Short Summary
The fate of the struggling American colonies depends on the actions of one man...
Time separates hero from villain and friend from foe. After an act of treason, committed at the request of King George III, Captain Arthur F. Nelson and his crew find themselves the victims of a set-up that leads them straight to the gallows.
As their death sentence is read aloud, the curse of Blood Bones is set in motion once again, transporting them several hundred years in the future.
Captain Nelson leads a group of his loyal comrades on a daunting quest to return back to 1763 to save Benjamin Manry and the remaining crew that were captured by the cutthroat Richard Highmore.
Follow Captain Nelson and his colleagues as they go under ‘pirate’ cover in this exciting and fast-paced story. Will they succeed in the rescue of our young hero? Or will they fail in their efforts?
The fate of the future United States of America rests in Benjamin Manry’s rescue...
My name is Owen Palmiotti. I'm 27 years old. I tend to keep busy: I teach navigation at SUNY Maritime, am a reservist in the US Navy, pursuing my Masters degree, and write short stories/novels/screenplays. Benjamin Manry and the Scarlet Stone is the third novel of an open-ended trilogy. I'd like to do a few more books down the road, but for now it's all about marketing and spreading the word about the Young Adult Fiction series.
The Benjamin Manry series actually started when I was 13 years old. I had this "recurring" dream that literally lasted a month straight. Each night, I added more to it, until finally, I told all my friends and family. They loved it. They pushed me to write, and write I did. That was over half my life ago! Where does time go? Seriously?
My goal is to raise money to cover the expenses of self-publishing. Between publishing costs, editing costs, and all the minor fees that add up, I'd like to attempt to break even upon the release of the book (I wish I thought of using Indiegogo for the first two books!). That would be amazing if WE could accomplish this :)
I use the word WE, because it really is about you and me. Without a reader, my book would sit on a shelf and collect dust. We can't let that happen!
Obviously, raising $2,500 is my initial goal, but I've got my eyes set on bigger and better things: movie deals, book signing tours, etc. I arranged twelve events/signings back in 2012, and am already scheduling a big Summer/Fall tour for 2013.
What I think separates myself from other authors is that I dress in character. My main character's name is Benjamin Manry. He's this really odd (based off me of course) guy from modern day who discovers a cursed pirate treasure. After being sent back to 1763, he sort of creates a footstep that changes history.
It's kind of epic, seriously.
What We Need & What You Get
Here are the details:
As stated earlier, I would like to raise $2,500 to cover the cost of publishing/editing, as well as schedule a book signing tour. I'd like the tour to cover the globe, but that's pretty ambitious of me. I'll be honest, I love standing in front of people telling them about my characters, my stories, and myself.
If you contribute and become part of the Owen Team, I'll hook you up with an autographed book with a personalized inscription upon its release. Maybe even a photograph of me dressed as Benjamin Manry. I'm also thinking of personalized visits in costume. Schools? Birthday Parties? It doesn't matter :) Those are sort of low-ball things, but if you want to really help me out, I'll even put you in my next book! Imagine...a character with your name, based off you...all because you helped out a little guy like me? If you don't think that's awesome, I am at a loss for words! On a scale of 1 to excited, where are ya?!
The Impact
Since I was a kid, I've always had this big dream of walking into a little book store in an airport on the other side of the world. I'd be browsing for some random book waiting on a connection flight...and guess what I see? My book!
I published my first novel in 2008, and have been pursuing the endeavor since. The most memorable thing so far was when I was just arriving at a store for a signing and ACTUALLY bumping into someone I didn't know who was waiting for it to start. There was a family who heard about it through a friend who read my first book, and it was the coolest thing in the world.
Your contribution will make all the difference:
The series tie together many elements that are appealing: history and youthful adventure, time travel, pirates, and a love interest that spans centuries. It makes children, as well as older readers, learn a little bit of the build-up to American Independence, while having fun. I've put my time into the writing and research component of the trilogy, and by combining all of those ingredients, have created an awesome literary recipe!
I've been voted most handsome sailor/writer by my grandmother, so that must count for something!
But in all seriousness, I've always had a gut feeling my writing would go somewhere. No I have the chance. With your help of course!
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can’t contribute, don't worry about it!
It'd be awesome if you could spread the word about the upcoming project:
Tell your friends.
Tell your family.
Tell your enemies.
Tell passerbys.
Let's do this :)
-Owen