For book two of Grind, We’re going to be doing things a little differently. For a start, I’m going to focus on quality, now that I’ve been able to write a stupid amount of words each day. I’m also going to keep a monster journal, where I write down monster ideas, because those are some of the most important parts of world building, and they are quite lacking in the first book (other than Cores. I think those are really cool.)

  But that isn’t really what I mean by “we’re doing things differently.”

  I’d like to start pairing each story I write with a matching real world cause. Sure it’s fun and all to read fantasy, but I’d like to make the kind of stories that actually help people.

  And, very recently, there’s been one cause that I’ve found extremely disturbing. Slavery is treated as a trope in books, like dragons, princesses, and dark lords. Compared to everyday American (or European) life, it sounds far off.

  But it’s still a real thing, and it’s equal to if not worse that it’s been before.

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  If you just want to read the story, go on ahead. No judgement. But if you find the following disturbing, I’d ask that you do something about it, if you can.

  Sex trafficking is the illegal transport or coercion of someone in order to benefit from their work or service, typically in the form of forced labor or sexual exploitation. This gained through mental or physical manipulation.

  Every thirty seconds a girl becomes a victim of trafficking.

  The typical victim had twenty to thirty customers every day. I’ll let you fill in the blanks.

  According to Venture, it takes four hundred dollars to rescue a girl out of trafficking. (on average)

  Rehabilitation costs upwards of forty thousand dollars every single year, since it includes shelter, clothing, food, and therapy costs.

  There are two organizations that I’ve partnered with in the past, and whom I trust. First, if you have money to give, Venture is the best place to send it, since they’re the leading international group targeting trafficking, and they have a good history.

  But another organization, thirty for freedom, exists so that you can run to raise money. Or walk. Or a bike. Moving in any capacity helps to raise money.

  Here are some links, if you feel so led. 100% of the money given goes straight to fighting human trafficking, and it should also be tax exempt.