What can you do when you feel utterly unable to help?

That's pretty much what I immediately thought when I heard about Shane Willis' death. He was young. He was talented. It could well have been any of us. My husband is 43 the same age as he was - and we celebrated our First Wedding Anniversary yesterday. To say that his death affected me quite strongly on a number of levels is an understatement. Death is one of those things that leaves you at a loss to understand why it happened. You immediately reflect on the 'What if's?' and 'What now's?' of the matter, imagining your close family, panicking about their health and safety. In my case, I get a little paranoid - checking my will - wondering what would happen if I was the one who departed from the world, would my family be ok, how would they cope, and then of course you get a moment of clarity.

What can I do to help those suffering?

I only knew Shane through his art - the way he brought my characters to life on the covers of my six e-published and paperback books - and I have a further, final cover that he'd designed before his death; for Nylon Dreams - the book I am currently working on. If I ever had a reason to finish that book before, it is certainly superseded now, by the desire to get yet more of his artwork out into the world. His legacy.

Again though, what else could I do? And this was where my publishers came to the fore. A silent auction where we could donate our books to raise money to give to his family - a little something to show support, anything to help, in any way we could. It feels such a hopeless thing, trying to do something when you know the only real thing that could heal the pain is to have him back with them. So, it's this that I'm asking you to consider now. We've all donated our books, our art - to help a family in pain. I ask, that if you can help, even a little - drop a bid on our books, you might find yourself winning a number of books for a lot less than their cover price, and all of your bid goes to Shane's family. If you need a little further incentive, for lot 1, which is my Tess Series - whomever wins this - whatever price it goes for, I shall send a paperback copy of Menage a Tess with a personal note to you. That's four ebooks, and a paperback.

Please do think about placing a bid - the auction ends tomorrow, and at time of writing, there are still no bids for lots as low as $1 for groups of four books.

Page One - Lots 1 - 20 http://www.32auctions.com/organizations/9835/auctions/10779

Page Two - Lots 21- 28 http://www.32auctions.com/organizations/9835/auctions/10886

Shane, you will be dearly missed - but never forgotten.