1. School Visit # 1
  2. I have a $10 Inkshares coupon burning a hole through my pocket and don’t know how to spend it?
  3. In production
  4. NEXT ISSUE...

1.) School Visit #1

Thanks to a KOD backer and parent, I was lucky enough to have a school visit in early January at the impressive ACE Academy in Austin, Texas. If you’re ever in need of a healthy dose of self-morale and an unbelievably energetic hour--no espresso needed--, visit a school! 

I gave out a ton of illustrated bookmarks and they asked excellent questions the entire session. I look forward to my return visit in the Spring for a creative writing project! I promise I’ll bring a box of actual books down the road...

When I told them my first significant piece of writing was for an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons module, they all chanted "D&D! D&D!" How cool is that?


They had no trouble spotting the "Easter Eggs" in my illustrations without any prompting whatsoever. 


A future author! 

2.) I have a $10 Inkshares coupon burning a hole through my pocket and don’t know how to spend it?

I’ve been getting this question recently. You supported our project, and Inkshares sent you a $10 coupon to support another project. Now perhaps time is running out or you don’t know what to do with it, or what to spend it on? 

Never fear. Open the mail with your Inkshares coupon. Go to Inkshares through the link in that message. You should see a $10 credit applied to your account. As time permits, I’ll be recommending projects that I think worthy of your support. 

Here’s the first one:

Fae Child by Jane-Holly Meissner. Like our project, it’s a fantasy intended for young adults. To quote the author: "A child slips through a portal into the land of the Fae and traverses the Otherworld with the help of a young elf, while her parents are left to deal with the changeling that was left in her place. ALICE IN WONDERLAND meets TAKEN"

Perhaps you’ll never read this or any other project that you select on Inkshares, but know this: Don’t waste your coupon! And coupon or not, at the other end is a hopeful author that will be VERY appreciative of your support. This site can make dreams come true. 

3.) In production...

So things are moving along, but before I speed it up to ludicrous speed and involve a professional editor and get to finishing the illustrations, I wanted to get some meaningful feedback on the first few chapters. I think the prologue is covered, but please feel free to let me know what you like or don’t like about the new Chapter 1 I sent yesterday. Pretty please? You can leave comments, highlight certain sections, etc. Again, you can find Chapter 1 here.

I’ve decided to post one more chapter in the villain’s voice to make sure we’re on target with tone, but then: it’s some quick editing and off to the races!

4.) NEXT ISSUE...

I grew up collecting comics, and one of the things I loved was to immediately flip to the back and preview the NEXT ISSUE page to see what might be coming. Sacrilege to some of you, I know. But hey, I had to walk a mile to the nearest 7-Eleven across a busy intersection to get my beloved comics. It was worth the peak in the store in case something happened on the way back! 

So coming up: I have a long awaited blog forthcoming. A pretty crazy casting call, and well... I’ll save the other news for down the road and not get too far ahead of myself. 

Thanks everyone. Stay well, and continue to tell new backers about our project!

Best,

Kevin


Happy New Year, everyone! A lot of things are now transpiring with Kingdom of Dreams...

  1. Officially In Production!
  2. What now? Casting Call!
  3. Next Steps...

1.) Officially In Production!

Has everyone noticed the new page? We have shifted from funding to in production. Because Kingdom of Dreams will be published, you’ll notice the book has also been slightly reduced in price. 

We have earned a third badge as well,  this one as part of the Quill collection. What is Quill? Well, it’s an opt in publishing option that Inkshares offers for projects like this one that didn’t hit the full publishing quota of 750 pre-orders, but did reach a minimum threshold of support that suggests there is enough backing to publish. Read more here for a complete breakdown.

2.) What now? 

When will my readers have the book in hand? 8-12 months from now minimum. Though it sounds morbidly slow, it’s pretty typical for publishing dates. There is a significant queue of books to be published in front of this one. But I will try to expedite this process as much as possible by completing the following steps in short order:

  • I will finish editing and any new rewrites over the first quarter. 
  • Complete Illustrations as well. 
  • I turn over the manuscript to a professional editor, then to Inkshares. At that point a timeline to publication should appear on my page with the approximate shipping dates.

