News for Nonprofit Staff and Donors

https://copperbadge.tumblr.com/post/798027897003737088

In case y'all hadn’t heard, because I hadn’t, GoFundMe recently took a list of 1.4 million registered nonprofits and put up “placeholder” sites for each of them on their site, without notifying them or asking permission. You can read more about it here. They are currently accepting donations in the names of those nonprofits, and while they are apparently funneling the donations to the nonprofits, they are also of course taking their fee and any “tip” you care to add off the top. They are basically charging donors a middle man fee for giving to a nonprofit.

If you work for a nonprofit I strongly urge you to go and see if your organization is listed. Nonprofits are apparently allowed to “claim” their placeholder page, which I’ve recommended to my boss that we do, since we’re up there.

If you support nonprofit organizations, unless you are giving to a friend’s fundraiser for that organization (say through a Facebook campaign or similar) it is usually best to give at the nonprofit’s website. That will involve the lowest possible fee for processing and ensure that the funds are actually going to the nonprofit.

If you don’t want the nonprofit to have your contact information, I recommend giving with a prepaid Visa card, or if you’re going to give regularly, opening a Donor Advised Fund. DAFs are an exception to the “give at the website” rule, and are also capable of concealing your contact info and even your name if you want; you can read more about them here.

https://copperbadge.tumblr.com/post/798027897003737088

Hi Sam! I don’t know if you know about the Chicago based designers Harebrained Designs, but they’ve

https://copperbadge.tumblr.com/post/798017466673545216

Ahaha, those are some fantastic designs! "Salt the Ice" indeed. Hope it's okay I post this publicly, but I figured other folks might want to know.

I'm forbidden from buying any new t-shirts until I wear some old ones out, but I see they have pins/patches and they probably have stickers, so I may go on a spree :D Thank you for the heads up!

https://copperbadge.tumblr.com/post/798017466673545216

Mysteries, Vampires, & More

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/10/mysteries-vampires-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=161793

Business Casual

Business Casual by B.K. Borison is $1.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! This is book four in the Lovelight series. This romance features two opposites who agree to a one night stand. I’ve heard good things about this series. Have you read any?

Two opposites decide to test their chemistry with one steamy night together. But will once be enough?

Nova Porter isn’t looking for love, and she certainly has no explanation for her attraction to buttoned-up, three-piece-suit-wearing investment banker Charlie Milford. Maybe it’s his charm? Or maybe it’s his determination to help her fledgling business however he can. Either way, she’s distracted every time he’s around. With her new tattoo studio set to open in her hometown of Inglewild, she doesn’t have time for frivolous flirtations.

In an effort to get Charlie out of her system once and for all, Nova offers a proposition. One night. No strings. They’ll kick their uncomfortable attraction to the curb and return to their respective responsibilities. But their explosive night together scatters their expectations like fallen leaves. And with Charlie in town as the temporary head of Lovelight Farms, Nova can’t quite avoid him.

And Charlie? Well, Charlie knows a good investment when he sees one. He’s hoping he can convince Nova he’s worth some of her time.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Matchmaker

The Matchmaker by Aisha Saeed is $1.99! This is a mix of mystery and romance. Sarah talked about this one when it released earlier in April.

A society matchmaker realizes she’s in danger when her clients’ weddings are sabotaged in increasingly disturbing ways—an utterly original mystery from New York Times bestselling author Aisha Saeed.

Nura Khan is a third-generation matchmaker in Atlanta and business has never been better. Her exclusive clientele benefits from her impeccable track record. And while a single thirty-one-year-old matchmaker would normally raise some perfectly threaded eyebrows in the community, Nura’s childhood best friend Azar is willing to double as her pretend fiancé at her clients’ weddings—as long as Nura is able to hide that her feelings for him might not be so pretend.

