Giving Back in 2023

Thanks to my readers, 2022 has been my best year in publishing so far. For me, this isn't a brag, but a marvel. I still can't believe I get paid to create fictional people and places. And while I'm not getting rich by any means, I feel like I'm on the right track to start giving back through my publishing.

I've been giving a lot of thought to how I would like to go about this and I've narrowed it down to

two causes I would like to support.

The first is the scholarship fund set up in my dad's name. For those who don't know, my dad worked at our local technical school where students learned vocational skills such as welding, CAD, etc. He believed that there should be just as much emphasis put on trade schools as there is on colleges. In his memory, my family set up a fund to help send tech school students on to trade schools. Our first recipient, awarded at the end of the last school year, went on to a well-known welding school, thanks in part to the scholarship he received.

I'll be working on setting up goals, dates, etc for future fundraising efforts through HCB. But, in the meantime, if you'd like to donate directly, here's how you can do so. You can also follow The Frank Carden Memorial Scholarship Facebook page for updates and awardees.

Through snail-mail:

UCB

PO BOX 27

Dixon, KY 42409

Please make check payable to-

Frank Carden Memorial Scholarship

Through Paypal: Paypal.com/paypalme/fcscholar

The second cause is helping to combat food insecurity in my community. As someone who has gone through food insecurity in the past, I can tell you that it's hard and it's demoralizing. There is not much that's worse emotionally than trying your hardest to provide for your family and realizing it's still not enough. And according to Feed America, 29% of those experiencing food insecurity do not qualify for federal nutrition programs. This means they make too much money to qualify for assistance, but not enough to adequately feed their families.

We have a food bank in our county for those in need, which is great, but they can only do so much. Plus, there are those in my town who don't have regular access to transportation to get to the food bank, which is in another town. I would love to do something here in my town, even if it's just a free pantry, for those who need it. This idea is still in its infancy, but once I get it lined out, I'll be taking a portion of my sales each month to get it up and running, as well as helping to stock it. When that time comes, I'll also set up a way to accept monetary donations to help get (and hopefully keep) this running.

The idea of even doing either of these things wouldn't be possible without my readers. So, thank you in advance to anyone who's ever bought a book or spread the word about my work. I look forward to writing more for you in the future and, hopefully, taking your support and paying it forward.