W.O. Hemsath Preview
almost 8 years ago
– Thu, May 24, 2018 at 12:52:26 AM
A short preview from W.O. Hemsath's "Rumpelstiltskin 2.0:"
But it’s not a drone. It’s four strange men in suits.
I stay behind the half-opened door. “Can I help--”
The first three push past me and head for my computers at the table.
“Hey!” I lunge after them, but the fourth man, still in the doorway, grabs my wrist. Twisting away does nothing but hurt my arm. He doesn’t budge when I push against him. The give of his flesh and the strength of his muscles under his suit feel unnatural.
Not a man. An android.
Two of the others close my laptops while the third heads into the kitchen. The fourth remains motionless, trapping me in the doorway.
“I demand to know who sent you. This is a private residence. You are not authorized to enter.”
It doesn’t respond. I open my mouth to scream for help but there’s a pinch in my arm. The last thing I see is the fourth intruder lowering an empty syringe.
...
Add-ons to Help Us Reach Our Next Stretch Goal
almost 8 years ago
– Sat, May 19, 2018 at 09:09:15 PM
Add-ons are items that you pledge extra for that will be added to your rewards. In order to add an add-on, all you need to do is to select to manage your pledge, add the amount for the add-on and once the campaign is completed we will utilize BackerKit (a third party pledge manager) to let you select exactly what you would like to receive.
There will not be an additional shipping charge for any add-ons.
Add-ons to consider:
"Once Upon a Time," written by Logan Uber, illustrated by Meredith Moriarty
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Hardcover: $30
- Softcover: $20
- eBook: $10
"Once Upon a Time, A Bit Earlier," written by Erik Peterson, illustrated by Meredith Moriarty
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Hardcover: $25
- Softcover: $15
- eBook: $10
"Myths of Legend," written by Logan Uber, illustrated by Megan Withey
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Hardcover: $30
- Softcover: $20
- eBook: $10
"The Dragon and the Princess," written by Erik Peterson, illustrated by Mina Sanwald
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Hardcover: $25
- Softcover: $15
"Once Upon a Time, A Coloring Book," illustrated by Meredith Moriarty
"Once Upon a Future Time," extra copies
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Hardcover: $25
- Softcover: $15
Thanks for helping to bring this project to life and don't forget to share the campaign on social media.
Illustration Stretch Goal Announced and Charity West Preview
almost 8 years ago
– Thu, May 17, 2018 at 06:01:44 PM
We've reached another stretch goal and now our most ambitious stretch goal. When we reach $2,500 in funding Meredith Moriarty will create seven black and white illustrations, one for each story in the book.
To help us reach the next stretch goal we will be revealing more details about add-on options in an update tomorrow.
And now for an excerpt from Charity West's "The Seventh Gift:"
Nikko needed him.
He arrived as the first moon was rising, its sister trailing behind on the horizon, and pushed past the cloth draped over the doorway. Its once bright stripes were faded and dingy. Nikko knelt by the fire, stoking it in preparation for the evening meal. When they were young, people had often mistaken then for twins. The same curling brown hair, the same stocky build, the same crooked smile. They could never tell that Reyu was the older brother.
He blinked in the dark light of the hovel, feeling awkward and foolish—like a man wearing clothes meant for a boy. Why had he come here?
“Where is Ma?” he asked, for something to say. “And Havel?”
“Fetching water.” Nikko stood, brushing soot from his hands. “Will you stay for dinner?”
Reyu nodded, hesitant. Nikko jutted his chin toward the table, where a small pile of potatoes waited. They pulled out stools and began peeling. The scrape of knives on hard roots filled the silence for a while.
“So,” Nikko said. “You heard nothing.”
It wasn’t a question, so Reyu didn’t answer.
“If the old hag was going to speak to anyone, she’d have spoken to you. Surely, you see the truth now.”
Reyu’s hands froze, a long, twisting peel hanging suspended from his knife. “Nikko, you can’t say things like that. You’ll cause trouble.”
“Exactly what we need to be doing.” Nikko’s voice strained with exasperation. “You’ve studied the old language, the old texts. You’ve lived in the temple! You’ve seen what we used to be able to do, the technology—” He said that last in the old language; it had no modern translation. “We are capable of so much more, but the priests are so worried about maintaining their power, their hold on us through their false Oracle—”
Reyu let out a panicked whine and Nikko stopped, sighing. “Reyu, you have to face it. If the Oracle doesn’t order it, we don’t do it. And what does the Oracle demand? That we mine—and send all our ore off world. Who profits from that? Only the priests. They control the portal, they get the wealth. But no one can question them, no one can call them on it, or the Monitors will be on them like flies on a carcass.”
