victory! (for now)

Today, Francesca sent us an email:

Dear Amazing Friends,

This has been a very hard time and you have all helped me tremendously.  If not for you I would have given up on the fight to stay in my home.  I would not have had the strength or faith to fight without your support, guidance, and practical help, including getting the word out. I've always believed in the power of the word but now I believe even more.

Yesterday I received the final word from Bank of America that they are temporarily reducing principle, with a lower interest rate and a monthly payment much less than what I have been paying. In 2037 it will balloon again and I will have to pay off the principle. They say I can refinance then, or who knows...that is a long time. I still have a second smaller loan that will balloon shortly and can go up to a much higher rate of interest, and I will have to fight that one next (it's also still in my mom's name) but for now this is a victory.

Once again, I am deeply grateful. My children and I want to thank Change.org and everyone who signed this petition.  When I felt like giving up, you gave me the strength to go on and  every morning I wake up in my faerie cottage for the next 25 years I will think of you with gratitude. I am honored to consider myself an example of a Change.org victory.  You have renewed my faith in life on a profound level.

Love, Francesca

So dear blogreaders and supporters: Officially, the petition has been closed!

You made this happen. Be assure that if anything comes up again with regard to Francesca and her children having secure housing, we will gratefully call on you once more—but for now, the victory is yours. Thank you for all you have done.

update from Francesca

Francesca recently updated the timeline of her struggles to refinance her home. She wrote:

I am trying to stay in my home and am making my monthly payments but the financial burden of a loan with an exceedingly high interest rate on an over-encumbered (underwater) property is taking a huge toll on my mental and physical health. Since I went public with this, BofA has been very polite and I have been working with a very pleasant gentleman who has been trying to help me. However, I am still in the exact same position as before, being told that there are problems because I am current with my loan and because the loan is not in my name, even though I am the sole owner and have made all the payments for five years. I hope that BofA will continue to work with me.

You can read more at her blog, Love in the Time of Global Warming, and see the whole timeline in its frustrating complexity.

As her fans, we really hope the bank can do better than this, and urge them to try! Two thousand strong and growing....

over 2,000 signatures! and, real progress with BofA

Hi everyone—we have good news to share today. Not only do we have more than TWO THOUSAND signatures on our Change.org petition, and are headed toward our goal of 2,500—but even better:

Bank of America is really starting to work with our beloved author! There have continued to be roadblocks and a great deal of red tape, but in spite of many ongoing delays, your actions have helped this bank realize what a valuable customer Ms. Block is to them, and that they must work with her to solve the problem. We want to thank you for your ongoing support, which has brought this situation to its present place: still not resolved, but on a good path toward that resolution, and you have made the difference. And thank you, Bank of America, for showing good faith toward our friend!

There is still work to be done and every signature still helps and counts—the fight isn't over. If you haven't yet, please consider sharing the petition via Facebook or Twitter:

http://www.change.org/petitions/save-the-faerie-cottage


Finally, for your viewing pleasure, here are a couple of videos of the Faerie Cottage in action, peopled with all those who live and love and work and write and dance there—one with Tori's beautiful song "Spark," and another from talented artist Mccabe Russell (please click here to see that one on Vimeo). We hope you enjoy these, and share them with your friends and with fellow fans!

update! & let's keep the pressure on....

Francesca has just posted an update at her blog, Love in the Time of Global Warming! She writes to her supporters:

Thank you so much for all your kindness and for taking the time to sign my petition. I got a polite response from BofA the first day I went public—showing that we can make things happen when we work together—but since then there have been more frustrating delays. My next payments are due in days and I need to have this loan modified as soon as possible. The stress continues to weigh on me and my children. Many of you know what this feels like. I hope my struggle can help you as well and that I can provide you with information and support as well. Please pass this on to others to keep BofA accountable and sign the petition if you have not done so.

With Gratitude,
Francesca Lia Block

She then carefully itemizes yet another month's worth of struggles and hot-potato passing on the part of various Bank of America employees and officials. Why hasn't this been resolved by now, BofA? What does it take for you to pay attention to your customers, and work with them, rather than against them?

We have almost 1,500 petition signatures—please help us out by signing, if you haven't already, and spreading the word! Please post the petition link on Facebook, Twitter, and email your friends—together we can help Francesca, and help pave the way for other families to keep their homes safe from foreclosure, as well. Let's keep the pressure on! For Francesca, and for her children.

A thousand signatures! (and a special thank-you)

Hello friends & fans of Francesca—so tonight we reached over a thousand signatures on the petition, in a little less than a week. This is fabulous, and you made it possible. Thank you!

Also today, Francesca completed and FedExed a packet of info to Bank of America—their prompt response last week definitely means we made an impression! And they'll hopefully get cracking on modifying her loan agreement before it's too late. But the battle isn't over yet--they may be counting on our campaign to lose steam. We need to keep the pressure on them, so please continue your amazing work of posting the links, tweeting about the story, and spreading the word!

As a special thank-you to her supporters, Francesca wants to share some free writing videos with you—and you can sneak a peek inside the Faerie Cottage, too!

part 1: http://vimeo.com/7527405
part 2: http://vimeo.com/7528741
part 3: http://vimeo.com/7529744

(The password for all three videos is "pinkcottage," without quotation marks.)

Thanks again for all your amazing work helping publicize this cause--your support has made a huge difference. Onward!

Francesca writes about the Occupy Movement

The other day I was leaving the market (blessed with bags full of groceries in my cart) when a woman came up to me. “Do you know of a church nearby?” She was missing teeth and her eyes were red-glazed. I gave her the cash I had and told her about a local church.

It seemed to be so insignificant.

I cried on the drive home to my lovely house and healthy children.

My high mortgage, health problems and anxiety suddenly seemed like small problems.

There is so much suffering around us.

(Read the rest at: http://occupywriters.com)

about the author

Author Francesca Lia Block is renowned for her groundbreaking novels and stories—postmodern, magic-realist tales that transport readers through the harsh, gritty landscapes of contemporary life to transcendent realms of the senses where love is always our saving grace.

Born in Los Angeles, where she still lives, Block’s work pulsates with the language and images of the city’s sprawling subculture. Lauds a reviewer for the New York Times Book Review, “Block writes about the real Los Angeles better than anyone since Raymond Chandler.”

Block has described her work as “contemporary fairy tales with an edge,” where the real world and its trouble find solace through the magic of creative expression and love. She has received numerous honors, including the Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award and the Phoenix Award, as well as citations from the American Library Association, The New York Times Book Review and the School Library Journal, Her work has been published around the world, translated into many languages.

Read more about Francesca's books & work at her website: francescaliablock.com/