But Nura quickly learns that all that glitters isn’t gold. While it’s not uncommon to get the occasional hate mail from rejected prospective clients, after a couple’s carefully constructed wedding implodes, Nura is blindsided by a cascading chain of increasingly terrifying events and realizes someone is taking things too far. With Azar by her side, Nura embarks on a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that threatens not only her safety but everything she’s worked so hard to build.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

Fang Fiction

Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London is $1.99! This came out last October. I remember Lara trying to read this and having a hard time getting into it. Have you picked it up?

She’s out for adventure. He’s out for blood.

The world of your favorite fantasy novels is real, and you’re invited to visit. The only catch? It’s filled with thirsty vampires. Devour this page-turning romance from the bestselling author of One to Watch.

Tess Rosenbloom is no stranger to the dark. A grad school dropout and chronic insomniac, she spends her nights managing a chic Brooklyn hotel and her days curled up with her favorite vampire novels, Blood Feud. Tess even dabbles in online conspiracies that Blood Feud is real—it’s fun to hunt for clues! But deep down, Tess doesn’t believe vampires actually exist…

Until one walks through her door.

It turns out Blood Feud is real, and the sexy villain of the novels is trapped. Eager to escape her life, Tess agrees to help rescue him, and soon she’s in a fantasia of lavish palaces and enchanted forests, on a secret island where the sun never shines and she’s surrounded by deadly vampires—and against her better judgment, she’s falling in love with one of them. (And unbeknownst to Tess, her estranged best friend is having a sapphic affair with a beautiful vampire of her own back in New York.)

Visiting the world of your favorite story is any fan’s dream, but will Tess be able to outrun the demons of her past (and vampires of her present) before it becomes a nightmare? In this darkly glamorous rom-com, Tess will find out whether it’s worth risking her neck—and her heart—for a chance to reclaim her future.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

There’s Someone Inside Your House

There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins is $1.99! This is a YA thriller that was featured on a previous Hide Your Wallet and was made into a Netflix movie. Did any of you watch it?

Scream meets YA in this hotly-anticipated new novel from the bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss.

It’s been almost a year since Makani Young came to live with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska, and she’s still adjusting to her new life. And still haunted by her past in Hawaii.

Then, one by one, the students of her small town high school begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and the hunt intensifies for the killer, Makani will be forced to confront her own dark secrets.

International bestselling author Stephanie Perkins returns with a fresh take on the classic teen slasher story that’s fun, quick-witted, and completely impossible to put down.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/10/mysteries-vampires-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=161793

Amazon Prime mocked random woman's engagement ring and fiancé on X?

Posted by Nick Hardinges

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/amazon-prime-engagement-ring/

The verified X account for Amazon Prime Video India has since deleted the post, which included an image from the show "The Summer I Turned Pretty."

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/amazon-prime-engagement-ring/

Entry tags:

Meet the Contributors to Our Next Anthology: Monsterotica!

A banner with sketchy lines in blue and red. A winged person is depicted, with red tentacles wrapping around their side and one caressing their face.

We’re getting closer to the launch of crowdfunding for our next anthology – our second erotica collection! – entitled Monsterotica: Tales of Unusual Coupling and Courtship. This anthology features sixteen hella hot stories of monsters and their partners (sometimes humans, sometimes other monsters!) courting, getting together, and getting it on. Our gorgeous cover – a trim of the original sketch shown above – is by Siao Bell, and we’ll be revealing it a bit closer to launch.

You can follow our pre-launch page on Kickstarter NOW to make sure that you’re among the first to hear when this crowdfunding campaign goes live!

And now (drum roll, please…) – our 16 authors!

Jaye Anderson (Archive of Our Own | Tumblr)
Katia Anyway (Archive of Our Own | Bluesky | Tumblr)
I. A. Ashcroft (Archive of Our Own | Bluesky | Tumblr)
E. M. Beka
Nicole Doen (Bluesky)
Annika Sage Ellis (Personal Website | Ko-Fi | Tumblr)
Ivy L. James (Personal Website | Bluesky | Instagram)
MJ Kiwiana (Archive of Our Own | Tumblr)
Kitty Lee (Archive of Our Own | Bluesky)
Lyonel Loy
Cedar D. McCafferty-Svec (Archive of Our Own | Bluesky | Tumblr)
Taliesin Owens
Ambra Rossi (Archive of Our Own)
T. L. Sly (Archive of Our Own)
Teddy Sweet
Dei Walker (Bluesky | Tumblr)

Visit our website to read their biographies!

