Holiday revamp!

Hello readers,

About time for an update, eh? And the proverbial fresh coat of paint, too.

To prep for The Evenarian's next Kickstarter campaign (Launching on December 2 - stay tuned for more info!), I've posted an FAQ and new except from the novel. It should make for some easy reading over your holiday weekend.

Talk to you all soon!

--Julia

Just 48 hours left to pledge to our Kickstarter

Attention friends, family and fans!


The Kickstarter campaign for my novel “The Evenarian" is rapidly drawing to a close and I want to make sure everyone who's interested gets a chance to show their support. The campaign ends midnight this Friday!

It’s been a wild four weeks of racking up pledges and talking with new fans, but now there is just a little over 48 hours left to support my project.

With more than 100 people pledging from as little as $1 to more than $500, this Kickstarter campaign has really fueled my ambition to complete my novel and share it with all of you.

If you would like to show your support for my writing, I have created various rewards levels for your pledges, ranging from a personal note and a electronic version of the book (when it is released) to your name appearing on the dedication page and a signed hardbound copy of the book.

It’s easy to pledge. Simply go to my campaign's Kickstarter page, choose the amount you wish to pledge, the reward you would like to receive...and you're done.

I'd like to extend my utmost thanks to each and every person that has helped spread the word of "The Evenarian" and to all those who have already shown their generous support. The campaign is going to be a success because all of YOU!

And remember, you have until Friday evening to pledge!


Thanks again!
-- Julia Dickinson

Meet my characters

Everyone has been so great to me and my Kickstarter as I dive deeper into the world of The Evenarian.

It is day 26 of the Kickstarter campaign and we have reached $5,159. That 103% of our goal. I’m overjoyed with the early progress of this project. In fact, the campaign has done so well that I have created a stretch goal of $7,000 to reach in the last 4 days. 

As a thank you to everyone that has helped get me this far, I wanted to give all of my fan-supporters a glimpse of some of the characters that are in my book. I hope you find them and the world I’ve crafted just as gripping as I do.

Turo:

The story's narrator and age 18 when The Evenarian begins. Turo was the youngest son born to a well-off textile merchant. He grew up in a small town outside the northern capital. 

Though the town lies along major trade routes, Turo has rarely ventured beyond the town limits. Unlike his older brothers who showed an interest in warfare or taking up

their father's trade, Turo has always been meek, quiet and bookish. 

He has an excellent memory and a talent for facts and figures. Afraid that he would be forced to become a clerk in his father's warehouse, Turo decided to join the local cloister and become a student of magic (AKA a Seeker of Truth). 

While other young seekers aspired to greatness, Turo only wanted to be left alone with his studies. His life of contemplation and study is disrupted in the late summer of his 18th year when he stumbles upon a stranger man wandering in the woods near the cloister. 

Short and a bit overweight, Turo is used to being overlooked by other and is generally subdued and withdrawn. But the stranger's revelations, coupled with his own knowledge of history and prophecy, spur Turo in to action for the first time in his life.

Josh:

A stranger from parts unknown, Josh is discovered wandering in the woods. He is likely in his mid-20s. Taller than most northern men and apparently unable to speak, Josh briefly becomes an object of fascination in Turo's small cloister. 

He is dressed unusually and has a large, strange-looking bag slung over his shoulders. Over the course of one afternoon, Josh miraculously regains the ability to speak and

soon begins asking odd questions and make even odder statements that mark him as a foreigner, and perhaps something more. 

He insists that he needs to go to the capitol to see the northern king. Meanwhile, Turo's fellow seekers argue amongst themselves: is this man trustworthy, or is he a charlatan trying to pull off an elaborate ruse? 

Turo comes to believe that Josh is the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy—that mages from magic's earliest days went into an enchanted sleep and would reawaken when the world needed them—and decides to help him. Josh also displays an impressive array of magical abilities, which help him and Turo on their journey, but also brings them a good deal of unwanted attention. 

He never claims to be a mage, or anything else for that matter, allowing other people to cast aspersions on him. As Josh becomes more comfortable in his new surroundings, he shows himself to be arrogant, harsh, pushy and single-minded in his quest to assassinate a shadowy figure known as the Evenarian.

Elena:

A young woman from the southern republic of Sone, Elena is a diplomat sent to the northern capital to negotiate a trade agreement. Although Sone and the northern Kingsrealm made peace many years ago, tensions remain between the cultures. 

Like most northerners, Turo was raised to be suspicious of Sonans and only accepts Elena's help under duress. She is not conventionally attractive by Turo's northern standards, having a dark complexion, short hair and a commanding, confident manner. 

Turo and Josh meet her on their journey to the northern capital. She sees a certain potential in Josh and eventually ropes the two young men into her entourage under the pretense that Josh is a mage from the unexplored “lands beyond the map.” 

Elena is somewhat two-faced. She is capable of massaging the thorniest sovereign’s ego. But in her private life, she is fond of gossip, especially scandalous tales of the northern kingdom's leadership, and has a sharp tongue and scheming nature, both of which she seems to delight in. She firmly believes that history is written by the victors

and intends to be on that winning side.

