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My newest fantasy novel (We did it!)


Burgold

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https://youtu.be/cuRb0yl_wUc

The Youtube link takes you to a quick animated piece of the story. I thought I knew how to embed videos obviously after more than a decade here, I don't. Anyway, please take a peek, let me know whatcha think and share, comment, and do whatever else seems right.

 

Burgold aka Andrew

 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1074492781/a-halo-of-mushrooms-a-fantasy-novel-and-ebook

 

A Halo of Mushrooms

 
The cat slipped through shadows deftly stepping into the hedge. Thorns stuck out like spikes, but she didn’t flinch or duck. Instead, she pressed into them, marking them, bearing the scratches and pain as she worked her way through the hollow and around the tan and golden branches.
 
 Berries hung above, dangling bits of orange and blue poison that tempted with a citrus smell, but the summoning call was insistent and she knew better anyway. The feline had been here before.
She broke through the maze of prickles and sap, stopping briefly to lap at a pool. The reflection that stared back at her carried a trace of silver, not only in the eyes, but on the chin and paws. It was unsetting, especially here where the vigor should be strongest.
 
She made her way, quiet as a shadow, to the ring and saw the upturned earth. It was gone. Someone had stolen it. Her whiskers quivered. Sacrilege. The feline howled into the night and suddenly heard thousands joining her. She looked about to find her brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins. The hunt was on.
***
Imagine that wonder and wisdom has a source that links every world, every reality. Something that girds us, makes us stronger, gives us health, life, luck, and inspiration. Now, imagine that this energy is failing. Worlds begin to gray and life starts to fade. What do you do? Do you barricade what’s left and guard it preciously? Do you experiment to try to find a new source to cultivate? Do you allow it to disappear hoping that something will evolve to replace what was lost?
 
“A Halo of Mushrooms” begins with the theft of a Bald Mushroom, one of the last remaining mushrooms of the first faerie ring that feeds reality and gives us our wisdom, wonder, and magic. A healer steals it in the hope that he can transplant it and renew the lost vigor, but he is chased. An army pursues him to reclaim what’s “theirs.”
 
In his flight, he flees to a magical land of flying carriages and instantaneous communication called Earth. It is here that he must find his answer. A journey that spans all the way from the Great Lakes to Malawi.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
“If you don’t ask the answer is no.” was the first meme I saw on Twitter today. A funny coincidence since today is day I decided to launch my Kickstarter campaign to help publish new novel. My goal is to raise $4,000 to go towards professional editing and production of the book. That certainly won’t be the total sum needed to bring it to life and market, but it will go a long way towards helping me to realize this dream.
 
I know that writing is only a small part of a book’s success… after all, this isn’t my first novel and I’ve been a professional writer and reporter for nearly a decade. Ultimately, I hope that my story finds a home on bookshelves, kindles and in many hearts, but first I want to make sure it is as perfect as you deserve. I want to do this right.
 
I hope you will help. 
 
Please follow the link to watch the video (it includes a small animation from the story) and consider supporting me and “A Halo of Mushrooms” or sharing this. I don’t need my efforts to go viral, but I’d be grateful for a sniffle or two!
 
Here's the Kickstarter link
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1074492781/a-halo-of-mushrooms-a-fantasy-novel-and-ebook
 
 
Thanks,

Andrew aka Burgold

 

 

 

 

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Thanks. I hope people like it and want to support it. That would mean more than the money if that makes sense. So far, I've been watching it a little too much wondering if the needle will move. It's not particularly healthy, but I hope if some are willing to skip one beer or lunch out this week then it will happen.

 

Truth is, I am pretty sure I will publish no matter what and this is a quarter fundraising and three quarters marketing. Mainly though, my ego needs a boost.  Been a rough couple of months since my show closed and my news bureau shut down.  My ego's been going around calling itself the Deflator, but without the fancy needles or texts from Tom Brady.

 

Anywho, thanks for the kind words!

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Well, I have to admit, you've got my curiosity (and my support).

 

I remember reading about A Climbing Stock and thinking that you had a really quirky and creative idea that should be successful but would probably be too witty for today's mainstream audiences. Sadly, though I have several times entertained the thought, I've still never made the time to read it.

 

But this, this is just the kind of thing I like. My wife and I would devour this kind of a concept and (I'm sure she'll agree when I show her this tonight) I really want to see where this goes. 

 

Art is hard, but beautiful.

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Thanks Vilandil.

 

Making the video was in a weird way the hardest and most fun part. Choosing what part of the story to tease, something that could be short enough yet enticing and in practical matters something I could visualize and draw.

 

The creation of the story, the book, was intense, but really great. Just so much fun to live in that reality and let the words flow whether they're trickling or gushing. The editing is always serious, hard work, but the telling of the story is a pleasure and when you start getting feedback that people like it... even better. Even after filing thousands of stories and having been published before it's still a little scary to send your baby out there.

 

Thanks again. Let me know what she says. In terms of rewards for the donations one of the reasons I set the book itself as a reward at 20 was that when I go to Barnes and Nobles that's basically just the retail price of a book. So, it's not like giving PBS five hundred dollars to get back a 20 dollar tote bag or 40 dollar video.

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Always wanted to write.  I really enjoy it, but don't have the patience to put into a project like the one you did.

 

I admire (and am a little jealous) of that type of effort and I hope you succeed beyond your wildest expectations.  Please keep us posted.

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There is tremendous talent on this board. I marvel at the photographs of guys like PCS, Spiff and others. Bang is a fantastic satirist and humorist. So many others. There's are a couple other novelists in here. One whose work I'm slowly editing. Probably too slowly.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement. It means a lot. Some money would be nice too :)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1074492781/a-halo-of-mushrooms-a-fantasy-novel-and-ebook?ref=discovery

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Went to Awesome Con today and spoke with a number of writers to get tips on how they self published. More got a couple of best selling authors to agree to read my book and possibly help out with a blurb.

 

Mostly friends and family so far, but climbing. 680 is pretty amazing. Glad that there are people that believe in me and this project. I wonder if this can be pulled off?

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Bumps, craters, and a couple of amazing successes. You don't always realize what you've done in the moment. I had a play of mine produced on Broadway (sure, it was 78th and Broadway, but still), I had a novel published that people bought and liked, I had a radio show that aired in 35 countries, I've got to interview amazing people like Joe Gibbs, Ben Stiller, and Mark Hamill (and even had Amy Adams flirt with me) or even better some people you've never heard of who've done incredible things just because they needed doing.

 

I'm still the littlest fish in the ocean, but I've been fortunate or good enough to swim to some amazing places.

 

(Still looking for my first ES kickstarter contribution... shouldn't say that lol. I think I've been more shameless on this board than in almost any other aspect of my life. Thanks for support and tolerance.)

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