Today, I am delighted to welcome talented poet, Merril D Smith as my October Treasuring Poetry guest. Merril has recently launched River Ghosts, a beautiful book of poetry which I have reviewed below.
I had submitted a chapbook to Nightingale & Sparrow Press, which was longlisted, but ultimately not chosen for publication. The editor gave me some positive feedback, and I decided I would submit a full-length manuscript the following year. Of course, I did not expect a pandemic, nor that my mom would die from it in April 2020 during the first wave and lockdown. By that time, she was in a nursing home, and we were not allowed to be with her. I compiled River Ghosts in the months after her death with some already written poems—some published—and some new poems.
I walk by the Delaware River nearly every morning. Sometimes I go to a nearby park, which is also a historic battle site. The battle took place during the American Revolution, and there is an eighteenth-century house there. Recently, they’ve found more remains of soldiers—Hessians who fought for the British. If ghosts exist, I think they are at rivers, which carry so much history, and because of the battle and soldiers killed, I imagine them here.
So, the collection’s title comes from my musings about rivers and ghosts, including the ghosts of memory. However, I don’t think River Ghosts is all about sadness and grief by any means! I also want to mention that my older child, Jay Smith, designed the cover art, and the book is dedicated to my mother’s memory.
That really depends. I nearly always do some editing, even for poems written for prompts. Sometimes, I go back to poems though, and I revise them. Then again, I’ve had some poems published that I pretty much wrote and sent off.
I don’t know about effective. I suppose more people read my poetry on my blog, especially in response to a prompt, than anywhere else. I’ve also shared poems on Twitter /X for Top Tweet Tuesday (run by Black Bough Poetry), and I’ve read at some online open mics.
I think it’s relevant. I think I’ve read there’s been an upsurge in poetry, both reading and writing. Perhaps that’s because of social media and Covid lockdowns. I think most people enjoy poetry, especially if it’s read. For example, so many people were energized by Amanda Gorman’s reading of her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” at the inauguration of President Joe Biden in 2021. She is the youngest poet to have read a poem at a US presidential inauguration, and she is also an activist.
I don’t have a favorite anything—book, movie, song, or poem– it depends on my mood. But I will share one of my favorites from River Ghosts. “Moon Landing” was originally published by Black Bough Poetry.
On that warm July night,
my father watched moonstruck
as Neil Armstrong took his giant leap.
I remained firmly earthbound,
watching our new puppies in the TV screen light,
their small black and white bodies tumbling,
stepping hesitantly into their futures.
Now—ensorcelled by moon-glow—
I plummet back, landing my time-rocket
on the rocky surface of memory.
Again, I can’t say there is any poem that I relate to the most. I like many different types of poetry.
I think this is the poem I wish I had written. You will see in a way it’s connected to the poem of mine that I shared. “My God, It’s Full of Stars” is by Tracy K. Smith, who was US Poet Laureate, and who won a Pulitzer Prize for her collection Life on Mars.
We like to think of it as parallel to what we know,
Only bigger. One man against the authorities.
Or one man against a city of zombies. One man
Who is not, in fact, a man, sent to understand
The caravan of men now chasing him like red ants
Let loose down the pants of America. Man on the run.
Man with a ship to catch, a payload to drop,
This message going out to all of space. . . . Though
Maybe it’s more like life below the sea: silent,
Buoyant, bizarrely benign. Relics
Of an outmoded design. Some like to imagine
A cosmic mother watching through a spray of stars,
Mouthing yes, yes as we toddle toward the light,
Biting her lip if we teeter at some ledge. Longing
To sweep us to her breast, she hopes for the best
While the father storms through adjacent rooms
Ranting with the force of Kingdom Come,
Not caring anymore what might snap us in its jaw.
Sometimes, what I see is a library in a rural community.
All the tall shelves in the big open room. And the pencils
In a cup at Circulation, gnawed on by the entire population.
The books have lived here all along, belonging
For weeks at a time to one or another in the brief sequence
Of family names, speaking (at night mostly) to a face,
A pair of eyes. The most remarkable lies.
2.
Charlton Heston is waiting to be let in. He asked once politely.
A second time with force from the diaphragm. The third time,
He did it like Moses: arms raised high, face an apocryphal white.
