he fabulous Brenda Novak runs an annual auction to raise money for juvenile diabetes. It’s a fantastic event, in which you can both get some great items and help out with a wonderful cause.

This year, the 2008 Golden Heart Finalists have gotten together to offer three separate auctions:

This is the perfect way to give your manuscript a test-run before the real Golden Heart competition. Just like in the real competition, five people will read a maximum of 55 pages of your manuscript plus synopsis. Just like in the real competition, you will receive a single numeric score somewhere between 1 and 9 from each judge–the exact score they would have given your manuscript if they judged it in the Golden Heart.

But unlike the real competition, they’ll also give you comments and criticism. They’ll try to help you identify your strengths and shore up your weaknesses. They’ll justify the score they give you, and explain how you can improve on it for the real thing. They’ll tell you where you’re losing points, and what you can do to maximize your chances. The critique won’t be for the faint of heart–but it will be for those who want to give the Golden Heart their best shot possible.

The three auctions have three different flavors: historical, contemporary, and suspense/paranormal/romantic elements. So if you’re interested in the Golden Heart for next year, you should definitely bid on these auctions–you’ll get five critiques from people who have both judged the Golden Heart and managed to final already.

I should mention that yours truly is one of the critiquers for the historical category. And one other thing–whatever the total is for the three auctions, I will match the donation to Juvenile Diabetes. Yup, you read that right. Right now, the auctions are sitting at 27, 18, and 9, so if the auction ended now, I’d write a check for $54 to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. I’m hoping the amounts will go up significantly! The only caveat I will add is that if the total goes over $1000–and wouldn’t that be lovely?–I may have to write two separate checks, with the balance being paid in August.

But there you have it: Three auctions. Fifteen Golden Heart finalists. And every dollar you spend gets matched. What more could you want?