Why do I pull all-nighters to write and publish Spicy Stories for fundraising? Because I can’t forget these faces at Animal Rescue Kefalonia (ARK) and millions more like them in the U.S. and around the world. / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

Ah, the irony. Put myself through a somewhat brutal week of sleep deprivation so as to prepare and e-publish a second fundraiser Spicy Story, since that story features a bit of a Halloween angle in its opening pages, but alas, got foiled by technology.

In a mystery appropriate for Halloween, the Amazon Kindle self-publishing tool kept getting stuck in the Preview mode of the cover creator and wouldn’t let me proceed. It was like pesky goblins were in there gumming things up.

Me or the goblins?

Tried rebooting, using a different browser, hunting all through community support forums, Googling the problem, and… nada… no answers.

Of course this might be all my fault—maybe I’ve failed to click the right buttons or correctly format, but I’ve published two stories on Amazon Kindle before with no such trouble. Spent about five solid hours yesterday afternoon and evening trying to figure this out.

Finally hit a “contact us” button on the Amazon website that takes you to a spot where you can send a message to… not sure who. An actual human support technician? A user forum? The Wizard of Oz? Harry Houdini?

Gosh only knows, but they did send back the following auto-reply: “Thank you! We’ve received your message. You should expect a response within 24 hours. In some cases our reply may take longer as we research your inquiry.”  So maybe there’s hope.

What keeps me going

Speaking of hope, why do I so often give up sleep and lots of other stuff including anything resembling a social life?  Because of faces I can’t forget, like the ones in the photo above.

These sweethearts and about 300 more live at Animal Rescue Kefalonia (ARK) on the island of Kefalonia, Greece. That charity as well Kefalonia Animal Trust (KATs) and many others around the world work wonders with scant resources. Because of such hardworking groups there is great hope for needy animals.

The goal of Spicy Stories Save Lives is to generate some income not just to keep me and my own animal rescue efforts going, but also to donate to small, boots-on-the-ground rescue groups worldwide at least 20% and sometimes 100% of profits from our rescue-themed fiction here at Spicy Stories to help keep them going.

‘Home for Halloween’ awaits you

So… don’t forget that before the mysterious glitch I did manage to publish one Spicy Story on Amazon this Halloween week.  ALL my profits from that story, Home for Halloween, will go to animal rescue groups including KATs, which pays for spay/neuter of hundreds of animals per year including many at ARK.

If you’d like a spooky romantic read and to help animals at the same time, Home for Halloween is waiting for you.  We’d also be much obliged if you would share the link to that story and our website, and check out our Facebook page.

Meanwhile, do you hear a strange thumping? Eerie groans?  Bizarre cracking sounds?  Don’t worry, no ghosts. Just me drumming my fingers on the desk, grumbling, and gnashing my teeth waiting for answers on how to get the goblins out of my big self-publishing plans.

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Spicy Stories Save Lives proudly sponsors needy animals in the U.S. and around the world.

Spicy Stories Save Lives and the author of this article have no affiliation with KATs and ARK other than as a friend, volunteer, and donor.

Seen our book?  Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need, by Shelley Frost and Katerina Lorenzatos Makris, available through Amazon.com.