Happy Autumn KOD Supporters,

Who thinks this is a good week to give away things that might help you escape or give you something to look forward to? Me too. Welcome to the Raffle-a-rama update! 

1. 56 pre-orders away from publication! 
   
2. RAFFLE-A-RAMA
3. Happy Birthday, Dad!
4. NEXT UP: Guest Blog, My Indoctrination into the Reddit World, School Visits, New Chapters

1. 56 pre-orders away from publication! 

This post is dedicated to the raffle, but I couldn’t help but get excited about the developments of the past week regarding Kingdom of Dreams. As of this update, we are 56 pre-orders away from our book becoming reality! There are about 70 of you following KOD that haven’t pre-ordered. So if you’ve been waiting around to see if this project is worth your hard earned cash, or maybe you just want to jump up the scale as a key Inkshares influencer of books that go on to get published--now’s the time to pre-order, because this book is getting close!

2. RAFFLE-A-RAMA

I thank everyone for your patience. Well, my newest illustration is complete. Here is the picture along with the accompanying speech from the novel as told by Francis the cat. And the winner of this original signed print is... Rebecca Getzinger! "Even I don’t understand cats...

The fickle, mysterious (and sometimes) infuriating nature of a feline is often overstated, but also accurate. When a cat runs from one room to the next for no reason whatsoever, it isn’t as mindless as it seems: we can see spirits. We’re simply spooked. I know I am. I blame my Egyptian forefathers for getting too involved in the affairs of the dead.

Worse, because rookie spirits once depended on felines to be their spiritual guides into the afterlife, they still have a nagging habit of following the likes of me around. Now without fail I can spot the spirits of corpses slobbering and lingering around me like lost tourists. I doubt I could lead a dog to a fire hydrant, let alone the eternal to an unknown plane."

-Francis the cat, excerpt from Kingdom of Dreams. 

Next up for my Excel Randomizer to pick is the winner of the POP Ash Evil Dead figure as signed by Bruce Campbell. It goes to... 
Rick Heinz! 

Congrats to Rebecca and Rick. I’ll be in touch! 

3. Happy birthday, Dad! 

Thanks so much for your awesome support. You’re a huge part of why this project continues to progress. ;-)

4. NEXT UP: Guest Blog, My Indoctrination into the Reddit World, School Visits, New Chapters

• More details to come in my next update, but I’ve agreed to be the guest blogger in a well respected fantasy blog. 
  
• On November 23rd I will be the featured fantasy writer of the day on Reddit’s fantasy blog! 500,000 members, gulp. If anyone has any experience with Reddit, please, please reach out to me, because other than what I’ve read, I’m a total newbie. 
• I’ve also started to accrue some school visits. Again, I’m new to this as well, but looking forward to it! 
• New chapters are still being revised and going well. I hope to have the revised Chapter 1 up very soon for starters.

Stay well, stay tuned, and keep the orders coming!

Kevin

Hey everyone,

A quick update of where our project stands and its immediate future:

1.      Contest Over
2.     Campaign NOT Over Until 12/31/2016!
3.     Raffle Winners
4.     NANOWRIMO/Book Update

1. Contest Over

So after a brutal 3 months, the Geek & Sundry fantasy contest is over. First off, congrats to the winners and other participants that also receive these updates. Contest highlights:

• We finished tied for 12th out of 406 entries in the official results. Thanks so much for everyone’s support for a respectable showing. Not too shabby, but there’s still work to do.

• In total pre-sales, we finished in 10th place at 179 pre-sales. A very cool stat as it means most of my backers are ordering multiple copies of my book. Without you, there’s zilcho chance of being published! 

• I didn’t jump off a bridge after not finishing in the top 3. Here’s a link to the final standings for visual learners like myself. 

2. Campaign NOT Over Until 12/31/2016!

So my campaign will now run until 12/31/2016. While we are edging close to the 200 pre-order mark, 250 pre-orders is still the magic number to hit. We are 71 orders away from Kingdom of Dreams becoming a reality. Please help me flip over any rocks you can to find new backers and if you have another pre-order planned, please do so. I’ve officially fired myself as campaign manager and appointed my tenacious family members to help get this thing across the finish line. My family and friends have been amazing during this process.

3. Raffle Winners

Will be drawn this week. We’ve had a sick baby, family events and a couple of conferences to deal with, including more this week. Thank you for your patience. In fact, the next update will be dedicated to the raffle. 

4. NANOWRIMO/Book Update

National novel writing month started yesterday. Why bring this up, other than the obvious? One fascinating thing I’ve learned in working on the illustrations for this book is they have unintentionally changed the tone of the original novel. (And for the better, I have some exciting new spices to add!) I was fine for the most part with the happenings in the story, but the tone itself no longer matched up with the illustrations. So other than Dromon the Recurring Nightmare’s chapters, I’m going to rework the other chapters and use NANOWRIMO as my fuel this month. I’ll be posting some chapters and excerpts as I go along. 

