The Lost Children Charity Anthologies: a little about... J.F. Juzwik

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

a little about... J.F. Juzwik

Joyce F. Juzwik contributed her hard-hitting story "On and On..." to the challenge and it appears in the anthology to be released on Nov. 1st 2011:

What inspired your story?

I grew up around some kids who basically had to raise themselves and sometimes they ended up okay. More often than not however, they ended up in jail, on drugs, or dead. Way back when, no one talked about a lot of things. What went on behind closed doors had to stay there. That way of thinking was then, and still is, so very wrong. We need to be open and bring to light the wrongs being done to our children.

What makes this cause important to you?

Children should never be abandoned, never feel fear, never go hungry, never be abused; yet, this happens every day. Organizations like these help to make the laws stronger to protect our children, they work with families and caregivers, and help those children who have experienced life's horrors.

A little bit about me:

I am a proud mother and grandmother. I am a retired Clinical Research Associate and write full-time. I have had a crime fiction novel (King's Bishop Takes King's Rook's Pawn) and a six-part children's fantasy series (Choices) published by DiskUsPublishing (http://diskuspublishing.com/jfjuzwik.html). My crime fiction/noir stories have appeared in A Twist of Noir, Powder Burn Flash, Pulp Metal Magazine, Pure Slush, and Shotgun Honey. My current project is the first novel in a planned PI series. I participate as often as I can in the flash challenges at Flash Fiction Friday, and I blog about writing crime fiction and horror at jfjuzwik.blogspot.com.

1 comment:

Fiona JohnsonOctober 25, 2011 at 7:21 PM
Joyce thank you so much for your contribution to the project, Your thoughts are spot on, it's intolerable that children still suffer so much in the 21st century. Let's hope this project helps in some small way.
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What's the story behind the project?

Protectors:
The Lost Children Charity Anthology was such a success, that Thomas Pluck decided to collect stories from a variety of authors to benefit PROTECT, a lobby whose victories against child abuse include the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, the Hero to Hero program, and Alicia's Law. He collected 41 stories from all new authors. Thanks to the inspiration of goodhearted people like Fiona Johnson, and the people of PROTECT who fight the abuse and exploitation of our children every day, the book is a reality, and 100% of proceeds benefit PROTECT.

For the first anthology:
The challenge began on Flash Fiction Friday, when author Fiona Johnson was guest writer for the fiction prompt, and asked us to write about the lost children. She asked photographer Danielle Tunstall for permission to use the arresting photo shown in the right sidebar, and said:

Some children are lost before they have even started living. Some children are a throw-away commodity like a burger box that’s left to blow down the street in the wind and rain.

I offered to donate $5 for each story submitted to PROTECT: The National Association to Protect Children, and Fiona would donate $5 to Children 1st, a children's charity in Scotland. Together we raised $300 for each of the charities thanks to the generous and creative writing communities of Flash Fiction Friday, Fictionaut, and the crime fiction community on Twitter.

It was such a success that we thought we could go further. Ron Earl Phillips, Fiona and I chose 30 of the best stories to put in a charity anthology, all proceeds of which will go to PROTECT and Children 1st.

100% of royalties donated to two causes:

OUR DONATION RECORD

PROTECT and The National Association to Protect Children (USA)

The National Association to Protect Children is a national, pro-child, anti-crime membership association founded on the belief that our first and most sacred obligation as parents, citizens, and members of the human species is the protection of children from harm.

PROTECT is a bipartisan pro-child, anti-crime lobby whose sole focus is making the protection of children a top political and policy priority at the national, state and local level.

You can read about PROTECT's Victories here.

100% of the proceeds of Protectors, and 50% of the proceeds of Lost Children: A Charity Anthology, are donated to PROTECT.

This is an independently organized event, not officially sponsored by [NAPC/PROTECT]

Children 1st (UK)

Children 1st has 125 years experience of working with children and families, previously as the Royal Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (RSSPCC). Today, they support families under stress, protect children from harm and neglect, help them to recover from abuse and promote children's rights and interests. You can read more about their work with children here.

50% of proceeds of the Lost Children Charity Anthology go to Children 1st.

This is an independently organized event, not officially sponsored by Children 1st.