Over the course of this month I want to take a moment to shine a spotlight on some of the creators who have signed up for this year’s Giftmas Create-A-Thon. I think it’s really easy to get caught up in the numbers of, like, how many donations, and how much money is raised — and obviously that is important. But it’s also really important to celebrate the people who have signed up to participate in this fundraiser in an attempt to leave the world better than they found it.
Today’s spotlight is on Jamie Perrault.
🙂
What made you sign-up for the Create-A-Thon? I’ve done NaNo every year for the last twelve years, and succeeded all but one. I was devastated when the main NaNo group decided to support generative AI. AI has a ton of potential uses–it’s great at learning to screen for cancer, and other medical uses. What it’s not good at is replacing someone who actually needs to think. And dream. And imagine. Generative AI has no place in creative writing. So when I got the invitation to participate in this, and thus still get my 50k of new words that I can then spend the next few months editing, I was ecstatic. Supporting a great cause that I love? (DWB is a cause near and dear to my veterinarian heart.) And getting my words in? I was immediately ready to sign up.
Can you tell us a bit about your goal? Drafting new words is my favorite part of writing. I know that editing is the real heart of writing–I’m working on draft nine of the story that will hopefully go on sub next year–but drafting is telling a story to myself and my dearest friends, and I adore it. I’m also good at procrastinating, so having a challenge to do it in a certain amount of time is great. We’ve been kicking around a gaspunk fantasy Sherlock Holmes pastiche for the last few months, and this was the perfect opportunity to actually write some of it. It’s been a blast so far!
What is your favourite (or least favourite) thing about the month of November? I love autumn, so I thoroughly enjoy the lingering colored leaves and wonderful smells. I also love Thanksgiving; give me all the food and camaraderie and remembering what we’re grateful for. I wish it weren’t quite so dark, but there’s fun things to be found in stargazing in the cold, too, so I’ll take it.
What book do you wish you could read again for the first time? If I wait long enough I can reread any book for almost the first time! In all seriousness, probably The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. Cat Valente has such beautiful prose, and there’s some twists in the book that punch me right in the heart. There’s also some Pratchett and Martha Wells books I would love to experience for the first time again.
Is a hot dog a sandwich? A hot dog is most definitely a sandwich. Unless it’s a pig in a blanket.
You can donate now to benefit Doctors Without Borders / Medecins Sans Frontieres:
CLICK HERE
What MSF does (from their website):
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provides emergency medical humanitarian care to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. We provide assistance based on need, regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion or political affiliation. We also speak out about the suffering we witness while carrying out our work.