Shirt crisp, suit trim, he stoops a little coming in,
Then grows tall. He scans the room. He stands until I gesture,
Then he sits. Birds commence their evening chatter. Someone fires
Charcoals out below. He’ll take a whiskey if I have it. Water if I don’t.
I ask him to start from the beginning, but he goes only halfway back.
That was the future once, he says. Before the world went upside down.
Hero, survivor, God’s right hand man, I know he sees the blank
Surface of the moon where I see a language built from brick and bone.
He sits straight in his seat, takes a long, slow high-thespian breath,
Then lets it go. For all I know, I was the last true man on this earth. And:
May I smoke? The voices outside soften. Planes jet past heading off or back.
Someone cries that she does not want to go to bed. Footsteps overhead.
A fountain in the neighbor’s yard babbles to itself, and the night air
Lifts the sound indoors. It was another time, he says, picking up again.
We were pioneers. Will you fight to stay alive here, riding the earth
Toward God-knows-where? I think of Atlantis buried under ice, gone
One day from sight, the shore from which it rose now glacial and stark.
Our eyes adjust to the dark.
Continue reading here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/55519/my-god-its-full-of-stars
Here is the last part of the poem with a reading by Tracy K. Smith:
River Ghosts is the perfect name for this beautiful collection, which gives the reader glimpses into the poet’s life in the present, shadowed by memories, and coloured by traditions and behaviours passed down by her parents, and the ancestors that came before them. It is, in essence, an insight into the factors that make the poet who she is, and that have shaped her thoughts, ideas, and actions.
I found the ideas of loss contained in this book, interwoven with the concepts of long-lasting memories and loved ones living on through us, their offspring, compelling and delightful. For me, it made the overwhelming thought of the losses that must come, more bearable. Love, and the family traditions and behaviours we continue to honour, and pass down to our own children and grandchildren, bind us strongly to those who came before and to those who will come after. I love that idea.
A few examples of beautiful stanzas and/or lines:
“a tiny glove in the street,
the small hand grows colder
now unclasped from a larger one.”
From Observe, And Again
Above and about, dreams soar –
I pluck one from a thousand –
of red petals crushed beneath rocks
after a storm, like blood drops growing, glowing”
From Almost, and Never
“Once some brilliant star breathed time
in the after-wake of explosion and danced across a universe
exploring eternity”
From And If Always Lives
This poetry collection is a wonderful investment of time and mental energy.
River Ghosts Amazon US purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WZ8F9XJ
Merril D. Smith is a poet living in southern New Jersey. Her work has been published in poetry journals and anthologies, including Black Bough Poetry, Acropolis, Anti-Heroin Chic, The Storms, Fevers of the Mind, Humana Obscura, and Nightingale and Sparrow. She holds a Ph.D. in American history from Temple University in Philadelphia and is the author/editor of numerous books on gender, sexuality, and history. Her full-length poetry collection, River Ghosts (Nightingale & Sparrow Press) was Black Bough Poetry’s December 2022 Book of the Month.
Twitter: @merril_mds
Instagram: mdsmithnj
Blog: merrildsmith.org
US Amazon Link for River Ghosts: https://www.amazon.com/River-Ghosts-Merril-D-Smith/dp/B09WZ8F9XJ
UK Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/River-Ghosts-Merril-Smith-ebook/dp/B09XKLDG6Q
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/318L0l
Join us over at Undawnted for Day 2 of the WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour with a guest post and an interview with contributing author Christa Planko and a reading from MJ Mallon. Drop by and join in on the fun while learning more about Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories. And if you leave a comment
http://www.undawnted.com/2023/10/wordcrafter-blog-tour-for-midnight.html
Welcome to the WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour! We’ve got a great tour planned for an outstanding anthology Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories. Below, you will find the tour schedule and information about how you can get chances to win a free digital copy of Midnight Roost. The great thing about this tour is that you will get to meet, not one, but two contributing authors at each stop and learn about their stories.
Today, I’ll tell you a little about this weird and creepy anthology and then we’ll meet the author of the winning story in the 2023 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest, Isabel Grey, and learn more about her story, “Red Door House”. Get ready to dig into a probing interview with Ms. Grey and she also shares a reading of her story.
