I have written two super-short pieces which I will send to anyone who donates a minimum of US$5 or the equivalent in their local currency. (Just to be clear: If you donate US$5 or equivalent, you will receive BOTH pieces.)

The first premium clocks in at ~250 words. "Rising Star" is the first reaction to Superman by a canon character.

The second short isn't really a story, per se. The ~100 word piece is an interview question which all of the main characters answer. The question is about what they think of a real-world development that has taken place since the show ended.

If you wish to know which character is involved in the first piece, or what the interview question happens to be in the second one, please make a donation. Actually, even if you don't care to know, please donate anyway; it's for a good cause.

I wrote both pieces using Word 2013, but I would be happy to e-mail them to you as an .rtf, a .pdf, or a .mobi file if you would prefer one of those formats.

Because it will take me no money and almost no time to send the writings out, there is no cap to the number of people who may receive them. Barring the unexpected (e.g., computer crashes), you should receive your premium within 24 hours of sending me proof of your donation.

Joy,
Lynn

Thank you, Lynn! This is a very thoughtful and generous offer, and I'm sure you'll get people wanting to take you up on it


Wendy

I will be donating at least that much, so I'd love to see your stories. Send them to jumpstick@earthlink.net. Word is fine.
regards
Artemis

Hi Artemis,

Thank you! I'd love to send them to you now, but my understanding of the rules of the fundraiser are that I have to see proof of donation, not just intent to donate, in order to send the swag. Once you send me the proof, I will gladly e-mail you the stories.

Joy,
Lynn

O.K. This isn't being run like the other offers, so I was a bit confused by that. I have no clue how we get proof of donation. I'll be gone for the weekend,so won't be getting in the last bids. Since you are sending it out to anyone who donates and not just to the highest bidder, maybe KSaraSara will verify I donated? We'll wait and see.

Artemis

Hi Artemis,

I'm happy to do whatever any of our moderators wish with this -- if they are OK with using the honour system, that would be fine by me, or if they would rather provide the verification, that would work, too.

One person sent me a copy of their PayPal notification with their personally identifiable information redacted, but if you are sending a cheque, that wouldn't be an option.

Sara, Wendy, LabRat, or Annette -- any suggestions?

Joy,
Lynn

Hi Lynn:
My plan is to write a check and send it to KSaraSara with my donation and then anything I successfully bid on. So she could provide verification. The check will contain my basic donation plus whatever I successfully bid on, so it will probably go out next Monday. I will be without a computer over the weekend because I'm traveling.
It will work out someway. Oh, and word is fine. I'm up to docx.
regards
Artemis

Hi Artemis,

Thanks for your patience.

Have a good and a safe trip.

Joy,
Lynn

Just so you know, I've been sending out thank you emails to everyone who donates via PayPal. I'm sure when physical checks arrive, Sara and I will coordinate to make sure these people get thank you emails, as well. (Well, assuming the check writers include their email address. )

And, of course, we will verify donations upon request if someone deletes the email, etc. We're a very user-friendly fundraiser, LOL.

Kathy

Hi Kathy,

Thank you. My apologies for leaving your name off the list or moderators.

Joy,
Lynn

Count me in as wanting to read these stories, too. Lynn. I'll add another $5 to the amount I'm donating for the Beta work we've already discussed. Will email you once I've made my donation.

Hi Virginia,

Terrific. Thanks.

Do you have a preferred file format?

Joy,
Lynn

I have WORD 2007, so anything it can read is fine by me.

We'll start off with .docx format, then, and if your Word 2007 has any problems with my Word 2013's .docx, we can always try another format. (In theory, there should be no problems, but you never know...)

Thanks again.

Joy,
Lynn

The fundraising auctions are over. If you won any, congratulations! Come celebrate with two brand-new-for-this-fundraiser stories. And if you didn't win everything you wanted to, then console yourself with these two light-hearted pieces. For only $5, you are a GUARANTEED winner of not just one, but two never-before-posted writings. And more importantly, everyone on the MB will be a winner as well, because your monetary donation will be going to supporting a site that many see as an oasis of relaxation in their hectic lives, not to mention a supportive online environment where everyone is welcome and no one need fear flames.

(Let's see if I'm more successful at pitching for this fundraiser than I was at trying to sell Girl Scout cookies as a child. I sure couldn't be much worse... )

Joy,
Lynn

I'll take a box of your Girl Scout cookies--er...your two stories . Sounds like a good sales pitch to me!

I will PM you proof after my donation is made in a few minutes and give you my e-mail...

I am on an ipad but I believe it is word compatible, btw

Thanks, Lynn--can't wait to read them. Sure that they are wonderful!
Laura

Hi Laura,

Thanks so much for buying some cookies making a donation. (I love that new strike-through feature.) I've sent you the stories. I hope you enjoy them.

Happy reading,
Lynn

Loved them! Thank you so much!

Laura

(really like the strike-through feature, too )

Hi Laura,

Thanks for the feedback; not only do I always welcome feedback for any of my stores, but also it might encourage someone who had been on the fence to donate an extra $5. I'm glad you enjoyed them.

Joy,
Lynn

I loved "Rising Star". You're so great at capturing a moment in time. Clark's comments were my favorite in the second story. Could they be considered, a-hem, revealing perhaps? Once again, I have to agree whole-heartedly with Lois's opinion on the matter. Lots of fun, Lynn! Thanks for sharing!

Hi Virginia,

Thanks for the feedback. You did an impressive job of alluding to the stories without giving anything away.

I'm with both you and Lois on the interview question. And yeah, Clark wasn't being particularly discrete in his answer. He probably wouldn't actually have said it aloud, but it would certainly be what he would be thinking.

Joy,
Lynn

We're still $325 away from our goal. The offer here is still open. For a $5 donation to the MB, you may become a reader of not one, but two original super-shorts.

As Perry might say, "Let's keep those presses rolling, FoLCS!"

Joy,
Lynn