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The Devil Brigade

The novella series about a young sideshow freak discovering the dark secrets of an 1890's traveling show.

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The Devil Brigade

The Devil Brigade

The Devil Brigade

The Devil Brigade

The Devil Brigade

The novella series about a young sideshow freak discovering the dark secrets of an 1890's traveling show.

The novella series about a young sideshow freak discovering the dark secrets of an 1890's traveling show.

The novella series about a young sideshow freak discovering the dark secrets of an 1890's traveling show.

The novella series about a young sideshow freak discovering the dark secrets of an 1890's traveling show.

Toni O
Toni O
Toni O
Toni O
1 Campaign |
Poughkeepsie, United States
$675 USD 15 backers
122% of $550 Fixed Goal Fixed Goal

Allow Me to Introduce Myself...

Hi, Toni here! I'm very excited to introduce my novella series, The Devil Brigade, to all of you! With your help, this will be my debut novella publication. If you know me, then I tip my hat and say thanks for checking this out! If not, well, here are a few fun facts:

I'm a SUNY New Paltz graduate, holding a BA in Creative Writing. I've had several short stories featured in magazines and anthologies, I'm happy to say! I was a partner on the popular "Otherwise Caffeinated" e-zine for several years, which showcased indie authors of all genres monthly. 

I have been featured on an episode of The Wicked Library, a podcast highlighting indie horror authors, for my short story "Lucky Hands." 

I currently work in television post-production, but daydream in my cubicle about being able to write for my eight hours a day. 






The Novella Series

The Devil Brigade has been a story that has gone through many different identities. It started as a simple short story, worked itself into a massive novel, then broke down into a series. Mostly because of my main character, Ben.

Ben is a young boy who travels the country, carnival to carnival, with the Devil Brigade, a group of sideshow freaks who were compiled by the strange Ringmaster Tom. The year is 1890 and freak shows are of high popularity in the US. Carnival goers rush the stage to see what Ringmaster has on display for them, what oddities will leave them awake at night to ponder. Ben is the most popular freak on display, known to the crowds as Bubonic Boy: Black Death - Alive! Although Ben is always a highlight on display, he starts to worry that this is all life has to give him. He cannot remember how he wound up becoming an oddity or how he even wound up with Ringmaster. He begins to seek answers and comes across dark, strange secrets that could cost him his life...

I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that each novella is a separate entity in Ben's mission to piece together his memories and find out who he really is. 


With your help, I can bring the strange, macabre carnival to life and share it with the world! The debut novella is already written and ready to go with the second one already in the works. I just need the funds for a professional edit, printing, and e-book release!


An excerpt from "The Devil Brigade"

Here are the first few pages of the first novella to give you a sample of my writing. This is the introduction to the whole series, where we first meet Ringmaster Tom and Bubonic Boy, who you will be getting to know much more. 


Chapter 1


Ringmaster stepped out from behind a fringed curtain and twirled his cane between long, crooked fingers. The wooden piece spun fluidly, helicoptering back and forth from thumb to pinky in the dead, humid air. It was Saturday and it was just about time for the first show of the night. His dark, penciled-in eyes seemed to sparkle as he cleared his throat and barked out a deep, booming call.  "Step right up, step right up. Ladies and gentlemen, strangers and friends, why don't you come close and stay for awhile? The Devil Brigade is here!"

His cane’s spinning stopped and the end flipped back behind him as he lowered himself into a long, dramatic bow, arms straight out to his sides and his head down by his hips. When he pulled himself back up, there was not a soul watching. The audience was non-existent, just men and women strolling past his stage, dust rising from the dead country grass from their thick boots.  They all seemed to ignore the sickly green banner slung across the stage from frame to frame: "Freak Show of 1890 - presented by Ringmaster Tom!" The stage was held up with large, swollen wooden poles and filthy curtains that obscured most of the rotted wooden floor. Whether or not they ignored him or just were not interested, the crowd was all the same, filled with men in long shirts and black hats and women with fluffed, short sleeves fanning themselves. They kept their heads turned away from blood red posters splattered with  strange and grotesque bodies posed in awkward positions like melted wax statues. Phrases like "Leave your disbelief at home!" and "Those faint of heart - keep walking!" lined the disturbing images.