If you can't tell, I love crafting unique, interesting characters. I'll roll out some chapter excerpts in the near future. Stay tuned! And if you haven't already, consider pledging to the Kickstarter so you can find out what happens to The Evenarian's characters.


Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section and share this with any literature-loving friends so I can reach my stretch goal too!!!

Thanks for Giving to my Cause

As I settle around a crowded table filled with delicious treats and smiling family, I am reminded of just how lucky and thankful I am. So many friends, relatives and fans have supported me on my quest to get my first novel completed and published.

The very first day that The Evenarian Kickstarter was live I had 41 people pledge their support. And now, 22 days later more than 100 people have joined together to championed this project with their great words and dollars.

I have also found a great community in the grouping of Kickstarter campaigns -- entrepreneurs with amazing drive and mind-boggling ideas.

I now have to say that I am thankful for so many more things today than I was just a month ago and I hope that I have been able to provide some encouragement and support back to each and every one of you too.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Kickstarter Campaign -- Week 3 update

Hey compadres!
It's already week three of The Evenarian Kickstarter campaign and I am so happy to tell you all that we are at more than 100% of our goal. With another nine days left to gain more pledges, the campaign has already received $5,075 of support from all of you.
Thank you all so much for helping me get this far. But now I have set my sights just a little bit higher -- to $7,000 -- so that I can build greater buzz online and get some orignal artwork created for the fantasy world I've built.
If the Kickstarter campaign can reach this new stretch goal in its final days then I can share the artwork with all of you and even get some extra goodies out to those of you that have pledged toward the book's success.
So, if you would like to continue your support by increasing your pledge or sharing the Kickstarter page on your Facebook, blog, Twitter or other methods of communication, I would greatly appreciate it.

100% Funded and Going Strong

Image Source: Tumblr

Friends, fans and fellow authors I have great news to share with you -- The Evenarian Kickstarter campaign is more than 100% funded as of today.

It took an amazing 18 days to get $5,000 crowd-sourced and I couldn't be more excited to share the news with everyone that has helped.

As most of you are aware, this $5,000 will go toward hiring an editor to prepare the book for agents and publishers since I would like to head down the traditional publishing route. But, with another 11 days left in the Kickstarter campaign, my efforts are far from over. In order to better position the book for publishing I would like to raise some more funds to commission orignal art and get a stronger social media buzz out there about The Evenarian.

The new stretch goal set is $7,000. As I continue to get orignal artwork created I will update this blog and the Kickstarter rewards to give back to those that are supporting my writing efforts.

Stay tuned for some additional perks for being a part of the campaign and keep sharing this cause with more friends and family.

Discovery on Kickstarter

Image Source: Kickstarter

My friends and fans have heard all about how they can help support me and the completion of The Evenarian on Kickstarter, but I want to take this moment to give a shout-out to some other great projects I have stumbled upon while clicking through the crowd-funding site.

Those of you that aren't familiar with Kickstarter might be excited to learn that there are more than publishing projects on the site. In fact, there are some great technology, film, fashion and art projects kicking off in every day.

Here are some that caught my eye and I thought I'd show some love and pass on their info.

She's Beautiful When She's Angry
Mary Dore and Nancy Kennedy are working on a film that tells the story of the birth of the women's liberation movement during the 1960s.

They have already compiled a lot of archived footage and have female pioneers from then and now telling their tales.

Both documentarians are set on bringing the enthusiasm  of the 1960s back for women that are now struggling to keep the rights won for them so many years ago.

With 11 days left in their campaign, they still have another $40,000 to raise and reach their $75,000 goal. Check them out.

Downturn Abbey
Accomplished author Michael Gerber of the Barry Trotter series is running a Kickstarter campaign to fund an book-length parody of the British costume drama Downton Abbey.

As the author puts it in his blog: 

"For over 20 years, I have been producing books and magazines for myself and others, and I can tell you: Downturn Abbey is a corker. (I thought the book was going to be in every bookstore in the US for Christmas, so I really sweated the details.) Readers of the US edition of Barry Trotter know that I show a level of care with my projects almost unheard of at big publishing houses. Sad but true."

I certainly know that story but the great news is he has reached his goal -- but we all have stretch goals too.

Image Source: Kickstarter

He has just passed $5,045 of funding, surpassing his $3,500 goal.

Whooz

Image Source: Kickstarter

These are vinyl designed stickers you can apply to Apple product cords and chargers. This great idea is very close to my heart. As an Apple product user in the Apple-centric city of San Francisco, I am constantly having to keep an eye on my chargers and make sure I leave coffee shops and friends' houses with all my accessories.

Whooz not only assures that no one mistakes your cords with theirs but also gives your computer some fun individuality.

I like to think that hosting a Kickstarter campaign is about more than just using a website and its tools. Kickstarter is more like a club that supports members' creative endeavors  It's really fun to discover new ideas and even pledge some dinero to a couple that I think should see the light of day rather than later.