We are Writers, Hear Us Roar!

Hello, Folks. and thanks to ROCCO for turning the blog over to me today. I'm pleased to be part of the "Last Days of Freedom" Giveaway Hop!

So, as some of you who follow ROCCO's blog regularly know, I (that would be THE HUMAN) am a writer…okay, right now I don’t have the luxury of doing it full time, but it still doesn’t erase the fact that, no matter how much time I’ve  got to spend on it, I..AM…A…WRITER. And so, obviously, is my blogging cat!

Hey, our names might not be on everyone’s lips…I may not be on the USA Today or the NY Times bestseller lists, but…we are writer.  ROCCO has his blog (and his seekret projects) and I’ve written books, some YA, some paranormal romantic suspense, some better than others…and because we are writers hear us roar, the subject of illiteracy is near and dear to our hearts.

According to the UNLD:

· Worldwide, one in five adults cannot read or write

· In low-income countries, only about 61% of adults are literate

· In high-income countries, almost 99% of adults are literate

Check out these literacy statistics:

http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp


This fundamental lack of basic skills inhibits most people from achieving success in many areas of life. Illiteracy has profound effects in the life of the person who can't read, and it also affects on the rest of society as well.

That’s one of the reasons I (and my cat, ROCCO, the real owner of this blog) became supporters of KIDS NEED TO READ.

Kids Need to Read works to create a culture of reading for children by providing inspiring books to underfunded schools, libraries, and literacy programs across the United States, especially those serving disadvantaged children.

From their mission statement:

Reading – it is the single most important skill children must learn to be productive members of society. Books open their minds, inspire their imaginations and stimulate their intelligence. As budget cutbacks increase, funding for libraries is often the first thing to go, especially in failing school systems. There are great numbers of schools that have been unable to buy new books for their students to read in years. Kids Need to Read was established to fight this disaster by sending exciting new books to underfunded schools and libraries across the United States, as well as to other organizations that provide literacy support to children, particularly disadvantaged children.

This charity was founded by author PJ Haarmsma, TV’s Castle, Nathan Fillion, and Denise Gary to help children in underfunded areas have access to books they might not otherwise have a chance to read.  You can learn a bit more about it here: www.kidsneedtoread.org

ROCCO and I just hosted a fundraiser for this charity, an annual event!  So check ‘em out! And then…enter our giveaway!

TWO lucky commenters will get their choice of two of my e-books!  You can choose from:

No Rest for the Wicca – (Paranormal Suspense)

Raven’s Kiss  - (Paranormal)

Raven’s Quest – (Paranormal)

My Superhero Sister (YA)

Demons and Fire (YA)

To enter, just leave a comment indicating which books you'd like to win along with your email address. Contest is open to residents of US/Canada/International, and ends midnight August 22.  Winners will be chosen using random.org  Entries without an email address will be disqualified.
If for some reason the unfriendly at times Blogger will not let you post, go to the HUMAN's facebook page (Toni LoTempio) and send a message.  We will enter you.

We will also throw in an autographed photo of moi - ROCCO the INCREDIBLE BLOGGING CAT!  Now if that isn't incentive, I don't know what is  :)

There are skeptics out there who don't believe a cat can talk...but we all know otherwise.

Come back and visit us, y’hear?

Toni & Rocco, the Incredible Blogging (And Talking!)  Cat

LAST DAYS OF FREEDOM BLOG HOP LIST