Casting Call: Now that the project is official, I have an open casting call for 4 roles to help complete illustrations for the book:

  • Jimmy Reve, the main character. An imaginative 6th grade boy that is picked on by the bullies at school.
  • Lem Reve, Jimmy’s big sister. An 8th grader, decorated swimmer that while protective over Jimmy, enjoys picking on him relentlessly as well.
  • Clay Rakes, a huge, intimidating eighth-grade bully. 
  • Bucky Brees, a lanky, devious seventh-grade bully.

If anyone knows any kids close to this age range that might be interested, please contact me as I will pay them to use their likeness. I hope to have the children cast by the end of the month. All ethnicities are welcome and encouraged.

3.) Next Steps...

Thanks again to everyone for backing Kingdom of Dreams to a guaranteed publishing deal. That said, we have a ton of work to do to get this project known to the masses. The more pre-orders we can get as this project gets closer to completion, the better the chance Inkshares will give it full marketing attention and start a distribution plan of getting it in bookstores, and supporting it at key conferences. 

I’ll keep you up to date on my progress, but please continue to evangelize as much as possible. Look for new updates as significant milestones occur. Thanks again, be productive and stay well!

Best Wishes,

Kevin

One day more...

  1. Last Chance to Pre-Order a Signed Copy!
  2. Next Up: 

1.) Last Chance to Pre-Order a Signed Copy!

We are mere hours away from my campaign ending. Thus begins the real work of selling tons more copies and getting this thing the hype we need to truly make it a successful debut novel. 

**If you have some holiday cash to burn, would like a signed copy and haven’t pre-purchased to this point, do so today!** Last chance to get my John Hancock the easy way with your personal copy.

2.) Next Up:

A lot of you have asked me: "Well, what’s next?" 

The short answer is: I don’t know! Well, I don’t have a precise order of things, but eventually a handy timeline will appear this page showing the stages until actual publication (and hopefully, distribution!) 

What I can tell you and will provide in my next update is what I’ll be working on, what needs to be done, and how you can help. 

Until then, stay safe, enjoy the remainder of your holiday, and encourage as many people as you can to either follow Kingdom of Dreams for free or pre-purchase! 

Happy New Year!

Kevin

Toys For Tots Donation:

This update’s all about the children. 

As promised, together we donated $360 to Toys For Tots. Thanks for your support of my book and this wonderful cause:

 

There will be a some happy children on Christmas morning. Some will get toys, others will receive books! Thank you all again and happy holidays! 

Kevin 


A deliriously happy, surreal update today:

250 Pre-Orders Attained! Publication now Guaranteed. 

We did it! We are now at 101% of the light publishing goal called Quill which means Kingdom of Dreams will be published!

This will now become reality, it’s staggering to believe:

I will serve up a what happens next/moving forward update when the campaign concludes on 12/31/2016. But today is all about gratitude, reflection, and relief!:

When I say we did it, WE should be capitalized. This is a crowd-funded project, meaning if there’s not enough people that literally invest their own hard earned money to move this project across the publication line, this book doesn’t happen. Because of YOU, WE are here.

I recently went through the entire list of my backers, and got pretty emotional when considering each name. There are so many of you I have known since I could first walk and talk, many more since that have become my family, or we were close once, but time, circumstances and distance have moved us into different spheres, yet you still supported me. I have some newer incredible friends from my recent years of acting and getting into the writing game, and you have been right there in the struggle with me, but we have continued to fight to do what we love-we can’t help ourselves can we? And then there’s the perfect strangers that have embraced this project with enthusiasm and given my creativity a vitality and confidence I haven’t been able to harness before. 

Some of you have endured incredible hardships and losses this year that I can’t even begin to fathom. Yet, here you are supporting this book. Your selfless faith and encouragement has also given me renewed strength and a clean perspective. It seems like whenever I had doubts and wanted to quit along the way, one of you would pre-order or a fellow writer would answer an e-mail and say something encouraging  or take the time to answer one of my silly questions. Or a friend would recommend a friend, and even though you were still completely fuzzy about why you weren’t getting shipped a book within a week, you still supported me. Thank you Inkshares as well for enduring what has been--like everyone else who goes through this--an emotional campaign to say the least. (Elena, you’re a rockstar!)