Entry tags:

tuesday

Passing time waiting for the time to leave for my float session. I'm nervous - just because it's something I've never done before. I will be very clean by the end of it all. I just took a shower here at home because I wanted to wear clean clothes, then I'll get a shower before the float and another shower afterwards.

*****

Here's some pictures from yesterday when Candy and I walked along the Allegheny River from the bridge at Kennerdell to the mouth of Dennison Run. 2 miles in all. It wasn't predicted to be a wet day but it rained lightly nearly the whole time. The sun did come out just as we got back to the car. Lots of wet autumn color: ( Read more... )

Entry tags:

Amorous toads

This was in one of my inboxes this am (ironically, Mme C-C-'s):

Nice to connect beyond work
Hi,
We’ve crossed paths around the office a few times, and I’ve been meaning to say hello. I recently joined a dating site and thought it might be easier to connect there outside of work.
If you’re open to it, here’s my profile: [redacted link]
You’ll need to sign up to view it.
No pressure at all—just an invitation to chat in a space that isn’t tied to corporate email.
Either way, wishing you a great week.
Best,
A colleague

How creepy is that? (sending it in to phishing reporting).

(Or maybe run it past Ask A Manager???)

***

Actually, it is a bit of an insult to bufo bufo to characterise anyone doing this sort of thing as a toad, no? Especially when the poor things are currently suffering a good deal in their quest for LUHRRVVV: can Britain’s toads be saved from traffic and terrible decline?

(No, they are not zipping around doing dangerous driving in fast cars, parp-parp, like Mr Toad.)

They are trying to get to suitable mating areas:

toads like large ponds. Their ability to stay out of water for longer than frogs, means they can travel further to reach them – sometimes hundreds of metres, Petrovan says. They tend to stick to their ancestral migration routes – it’s common for adult toads to return to their birth pond to mate.

This is why the toad crossed the road.

I think I have heretofore mentioned the people who help toads to do this thing: in fact it's a bit of a recurrent theme.... (going way back).

HaBO: Single Dad Marries Librarian for Custody

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/10/habo-single-dad-marries-librarian-for-custody/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=161776

This HaBO comes from Rita, who wants to find this romance:

I’m hoping someone can help me identify this book I read about 10–11 years ago. I think it was originally published in the 1990s (can’t remember the exact date) and might have been a Harlequin or possibly a Silhouette title. Here’s what I recall:

– Male lead (ML) is a single dad with a young daughter.

– The child’s mother died in an accident, but she and the ML were never married.

– Since her mother’s passing, the daughter has been living with her maternal grandparents.

– The ML wants full custody and is told his chances will improve if he’s married and can show a stable home.

– He creates a list of eligible women in town and settles on the town librarian, Paige.

– After some convincing, Paige agrees to a marriage of convenience.

– Paige starts out as a “plain Jane” but is later seen as attractive/sexy.

– The story basically begins around the time they marry.

– I read it as part of a two-book box set.

I’d love to know the title and author if anyone recognizes it!

Does this sound familiar?

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/10/habo-single-dad-marries-librarian-for-custody/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=161776

Current Mood: cheerful

Spooky Scary Semi True Stories

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Hello, I am Testing Some Code

Posted by SB Sarah

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/10/hello-i-am-testing-some-code/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=161787

Sometimes the only way for me to figure out if something is working or not is to do a post and test drive the code. So, uh. Hi!

I think the transcript and the spoiler code are malfunctioning and alas, I can’t blame it on AWS.

Any boodle, here’s a spoiler.

can you believe who shot JR?

That Kristin had great hair, too.

