Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Day 6 Item #7: Author Catherine Ryan Hyde

The Write Stuff for Boston Auction Day 6
Item #7: RARE Signed first edition of PAY IT FORWARD from Author Catherine Ryan Hyde

You are bidding on:
·         Signed first edition hardcover of PAY IT FORWARD  (The donor has less than a dozen new copies left, so this is a rare and special item).
Opening Bid: $25
Auction Begins: Tuesday 4/30 @ 10:00AM EDT
Auction Ends: Saturday 5/4 @ 10:00PM EDT
About PAY IT FORWARD: "Pay It Forward" is a wondrous and moving novel about Trevor McKinney, a twelve-year-old boy in a small California town who accepts the challenge that his teacher gives his class, a chance to earn extra credit by coming up with a plan to change the world for the better -- and to put that plan into action.

The idea that Trevor comes up with is so simple and so naive that when others learn of it they are dismissive. Even Trevor himself begins to doubt when his "pay it forward" plan seems to founder on a combination of bad luck and the worst of human nature
.
What is his idea? Trevor chooses three people for whom he will do a favor, and then when those people thank him and ask how they might pay him back, he will tell them that instead of paying him back, they should each "pay it forward" by choosing three people for whom they can do favors, and in turn telling those people to pay it forward. It's nothing less than a human chain letter of kindness and good will.

Does his plan work? No. And yes -- it works wonderfully, but only after it has seemed to Trevor that maybe all his efforts have been for naught. The first person he chooses to help -- a homeless man to whom he gives his paper-route money so he can make himself presentable enough to find a job -- disappoints him by returning to a life of dissolution and eventually ending up in jail. The second is a lady on his paper route, old and alone and infirm, and with a garden that needs tending. No sooner has Trevor begun to help her, however, than she goes and dies on him.

The third personTrevor hopes to help is his teacher, Reuben St. Clair, a scarred, bitter, untrusting man who seems to come truly alive only when in front of his class. Trevor's goal is to match him with his mother, Arlene, a pretty, hardworking woman who has raised Trevor more or less alone, but who Trevor feels has a lot to offer the right man. It proves not to be a match made in heaven, though, and Trevor's dismay only deepens as he watches these two people come so close to achieving the connection he wants for them, only to turn away at the last moment.

Failure seems inevitable, and Trevor is resigned. What he doesn't realize, however, is that there really is a good side to human nature, and that the tiny seed of kindness and caring he planted has taken root. In neighborhoods in other California towns, and as far away as Los Angeles, there are others following the rules of "paying it forward." Soon fame comes knocking, bringing with it excitement and an unforeseen tragedy.

BIO: Though I don’t want this to be all about business (and it won't be—I promise), I'm the author of a large (and growing) number of published and forthcoming novels. But I'm guessing you've just been to my home page, which tells quite a bit about them. So I won't repeat all that information here. You can also check out my book pages if you want to know more about any of the titles. You can view video excerpts, read a synopsis, or check out what the reviewers had to say. I've tried to give a brief description of each book in my own words. In addition to my writing, over the past few years I’ve done a lot of professional public speaking. I was privileged to speak at the National Conference on Education and at Cornell University. I even got to share a dais with Bill Clinton for three speeches. And I was invited to the White House for the movie screening of Pay It Forward.

Catherine Hyde’s website: http://www.catherineryanhyde.com/

Auction Terms:
    • Bid by posting a comment with your bid amount and email address; anonymous bidding is NOT allowed.
    • Do not bid unless you intend to pay that amount to the designated charity organization(s).
    • Bids are in U.S. Dollars.
    • Bids under $50 must be at least $1 more than the previous bid; bids from $50 to under $100 must be at least $2 more than the previous bid; bids of $100 or more must be at least $5 more than the previous bid. Overbids are encouraged.
    • Highest bid before the end of the auction wins.  Unless otherwise stated, bidding on most items will start between $5 and $100, depending on the item and approximate value, but the starting bid is merely suggested.  You may open bidding at more, if you’d like.
    • Winning bid is not final until the winning bidder is announced in the closing comment and notified by email (MAKE SURE TO CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER IF YOU DO NOT SEE ONE IN YOUR INBOX). Winner notification will be sent within 24 hours of item’s end.  Winning bidder must donate the winning bid amount to the designated charity organization(s) and provide a copy of the receipt within three days of notification.  In the event a bidder does not claim their item, the item will be considered “forfeited” and I will proceed to the next to second highest, and so on.
    • For physical items, unless otherwise noted, donor pays standard shipping within the U.S.; if winner is outside of U.S., winning bidder pays for shipping outside the U.S.
    • For more information, please visit the “About Write Stuff for Boston” page.

5 comments:

  1. GREAT Initiative Catherine I will bid $30.00 to get this started. Terie Vickers-Craig terie@cyainternational.com

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  2. Love this book. Wonderful way to help Boston. My opening bid: $35

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. This auction is now closed--congratulations to Loriann on a winning bid of $35!

    Loriann, I will need you to email me within the next 24 hours at writestuff4Boston [at] gmail [dot] com to claim your item. As stated in the auction terms, bids must be accompanied by an email so that I have a way to contact you after winning. If I don't hear from you, I will have to consider your bid forfeit, and this item will then be posted again for other bidders during the Race to Donate event.

    Thank you all for participating in The Write Stuff for Boston auction! Please be sure to check out the other amazing items still available.


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  5. Since I did not hear from Loriann, I have to consider her winning bid forfeit, which means this item now goes to Teri Vickers-Craig! Congratulations, Teri, I will email you shortly with payment instructions. :)

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