One More Day!
almost 2 years ago
– Wed, May 25, 2022 at 02:44:51 PM
This campaign has sped by. It ends tomorrow at 9 p.m. Eastern time. I've learned so much and have enjoyed the experience. I look forward to many more to come. :)
Before we wrap this one up, I'd like to share an awesome campaign. One I think you'll enjoy as well. This one was so cool that I backed it right away. So much spooky fun!
An exclusive pair of spooky, self-guided tours created by two Big Easy storytellers. In ebook, print, and audio. Enjoyable anywhere!
Do you love ghost stories?
Do vampires intrigue you?
Are you curious about New Orleans and her haunted past?
If so, then our project – The Dark Side of New Orleans– is right up your alley!
One Halloween, my husband, Dan, and I decided to join a nighttime ghost tour through the legendary New Orleans French Quarter. Although we appreciated the theatrical enthusiasm of our tour guide and relished strolling through the historic streets of our neighborhood, listening to assorted tales of tragic hauntings, the experience ultimately let us down.
The unwieldy size of our group made it tough for us to hear the guide and, worse, kept us from immersing ourselves in the haunting ambience of the city’s oldest district.
In search of a more riveting, less restrictive experience, we decided to create an affordable, self-guided excursion of our own, one that would blend our love of scary stories and our fervor for New Orleans with our desire for autonomy.
Eventually, we produced two self-guided audio tours of the French Quarter – In the Footsteps of Ghosts (featuring 15 spooky locales) and Strolling Among Vampires (one nocturnal bloodsucker’s first-person account of 11 riveting sites). Together, they present classic stories as well as never-before-heard tales, with just enough immersive sound effects to enhance the creepy vibe. Our initial listeners loved them, relishing the stories as well as the flexibility of our tours – particularly the fact that they could take them at any time of day, at their convenience, and even pause the tours between meals and other diversions.
We’d created these excursions out of a mutual passion for history, storytelling, the Big Easy, and all the things that bump and bite in the night, but eventually, we realized that we were limiting ourselves – and our tours. We longed to spread the love, so to speak – and send our creations beyond the confines of the French Quarter.
So, that brings me to this Kickstarter campaign – our very first ever.
Campaign is winding down... But more excitement ahead
almost 2 years ago
– Tue, May 24, 2022 at 10:02:52 AM
Thank you all so much for your gracious support. The campaign is nearing its end, with only two more days to go after today. But there are many more campaigns out there to excite you. Here's one we thought you might enjoy.
Godsverse Chronicles: The complete portal fantasy series Kickstarter campaign
Are you obsessed with mythology?
Are you gaga for monsters?
Do you love exploring new fictional worlds?
Then you'll love my twelve book portal fantasy series, The Godsverse Chronicles (covers and reading order listed in the image above).
Portal fantasy is my absolutely FAVORITE genre of fiction, whether it's The Wizard of Oz, Alice In Wonderland, The Magicians, His Dark Materials, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe The Hazel Wood, Caraval, Ten Thousand Doors of January, Peter Pan, Coraline, or literally any other book about characters traveling to different places, worlds, realities, they are my jam.
If it has portals, then I'm there, and the Godsverse Chronicles has just about every portal story you can imagine.
Across the twelve books of the series, the main characters of the Godsverse travel to Heaven, Hell, Mount Olympus, Valhalla, other dimensions, different planets, time, space, and reality on their adventures across Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, and Judeo-Christian mythology.
Before this campaign, there were seven novels and three graphic novels in The Godsverse Chronicles.
Now we're BACK on Kickstarter to complete the series with four more books with Kickstarter exclusive covers that will never be printed again!
In total, there are now 11 novels and 1 novella in this series. The entire series in reading order is listed above, and is discussed below.
This campaign features FOUR new portal fantasy novels, including And Magic Followed Behind Her, And Evil Followed Behind Her, And Time Followed Behind Her, and And Heaven Followed Behind Them, and a prequel novella which comes included in every pledge.
What’s Special About This Book?
almost 2 years ago
– Mon, May 23, 2022 at 03:53:48 AM
If this is news to you, our campaign is about the book people have been asking for. It provides lots of fascinating information about the herbs that make up a Bulgarian Eniovden (Midsummer’s) wreath.
I, too, was curious what herbs made up the 77½ in the wreath, so I researched old Bulgarian books and articles and finally discovered a list. That is how the idea of “77½ Magical Healing Herbs” was born.
In this unique book, you’ll also learn about well-known healers from Bulgarian history. Baba Vanga is one whom many people these days have heard about. She’s a clairvoyant who’s been called the Nostradamus of Balkans and has predicted many events that have happened in our lifetimes. But she was also an herbal healer. All the healers from the past were not treated kindly or with respect, however. In the tenth century, the Bogomils were burned like the Salem witches. These are only two of the healers mentioned in the book.
I have been blessed to know talented Bulgarian painter Keazim Issinov. With his permission, we have included in the book five of his one-of-a-kind paintings of Bulgarian healers.
The bulk of the book focuses on the Midsummer’s Day herbs—all 77 (and a half) of them. It’s an ultimate guide to tap into knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation.
More than 200 eye-catching images illustrate the book, including a full-page botanical image, to help you recognize the herbs, along with the descriptions. But the book contains much more information.
Historical facts and traditions will take you back to school days, while medical, culinary, and magical uses will have you heading to the kitchen or garden store. Fun facts, legends, and recipes fill the pages. Or perhaps you’ll just want to forget about everything that’s going on in the world and bury yourself in the book.