So to recap: I appreciate the contest and the activity it allowed to happen. But I’m thankful it’s over and now we can focus full-time on getting published! 

Pleasant dreams,

Kevin

Hey Friends,

It’s nearly All Hallow’s Eve, and that means the contest shall end very soon, but not my campaign. Lots of progress to share!

1. 80 Pre-Orders Away From Guaranteed Book Publication!
2. We’re Over 100 backers
   
3. Less Than 10 New Backers Needed to Place in Geek & Sundry Top 10! 
4. Art Giveaway
5. Monsters

 1. 80 Pre-Orders Away From Guaranteed Publication!

So we’re making progress. How much? We’re edging ever closer--only 80 pre-orders away from hitting the Quill marker of 250 pre-orders. Hit that, and we’re guaranteed at the very least that Kingdom of Dreams will become a published book! So if you were planning on ordering an extra copy for that special someone, please do so now. Otherwise, feel free to order extra copies for libraries and middle schools in particular. Let me know if you have any questions. Remember, ordering an extra book also doubles your chances to win my raffles. 

2. We’re Over 100 backers! 

So we did it! We finally crested the century mark and stand at 101 backers as of this update. The significance is startling and humbling as you are the first 100 backers of anything creative I’ve ever sold. Which leads to...

3. Less than 10 New Backers Needed to Place in Geek & Sundry Top 10!

That is correct. Out of 400+ entries in the Geek & Sundry Fantasy Contest, our little story has caught the back end of the lead pack and is within another 10 new backers of starting to move up inside of the top 10 for the very first time! 

4. Art Giveaway

Because we reached 100 backers, that means the next raffle for original art is upon us. I’ve pulled the list and will run the randomizer over it and will reveal the winner in the next couple of days. I’ll also include the poetry from the book that goes with the picture. Oh, which brings up the next giveaway...

5. Monsters

In the spirit of Halloween and for us to finish up the contest strong, if I get another 25 new backers to pre-order between now until Halloween, I’ll raffle off some original charcoal sketches of the monsters that appear in Kingdom of Dreams. Look for some descriptions of them and general background in the coming week.

Thanks again to my new backers, you really do give me new life and motivation each and every week; and of course, my original backers as well, for continuing to evangelize and refer my book, send me encouraging notes, and tolerate my posts--which must be getting a tad stale by now. I appreciate everyone’s tolerance levels and look forward to reaching new heights!

Best Wishes,

Kevin

Just 2 new backers away from raffling off my latest art. Here’s a sneak peak as promised. Don’t forget, I’m including some snarky feline poetry from the book that accompanies this piece. 

I’m not quite finished with it, but it’s most of the way there:

For those lurking, please back me if you like what you see; if you are a backer, please spread the word to see more illustrations like this one appear in our book. I’m also encouraging those that can to order extra copies (each backer can order up to 10 copies) and donate them to schools and libraries. 

Each illustration takes loads of time and lots of TLC, but I love the challenge as it really terrifies me to be both the writer and illustrator of our project. Force me into a flurry of action! 

I’ll check back in with you soon.

Best Wishes,

Kevin

Hola amigos! 

So it’s been awhile since my last update. I attended a family event held in the Outer Banks, and like many others, had to dodge Hurricane Matthew and the aftermath of his wrath. Luckily, nothing horrible befell my family and we are just about all home. Well wishes and thoughts to those not fairing so well...

So, my campaign has once again had to wait on the sidelines while life--and in this case, Mother Nature--does it’s thing. That said, I’ll be home again tomorrow and looking forward to really get this thing humming again. The latest happenings: 

• We are under 100 pre-orders needed to hit the first goal of guaranteed publication! We are so close to having a registered, legit published book! 

• We are only 4 new backers away from the next limited edition art raffle giveaway! (I will put up a sneak peak tomorrow night.) 

• Despite the campaign being on autopilot for long stretches, we continue to flirt with sneaking into the top 10 of the Geek and Sundry contest. I believe it’s going to happen. I just need a final flurry this month by Halloween, and it’s a done deal. (The Geek & Sundry contest ends November 1st.) 

• Speaking of Halloween, the Bruce Campbell signed POP! figure will be given away on October 31st. All backers up to that point will be eligible and included in the raffle.   
  

Lastly, many thanks to my latest backers and your timely boost of inspiration and hope. 

Stay tuned and stay well!

Kevin

Everyone groovy? So this happened this weekend:

Yes, that’s me in full-on starstruck goober mode. Poor Bruce. 

So Mr. Ash VS. The Evil Dead VS. Inkshares wished me well with my project. We might have had more of a meaningful conversation had I not been like Ralphie when he finally gets to see Santa in A Christmas Story. At least we had a nice battle of the chins.