Most of all, I owe my wife Eileen everything for what she’s had to endure. She’s seen me rise and fall, drift off to Never Never Land probably far more often than I realize, and help me gently--and sometimes not so gently!--return to Earth. (Well, at least long enough to be somewhat responsible!) And then there’s my baby boy, my light in dark places, my motivation to show you can do what you love and be confident in who you are, who will now grow up with a dad who writes and illustrates cool books! I hope...I wish...I pray!

My pledge to you: I will give this book my all. Every last breath. Just last month, I realized the beginning wasn’t good enough. It was okay, but okay doesn’t cut it. I could do better, I could dig deeper, I could be more vulnerable, have more fun with it, be more creative. So that’s where things stand now, and I can’t wait to put this all together. 

I can’t thank you all enough for the opportunity you’ve given me. Now it’s time for a strong finish! 

Yours in gratitude,

Kevin

Exciting news afoot with our project this week!

  1. Fantasy Syndicate Badge Earned! 
  2. 4 Pre-Orders Needed for Guaranteed Publication!
  3. Toys For Tots Drive Ends 12/20/2016

1.) Fantasy Syndicate Badge Earned! 

In just a matter of days, we have gotten the nod as the December pick from our second syndicate! This one comes from the Fantasy Syndicate (the really cool badge with the dragon). 

Again, syndicates are a collection of avid readers and fellow writers that choose one book each month to sponsor for publication. This is a syndicate composed of massive fantasy fans of all types. I know this syndicate well as I also happen to be a member. It makes it all the more sweeter to be their selection for the month of December as we do not self-promote our own books to group members. Just like all of the other projects, they are chosen on their merit and potential as a collective. It’s beyond gratifying to be chosen by fellow fantasy writers and fans. I’m really without words at how much this means. In fact, if this update makes no sense, please forgive me as I honestly haven’t been able to sleep I’ve been so pumped up since the syndicate selections and new backers activity started going getting us close to the first huge goal. Your support has rekindled my creative fire! 

2.) 4 Pre-Orders Needed for Guaranteed Publication!

A big thank you to all of my new backers. Because of your support, Kingdom of Dreams is now just 4 pre-orders away from guaranteed publication. 

We can’t rest and start getting too self-satisfied, this is just the first important rung of many on a very steep ladder. So more than ever, I need your pre-orders to finish the campaign up strong. So please pre-order if you were planning to do so. You will be etched forever as one of the early backers that believed this book would and should make it to publication. And if you need extra motivation...

3.) Toys For Tots Drive Ends 12/20/2016

Because of the flurry of pre-orders during my promotional drive, Toys For Tots will be getting a sizeable donation from yours truly that I will post here on 12/20/2016. But please keep them coming. The more pre-orders until then, the more toys and books for needy kids this Christmas! 

Until next time...

In gratitude,

Kevin

  1. SnarkyDarkSy!
  2. 21 Pre-Orders Needed for Guaranteed Publication! 
  3. Toys For Tots = 8 Days Left... 
  4. Next Up?

1.) SnarkyDarkSy

I’m so humbled. A syndicate on Inkshares, SnarkyDarkSy just backed Kingdom of Dreams! What’s a syndicate, why is that a big deal? A syndicate is a collection of kind humans made up of readers and usually fellow writers that form a group based on their mutual tastes. They vote monthly on which Inkshares project they feel is worthy enough to be published, then pool their own hard earned money together as a collective to support its publication. There are literally hundreds of projects to choose from. To be chosen is an honor, to be chosen by my fellow like-minded and very talented writers-I’m speechless. All I can say is a gracious thank you. Please visit their page on Inkshares and see their selections here. See you soon Snarky’s!

2.) 21 Pre-Orders Needed for Guaranteed Publication! 

With that syndicate selection and just over a dozen new orders, we now are 21 orders away from guaranteed publication! Thanks again to my new backers and double-dippers, you are making this wild dream of ours into reality day by day! 

3.) Toys For Tots = 8 Days Left...

