Penny communicated with those of us who are writing monthly columns. Since I know that all of you wish her the very best in her endeavors, I do not think she will mind my sharing part of what she shared with us. After all, this site is about women supporting women in their hopes, their dreams, their disappointments, and their struggles.

Before I share her words with you, just let me say that there has been such an outpouring of creative works in the direction of the magazine that it seems to me that everyone is expecting courtesy copies of the magazine and may be holding back from subscribing. I would encourage everyone to subscribe if you want this women's project to get off the ground.

Dannye


Below is an excerpt from her letter: the bolding is mine.


"printing is delayed due to a lack of funds.

I had a strong faith back in Oct. that I would get enough subscriptions to cover
printing costs. That is not the case.

Back in January, I began seeking funds to cover printing costs. I have asked family and friends for assistance to no avail. My friends and family simply do not have the funds to provide nor the means to acquire the funds.

I am working diligently on getting printing costs covered. At this point in time, a total of $6000 - $8000 would cover printing and mailing of April, May and June issues. That's for 100 copies of each - enough for subscribers AND
contributors. Believe it or not, this isactually a decent price ...considering the original printing costs were $30,000 for all three issues.

The low-down on subscriptions: we have 60. 25 of those are purchases of only one issue. So we are nowhere near where we need to be as far as subscribers are concerned.

I am contacting potential advertisers and researching every possibility. I am averaging about 3 hours of sleep each day and risking losing my job because I keep falling asleep behind the computer.

I am exhausted and I am open to any ideas or suggestions anyone may have.

I am offering subscribers a 3 month extension on their subscriptions plus $5 off their renewal at the current subscription rates.

I have not given up on getting the magazine to print. I won't give up until they
pry the mouse from my cold, dead fingers. I am, however, discouraged, disappointed and feel a little beaten down at the moment. Particularly in the spirit department.

I am not certain if all of this is due to God testing my determination, stamina and fortitude to accomplish this. Or if it is the work of Beelzebub himself to impede the progress.

I will admit that perhaps I should have started much sooner on getting the money together as far as researching loans and grants are concerned. But I held fast to the belief that all would fall into place and be provided, provided I did
what I needed to do. And I thought I was doing that.

I expect all of you are upset and disappointed. I can only ask your forgiveness.

They say it is always darkest before the dawn.

So I keep my eyes on the horizon, looking for the light of day.
Respectfully,
Penny"