Seventeen-year-old Alvis possesses a gift of inexplicable strength. Raised in the slums by his genius-mechanic father, Alvis wants to use his strength to help people, but his temper gets in him in trouble instead. Level-headed Rae is a half-dragon, half-human hybrid called a Guardian. A wanted criminal, Rae carries with him the trauma from his time as a gladiator, when he was forced to fight against (and kill) other Guardians for the entertainment of the wealthy. Despite their differences, Alvis and Rae can agree on one thing: they fight best when they’re fighting alone. But when faced with the corruption in their homeland, Zen, one thing becomes clear- they'll have to keep each other alive if they want to survive.

THE GUARDIAN is the first installment of a planned trilogy titled WHEN THE LAST DRAGON DIED. For fans of fantasy stories such as Carry On by Rainbow Rowell and anime like Hunter x Hunter and Fullmetal Alchemist, it tackles themes like mental illness, discrimination, and morality in the face of war with a light-hearted, but earnest tone. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a YA novel without a little romance - Alvis has a thing for guys with strong jawlines and toned biceps. (He also can’t flirt to save his life.)  

The Guardian started as a NaNoWriMo project in 2014.  After a few years of fleshing out characters, outlining, and using two more NaNoWriMos as driving forces, I finished the first draft in the Winter of 2017. The next two books have been outlined and writing for book two began in Fall of 2018.

If you would like a sample of The Guardian, the first two chapters are available here!
 

You can check out each perk individually or you can check out this helpful chart below.

SPECIAL NOTE: All E-books, Paperbacks, and Hardcovers, will be sent out about 3 months before the official release!

$3: A big ol' lifetime THANK YOU on the website!

$10: An E-book copy (PDF) of The Guardian emailed to you and a lifetime thank you on the website.

$25: A Paperback of The Guardian, an E-book copy (PDF), a sticker, and a lifetime thank you on the website.

$30: A SIGNED Paperback of The Guardian, an E-book copy (PDF), a sticker, and a lifetime thank you on the website.

$45: The perfect combination: a bag of Dodger Coffee Co Coffee Beans as well as a signed paperback of The Guardian, an E-book copy (PDF), a sticker, and a lifetime thank you on the website. (Is there anything better than curling up with a new book and a warm cup of coffee?) 

$50: Exclusive art print created specially for this Indiegogo. You will also get a signed paperback of The Guardian, an E-book copy (PDF), a sticker, and a lifetime thank you on the website.

$75: A Signed Hardcover! Also included is the art print, an E-book copy (PDF), a sticker, and a lifetime thank you on the website.

$200: Your name will be printed in the book's acknowledgements! You will also get a signed hardcover of The Guardian and signed hardcover copies of books 2 & 3 when they are released. This tier also includes the art print, an E-book copy (PDF), a sticker, and a lifetime thank you on the website.

$300: Your name will be printed in the acknowledgements of all 3 books of the When the Last Dragon Died series! In addition to a signed hardcover of The Guardian, you will also receive signed hardcover copies of books 2 & 3  when they are released. Also included is the art print, an E-book copy (PDF), a sticker, and a lifetime thank you on the website.

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORTERS: Because of how expensive overseas shipping can be, please note that there will be an additional cost for international shipping. Shipping is included in all US orders.

Can't donate?

No problem! You can still join the mailing list here! This will get you updates on the book such as release date, pre-orders, your chance to get an ARC, new content, and more! (I WON’T SPAM I PROMISE.)

Self-publishing means I've gone from being solely the author to also being the publisher and advertiser. The Guardian is incredibly important to me and I want to release the best product possible as professionally as I can. There are many aspects- and people! - that go into bringing this book to life, and I want to be fully transparent with you guys about those costs. Please note that this budget of $8,500 accounts for the worst case scenario.

Professional Editor: 32% of the budget. Rebecca Faith Editorial has worked with both traditionally published and self-published authors. She is helping me with content feedback, proofreading, and line editing. I'm confident she's going to help me take my novel to the highest level it can be.

Cover and other Art: 13% of the budget. Toni Infante is an incredible illustrator who has done work for Boom!, DC Comics, and more. When he accepted to not only create the cover but was also genuinely excited to work on the project, I can't describe how honored I was! As you can see by the progress sketch, IT'S GOING TO BE AWESOME. I can't wait to reveal the final cover!

Distribution Prep: 15% of the budget (Includes the first 20 printed books, ISBN Registration and additional distribution services). I plan to use a publishing house and distributor that has worked with many self-published authors. In addition to helping me with the layout for The Guardian for both e-book and physical formats, they will also handle distribution with Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Nobel, and more!

In addition to the above costs, the budget also covers printing of books (13%), purchase of fundraising rewards (6%), shipping of your rewards (11%), and Indiegogo processing fees (10%).

If the goal is exceeded and there are funds left over, these will go towards the pre-launch of The Guardian, as well as towards the investment of the next two books.

My name is Erin, though I’m known more online as HappiLeeErin! I have a youtube channel dedicated to anime and manga, including a podcast. While my channel has taken a backseat while I’ve worked on my novel project, I’m also very active on twitter where I tweet about white-haired anime boys and the funny stuff my three-year-old says. I love character driven stories that aren't afraid of playing with tropes, and fluff on fluff with a little side of angst when it comes to my romances. While The Guardian is my first novel, I've been writing since I was around 8 years old thanks to some long since buried Dragon Ball Z fanfic (Gohan and Rini are MEANT 2 B DON'T @ ME).

Risks & Challenges

As with any sort of crowdfunding, there can always be unforeseen difficulties with timeline, shipping, and other things. However, because "The Guardian" as a novel is completely written, has gone through numerous beta readers, and is now in the editing phase, I don't foresee any major changes to it and feel confident in my timeline for its release. I also believe I've given myself enough time to order, package, and ship all tier rewards in a timely manner- and I have a husband with an impressive amount of experience when it comes to mail and shipping, so I find any issues with that to be near non-existent. 

Of course, I know there is always a chance the project won't be fully funded. If that is the case, the book will not be abandoned. I really believe in my little book baby and I think it would be cool for other people to be excited about it, too. I fully intend to move forward with it next year with our family budget and supporters will still receive their rewards no matter what!