The book is for anyone who wants to widen their knowledge about herbs and also learn about Slavic traditions and beliefs. It will satisfy your curiosity and widen the horizons of your mind. It’s the perfect gift that will make a beautiful coffee-table book.
Here’s your chance to learn how to make basic recipes and discover fun facts, lore, and magical beliefs.
Final Week Perks
almost 2 years ago
– Sat, May 21, 2022 at 09:09:11 PM
It’s the final week of our campaign. This is your last opportunity to get FREE ebooks in addition to your pledge. Support us at any pledge level before the campaign ends, and you’ll receive these books along with all the goodies in your pledge level. Everyone who has already backed the project will get these ebooks added to their rewards at no additional cost.
Cold Between Stars (The Echo 1) by Belinda Crawford
In the dark, empty space between solar systems, something lies in wait.
It’s pretty easy being a ship kid; clean out the cyclers, avoid your sister, don’t get sucked into space. The hardest bit about it is spending a couple of decades in stasis/sleep while your ship travels to the next solar system. Then rinse and repeat all the way back to a home you’ve never seen.
Except I just got kicked out of stasis early, like years early. And I’m alone.
All. Alone.
Except for the fug.
The Echo trilogy is an epic sci-fi series. With aliens, spaceships, big arse mechs and an LGBTQI+ hero having a REALLY bad day, it's perfect for fans of The Expanse, Murderbot and Alien.
www.belindacrawford.com
Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western by Jonathan Fesmire
Murdered by a wanted outlaw and resurrected by a secret inventor in the basement of a brothel, U.S. Marshal James "Bodacious" Creed must find the killer to protect a city and those he loves.
Lucky Logan by J. R. Frontera
Before he was a rancher and a family man, Logan Delano was a 15-year-old orphan, running in an outlaw gang led by the ruthless Paul Johnson. In the wilds of the Independent Americas, under the merciless eye of Kill ‘Em All Paul, having any kind of conscience just might land you dead.
Unfortunately for Logan, it seems he’s still got part of his…
LUCKY LOGAN is a prequel novella to the gritty, gun-slingin', gadget-laden 6-book steampunk western series The Legacy of Lucky Logan! If you love the quippy dialogue, stare-downs and shoot-outs of The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly and the action, adventure and artifacts of Indiana Jones, you're gonna love this series!
"...such cruel, manipulative characters in an unforgiving world beautifully juxtaposed with kindness and generosity. I love it." — Roger Clark, Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption II
(Look for the audiobooks of the main series, narrated by Roger Clark, available wherever audiobooks are sold!)
PLEASE NOTE: This series contains adult themes, situations, and language. Additionally, the steampunk elements are a semi-slow build, appearing in a "lost civilization is rediscovered" kind of way.
www.jrfrontera.com
Our Kickstarter Challenge Winners and Answers
almost 2 years ago
– Fri, May 20, 2022 at 07:05:06 AM
And… the results are in. In case you missed them as they were in progress, here they all are again.
Thank you all for participating. I hope you had as much fun as we did during this event.
CHALLENGE WINNERS
Kickstarter Challenge 1: Lesly
Kickstarter Challenge 2: Jane
Kickstarter Challenge 3: Lesly (for both parts)
But everyone who participated is a winner! Thank you so much for taking the time to submit your responses and learning more about herbs in the process. It was fun, and I had a blast doing this with all of you. I hope you enjoy your prizes.
CHALLENGE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Kickstarter Challenge 1: After winter our skin needs nourishment. Even if you work in the garden and want to make your skin feel happy and smooth, you can use some secrets from the Bulgarian Samodivi, woodland nymphs. We have a recipe you can make at home. It’s one of Diva’s recipes (a character from our Dragon Village series). She uses it to cure animals and her friends. Don’t worry. The recipe is used in the real world, and it’s harmless when used externally.
Kickstarter Challenge 1 Answer: Elderflower (Sambucus nigra), Marigold (Calendula officinalis), Lavender (Lavandula vera)
Samodivi Apothecary Cream
500 g of organic olive oil
1 handful of marigold petals, elderflower, and died lavender
Warm up the olive oil in a clean pan over low heat. Add the marigold petals. Leave it on the stove for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it stand for 24 hours. Reheat two more times and then strain out the flowers. When it’s cool, store the ointment in a jar in a dark cool place.
If you don’t like olive oil, substitute coconut oil or shea butter. You can also add beeswax to the recipe, but Diva’s recommendation is to keep it easy and simple.
Kickstarter Challenge 2: Can you guess what is the most important herb woven into the giant Eniovden wreath? In Bulgarian folklore, the herb provides protection from Samodivi, dragons, and diseases.
Kickstarter Challenge 2 Answer: Yellow bedstraw or Lady’s bedstraw (Galium verum)
Kickstarter Challenge 3: Each healer (Znahar) has her own magical garden, which she keeps secret, to share only with the enchanting Samodivi, woodland nymphs who also know the power of herbs. Name 5 herbs a Znahar would have in her garden.
Part 2: Guess the 5 herbs we’ve selected for this garden.
Kickstarter Challenge 3 Answer: This was a trick question, because the answer is ALL of the herbs listed can be found in a Znahar’s garden. Each herb from the magical Eniovden wreath is used for medicinal or magical uses throughout the year.
For the second part of the challenge, the five herbs in particular we were thinking of are Fennel (Foenicilum officinale), Thyme (Thymus serpyllum), Nettle (Urtica dioica), Summer savory (Satureja hortensis), and Water clover / Raskovnik (Marsilea quadrifolia).
