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J.K. Rowling has led a growing chorus of international authors calling for sympathy and action on Europe's mounting refugee crisis.
The creator of Harry Potter devoted a series of tweets to the cause, after publication of pictures of the body of the three-year-old Syrian boy washed up on a beach in Turkey.
If you can't imagine yourself in one of those boats, you have something missing. They are dying for a life worth living. #refugeeswelcome— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling)
September 3, 2015
She took the Daily Mail to task for prioritisng a story of a homeless dog on the front page, above those of the many thousands of homeless asylum seekers.
Want the Daily Express to care that you're trying to find a safe home? Be a dog. pic.twitter.com/4F46vcWBWu— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling)
September 2, 2015
Her frustrations were shared by awarding-winning children's author Patrick Ness whose spur-of-the-moment donation has snowballed into an all-star Twitter fundraising campaign which has raised more than £130,000 ($A210,000) within hours, and is continuing to build.
Feeling impotent after hauntingly sad pictures of the body of three-year-old Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi, washed up on a beach in Turkey were shared on social media, Patrick Ness set up a fundraising page benefiting the charity Save the Children UK, and promised to match donations from fans up to £10,000 pounds ($A21,000).
The two time Carnegie Medal is the author of A Monster Calls, about a teenage boy coming to terms with his mother's cancer, and is currently being adapted into a film starring Liam Neeson.
"Hey, this may not work," Ness wrote canvassing support, "but I'm tired of just tweeting my despair about the current refugee crisis that the UK government is responding to with inhumane feebleness.
"I'll match all funds raised up to £10,000 for Save The Children, which helps refugees around the world and has put out an appeal for the current Syrian refugee disaster. Let's see if we can give them £20,000 together, yeah? Or whatever! Everything helps."
Okay, I don't know if this'll work but I'll match donations up to £10k to do *something* to help this refugee crises http://t.co/iDgBrCNTUc— Patrick Ness (@Patrick_Ness)
September 3, 2015
Ness reached his goal within two hours, and from across the Atlantic, John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars joined the campaign. Green's brother, the vlogger Hank, later chipped in another $21,000.
Derek Landy, Irish author of the Skulduggery Pleasant series of children's books, donated $10,000, saying he'd just spend the money on comics anyway.
British romance writer JoJo Moyes made her own donation of $A21,000, pushing totals beyond $100,000 .
Guys, I didn't plan on doing any of this today when I woke up. Sorry it's a little chaotic, but WOWOWOWOW!!! http://t.co/iDgBrCwj2E— Patrick Ness (@Patrick_Ness)
September 3, 2015
Rainbow Powell, US young adult author of the acclaimed Eleanor & Park, is offering to sort her characters into Hogwart's houses for every $A2100 donated while fellow writer Maureen Johnson is creating nicknames for every sizeable donation.
At one point Ness left to attend an evening event, and came back.
Back after this evening's event and OH MY GOD!!! £108,000!!! What's been going on? What did I miss?— Patrick Ness (@Patrick_Ness)
September 3, 2015
Ness finally went to bed almost 12 hours after beginning the campaign with $319,000 raised so far and Australia waking up.
