My Goal

    I am writing my own fantasy series. Most significant projects need exactly what this site provides, a kick start to get them in motion or keep them in motion. With adequate support, I would like to narrow my projects down to a project of focus. I have many interests and rely on support to establish direction. 

    I've been working on this project for a while and would like to bring it to fruition. I have also dreamed of taking some of the concepts from this project to build into a card plus figurine style fantasy game, which really depends on my success in this project. My story has grown significantly. I do think however, that I would like to release the book as a novel, but I might also produce the story in a series. My book currently falls around 20,000 words and 300 paragraphs, and has taken some good initial steps towards getting the story told.  

    I do have rough drafts of the first eight pages or so posted at this link:

http://xowing.com/blog/?cat=5

    These eight pages are just the beginning of chapter one. I'm not certain as to whether or not I will maintain character names as they are. The details of the story are still organically growing to align with the overall story.

Excerpts

    Only through excerpts from the text can I adequately describe my writing style and where I am going, as well as my worth as an author. I feel that there are a lot of books that are intolerable to read, especially in this genre. 

Chapter 1 Excerpts:

    He made his way to a small, drafty room located near the back of the inn. His pouch was laid beside the small bed of knotty wood and leather. There was neither blanket nor pillow. He lied down on the bed, closing his mind to the awful stench of aged leather tanned in the sweat of a hundred men.

    He began to step back, stumbling his foot against the edge of the cliff behind him. Suddenly, he felt the arrow pierce him in the abdomen. He immediately awoke to the feeling of cold sweat covering his back and chest, arousing the unpleasant aromas below him. Once again, his abdomen was covered in blood. His wound had opened like it had so many times past.

    He awoke from the dream that haunted him. Many hours had passed and it was nearly dark outside. He slowly stood up and looked into the valley. This place was full of many memories. He knew the area well. He had traveled here many times as a child. There was a small stream nearby where his father had taken him to fish. Within a few moments he had reached the side of the stream. He decided to set camp here for the night. His appearance had grown rather poor over the last few days of travel. He didn’t want to have such a poor appearance when arriving home tomorrow.

 Chapter 2 Excerpts:

    Merodin began to think to himself about the time that he has spent with Sagius. They were both generally quiet people and very little was ever said between them. Merodin began to consider that the trip wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought it was going to be. He didn’t get a lot of interaction from Sagius, and he was greatly thankful for the solitude. 

    Merodin had spent many years in the military, and it was rare that he found someone that he enjoyed being around. Most people were rather annoying to him. A person might find it difficult to be around people that are always expecting to have a return conversation. He hadn’t always been this way. Before he left home, he had been a social butterfly and had many friends from neighboring farms. After leaving home, he began to change a little. He never quite lost the charisma that haunted him, despite his desire for solitude. People always felt comfortable to be around him, and he could never understand from where such behavior originated. 

    Merodin had almost become lost in his daydreams when suddenly they saw something in the distance. As they got closer, they began to more closely recognize the remnants of a raided caravan. They approached the mess cautiously. There were no people left behind. It was very clear by the remaining evidence that the Mathar had done this. Merodin was a bit surprised. He couldn’t help but wander if he should second-guess all the stories that had been told to him so many times in the past.

Chapter 3 excerpts:

    He stayed hidden until the guards had left. He went back into the cave later that evening and saw no signs of struggle. He decided to wait a while longer and see if they were going to return. After a while of waiting, he began to get bored. He knew that the caves would no longer be a safe place for him to stay.
The sun would be going down before long. Merodin began heading back to the west. He assumed that it was likely that Sagius and Taoc would have headed back toward Terinbach. He traveled as far as he could before it was too dark to go any further. He stopped on the edge of a hill where an old tree had broken and fallen to its side. He knew that this would be a good place to spend the night. 

    When morning arrived, Merodin once again started his journey toward Terinbach. He traveled quickly. He arrived in Terinbach that evening and searched around town to try and find them. No one had seen either of them. He began to become a little concerned. He went over to the inn and got a room. He stayed the night and headed out early the next morning.
    Merodin knew that he must return to the fortress and try to find his comrades. He spent a few moments in town to gather some supplies. He thought that this might be quite a difficult feat to accomplish. Little did he know that as he left town, Sagius and Taoc were just arriving.

    Fifteen soldiers led Merodin into the woods and toward the dragon caves. They had planned to drop him into a so-called bottomless pit. Merodin was brutally bound until severe pain spiked through his arms, shoulders, and back. He vomited from the pain. They approached the pit and immediately forced Merodin toward the opening.
    Suddenly, one of the men screamed in agony as a large axe cut through his ribs and into his right lung. Taoc and Sagius had arrived just in time. Taoc continued to brutally swing his axe with little mercy.

Chapter 4 excerpts:

    Merwin knelt down beside his father and slowly lifted his head. He could feel the cracking of old bones in his father's neck and back. He looked into his father's eyes and could see very little of the aura that his father had always emitted. His father had become pale, losing the firefly like radiance and glow that Merwin had glorified ever since he was a child.
“Father, what is happening father?” Merwin whispered, “What has happened to make you like this?”

    Merwin raised his father’s head and took a slow glance across the forest. He could see many elves across the span of highly decorative structures built into the trees. Not only had his father aged, but likewise every elf had aged. He recognized many elvin children whom now stood as adults. Everywhere he looked elves were holding their aging loved ones before them. They were experiencing a great sorrow that had never before fallen upon them.

    Merwin's closed eyes began to twitch. He abruptly awoke from the dream, or perhaps nightmare, that had been haunting him this many months. He wiped the hint of tears from his eyes and sat up in the morning light. He had spent the night in the top of an old pine tree by the river of Garangauch. The sun had barely broken the majestic outline of the great mountain, Kileo.

    Merwin thought for a few moments of the memory, the recurring dream that had been following him ever since that dreadful day. Merwin still carried the amulet with him, seeking an answer to the events that had taken place. Through his travels, he had heard tales of a great circle of knowledge. The circle was rumored to consist of many ancient and wise sages. He had been traveling from town to town in search of where he might find such a fabled group of men.

    They traveled down the street until the reached the square in the center of the town. Everywhere gazed upon in the town square, there were many small businesses. There were stands from which fruit was being sold and a wet market where fresh meat was sliced. There were many goats, sheep, yaks, and llamas tied to small wooden fences about the edges of the square. Merwin and Merodin looked everywhere they could, trying to find adequate transportation for the old man. They stopped for a moment and glanced at a very old broken down camel. The camel snorted and spit on a small child.

    The child's mother caught the slight grin on Merodin's face and gave him a scolding look.

    “Well, it doesn't look like we are going to find anything....,” Merodin's words faded to a silence.

    Merwin followed Merodin's stare toward a couple of pigs that an old woman was using to drag fruit into the market place. Merodin walked over to the old lady and pulled from his side a satchel. After a few moments of bargaining, Merwin and Merodin headed back to Taoc, who had been watching Sagius. Taoc chuckled at the sight of the pigs.

Why kickstarter?

    Publishing a book isn't as easy as sending it to someone for approval. The process takes resources as well as time. I've estimated costs based on previous internet research, as well as support needed to progress versus other projects that I could be working toward completion. If you like my style of story telling, please help me complete this story!