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.

Marathons of the creative kind

It's day 13 of The Evenarian's Kickstarter campaign and I'm so very, very grateful to the 91 people who've already pledging over $4,000 to my project. I am inspired by all of the well-wishes and interest in my upcoming novel.

Simultaneously writing the book while spreading the word about the Kickstarter has presented me with some interesting challenges. I am reminded that as I draft emails, manage social media pages and call everyone I can think of, that marathons come in many forms. With this particular marathon I've embarked on, I've had to set goals that are challenging (yet attainable). Eventually, all those mile markers add up to something amazing.

While it took a lot of preparation and energy to build the Kickstarter campaign and get it approved by the admins on the site, once I pushed the "launch" button, I felt so much satisfaction that helped fuel me to my next goal.

And to my astonishment, just hours into the campaign, I felt the exhilaration of seeing the next mile marker: getting my first 25 backers. Next, I was excited to reach the half-way point of fundraising by getting $2,500 from friends and fans. Once the campaign reached that point, I opened up a new reward level so my backers could essentially pre-order the print or e-book version of The Evenarian.

My next goal is to hit the $5,000 marker, where the campaign will be officially funded and I'll open up even more fun reward levels. And just like a marathon, I am looking to friends, family and the larger literary community to help keep this momentum going until the finish line is in view.

Week One Success!

Image Source: All Posters

I'm seven crazy, fun days into The Evenarian's Kickstarter campaign and I am overjoyed to report that we are 65% of the way to our funding goal of $5,000. A staggering 71 friends and fans have pledged just over $3,400 to help get my book into print.

In order to increase the value going to my current supporters and future backers, I recently unlocked a new reward level on Kickstarter. For $41, anyone can get the regular or e-book version of The Evenarian, plus have their name printed in the book's thank-you page and get a thank-you postcard and social media kudos from me.

I want to continue offering new reward levels with each funding goal we cross. The next reward level I will unlock will be when we break the $5,000 funding goal. But until then, it's a secret. If you have already pledged and like the sound of a new or different reward level, you can always adjust your pledge amount at point before the end of November.

I am so excited to make it through the first hurdle with such a boom, but now comes the challenge of keeping up the momentum and finding people outside my close circle who will support this creative cause.

So at this point, I am asking all those that have already been kind enough to pledge to share my campaign with others - especially people I may not already be connected to. Share Evenarian-related posts on Facebook, tweet about the campaign or tell your friends in person - whatever works for you.

The campaign has 22 days to go. I can't wait to see where this adventure takes me!

Pledge early, pledge often!

The Evenarian's Kickstarter campaign started with a bang on November 1st and lasts until the 30th - all the way through NaNoWriMo.

Kickstarter is a way for everyone to share in the novel's success. Just like a presidential election, you are taking part in a huge endeavor that cannot succeed without individuals coming together to act. In return for your support, you get rewards, including manuscripts, one-on-one phone calls with the author, signed copies of the book, and invites to the eventual launch party. But you only have one month to get in on the action.

You may be wondering, "How can I help?" Well, you hopefully have already shared the Facebook page with your friends, or told your family coworkers about it. Keep doing that. But the most critical thing you can do is to show your support on Kickstarter.

Remember, if the project does not meet its funding goal, then it doesn't get any of the money that has already been pledged to it.

So if you were going to wait until the end of the month to make your pledge, don't. Pledge now - or at least, pledge this week. Showing your support is easy, and no amount of support is too small. I can't do this without you.

Your pledge is a vote for The Evenarian's success.

Scratch my back

Image Source: Hosted.verticleResponce.com

Why is launching a Kickstarter campaign so exciting? For me, it's the feeling of letting you be a part of this book, The Evenarian, in a very special way. Some authors are all secluded when they write their book, not giving the slightest glimpse to strangers or family alike. But I want to share my book with you, and let you get a sense of what it's like to write and publish a novel.

All my life I've been training to be an author. I've saved up money while working as a journalist so that I can do this. Every day after work I would come home and work on a novel that I self-published online because I wanted to perfect the art. Since it received many positive reviews, and I had enough money saved up to get started, I went for it. I'm writing full-time now, and it's going great. I'm writing conflicts and resolutions, build-ups and action, plot and subplots. The story will be spellbinding - not in the least because there's actual spells in it.

Sadly, I recently realized that I have enough funds to get me through writing the book, but not enough to build an audience and get the novel published. That brings up all sorts of troubling questions.  What if I write a great book but nobody will be able to read it because it just needs an extra boost to get a bit of press and an editor who will make it shine for a publisher? That's why I need you to donate to my campaign.

But this isn't a one-way street. I can give you an inside scoop into writing and publishing, and you can give me a chance to go all the way to bookshelves and living rooms all over the world. This is where Kickstarter comes in. With each donation comes a prize.