Ringmaster removed his oversized black top hat and scratched at frizzy white hair that pointed wildly in all directions.  He rolled the hat back and forth between his fingers in the same motion as his cane, magically spinning the tattered thing like a basketball.  As he spun the hat in deep thought, watching the men and women ignore the stage, he wondered which act would be the best to catch the crowd by surprise, but not climax too quickly.  This town didn’t seem like much of a freak show kinda place - they were hardened, tired people who needed fun and excitement to help them forget their factory jobs and starvings children, not the weird and macabre arts.  For Ringmaster Tom, it was art just to keep the fans engaged, to give the best performance every night without losing stragglers and families pulling away one by one.  It took him years to master his technique and perfect the opening and closings, those moments that were remembered far more than the middle,  and he took great pride in his work. His freaks were some of the best this year and he knew that any one of them would be a decent introduction, but who would be best for last? The Throwaways tonight, his group of freaks he rounded up locally, were a decent bunch, full of grotesqueness that would breathe some strange life into the act.  Maybe he could stage them last, or maybe filter them throughout his traveling show.

He knew that before he could do any of that, he needed to draw some eyes to the stage. What good is a freak show without the gasps and whispers and most importantly, the word of mouth? He stepped loudly and deliberately across the platforms of the stage, each boot step thudding and echoing. The hat continued to roll in his fingers. He needed the perfect catch to call out to, someone charming and engaging to intrigue passing eyes and keep them stopping, one after the other.

As if on cue, a young woman in a frilly white dress stepped up to the side of the stage. Her skirts seemed to bounce heavenly among the lanterns that lit the carnival night. Her face was round and sweet, a lost cherub in this sad town. Her hair was in tight blonde curls that snapped back and forth around her neck and down the front of her lacy, white blouse.  Not a single speck of the park seemed to cling to her and she stood radiantly among the sad, tired faces. She held a wispy mound of fairy floss candy as she stared at the poster on the front of the stage. The image was covered in black, bold question marks and words that asked, "Who is Bubonic Boy?"

Her head cocked to the side and she took a bite of her candy as she read.  Ringmaster stared at her and wondered if his prayers had been answered. She would be perfect for catching eyes.

He stopped pacing and knelt down in front of her, a few feet above her thick blonde curls.  He put his top hat back on his head and pressed his cane into his multicolored coat, addressing her with a respectful bow. "My, my, my! What a beautiful girl! I've been all over the world and have never seen such beauty as yours!"

He smiled a charming smile and realized she, in fact, was abnormally beautiful. Almost like a doll, unrealistically large blue eyes and porcelain skin that radiated under the moonlight. She smiled back at him flirtatiously and giggled to herself.  He was caught off guard by her receptiveness but continued to croon. "Who brought such a lovely young lady here tonight?”

She looked behind herself shyly, then back up to Ringmaster. "Nobody. Just me tonight."

He continued to hold his smile as he removed his cane from inside his coat jacket and on the top of the cane’s knob a small white dove sat, fluttering its wings.  "It's never smart to let a little birdie be by herself...she could fly away!" He shook the cane and the dove startled and flew.

The woman pointed up at the bird and laughed, surprised. "Wow! How did you do that?!"  A few turned their heads and looked at her, then up at the bird she pointed to. They stopped moving and began to listen and watch. Ringmaster’s voice got a little louder.

"I've learned many things in my travels, my dear. Will you be so kind as to stay awhile and see what else I have discovered?"  

“Sure! I would love to. Something tells me this will be a fun show.”