20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon, and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/318L0l
Monday – October 16 – Opening Day –Isabele Grey (Interview & Reading) & Joseph Carrabis (Reading) – Writing to be Read
Tuesday – October 17 – M J Mallon (Reading) & Christa Planko (Interview & Guest Post)– Undawnted
Wednesday – October 18 – Chris Barili (Guest Post) & Paul Kane (Guest Post) – Patty’s Worlds
Thursday – October 19 – Julie Jones (Reading) & Keith Hoskins (Guest Post) – Robbie’s Inspiration
Friday – October 20 – Michaele Jordan (Reading) & Mario Acevedo (Guest Post) – Writing to be Read
Saturday – October 21 – Patty Fletcher (Guest Post) & DL Mullen (Guest Post & Video) – Roberta Writes
Sunday – October 22 – Sonia Pipkin (Guest Post) & Roberta Eaton Cheadle (Reading) – Kyrosmagica Publishing
Monday – October 23 – Closing Post –Denise Aparo (Reading) & excerpts from other stories – Writing to be Read
A chance to win a free digital copy of Midnight Roost at every stop.
Just leave a comment to show your support for the tour, the anthology, and all of the fantastic authors.
I’m delighted to bring you this interview with a budding young author, Isabel Grey. Her occult horror story, “Red Door House” was the winning story in the 2023 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest, and I am so pleased to be able to introduce you to her here. She was previously unknown to me, so I learned some cool things about her, too. And I have to say that I am proud to have not one, but two of her stories featured in Midnight Roost. Her other story is “Rabbits Can’t See Pink Firework”, offering a rabbit’s eye view of human nature during a disastrous gender reveal party.
Kaye: I always like to start by learning something about the author’s writing journey, so can you tell us about yours?
Isabel: I was an avid reader from a young age, mostly choosing fiction but eventually finding a love for poetry. I’m currently receiving my second MFA in Poetry after I completed my first in Genre Fiction at Western Colorado University. I’m an emerging writer who primarily focuses on fiction and verse though I do dabble in essays.
Kaye: What’s something most readers would never guess about you?
Isabel: When I tell people I write horror, they always seem surprised. Someone told me I don’t look like a horror writer, though I’m still not entirely sure what she meant by it.
Kaye: What prompted you to enter the 2023 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest?
Isabel: WCU had an advertisement in their newsletter for the contest. I happened to be in my Short Forms course at the same time and had a few pieces I was happy with. I figured, why not?
Kaye: You entered two stories to WordCrafter Press: “Rabbits Can’t See Pink Firework” and “Red Door House”. Only one can win, and I’ll ask you about the one that won, “Red Door House” a little further into the interview. But for now, can you share a little about the story that didn’t win, “Rabbits Can’t See Pink Fireworks”? What inspired you to write that story?
Isabel: I explore gender identity in my writing, “Rabbits” being a prime example. There was a horrible wildfire in California as a result of festivities at a gender reveal party not long before I wrote this, so the story is something of a response to that tragedy. I chose to write from a rabbit’s perspective to speculate the concept of a gender reveal party and gender roles in general.
Kaye: Were you surprised to learn that “Red Door House” won the contest?
Isabel: Yes! This was the first fiction contest I ever entered so it was a delightful surprise to hear the news.
Kaye: Can you share a little bit with our readers about the winning story?
Isabel: “Red Door House” is a supernatural horror about a brother and sister in a small town where a cult is carrying out insidious acts for a sentient house. There is mystery, dark magic, and dreamlike sequences that make the reader question what is going on under the surface of Staiwhile town’s suburban veneer until the final and unnatural third act.
Kaye: What inspired you to write “Red Door House?”
Isabel: “Red Door House” was very loosely inspired by a several-decades-old cold case I fell upon randomly during my studies. Of course, I took many liberties and added fantastical elements to make “Red Door House” its own story.
Kaye: Which author, dead or alive, would you love to have lunch with?
Isabel: There are so many, but for the purpose of this interview, I will say Shirley Jackson. She is my main inspiration for horror, especially when making the mundane macabre. A trope I’m obsessed with is that of the haunted house. Using the house as a symbol of the psyche is something I return to again and again, both in my writing and reading. I would love to talk houses and witchcraft with Jackson, perhaps at a meal to match her famous dinner parties.
Kaye: What is the biggest challenge of being a writer for you so far?
