Page 5 - The Daily Builder - Day 09

From page 3 the StarduSt arC:
She will pass on the cassava next
year as well.
—She started a kitchen garden a Story about a Story
behind her house, growing onions,
cabbage, sweet potatoes, and
bananas using the pit technique. 2008 – A missed opportunity
Her family’s health has improved Pat started a fundraiser for Heifer International
dramatically with the better food, just to see if he could raise some money. He ran it
especially that of her adopted through his blog, working out of his living room, and
daughter, who has health issues he figured he’d maybe raise a few thousand dollars if
(Sarah was also able to pay for he was lucky.
the medical attention her daughter Well, word spread, people got really excited at the
needed). idea of donating, and a bunch of other authors sent in
—She is sending all four of her Sarah shows Maria her newest purchase: a mattress. The next thing on her their own books to beef up Pat’s lottery library. It was
children to school, including her list is bedding—right now, she uses her skirt wraps to keep warm at night. hectic, but really cool. And then Neil Gaiman noticed
Evenings can be chilly, especially during the winter months.
adopted daughter, whose poor Pat’s fundraiser and told his fans to maybe check it
health a few years ago made it raising the piglets. Her more She says one of the farmers is out, and everything exploded. The fundraiser was a
impossible even to walk. immediate goal? She wants to buy doing even better than she is. He bona fide thing. And Neil even donated a book of his
—In 2017, she bought a pig for a bed and proper bedding. She had has a big house, and raises a lot of own to the lottery….which was caught up in the mail
10,000 MWK (about US$13.25). just purchased a mattress when we maize, which is the primary starch There’s a rather nice book that we can’t seem to too long and didn’t arrive in time.
The pig gave birth to seven piglets, visited, and plans to buy a frame in Malawi. Is she jealous? No, she get rid of. It’s on a strange razor’s edge, both coveted 2009 – Time to shine
which Sarah is currently raising, soon. She also wants to buy proper says. That just makes her want to and relinquished, welcomed and pushed away…and The next year, Worldbuilders was still just Pat and a
and she was able to sell the mother bedding for her children so none of work harder. strangely enough, writing its own story year after few of his friends running a crazy fundraiser. But now
to another farmer. them are sleeping on the floor or Maria asks our translator to let year. they had street cred–and a ridiculously rare, signed
It’s three years later, and Sarah pieces of fabric. Sarah know how impressed she We’re talking about an extremely rare, signed & ARC of Neil Gaiman’s delightful fairytale, Stardust.
is now an accomplished farmer Before she took part in the Heifer is—as a farmer herself, Maria numbered ARC that comes in a slipcase. ARCs are They could auction it off and raise a bunch of money.

and savvy business owner. Her program, Sarah was sleeping on knows firsthand how labor- often printed before publication to send to reviewers But that would make it completely out of reach for
village is also prospering thanks the floor of her house, using her intensive farming and raising who might promote the book. They aren’t printed in someone who didn’t have that sort of money to throw
to Sarah’s generosity in passing skirt wraps for bedding—and it livestock is. When Sarah hears large quantities, and they often contain errors that around. Pat decided that something this cool needed
on the gifts she received, both the gets cold at night. Being able to Maria is a farmer, the smiles break will be corrected before the book actually comes out. to be available to anyone, and this beautiful collector’s
physical gifts like goats and seeds, buy a mattress and bedding is out, and they start talking shop. They certainly aren’t given the Cadillac treatment Continued on page 6
but also her farming and animal almost more of a sign of success to Three goats and some seeds not of having their own slipcase and being signed and
knowledge. She’s even passing on her than her plan to build a bigger only turned Sarah’s life around, numbered by the author.
gifts from her own investments, house. Sarah is always thinking, it allowed her to help her entire But that’s what we got. Is it the most rare book we’ve
like the tree seedlings. and her plans include the other village by Passing On the Gift, seen? No, but only barely. Is it the most high-profile

“Everything I do is governed farmers in her village because both of her goats and seeds, but her book? Probably not. But it’s from a well-known author,
by the 12 cornerstones of Heifer,” she’s been impressed with what knowledge as well. All it takes is a and at this point, the story it has woven throughout the
she says. That includes passing on they can accomplish by working little opportunity and a lot of hard Worldbuilders fundraiser is almost more important, if
the gift whenever she can to give together. work. for no other reason than that this story is filled with
others the chance to improve their “In the past,” she says, “I would wonderful folks who prove our assertion that people
Thanks to Heifer International for
lives like she did. do things on my own. But with introducing us to Sarah, and thanks are, at their core, good.
Her long-term plans include Heifer, I work with the group and I to Kevin Hearne for narrating our Curl up, then, while we tell you the story of the
expanding her tree business and have learned quite a lot.” video. Stardust ARC…

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