A few others began to stand in front of the stage and with one stopped person, another

stopped and soon the gathering began. They murmured and pointed at the signs and posters curiously, the hum of the crowd rising.  Ringmaster waited until he counted fifty or sixty heads. He was in disbelief of how quickly she brought in a crowd. If I could only have a type like her at every show, I’d be doing the best business of my life.

He adjusted his top hat, pulled at the lapels of his jacket, cleared his throat, and opened his mouth to address his waiting audience.

* * *

Inside a dirty covered wagon sat a boy of no more than sixteen years old.  He was among dishes, colorful props, boxes of costumes and makeup, and lots of other clutter. In his corner where he sat, he picked up a broken hand mirror and stared into it as he took a deep breath. He glared at the reflected fragments of himself, stretched this way and that, spotted and grotesque. He sighed and tried to think of what day it was. The crowd he heard Ringmaster conjuring suggested the business of a Saturday, but sometimes Friday could be busy too. He couldn’t remember if they did shows last night and that depressed him. The days seemed to all blur together at this point after doing so many for as long as he had. His knees were sore and beginning to bruise, so he assumed he probably did some kind of stunt yesterday. It must be Saturday.

He knew it didn’t make a difference. No matter the day or week or year, he would always do four shows a night. One show every hour. He would only be on stage for two minutes, sometimes three if the crowd loved him. Those minutes felt like hours though, especially because he didn’t have a choice. There were no sick days and no time off - he had to do what Ringmaster told him to and that was that.

The wagon he sat in was huge, large enough to carry the props and workers, yet it still always felt so cluttered and claustrophobic.  At the moment it was empty  as the others were already behind the stage, ready for the first show of the night. They had pushed and nudged him to come along and wait with them, but he wasn’t in the mood yet.  His costume was simple and easy anyway - he could just grab everything and get up there a few minutes just before he went on. He stopped caring if he was late because realistically he knew it it would only be more suspense for the audience to wait for him to get up there.. At least that was always his excuse with Ringmaster whenever it was brought into question and the whip was drawn.

The boy put down the mirror and glanced over at the flyer for the carnival. He  wanted to read it from where it sat, but the candle light was too dim to make out any of the small print. All he could see was the large, printed letters that said:

BUBONIC BOY: BLACK DEATH - ALIVE!

The letters were bold and black, standing out amongst the other images and phrases plastered across the paper. He knew underneath the title was a drawing of what he supposedly looked like. The drawing was horrific - a spotted creature with gigantic red eyes, a mouth curled in a snarl with rotted teeth and fangs exposed. Although he knew he didn’t look like that, he couldn’t help but feel there was some reality to it all. If he saw that creature wandering the streets, he would gasp and point just like the crowd gasped and pointed at him. He knew he could hold up the flyer to the candle to get a good look at it for the millionth time, but he asked himself what purpose it would serve except to make him more depressed.

Candles were the only source of light in the wagon, unless Ringmaster was feeling generous and would let them pull the cover of the wagon off a bit for some sunlight and air. He tended not to allow this though for fear of others seeing the freaks outside of the show and starting terrible rumors. The boy wasn’t exactly sure what could possibly be said that already hadn’t been, but he took Ringmaster’s word for it. He’d be doing this show forever, for much longer since  he’d been around, so he must know what’s best.

The boy could feel the hot, dusty air blowing through the holes in the wagon’s canopy  and he smelled sugary candy that probably tasted delicious.  He wasn't sure how it tasted because he never had it, but the smell was always the same at every carnival and it always smelled nice and refreshing.


-The Devil Brigade by Toni Odell. Copyright 2013.




What is Need & What You Get

I'm not here to make lots of money - I just want to share a story that I think will be enjoyed! I won't ask for thousands of dollars because I don't need it for this project (although, if you really want to throw fistfuls of hundreds at me, don't hesitate). I'm asking for my absolute minimum so I can release a professional piece of fiction while keeping it accessible to audiences.  I intend on selling my ebook and paperback for very costs and spreading the good word about the Brigade!!

Here are some of the perks I am offering if you are so generous as to help me fund this series:


$5 - You have my eternal gratitude! I will send a postcard featuring the debut novella cover (designed by the talented Marissa Letterio) expressing my thanks! You also get a PDF copy of the first novella that you can read on your kindle, nook, or computer.



$20 - You receive a postcard and a signed paperback copy of the debut novella! 


$40 - You get the postcard, PDF, signed paperback copy of the debut novella, and a PDF of the second novella (the date is TBD, but expect it within six months. I will stay in contact about this!)


$50 - Now we're getting serious, kids. I'll send along the postcard, PDF, signed paperback copy of the debut novella, a PDF of the second novella (TBD), and the promo poster signed!


$60 - Wow! Not only do I love ya lots, but I will give you the postcard, PDF of both the debut novella and the second (TBD), a signed paperback copy of the debut novella, a signed poster, and I will write you in as a character somewhere in the series (we can discuss this at your leisure).


$80 - You really like me! Jeez. Postcard, PDFs of the debut novella and second novella (TBD), a signed paperback copy of the debut novella, signed poster, I'll write you into the series (we can discuss this at your leisure), and a special thank you as a fundraiser in the Thank You section of each released novella.


$100 - You're too kind. Seriously. Not only do you get all of the previously mentioned perks (postcard, PDFs of the two novellas, signed paperback, signed cover poster, written into the series as per your suggestion, and a special thank you), I will send you a signed paperback version of each novella as they are released (please remember that these are TBD, but trust me. If you donate $100 or over, I won't forget about ya!)


PLEASE NOTE: I can only fund this if my entire goal is met. If the goal is not met, the money is not donated and the perks are not released. But we can do this!


Other Ways You Can Help

If you can't contribute, I completely understand! I do ask though that you help me spread the word about this campaign.

If you have friends who are into horror fiction or the strange and macabre, I simply ask that you share this along! Anything you do to help is forever appreciated. Thanks so much, guys!

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Choose your Perk

50 Miler

$5 USD
You have my eternal gratitude! I will send a postcard featuring the debut novella cover (designed by the talented Marissa Letterio) expressing my thanks! You will also get a copy of the novella in PDF format!!
Estimated Shipping
January 2014
5 claimed

Bag Man

$20 USD
You receive a postcard and a signed paperback copy of the debut novella!
Estimated Shipping
January 2014
5 claimed

Bearded Lady

$40 USD
You get the postcard, PDF, signed paperback copy of the debut novella, and a PDF of the second novella (the date is TBD, but expect it within six months. I will stay in contact about this!)
Estimated Shipping
January 2014
0 claimed

Carny

$50 USD
Now we're getting serious, kids. I'll send along the postcard, PDF, signed paperback copy of the debut novella, a PDF of the second novella (TBD), and the promo poster signed!
Estimated Shipping
January 2014
0 claimed

Flattie

$60 USD
Wow! Not only do I love ya lots, but I will give you the postcard, PDF of both the debut novella and the second (TBD), a signed paperback copy of the debut novella, a signed poster, and I will write you in as a character somewhere in the series (we can discuss this at your leisure).
Estimated Shipping
January 2014
1 claimed

Robin Marx

$80 USD
You really like me! Jeez. Postcard, PDFs of the debut novella and second novella (TBD), a signed paperback copy of the debut novella, signed poster, I'll write you into the series (we can discuss this at your leisure), and a special thank you as a fundraiser in the Thank You section of each released novella.
Estimated Shipping
November 2013
0 claimed

Sharpies

$100 USD
You're too kind. Seriously. Not only do you get all of the previously mentioned perks (postcard, PDFs of the two novellas, signed paperback, signed cover poster, written into the series as per your suggestion, and a special thank you), I will send you a signed paperback version of each novella as they are released (please remember that these are TBD, but trust me. If you donate $100 or over, I won't forget about ya!)
Estimated Shipping
January 2014
4 out of 5 of claimed
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