“Hush,” Reyu dropped his potato and gripped Nikko’s arm. “Don’t you think of anyone but yourself? If the Monitors hear of this, you’ll be arrested. What will happen to Ma and Havel? Think, Nikko!”
Nikko shook his head. “I can’t stay quiet about this. That Oracle is a fraud. If we’re all too afraid to say it out loud, we’ll never get out from under her thumb. People need to wake up, they need to question.”
“You’ve spoken to others,” Reyu said, realizing the truth. This passion in Nikko did not appear overnight. It had been building. And he hadn’t had Reyu to balance him—to listen to him. He’d found someone else.
“There are others who think like me. There’s a group of us, and we’re going to change things. Reyu, now that you know—”
Reyu stood, knocking his stool to the floor. “No.”
“You can help. With your knowledge of the temple and the priests, our cause can succeed.”
“No. Nikko, we have to get you out of here. Secrets like this don’t stay hidden.” He rushed to the cabinets. So bare. What could Nikko take? There had to be something that could keep him alive for a few days, a week maybe, until Reyu could—
“I’m not leaving. I won’t run.”
Reyu turned to his brother, eyes narrowed. “They’ll arrest you.”
“I know.” Nikko nodded. “At the trial, I’ll say my piece. They may kill me for it, but the whispers will grow. The Monitors can’t silence everyone. We need doubt.”
“We need faith.” Reyu gripped him by the arm. He wanted to shake him, make him stop this. But Nikko’s jaw was set. He watched the door as if . . .
“They’re coming here, aren’t they? You knew—that’s why you came this morning. Why didn’t you say?”
Nikko pulled him into an embrace, shocking Reyu into silence. How long had it been since his brother hugged him? “You’ll finish this, brother. I don’t believe in much, but I believe in you.”
Footsteps sounded on the stone outside. Too many to be their mother and sister. Too many to be their neighbors.
“Open. In the name of the Oracle.”
Nikko squared his shoulders and walked past Reyu to the door, pushing aside the cloth. He offered his hands for the Monitors to bind. They added a gag, and dragged him away.
Reyu could only follow behind as his brother disappeared up the sloping city streets.
Thanks for reading!
New Stretch Goal, Busy Week Coming, and Sabrina Watts Preview
almost 8 years ago
– Tue, May 15, 2018 at 10:09:29 AM
At $1,750 we will be adding a second 4x6 inch mini print from Meredith Moriarty to all pledges with a physical reward.
This week there will be a number of updates as we start moving closer to the end of the campaign. We'll have an update relating to the pledge manager we will be using and how it will work, one on all the add-ons that will be available via the pledge manager. More preview updates, and a big announcement relating to another big stretch goal.
Keeping it short and to the point, here is a preview from Sabrina Watts's "Always Listen to Your Mother:"
Mark wasn’t looking at her, his eyes following the criss-cross pattern of drones flying above them, some following the interstate, some following the polar directions, some dropping lower as they neared their destinations. Were there really homes and businesses near enough that the drones were allowed to drop below the mandatory height for commercial drone traffic? If there were, maybe she could walk to one and at least get out of this blasted rain.
But then the black dot of a drone dropped into the treeline. Thirty feet from the highway on both sides the leafy wall began and paralleled the highway for as far as Poppy could see. In that case, she would be staying right here. No way she was marching through Florida trees no matter how much shelter she would find.
When Poppy was little, before her mother was attacked while she was out alone one night and her anxiety had turned agoraphobic, her family would fly to Grammy’s house every year. Since Grammy liked the outdoors, they’d go to a nearby wildlife management area and hike for a day activity. The first time they’d gone, Poppy had been fascinated with the trees, wanting to see how far they went and what was on the other side. As if they were just a few trees she could walk through to find a magical fairyland. She’d stepped off the path to explore, but her mother had grabbed her arm, frantic.
“Don’t go near the trees, Poppy. There are bad things in there.”
“Like bears? Or bad guys wanting to steal me?” five-year-old Poppy had asked. Poppy had been warned many times not to wander off because bad guys were everywhere.
“No, like gators that’ll gobble you up in one bite.” Mother had put her arms out in front of her like a big gator mouth and snapped them at Poppy. Horrified, Poppy had stayed near her mother the entire rest of the hike, holding onto her hand for dear life, scanning the edge of the woods for large scaly creatures.
The trees that lined this part of the highway were part of a similar wildlife management area, so as much as Poppy longed to get out of the rain, she would keep her distance from the trees. Her mom had ruined those for her, too.