So with this small flurry of pre-orders, we are building a healthy donation to give to Toys For Tots on December 20th. For those not in the know, for every pre-order I receive until 12/20/2016, I am matching every book ordered with a like donation to Toys For Tots that I will post here. 

If the book is published, I will also donate extra copies to Toys For Tots as well. How cool is that that they take books? So let me know if you’d like your book donated or just want to buy an extra copy to donate to a needy child excited to receive and read a shiny new book with pictures to boot!

4.) Next Up?

More sample chapters, at least one more special giveaway. 

Kind Regards,

Kevin




  1. 29 Pre-Orders Away From Publication!
  2. Toys For Tots Update
  3. Revised Chapters

1. 29 Pre-Orders Away From Publication!

So with about 21 days left in the year-and our campaign-we are 29 pre-orders away from publication. Please keep the orders coming. We are nearly there!

2. Toys for Tots Update

My apologies if my post was a bit confusing regarding how this is going to work: I am going to match the dollar amount of every pre-order until December 20th with a personal donation to Toys For Tots. Remember, Kingdom of Dreams is not a complete book at this stage that will be ready in time for this Christmas. 

So how will this work? For instance, we’ve gotten 11 pre-orders in so far since I started this incentive (awesome!), so I will match the total of those books along with any additional orders that come in and donate a matching gift to Toys For Tots on 12/20/2016. Make sense? I’ll post the donation on the 20th in one of these updates.

That said, as a bonus gift for the future, if you’d like me to also donate your book or an extra copy or two to Toys For Tots when it is complete sometime next year, feel free to let me know and it’s a done deal. 

3. Revised Chapters

The revised Chapter 1 is up. I’ll be sending this out later today to each of you as well. Chapter 2 soon to follow. Please feel free to read, critique, and review. This is a very helpful exercise for your contribution to the book and also encourages new readers to engage with it. 

Stay well and stay tuned!

Kevin


  1. 41 pre-orders needed for publication!
  2. Toys For Tots
  3. NEXT UP: New Chapters, Sponsors

 1.) 41 orders until publication! 

So we picked up a bit of progress in November, many thanks to my new followers and backers. But now we’re stuck on 209 orders with the finish line fast approaching. Admittedly, I’ve been a bit down of late and am trying to rally myself to help us get this thing over the finish line before the new year.

I’ve come up with a charity event to encourage more orders and more importantly, help children in need:

2.) Toys For Tots:

Is there anything better than riding a dragon? No way, but there are countless children that won’t have that opportunity this Christmas. Therefore, all of my orders received by Tuesday, December 20th will be donated to Toys For Tots. For those that didn’t know-like myself-books are also included in what they give to kids, not just toys. 

Already pre-ordered? No problem. Order more if you can, even if it’s just one book. As mentioned, on December 20th, I’ll post the donated amount here. And this gift will keep on giving! Per your request, Graham, (my son pictured) will help me donate the extra copies of Kingdom of Dreams to children in need when they become reality. I’m looking into a few child literacy programs that we can work in tandem with as well.

3.) NEXT UP: New Chapters, Sponsors

I was Fantasy Writer of the Day the day before Thanksgiving on Reddit; they treated me well and I met some nice fellow writers and fantasy fans. As stated before, I’ve been working on new, REALLY new chapters to give potential backers a larger sample size. If the fates cooperate, I’ll have two new chapters up simultaneously and will send them out to all of you. Please feel to critique and review. If you’ve been waiting and like what you read, why not order? (Or again, purchase one for a child that wants to read these types of books but doesn’t have the means to get them.)

I’ve talked to a couple of local sponsors to help distribute our book if it becomes a reality. I plan to continue to be more aggressive with these efforts, as the real battle will begin to get this book in as many avenues as possible. But the focus is on hitting 250 pre-orders. We are so close! 

Stay tuned and stay well,

Kevin

I am the Reddit Fantasy Writer of the Day today! I could use some support and company, so I’m not the lonely guy at the conference drooling on himself and gathering cobwebs in the corner. Please visit me here: 

Longer update coming later today. Thanks!

Kevin

More Comments