The word Sandy has become associated with the destructive force of nature. Nobody understands this more than those who live nearby in New Jersey and New York and who have been devastated by the storm that left-and still leaves-them without food or shelter, without anything. While we knew that the world knew about Sandy, locally we who experienced the storm firsthand thought we were the ones who understood it best. We hatched an idea that, to ease that hardship, to make it a bit easier to bear-not eliminate it, we should do something to make people feel better inside. With this in mind, the idea for this anthology was born.
We put out a call for humorous work that was about experiencing a disaster, or surviving a hurricane, or living in New Jersey. We hoped that we might be able to bring a smile to some folks by sharing similar experiences, and we expected a fair number of responses from those in the area who had not been affected by Sandy or who had been affected but still had enough left in them to reach out to others. There is no way we could have predicted the world-wide response that resulted as the work for this anthology came pouring in from around the globe.
From New Zealand to New York, from Denmark to New Jersey, the graphic stories and the short stories, the memoirs and the poems poured in. The world was watching, understanding and reacting. Now Oh Sandy An Anthology of Humor for a Serious Purpose is in your hands.
All proceeds from the purchase of this anthology go to organizations that are involved with providing aid to those who have been affected by Sandy. For more information, visit www.ohsandybook.com
Lynn Beighley is the author of dozens of tech books and even more articles. She's had lots of her short stories published in lots of places. She's an editor for Manning Publications and she's currently writing a YA novel that she hopes will encourage girls to try a bit of computer programming. She got an MFA a few years back. She's on twitter as @lynnbeighley and would enjoy hearing from you.
If you want a trip to NJ without the travel, this book is for you. While not every story or poem is set in NJ, many are and the language is unmistakably Jersey. While I've contributed to this funny anthology, I salute the other writers whose work is at times funny and tragic. I'm honored to be in such fine company. The book brought me back to my crazy days in the Garden State.