For the price of a movie ticket, you can get the first level of inside scoops into the book and writing process. You can get a postcard in the mail with new and improved Evenarian cover art and a heartfelt thank-you note from your truly. You can also get an inside view into what literary agents see when I send them the package about my book. You can get a phone call with me where you can ask me about the writing and publishing process, or just what it's like to live in California. It'll be a blast. You can even get an invite to the book launch party. And most importantly, for all of the prize levels, you get your name in the book's thank-you section!

Thanks in advance for your support. I promise it'll be worth your while.

Halloween and terrifying realism in fantasy

Image Source: Deviantart

Halloween is just around the corner and I am going out on a limb predicting that there will be a fair amount of bejeweled daggers, velvet sleeves and Grecian-esque outfits accessorized with dragons traipsing about thanks to the recent popularity of the Game of Thrones series. 

My anticipation of the street flowing with the nobles and small folk of the Seven Kingdoms has gotten me to really reflect on what this phenomenon is resonating.

While many are jumping on the Thrones craze because of the HBO show's popularity, I like to think there is something about series' gruesome realism that is both shocking and refreshing.

When Game of Thrones debuted last year, I quickly became intrigued with the unapologetic way George R.R. Martin kills, pummels and maims even the most beloved characters in his series. He throws the utopian Camelot mold out the window to show that kingdom building (and destroying) can be scarier than any magic and fantasy elements. 

In my novel The Evenarian, I was inspired by, and hope to do homage to, this darker side of the human experience. Because while time travel, magic and fanciful creatures make life more interesting, people's behavior can be a story's most outrageous element. 

This is what I'll be thinking about when I see drunken Lannisters and Starks milling about Halloween parties this year. Who knows, maybe in a few years people wearing Evenarian costumes will remind others of the fear that human responses can muster.

Editing is a dirty job, but someone has to do it

Image Source: Excuseeditor.com

Have you ever read a magazine article or even a menu at a local restaurant and been struck by a glaring editing mistake? It happens to me all the time. From simple misspellings to just plain bad grammar, I can't help but see it. My years in journalism taught me that editing mistakes take away from the reader's experience and can be embarrassing to boot. 

As an author, I have experienced both the frustration of running into these errors everywhere I look as well as catching mistakes that I make while writing The Evenarian.

When you are churning out hundred of pages and already going through multiple rounds of edits, all those paragraphs start to look like alphabet soup. This is why I have decided to push my inner copyeditor aside and hand my novel over to a professional editor with a fresh set of eyes. Because heaven help me if there's a single subject-verb disagreement in the book!

However, the real issue with getting a professional to dive into editing an entire novel is that they tend to want to be paid for their time - and rightfully so.

In order to fund this quest for the most high-quality novel possible, I am asking friends, family and grammar sticklers alike to support my upcoming Kickstarter campaign to offset the editing cost before I shop for a publisher.

If you are a fellow fan of error-free reading, then please pledge support for my campaign and share the event with friends and family.

My red pen thanks you!

Kickstarter Countdown

Attention bibliophiles and fantasy aficionados! I'm really excited to announce that while I have been banging out pages of my book, The Evenarian, I am also getting ready to launch a Kickstarter campaign to help get the book edited and shopped around to publishers.
 

It seems like just yesterday that The Evenarian was just a twinkle in my eye and now it’s really happening!
 

While I’m the one giving my sweat and tears, I am asking for just a little help from my supporters in order to get this book to print.
 

On November 1, I will launch the KICKSTARTER campaign with a goal of raising $5,000 (and have hopes of surpassing that in the 30 days that the campaign is live).
 

In order to reach (and hopefully shoot past this goal) I need help from everyone who believes that more creative, page-turning literature should be out in the world.
 

Since I have friends, family and supporters of all different means, there are many different levels of contribution that can be made (from a single buck to a $3,000 bracket – each with rewards to boot!) to bring The Evenarian to fruition.
 

Since November is just around the corner, I want to keep the buzz going so the Kickstarter gets a big first week and the momentum propels this book into everyone’s hands as soon as possible.
Word of mouth and excitement will help make this book more than just a few million letters on my hard drive.
 

Since November is national novel writing month, I couldn’t think of a more fitting time to get this project closer to completion. In the coming days and weeks, I will be posting some great blogs, asking for feedback and giving shout-outs to all those that pledge to support The Evenarian. (Hopefully I’ll be shouting out to all of you.)
 

Until the Kickstarter campaign is live, I am asking everyone to share my Facebook fan page with other avid readers and people that love to support original content so “like,” blog, join the Facebook event, comment, retweet and pledge!

 More about The Evenarian:

The Evenarian is a fantasy novel-in-progress, inspired by the works of George R.R. Martin and Neil Stephenson. It takes place in a medieval world of magic, kings, ancient tribes and empires. It's also world on the verge of a massive change—a change that must be stopped at all costs. The world is held together by a monastic system of cloisters where the Seekers of Truth study history, prophecy, healing, warfare and, of course, magic. As the characters navigate a dangerous, politically-charged landscape, they find themselves confronted with not just the realities of their own journey, but questions about the nature of truth itself.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/The_Evenarian

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheEvenarian/