Funded!

I am thrilled to announce that we've hit our goal, meaning the book is now fully-funded. And after less than a week, too! Thank you all so much for your support. I can't wait to share this story with you.

As further thanks, I'm starting to introduce some stretch goals:

€1,300: Bookmarks - Every Backer whose perk level includes print books will also receive a Lady Raven bookmark.

€1,600: Party! - I'll book a venue for a private reading of Blackened Wings, to which all backers will be invited.

€2,000: Cover Art - If we raise this much, I'll be able to have a professional artist do a revamp of the book covers.

Update: Designs!

Take a look at the tshirts and stretch goal bookmarks.

Tshirts

(Tshirt templates Designed by Freepik)

The tshirts will be available in a range of colours and sizes, and I'll be collecting preferences after the campaign is over, before I send the order to the printer.

Bookmarks

Front:

Back:

If we hit €1,300, every backer who has selected a perk that includes printed books will have a bookmark included in their reward.

Update: I've been asked what formats I can provide for the ebook copies. I'm able to provide Kindle, .pdf, and .epub.

----------------------------------------------------

Cora Ravenell has survived the loss of her family, her home, her name. Her enemies have tried to strip away everything she cares about, but still she fights.

Set against the backdrop of an oppressive Empire, the Lady Raven series is a rich coming-of-age fantasy, where the damsel in distress must become the hero of her own story. Swashbuckling adventure and flying pirate ships meet ancient magic and dark secrets.

It all begins in Lady Raven, the story of a young noblewoman forced to become a pirate and an outlaw after her mother is accused of treason. Cora Ravenell seeks out allies and forbidden magic, while her former fiancee is conscripted to lead the hunt against her.

In Red Skies, Cora leads her pirate crew to join the growing rebellion against the Empire, and must master her new powers before they consume her, while somehow helping to turn a scattered band of insurgents into an army.

Now, in Blackened Wings, the Empire shows its might and exacts merciless revenge upon the rebellion. Cora and her crew must embark on a desperate mission to find the last masters of the ancient magical arts, and discover a way to stop the Emperor's latest devastating weapon.

***

About:

Blackened Wings will be my sixth published novel. I have already written an urban fantasy trilogy, The Memory Wars, with WiDo Publishing, and I ventured into self-publishing with Lady Raven in 2014. Last year, I released the sequel, Red Skies, and Blackened Wings is the third installment of this four-part series.

On my website, the first thing visitors will see under my name is the phrase "Stories to show that monsters can be beaten." This is the core foundation of all my work. I believe stories, particularly adventure stories, are important for showing us that we can be better people. When we read an adventure story, we stop thinking and start feeling. We get swept up in the excitement and emotion, forgetting about the ordinary world. In essence, we join the hero on their journey through the world fantastic. When we return, as does the hero, we bring with us what we've learned. We can take lessons from stories and apply them to our own lives.

With the Lady Raven series, I explore themes of religion and myth, and how they can be used both to oppress and to educate. The Empire Cora has grown up in is fiercely patriarchal, and treats women as little better than property. It also subjugates other nations, assured of its divine right to rule over "lesser" peoples. 

During this campaign I'll be posting updates with excerpts from the first two books in the series, as well as tidbits from the new book.

Monsters can be beaten

I've seen real monsters in my life, and the first lesson in beating monsters is realising that most monsters are hard to see. Sometimes, they're not a single person. Sometimes they're even hidden inside us.

I was bullied as a child, all the way through school and even into college. I've watched people suffer abusive relationships. I've lived through emotional abuse from people I thought I could trust. I've lost a son. I've stared into the abyss and felt it stare right back.

They never tell you that sometimes, the abyss blinks.

"Heroes know that things must happen when it is time for them to happen. A quest may not simply be abandoned; unicorns may go unrescued for a long time, but not forever. A happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story." - Prince Lir, The Last Unicorn

Of all the stories I've loved, I probably owe the most to The Last Unicorn. It was the animated adaptation of Peter S. Begel's book which first taught me why things are the way they are in stories. It taught me why there are always villains to fight. Why there can be no easy way to avoid facing darkness. Why the hero has to suffer and endure hardship to finally win the day.

The problem is, in real life we don't always get to see our monsters defeated. We see good people die to disease. We see innocents suffer from hate and prejudice. We lose people we love. Sometimes the only victory is to keep going. But in stories? Now that's another matter.

In a story, the good guys can win. We can have hope that the dawn will follow night, no matter how dark it gets. So maybe it's fitting that it's now, in the darkest part of Cora's story, that I reach out to ask for help.

Blackened Wings is fully-written and with my editor. I need to raise just a little more money to help pay her and have the book formatted. This will be done in time for the book to be in your hands by early October, and I'm happy to sign all print copies. I've opted for the flexible funding option, which means regardless of the amount raised, I will publish this book and get copies to all backers. Your help will mean I can do it that much quicker.

"They made her a monster, so she became their worst nightmare." - Lady Raven tagline

All I'm asking is the chance to make Cora into the hero I know she can be.