must be approved by Pat’s girlfriend in advance. If you won this favor in the auction, and for any reason Pat cannot fulfill his obligation to you, he will personally refund your winning bid in exchange for the ring.

Now, can I be honest with you for a moment?

Giving out open-ended favors like this is kind of a stupid thing for me to do. I’ve had many people tell me so. But I’m not an idiot. I’m perfectly aware that there’s a high potential for things going catastrophically wrong.

Why do I keep giving them out then?

Mostly because I love Heifer International. I love the work they do. I love the thought of giving families the means to make their lives better. I love the thought of parents being able to feed their children.

If I can make that happen by doing something kinda stupid? Well. I’ve been stupid before for worse reasons than this.

But here’s the thing. Simple statistics say that I’m going to get burned on this whole open-ended favor deal eventually. When that happens, I’m probably going to stop doing it. That means if you want a chance to win one of these, I’d move on it now, because it might not be happening again next year. Or ever again.

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These three items I’m putting into the lottery are only of real interest to my fans. So we’ve added a new question on the donation page, asking if you’d like to be eligible for them.

If you donate now, we’ll include your entire donation history into the total for this lottery. We know a bunch of you have kicked in already, so if you kick in a again and ask to be included, we’ll make sure *all* your donations count toward this drawing.

There you go everybody. Make me proud.

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8:30 PM – five hours after posting this blog, we’ve raised another $25,000.

That’s enough to purchase biogas stoves for 25 villages.

“For most families in the places where Heifer International works, cooking usually means gathering firewood by hand, which often depletes the soil and robs the environment of its trees. In addition, smoke inhalation in poorly ventilated homes often leads to chronic lung and eye diseases.

A biogas stove is a better option. It runs off methane gas captured from animal waste, and burns cleanly, reliably and efficiently. This is not only better for the environment, it is more sustainable, and healthier for families feeding their children.”

I’m so happy. This day didn’t start off that great for me, but y’all have completely turned it around….

11:30 PM – Eight hours after posting this blog, we’ve raised $38,000.

That’s enough to supply clean water for 125 communities.

Many places where Heifer works, homes lack running water, and some families don’t even have a well nearby. Instead, they spend a lot of time each day fetching water. This is often a chore left to children — especially girls — leaving them no time for school. Without a good education, those children have little hope for good jobs in the future.

Heifer helps families and communities install irrigation pumps, usually muscle-powered treadle pumps that are easy to maintain and repair. Heifer also provides education in terms of water conservation and sanitation, improving community health and making local farms and gardens more efficient *and* productive.

10:30 AM – 18 hours after posting this blog, we’ve raised $47,000.

That’s enough to train and equip 235 Community Animal Health Workers.

In many countries, access to veterinary care is limited. So in addition to giving people livestock, Heifer International trains Animal Health Workers. Participants receive training in animal health, breeding, and nutrition as well as tools such as thermometers, stethoscopes, disinfectants, medicine for animals, and more.

This training and equipment gives a person the ability to support themselves in a lifelong career. What’s more, the presence of an animal health worker improves an entire community with healthier animals, more successful farms, and better education about sanitation and disease.

24 hours after posting, we’ve raised 60,000 dollars.

I’m not going to keep tracking the progress here. You can check that out on the main Worldbuilders page. I will say that right now our total stands at $195,000, which is really incredible, given that we’re not even two weeks into the fundraiser.

That’s enough for 1600 goats and the training to care for them.

It’s enough for 6,500 hives of honeybees that will improve crop yields and produce honey.

Enough to provide 700 families with enough livestock, materials, and training that they can earn enough money to send their children to school.

Stay tuned for more coolness, folks. I promise we won’t disappoint.

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