That was my first “grown up tv show” and wow, did I enjoy some big hair and shoulder pads. I really thought that when I was an adult my hair would look like romance cover models hair (big, bouncy, covers several acres) and I would dress like folks on Dynasty and Dallas (also big, bouncy, covers several acres). What a shame that adulthood arrived in the late 90s and fashions were a little different.

Oh, and also:

And speaking of Psycho...

My guy had some Issues with his Mother. Woodamn.

I totally ruined Adam’s day when I told him that…

the winner of this season of the Great British Bake Off is...

KIDDING! I don’t know that one!

Also I coded all of this on my phone so watch how much this is not going to work because of my thumbs!

So, sorry to have spoiled things. Got any secrets or spoilers you want to share?

If you want to test drive the code in the comments, it’s:

[**spoiler**]

Spoiler omg

[/*spoiler]

***Remove the 5 asterisks!***

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/10/hello-i-am-testing-some-code/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=161787

Current Mood: anxious

things make a post

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

Couldn’t Sleep; Did a Cover Song

Posted by John Scalzi

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/10/21/couldnt-sleep-did-a-cover-song/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=57841

Watch on YouTube

I couldn’t sleep because a certain black kitten decided that he wanted to sleep on my face, precipitating a coughing fit that knocked slumber right out of me. So, here: a cover of “Bring On the Dancing Horses” from Echo & the Bunnymen, which I started recording the other night, and now was a fine time to finish it up. It’s a little more drum-heavy than the original version; what can I say, I like drums. Some people are like that.

For those of you too young and/or tragically unhip to have ever heard the original, here it is for compare and contrast:

Watch on YouTube

Now I’m tired. I think I’ll try to go back to sleep.

— JS

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/10/21/couldnt-sleep-did-a-cover-song/

https://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=57841

Feeble All Round

I'm still in a bit of a daze and still feel feeble- physically, mentally, spiritually- as if I could easily burst into tears and make a confession of my utter unworthiness- but think I have what it takes to fix myself a proper lunch and hopefully this will make me stronger.

I get up, I go back to sit on thr bed and have Proust inform me about the moeurs of late 19th century France. How happy I am not to be living in that frightful epoque but in this frightful epoque instead.

On that subject I see some frightful Imperial bling from that frightful epoque has been stolen from the Louvre. Good riddance, I say. Whoever nicked it- or had it nicked- has execrable taste.

Foxy keeps digging up my bulbs and I keep burying them again. At least they're not anything of which I should feel ashamed

have you considered an item of Partners clothing like shirt or a pillowcase so Ladies of the House c

https://copperbadge.tumblr.com/post/798012811133468672

This is actually the plan! Bringing the kitties something that smells like them ahead of time ought to help, at least I hope.

Although I hadn't thought of a pillowcase, that's a really good idea. I was going to ask them for an article of clothing, but their wardrobe is a little limited; I considered buying them a shirt, but that felt weird. Bringing a pillowcase with me the next time I visit is the perfect solution, and I have plenty of spares.

https://copperbadge.tumblr.com/post/798012811133468672

Finally got a new(er) phone

Having been happy with my old iPhone SE (first 2016 version) since 2020 I've had to upgrade because some apps I use quite often will no longer run on it, presumably due to security issues. I need a Lightning connector for my thermal camera, and the most recent iPhones are USB-c, so I got the last iPhone released with a Lightning connector, a 2022 iPhone SE 3rd version - it's an ex-display one from an eBay shop which sells at £154.99 including P&P and appears to be completely unused. They've got a lot of them, if anyone else is interested I can send you a link.

So far I'm pretty happy - it's a bit bigger than I like to carry, but does have the advantage that I can read the screen clearly. Data transfer turned out to be remarkably easy - I've never had two phones or devices that were compatible with Apple's settings transfer thing before, and it really does seem to have gone perfectly without supervision. Not sure yet what I'll do with the old phone - trade-in value is pretty small so I'll probably keep it as a backup for the time being.

And yes, this is yet another lurch into rampant consumerism - I've had to replace my ipad, PC and phone this year and my old Macbook Pro last year - but it's probably keeping someone in work somewhere...