Kickstarting

Unless you've been away from the web for a while, you probably know what Kickstarter is, if not, it can be defined as "Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. Everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative projects that are brought to life through the direct support of others.".

Even if, so far, the concept is still not legal in Canada, I love the idea.  In the last year, many interesting gaming ideas were funded through it, giving a chance for developers in need of money to actually realize their projects.  The concept seems to work better with well-known names and that's probably why it wasn't associated much with Fantasy literature up until now.

If you follow Brad P. Beaulieu website, you know that sadly, for economic reasons, Night Shade Books won't be publishing his third book in the Lays of Anuskaya series, The Flames of Shadam Koreh. To help with with his concluding volume, he started a second kickstarter (the first one being the Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten & Other Stories collection of short stories). The blurb:

Nearly two years after the harrowing events of The Straits of Galahesh, Atiana and Nikandr continue their long search for Nasim. The clues they find lead them to the desert wastes of the Gaji, where the fabled valley of Shadam Khoreh lies.

But all is not well. War has moved from the islands to the mainland, and the Grand Duchy knows its time may be limited if Yrstanla rallies its forces. Worse, the wasting disease and the rifts grow ever wider, threatening places that once thought themselves safe. The Dukes believe that their only hope may be to treat with the Haelish warriors to the west of Yrstanla, but Nikandr knows that the key is to find Nasim and a lost artifact known as the Atalayina.

Will Nikandr succeed and close the rifts once and for all? The answer lies deep within the Flames of Shadam Khoreh

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Michael J. Sullivan, author of the Riyria Revelations also has a kickstarter going on for his novel Hollow World.  The book is described as:

Hollow World is a cross-genre piece mixing elements of science fiction, fantasy, adventure, mystery, and thrillers. It’s also what makes it nearly impossible to “sell through traditional publishing.” 

The premise is actually pretty simple, Ellis Rogers is an ordinary guy who has always done the right things and played by the rules. But like many, his life didn't turn out as he had planned. Facing a terminal disease, he’s willing to gamble that a cure could exist in the future, and although it is insanely dangerous to try, he really has nothing to lose.

Both project have already surpassed their pledged goals but with more backing, the authors will bring more to the table.  Great!