But I didn’t get him to just sign my football, oh no. I have a special giveaway item to raffle just in time for Halloween: Authentic Ash Army of Darkness Evil Dead POP! Signed in person by Ash himself. 

Check it out:

So the deal is this: We still need to push considerably to catch the lead pack. This Ash POP will be raffled away at the Quill marker, when I reach 250 pre-orders. Anyone who orders (including previous orders) until then will be eligible. Multiple pre-orders can receive multiple entries towards winning the prize. If someone comes from a referral, you will also get double weighted. Do I sound like S-Mart or what? 

• We’re just 14 pre-orders away from new limited edition edition print giveaway with accompanying poetry. I know I’m not Bruce Campbell, but who knows what my art might be worth one day when I kick the bucket...
  
  
• We’re still edging ever closer to the top 10 of the Geek and Sundry contest. So leave no pre-order behind!

Until then, keep your boomsticks loaded, steer clear of Deadites and chew bubble gum.

Kevin

Quick milestone update: We’ve crossed the 50% to Quill marker, that means we’re over halfway to guaranteed publication! Since the campaign really only started in earnest in September, this is not too shabby.

So as promised, I have uploaded new chapters upon reader request. Six new chapters all told. A quick little tidbit about this: Kingdom of Dreams has been four years (parts of it much longer than that) in the making. The manuscript has seen its share of professional editors, agent feedback, conferences, reading groups, and general friend critiques (and too many weeping and moaning sessions) during that time. It also finished as a finalist in a national first chapter contest--and it wasn’t even the current prologue, that one’s being used for another book!-and also placed as a finalist in a debut novel writing contest. So to reiterate: this project took quite a lot of maturing to reach where it is today and nearly all of the material is written. And I still think it could be improved by leaps and bounds. Like Oscar Wilde once said: "Books are never finished, They are merely abandoned." 

• New goals: along with the new original art and goofy poetry giveaway at 100 backers, I’ll also release a new chapter or two. Or I may just start pulling random bits from the book as what’s the point of purchasing if you just read the whole thing online? Let me know your thoughts and thanks so much for giving us a real shot at publication. 

Let’s keep it going!

Best Wishes,

Kevin

After a busy week of business travel, I’m back! We’re just (2) pre-orders shy of 50%. That’s halfway to my dream of becoming a published author! Remember, per your request, I will also post a handful of new chapters once this happens and get our heroes to Meird, the quirky Kingdom of Dreams.

In other news, my promo schwag is in! Yes, those are the bookmarks on the left with the knight with the flaming sword hilt. And the book cover promo cards on the right. I can’t wait until these are boxes of my actual published books arriving-what a great teaser! And Yes, I will ship this schwag and more to my backers if my book gets published! For now they will go with me to Austin Comic Con next weekend, and San Antonio in October. Let me know if anyone else is attending these. I also could use advice how to work a Con without an actual physical book to handout. Let’s see if I can recruit a celeb to help. ;-)

So to recap where we are: 

• We just need  (2) orders to get halfway to the promised land! Please keep the orders coming. I will release several chapters as promised when this happens. (For you Inksharians with credits from your syndicates and etc. this is a great time to commit.) 

• We are under 30 backers to go before I will hold the next drawing for new limited edition artwork!

• The long awaited trailer is in its final stages of being planned and will happen soon. Looking more and more like a Halloween theme! 

• The awesome Teen Reads Syndicate here on Inkshares has nominated my book for possible October backing. Join them to support me and chime in!

Thanks! 

Kevin

Okay, so lot’s of great progress going on!

• We are now in the top 10 of the contest in terms of overall sales. 

• We reached our expansion goal of 60 backers! This is the number that needs to multiply like rabbits. (I’ll take the rabbits from Watership Down, thank you very much!) Congratulations to Scott Early  for winning my initial drawing. He’ll be receiving a limited edition original print of his choosing. 

• The next drawing for new artwork will come when we reach 100 backers. The next piece is a lot of fun and comes with a poem from the book, so please get your orders in to be eligible. 

• You voted, I listened, and the new cover will remain! Please check out my reworked-and I’m told mucho simplified-project page. And yes, the current cover (also seen below) is my original work as well.

• And just around the corner, I will also upload new chapters once we reach 125 pre-orders-halfway to the promised land!

I’ll end with the best news of all, we got press coverage! Kingdom of Dreams was covered in an excellent article by my old campus newspaper, The Breeze at James Madison University. Please read to learn more about our project and yours truly:

I’m ordering a paper copy of this one, because I want a version that showcases the terrific art as well as the terrific version, and I know that my 9 year-old son will want a copy that he can hold in his hands. I’m a huge fan of Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman, and the comparisons feel earned, even though this is also vivid and original stuff. It’s not just creepy, there’s also a lot of wit in the observations of this narrator who seems to be a living nightmare capable of preying upon his victims’ fears and weaknesses. I definitely want to find out where this goes.