Once Upon a Future Time

Erik Peterson Preview and Next Stretch Goal Announced
almost 6 years ago – Wed, May 02, 2018 at 06:24:36 AM

Our next stretch goal is for an eBook copy of Erik Peterson's short story "Touch of Power" for every backer once we reach $1,200 in funding. "Touch of Power" is about a super-powered thief gets caught in the power struggle between superheroes and supervillians as one of the city's biggest baddies is brought down.

And now a sample from Erik Peterson's story "Albert Bolide Spicule Battles Architeuthis Dux:"

Now nobody knows for sure, but people say 'farers who flew with 'farers who flew with Bolide claimed that he wasn't even from our universe as we know it. When he was just a little boy living in some back fold of some 82nd level higher dimension, he was too curious for his own good, and as easy as a baby like your little brother might knock over a tube of crumbernuts, Bolide wriggled his way into our universe and liked it so much he decided to stay.

When he was just eight years old, he found his way to a ship in Sol port. A little eight year old boy walked past all the hands and the scientists and the colonists, right up to the captain.

“Permission to come aboard, sir?” asked the boy.

The captain brushed him off. “Colonist registration is that way. Go get your mom to help you.”

But Bolide persisted. “I don't want to be a colonist, sir. I want to serve on your crew.”

The captain laughed, and so did the men he was talking to. Bolide still persisted. “Captain, if you're so sure it's silly how about we make a little wager?”

“What wager would I possibly want to make with a kid?”

“Would it be worth your while if I could show you how to make your warp arcs tighter?”

The Captain laughed again. “Boy, this ship has the best navigators in the Milky Way. If there's a fraction of a degree to be wrenched into a warp arc, these boys have clamped it down.”

“Then that's the bet,” said Bolide. “Give me five minutes with the nav computer. If I can get your warp arc a half a degree tighter, you let me on your crew.”

“Well,” said the Captain, “if this isn't the craziest way I've ever seen a lad try to get a free tour of the bridge.”

“Bridge?” said the boy. “I'd have thought the captain of a ship like this would carry an interface with him everywhere. Maybe I should go find a vessel that knows what it’s doing.”

There was no laughter at that, because now the joke wasn't on the boy, it was on the captain, and nobody wanted to laugh at the captain.

So, the captain squatted down next to the boy and pulled up a display in the air between them. He swirled a few icons and changed a few settings and said, “There, kid. You've got a simulation of the navigation program. Knock yourself out.” And he went back to talking with his men.

...

Thanks for checking everything out and helping to make "Once Upon a Future Time" a success.

We Did It, and Then Some (Plus Second Stretch Goal Revealed)
almost 6 years ago – Sat, Apr 28, 2018 at 06:09:09 AM

First off, thank you for the support!

It's been an amazing couple of days and not only have we funded, but we've also exceeded our first stretch goal. This means that everyone who has backed for a pledge with a physical reward ($15 pledge levels and above) will be receiving a free 4x6 inch print of the cover image.

Now on to more exciting news. Our second stretch goal is for an eBook copy of the children's book "Once Upon a Time." "Once Upon a Time" features the amazing artwork of Meredith Moriarty, cover artist for "Once Upon a Future Time," interior illustrator for "Once Upon a Time, A Bit Earlier," and creator of the webcomic "Third Shift Society," which can be read at: http://www.thirdshiftsociety.com/ Once we reach $1,000 in funding, the stretch goal will be unlocked and all backers will receive the eBook for "Once Upon a Time."

And as a bit of housekeeping, for those in the Philadelphia, PA area this weekend, Meredith and I are set up at the Great Philadelphia Comic Con. You can find us at booths 515 and i13.

We look forward to being able to unlock more stretch goals and add more great rewards.

And finally, expect the first preview update to occur this weekend.

Thank You and First Stretch Goal Reveal
about 6 years ago – Wed, Apr 25, 2018 at 07:44:46 PM

First off, we want to say thank you to everyone who has backed the campaign so far. As it stands we are close to funding and thought it would be a great time to announce our first stretch goal. For those new to Kickstarter, a stretch goal is a bonus that we are able to provide as a result of overfunding beyond our initial goal. It's a way to say thank you and make the rewards even better.

When we reach $650 in funding all pledge levels that include a physical reward will receive a free 4x6 inch mini print of the cover image. Once again, a free mini print for all pledge levels with a physical reward once we reach $650 in pledges.

As time goes on and funding continues will announce other goals to help make things even better.

In the coming weeks we'll be releasing snippets from the stories in the anthology as a preview of what you'll find inside the book. Each story will receive its own update and should be posted about one every 4-5 days.

We're excited to bring this project to life and are happy that you're a part of the journey.

Thank you!