Isabel: Making time for writing. I’m a full-time student with a part-time job, and if it weren’t for the fact that much of my school assignments had to do with my writing, I would have a far more difficult attempt at time management. It’s been reassuring knowing I can juggle so many things, which is always the case in life as a writer, but budgeting the hours I can snatch for my writing is something I’m still working on.
Kaye: Do you also write longer, book length fiction? Which do you find easier? Why?
Isabel: Right now, I’m querying my first novel, a Gothic historical set in 1927 California. I find novel writing easier than writing short stories because there is far more space for suspense and build-up in a longer-length book. With a short story, there is much precision that doesn’t come as naturally to me. Part of the trouble is that I tend to read more novels than short stories, something I’m making a conscious effort to change.
Kaye: What is your favorite genre to write in? Why?
Isabel: Horror, usually in historical settings. In the new movie, A Haunting in Venice, Tina Fey’s character, Ariadne Oliver says “Scary stories make the world less scary.” The world at large has always scared me and a way that I cope with that is by trying to scare it back with my writing.
Kaye: What is the one thing in your writing career that is the most unusual or unique thing you’ve done so far?
Isabel: I bought a roll of several thousand Zoltar cards that served as “research” for a short story. I don’t regret it only because I used them to decoupage a piece of furniture later on.
Kaye: What goals do you set for yourself in your writing?
Isabel: Find representation for my novel and continue working on my second which I started earlier this year. I returned to poetry writing after taking a break while studying fiction. Recently, I’ve published a few poems in smaller presses and would like to continue to have material for a poetry collection.
Kaye: I always like to make interview posts informative. What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received?
Isabel: The fabulous writer, who was also one of my professors in grad school, Fran Wilde, told me “First drafts are allowed to suck.” While studying fiction, I realized my process for writing worked best by “running through the graveyard at night”, in other words, getting down the story as quickly as possible without tripping up on my technical imagination early in the process. The first draft of anything is scary, and it’s important to allow your creative imagination to flow when you start something new.
Also, never stop reading.
Isabel Grey is a Colorado resident. She is currently receiving her MFA at Western Colorado University in Genre Fiction and Poetry. Her work has been published in Ample Remains, The Gay & Lesbian Review, and The Chamber Magazine. Grey writes fiction, poetry, and essays. You can find her on Instagram- @greyauthor222.
Isabel is a new addition to the WordCrafter Press authors. Her story, “Red Door House” was the winning story in the 2023 WordCrafter Short Fiction contest.
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Joseph is a contributor by invitation, which is to say, he was not a contestant in the short fiction contest, but received an invitation to submit from me. He submitted three stories, and I accepted all three because they were outstanding, and I am pleased to have his writing featured in this year’s anthology. So Joseph has contributed three stories featured in Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories, and they are weird and creepy indeed. “Blood Magic”, a dark fairytale in which a young girl’s foolishness brings down a witch’s curse upon her betrothed and the price to make things right is high. “Binky”, a social commentary on birth defects and lingering spirits. And “The Beach”, which will speak for itself in the reading below.
The Beach is based on actual beach I discovered my first time through college. Pretty much everything in the story is based on what really happened…except killing. The killing is specific to the story. Aside from that, riding my bike, discovering the cove, seeing the mansions, even returning after successes in business (although just to see if the beach still existed, not to develop the property) are all based on actual events from my life.
Joseph Carrabis told stories to anyone who would listen starting in childhood, wrote his first stories in grade school, and started getting paid for his writing in 1978. He’s been everything from a long-haul trucker to a Chief Research Scientist and holds patents covering mathematics, anthropology, neuroscience, and linguistics. After patenting a technology which he created in his basement and creating an international company, he retired from corporate life and now he spends his time writing fiction based on his experiences. His work appears regularly in several anthologies and his own published novels.
Joseph’s story, “Maryanne”, is featured in the 2022 Visions anthology from WordCrafter Press.
You can learn more about him at https://josephcarrabis.com.
That wraps up the first stop on the WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour. I hope you enjoyed learning about Isabel Grey and her winning story. I hope you’ll join us tomorrow on Undawnted, where DL Mullan interviews contributing author, Christa Planko and we’ll learn about the inspiration for her story, “The Easterville Glass Ghost”. And we’ll meet author M J Mallon with a reading from her story, “The Cull”.
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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!
