30 Day Blog Challenge Day 11: If I Won The Lottery

This is day 11 of my 30 day challenge. That means I'm officially in the middle third of the month, which doesn't seem remotely possible. The month will be over before I know it, which will be doubly sad because it will also mean that my trip with my school's choir to Toronto will be over too. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Today's topic is what I'd do if I won the lottery.

First of all, I'll never win the lottery, unless someone gifts me a ticket, because I never play and never will. I'm morally opposed to it, not because I am opposed to the concept of gambling, but because I see it as a hidden tax on the poor. That having been said, what would I do with the money if I did get it? I'd do several things, the first three being responsible and then the rest would be fun.

--Give a bunch of it away. Part would go to my church, Emmanuel Baptist, because I feel like we do a lot of amazing ministries, helping the needy and disenfranchised. I would also give some to Habitat, which is my favorite charity. And I would pay off any of my siblings' debts too. And I would give something DC Comics related to my friends the Schoenhuts and something Marvel Comics related to my friends the Delgados. 

--Set up a scholarship. Specifically, I would set up three writing scholarships, one for each of my county's three public high schools. Depending on the jackpot, they may not be huge, but anything I can do to encourage young writers is something I want to do.

--Put enough away that I won't be hurting for money the rest of my life and then become a full-time writer. I would finish whatever year I'm teaching and then retire. I really do love my kids, but I really don't love much of anything else about teaching anymore. And I find such great joy in writing.

--Travel. The two places I've always wanted to go are Ireland and Hawaii. I'd spend a month in each place. And then I'd go to New York City long enough to see every Broadway show I want to see. 

--New car and new house. Not fancy ones, either. I don't care about that. I'd actually probably get some sort of SUV, like a Ford Escape, and a house in the country that's in good shape, but small. I don't want a huge place that takes forever to clean and costs a fortune to maintain. I don't even need a ton of land. Just enough to be able to take walks in the woods. If the jackpot is big enough, I'd also buy a place on the Outer Banks to live in and rent out when I'm home. 

Wow, I'm a really boring person, aren't I? I just don't want to be one of those people whose life gets destroyed by money. Not that it's likely to be an issue anyway.  

A Big Week

This week is going to be a big one. Or at least a busy one. There is, of course, the first major holiday of the upcoming festive season. But before and after that promises to be exciting as well. Except for the medical procedure I'm having Tuesday. Don't worry--nothing's wrong. Except that I'm getting old enough to start to have preventive testing. I don't want to get too personal so I won't tell you exactly what it is, but it rhymes with schmolonoscopy.

It all starts today with my visit to the Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library on Emerson Avenue. I'll be there from 10am to 1pm with books and posters for sale. Autographs are, of course, no extra charge. That's because I don't think it's fair for you to make me pay to sign your book. I hope you'll come by and say hi even if you don't need a book. I love to see my friends--even the ones I haven't met yet. By the way, I'll be giving away a book and a poster.

And then next Saturday is a full-blown party. It will all take place in Emmanuel Baptist Church's Fellowship Hall. If you park in the back lot, it's on the left side. You can also come in through the courtyard. Festivities begin at 4pm with Christmas music courtesy of Michael Bublé (It's recorded--he couldn't make it, as much as he wanted to.), light refreshments, and good fellowship. Sometime between 4:30 and 5:00, I'll do readings from both In The Shadow and my new prequel novella, "Harry and the Redheaded Angel." I'll also answer questions. Finally, I'll be signing books and posters for a while. The evening will end with some more prizes to give away. Some lucky person will walk away with a boxed set of all three Shalan Adventures. Sadly, there's no actual box. It's just a figure of speech. The books are real, though. I'll also give away a couple of signed posters.

I hope you can make it to one of my events. Both would be fun, but I'm not greedy.

By the way, I'll be doing a special bonus Thanksgiving post later this week, so watch out for that!