Welcome to my Author Village,

Thank you for taking this journey with me! My name is Neosho C. Ponder, the author of God’s Got Jokes. ** Don't forget to watch the video above **

In addition to some cool perks, your pre-order will help me donate a portion of the overall $10K goal to Donna M. Saunders Foundation, Inc. I was blessed to receive help and support from DMSF. They paid my rent, checked on me in-between surgeries, and surprised me with care packages! Even during the pandemic, this small, volunteer only organization has continued to help and support survivors and their families. When most non-profits halted operations, DMSF quickly learned that their services were needed more than ever. Just as they have blessed me, I want to bless them. 

HOW DID I GET HERE?!

Never in my worst nightmare did I think I would be diagnosed with breast cancer 1 year after earning my PhD! I wrote this book because if my faith and recognizing God’s humor can heal me, it can heal anyone.

 
This was the moment I passed my defense!

My hope is that, in reading this book, you will discover that faith and prayer don’t go with fear and worry. I want you to see this book as an opportunity to recognize the healing power of laughter, learn how I overcame some of the worst situations imaginable and never gave up or gave in. I want you to know that I am not special or at an advantage. I made the decision to fight and you can too!

You will love this book if you have experienced hardship, illness, or dark moments in your life. You will laugh at my pain, just as I did. My story shows you how unpredictable life can be, when it’s dealing you unbearable odds. You will also appreciate my candid conversations with God. I say things and express feelings that you are not taught in Sunday School. You will relate to some aspect of my story, because this is not only my story. This is a survivor’s story!

God’s Got Jokes speaks to those affected by breast cancer, including young women and families, whose lives have been put on hold and faith tested, while dealing with some of the most difficult decisions a person can make. This book also speaks to anyone who has experienced unexpected hardships and are open to approaching their relationship with God in a new way.

What We Need & What You Get

This book will be published with New Degree Press. I set up the pre-order tiers to help cover the costs for publishing my book. Money raised will go towards the following:

• The Editor I will work with to revise and publish my manuscript in December 2021
• The Cover Design of my book. (The mockups you see currently are a placeholder!)
• The Layout Design for the interior of my book (physical copy, ebook formats).
• The Copyediting for my book to polish the grammar and spelling prior to publication.
• The Launch & Promotion Efforts for my book when I ultimately publish this Winter.

ALL FOR YOU...

• You will receive a personally signed copy of my book when I publish and a handwritten thank-you note.
• You will receive early access to the Introduction and some excerpts from my book, with the opportunity to review it and give me early feedback.
• You will have the opportunity to be involved in selecting my cover and possible sub-subtitle.
• You will be invited to join my Author Community and get behind-the-scenes sneak peeks into the publishing process.
• Special gift at book signings
• And much more!

Campaign Goal

The overall goal of this campaign is to raise $10,000, which will fund an audiobook, help with marketing materials, and support breast cancer survivors directly. When I was going through chemo, I read an insightful book that made me laugh and took my mind off of treatment. Unfortunately, I could not finish reading the book because the more rounds of treatment, the faster I would tire. I know I would have finished that book if I could have listened to it, especially in the author's voice.  Listening to "God's Got Jokes" in my voice will be extremely beneficial to my fellow cancer survivors going through treatment. 

 
This is me in the chemo chair with the book! 

It will also cover my marketing and promotional efforts to share God's Got Jokes with as many people as we can! A portion of the campaign goal will bless breast cancer patients directly, through Donna M. Saunders Foundation.  DMSF was such a blessing to me and I hope to bless others! 
Standard Tiers:
Tier 1: Hit $5,500 and the ebook/softcover editions get published (this is the minimum needed)
Tier 2: Hit $6,500 and the book will get a hardcover edition
Tier 3: Hit $8,500 and we’ll get an audiobook edition. 

Your Impact On People's Lives

You can make a difference in lives of so many people by supporting this campaign! God's Got Jokes will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions, but ultimately you will do one or more of the following:

• Touch your boobs
• Call your dad
• Tell your friends you love them
• Have honest conversations with God

 
Opening Night of Rio Olympics, August 5, 2016, 1 month after double mastectomy

Email me if you have any ideas or questions about the campaign jokesbyGod@gmail.com

Risks & Challenges

The biggest challenge with publishing a book is delivering the finished book to the backer, specifically my mailing of the book to you. I have eliminated this risk by building into the campaign the mailing and shipping costs of your signed copies to you within each pre-order tier.

The risk of delivering the pre-sale copies of my book is contingent on the publisher we use. I will be working closely with New Degree Press to make sure we get the earliest possible ship date of the signed book copy to you. We will keep all pre-sale backers up-to-date as my book hits each key milestone and publishes. You will know when the copies are expected to ship.

Other Ways You Can Help

Not everyone can support, but that doesn't mean you can't get something out of it!
I will reward the top 3 people who refer the most backers at the end of the campaign (30 days). Here's how: *SHARING IS CARING*

At the top of the campaign page, you will see the "share" buttons. Click on the "chain" icon to get a custom link just for you. (Note: don't use the URL in the browser window as it won't work to track referrals and you won't get credit ?)

Copy that link and paste it on your social media, email it to a friend, or text a fellow book lover.

When someone clicks on that link and backs the book, you get 1 entry!