Pre-order now: https://books2read.com/u/318L0l
Pretty Little Girls is Book 2 & When They Find Us is Book 3 of the Agent Victoria Hesling thriller series, by U.S.A. Today bestselling author, Jennifer Ruff. I reviewed book 1 of this series, The Numbers Killer, by Jennifer Ruff back in 2019. (You can read my review of The Numbers Killer here.) All of the Victoria Heslin series can be Read as stand alones, and I also reviewed book 4, Vanished on Vacation recently. (You can read my review of Vanished on Vacation here.) So, when I had the opportunity to pick up books 2 & 3 of this series, I couldn’t resist. Each book in this series can be read as a standalone, the common thread being FBI agent Victoria Heslin.
Winner of the 2020 Reader’s Favorite International Book Award in Thriller Fiction
FBI Agent Victoria Heslin is called to Charlotte, NC to investigate alongside local police, but the mysteries only get deeper. Why are the girl’s parents so uncooperative? And why are the local authorities resisting Victoria’s help?
When her efforts uncover a sex trafficking operation, Heslin enlists friend and fellow Agent Dante Rivera to go rogue and try to save the girls, before it’s too late.
Pretty Little Girls is the second book in the popular Agent Victoria Heslin Thriller Series by USA Today Bestselling Author Jenifer Ruff.
Pretty Little Girls, by Jennifer Ruff is a crime thriller you won’t want to miss. A sex trafficking ring is on the prowl, peddling underaged girls from other countries – girls who won’t be missed – to rich Americans. But something more is going on when an affluent American girl who doesn’t fit the pattern at all is grabbed, and it’s up to FBI agent Victoria Heslin to fit the pieces together, before the bad guys break and run.
A fast moving tale with characters you want to care about. I give Pretty Little Girls five quills.
After breaking up a sex trafficking ring, FBI Agent Victoria Heslin wants nothing more than to visit the rescue shelter she sponsors, a trip that also offers a much-needed European vacation and a chance to figure out her new relationship with Ned. Comfortable in first class, she drifts off—only to be shocked awake when her plane crashes.
Lost in an empty, frozen wasteland, Victoria and a few other survivors battle extreme temperatures, as each day brings more tragedy. One by one, the desperate group is winnowed down. The remaining passengers must decide if they’ll stay with the wreck, waiting to be found, or brave the harsh elements and venture out in search of help.
When Agent Dante Rivera learns of Victoria’s fate, he puts all his energy and expertise into finding her plane, which seems to have vanished from existence. As he unravels a technological mystery and layers of scheming, he fears his worst nightmare will be realized: that he won’t find his coworker and friend alive.
When They Find Us is book 3 in the Agent Victoria Heslin thriller series. It can absolutely be read as a standalone novel.
When They Find Us, by Jennifer Ruff is an outstanding nonstop thriller. When the plane goes down mysteriously, with FBI agent Victoria Heslin on board, no one knows why or where. It could be an equipment malfunction or an act of terrorism. Someone may have targeted Victoria or one of the other passengers.
While agents scramble on the ground to find the missing plane, Victoria and the other surviving passengers must figure out how to survive in the freezing cold on a very snowy mountain top. Strangers trapped in a struggle for life and death, and all motives are suspect, but they must depend on each other.
When They Find Us is a gripping thriller which grabs a hold and won’t let go. I give it five quills.
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Pre-order: https://books2read.com/u/318L0l
It’s coming! Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories to be released October 17, 2023 and is available for pre-order now!
20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon, and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.
Preorder Link: https://books2read.com/u/318L0l
To celebrate the release of this wonderfully weird and creepy anthology, join us for the WordCrafter Midnight Roost Book Blog Tour October 16-23, starting right here on Writing to be Read. Meet the contributing authors, find out about the inspirations behind the stories, read excerpts, meet the characters, listen to readings from the stories, and get chances to win a free digital copy of Midnight Roost at each stop.
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Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.
Note: “The Viscareal Character Portrayal” segment of “Writer’s Corner” promised last month has been postponed, but will be featured soon.
Many of you may be aware of my use of the Kickstarter platform to sell my books direct, before they are released through distributors. My business model utilizes both direct selling and offering my books wife through distributors and libraries. But, ‘why bother?’ you might ask. By my own admission in previous posts, Kickstarter campaigns are a lot of work, create a certain amount of tension as I wait to see if they will fund, since Kickstarter is an all or nothing deal, and since I am not Bryan Sanderson, Kevin J. Anderson, or Joanna Penn, have produced only a small amount of money, just barely funding each time.
But, did you know that authors who sell direct make more money from their books by cutting out the percentage that distributors take, so they get to keep more of their royalties. I would make even more if I sold direct from my site, but I’m not set up to do that yet.
So, by buying direct from an author’s site or through a Kickstarter campaign, you are supporting that author more than you do by purchasing through a distributor. I’m all for anything that makes me more money from my books and gives less to Amazon. While I do have to give a cut of the money I make on each campaign to Kickstarter, it’s only 5%, which is much less than the 30 – 70% that have to give distributors.
Traditionally, authors would submit their work to publishers, and if they were lucky enough to have their book catch a publishers eye, they would get a contract and an advance on their earnings, and their book would be published eventually. But that advance was basically what most authors would make on their book unless it hit the best seller lists, because you had to earn out the advance before any more royalties would be distributed. With the rise of indie authors, traditional publishing, publishers began offering less and less for advanced, and doing less and less marketing, until I hear now, that in many traditional publishing deals today, authors are lucky to get any kind of advance at all, and they are expected to do most of the marketing, as well.
I look at Kickstarter as the indie authors advance for their books, and the best part is, you don’t have to earn that out before receiving more royalties from distributors. So, while $500 isn’t a lot of money, that’s where I set my funding goals for now, because it’s low enough to offer me a chance to reach it, since I don’t have a big reach… yet. I figure that’s a pretty good advance, and it gives me more funding to keep my writing business operating for a while longer.
Not all crowd funding is equal. I understand that other crowd funding platforms charge a lot more to host, are more general in their uses, and feel a bit like begging. But Kickstarter is set up to accommodate creative projects, and they have formed their own inner eco-system, so you can reach out to a whole new audience. Backers from earlier campaigns are automatically notified when you launch a new campaign, and they have internal messaging set up, so you can engage directly with your backers and develop more of a relationship. And I’m not begging. I’m offering real value to my backers in exchange for their support. The going may be slow, but this is one way to find those 100 true fans that will read everything I ever wrote, just because I’m me.
There are several reasons for backing Kickstarter campaigns. You might know or be familiar with the author and want to show your support. I support Kickstarter campaigns of authors I know, and they, in turn, back my campaigns, as well. That’s one thing I love about most author communities – we support one another.
But, there is another reason which can be even more motivating – the value offered through the Kickstarter system. Of course, the higher pledge levels offer more value through bigger and better rewards.
Plus there are add-ons, which you can get for an additional pledge. Since international shipping is beyond my reach at this time, I offer plenty of digital goodies for my add-ons. I tried offering an interview with the author, but as a still relatively unknown author, I didn’t have any takers on that one. Hopefully, that will change soon.
But there’s more. Once the funding goal is reached, stretch goals can be added, which offer bonus goods if a new goal is reached, as I touched on above. For example, you might receive a bonus book for everyone who backed the project at the $5 level or higher for hitting a certain amount of pledges, or bringing in a certain number of new backers by a given deadline. The more goals reached, the more rewards backers get. And it’s not just books. Kevin J. Anderson offers audiobooks. Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rush offer workshops valued at $150. Other authors offer artwork, interviews, in-person hang outs or Zoom calls, or consultations. Backing a Kickstarter at the $5 level can return some great value.
My campaigns offer an early digital copy of the book, before its release through distributors at the $5 level, and a signed print copy for U.S. backers at the $25 level. For Rock Star, my highest level offered a goodie bag with all the rewards from the lower levels and more. For Delilah, backers at the highest level got to name a character in the second book. I’ve had a lot of fun developing the characters of Lillian Alura Bennett and Owoz Crebo for Sarah.
Kickstarters are a lot of work. Seriously. And you must keep in mind that Kickstarter is an all or nothing deal, so if you don’t reach your funding goal, you get nothing, and neither do your backers.
On the other hand, it’s a great way to engage with readers, as Kickstarter provides internal messaging which allows you to interact directly with your backers. Backers for one campaign are automatically notified when you run the next one, so it helps to build your following. Because it is a form of direct sales, you profit more than you would selling through distributors.
I have done two Kickstarter campaigns, and both successfully funded. The first was in January, for Delilah and the Women in the West adventure series. You can learn more about that campaign here: . I’m planning another series Kickstarter in January 2024 for Sarah, book two of the series.
The second campaign was in July of this past year for The Rock Star and The Outlaw, my new time-travel adventure. Although I am not a big author, with a big reach, this campaign also funded, and it did so a little faster than the first, leaving me three whole days of campaign to offer a stretch goal. Stretch goals are extra added goodies, which can be offered to try and gain more pledges, thus making more money once you’ve reached your goal. I added a stretch goal for reaching an additional $100, but didn’t quite make it. Still it was excited to have the opportunity to offer it to my backers. I like being able to offer cool things to my supporters. It felt good to be able to offer an extra value. Maybe next time, we will make it.
I have two Kickstarter campaigns planned for 2024. The first is the January Kickstarter for Sarah, mentioned above. I’m really looking forward to sending off the second book in this wonderful western series, with its strong female protagonists and historic female characters. Big Nose Kate will make an appearance in the second book, along with young Sarah, the fiery youth who was kidnapped and sold to the Utes in the first book.
The second campaign will be in July, for the first three books in the My Backyard Friends children’s series. I almost had this one published back in 2015, but problems with the illustrator prevented it from coming to fruition. You can learn more about the difficulties encountered here: . This series is inhabited by characters based on birds and wildlife which visit me at my Colorado mountain home. Each book is stand alone, so they need not be read in order, and I will be launching the first three from the Kickstarter platform Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend, Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans, and one other story to be determined.
I finally found a wonderful illustrator for these books, and she was right under my nose. I’m happy to announce that this series will be illustrated by our very own, multi-talented Robbie Cheadle! I am thrilled to have Robbie doing the illustrations, and can’t wait to present the first three books on the Kickstarter platform.
I hope this post has given you a better idea of what Kickstarter is all about, and how it might be useful to you, as an author. I also hope it has encouraged you to check out my Kickstarter campaigns, and maybe even throw your support behind me. I’ll keep an eye out for you next January and July.
Here are a few places where you can learn more about Kickstarter and get tips on what to do when launching your own campaign.
Get ting Your Book Selling with Kickstarter, by Russel Nohelty and Monica Leonelle. (Watch for my “Review in Practice” for this book next week.)
The Creative Penn Podcast: Episode #627 – Kickstarter for Authors with Monica Leonelle
The Creative Penn Podcast: Episode #619 – Kickstarter and Multiple Streams of Income with Bryon Cohen
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; and book 1 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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Lovers of the Night Angel trilogy and the Ember Blade will enjoy this dastardly tale of torn loyalties, a criminal empire, and a fallen hero.
Erion spends his days fighting Daemanon’s monsters and his nights skirting the line between criminal and victim. He’s stuck as a hired thug for the Crimson Fang—forced to pay his father’s debt as he tries to keep the Fang from discovering his younger brother’s potent Life Magic. When Erion kills the wrong man, he gives the Fang exactly what they need to bring him into their criminal ranks.
When a Guardian of Pelinon arrives to investigate a series of disappearances, Erion and his dodgy allies unearth the truth of the disappearances buried beneath layers of stone, secrets, and death.
Necromancers weave dark rites. Chaos erupts. For Erion, is there any good in being a hero if there’s no one left to save?
For lovers of Dungeons & Dragons and GameLit, this is a book from the sweeping epic fantasy world of Eldros Legacy.
Stone Whisper, by H.Y. Gregor is a young adult high fantasy adventure of the highest caliber. This story was crafted to provide tantalizing plot and subplot lines, skillfully woven into a complex tale of magic, monsters, and mayhem. Gregor offers interesting and complex characters, vivid discriptions, and an intriguing plot.
As Erion slays his way through monsters and hellhounds to discover who is behind the recent rash of disappearances of young peasant women, he uncovers a great evil happening right under the noses of all. But, he’s caught in clutches of the Crimson Fang, a criminal gang running rampant in the city, in order to clear his father’s debts, forced tol use his earth magic for their benefit. Torn between a need to keep his younger brother hidden until he can come up with asuccessful plan to get him away from the city, and his obligation to pay his father’s debt to the criminal Crimson Fang, and a realization that the evil must be stopped.
The adventure is high and the stakes are higher, and all is not as it seems. Stone Whisper is a thoroughly entertaining read. I give it five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
