(This urban fantasy cover is just a mock-up. We only get a real one if the campaign’s a success!).
It’s here, it’s here! The day you’ve all been waiting for! Okay—maybe it’s just the day I’ve been waiting for. It’s the start of the month-long Pubslush campaign for my first urban fantasy, The Age of Mages.
Now, y’all know I’ve been an indie fantasy writer for kids and teens for a while now. But I wanted to branch out into books for adults, and with the economy the way it is, funds have been tight. So I’m turning to Pubslush to try and get this project off the ground. Read on to see what it’s all about.
The Age of Mages: my first urban fantasy
I know a mage should be able to handle anything, but really, the circumstances are getting quite ridiculous.
What do you get when you cross a vampire with a witch? The vulgar might call it a half-breed or misfit. But the result is actually a magical creature with untold powers and numerous enemies.
In other words, a mage.
Joshua’s witch mother has been missing and presumed dead since he was a teen. Years later, when he learns she might still be alive, the only thing he can think of is finding her. His antagonistic vampire father agrees to help, but Joshua fears he may have ulterior motives.
The situation becomes even more complicated when they discover the reason for her disappearance: she possesses a mysterious crystal whose powers remain a secret.
Unfortunately, Joshua and his father aren’t the only ones interested in the crystal. As their search leads them from New York to Las Vegas to Rome, they’re pursued by the Paranormal Investigation Agency, the High Council of Witches, and yet more vampires. In the process, they uncover a plot to wake the deadliest vampire who ever lived.
If Joshua can find the crystal, he might find his mother — and stop a massacring blood-seeker from rising. But that involves not fighting with his father long enough to hold off adversaries both human and supernatural.
It might just be more than one mage can handle.
(There’s also a nifty book trailer). 
So what’s the deal with this “Pubslush?”
If you’ve never heard of Pubslush, you’re not alone. I hadn’t heard of it either until I started looking into crowdfunding options for my book. Basically, it’s like Kickstarter, but for literary projects. Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform where people ask for help financing various endeavors. If enough awesome people donate, the project moves forward. All the donators have to do is select their rewards along with their pledge amount.
On Pubslush, if your project doesn’t raise at least $500, or there are no donations in the first two weeks, the project doesn’t go forward. Anyone who did make donations gets their money back (but alas, no rewards).
This Pubslush campaign is to get my urban fantasy into e-book format. You have only one month (until October 30th) to support The Age of Mages and earn cool rewards!
What are your Pubslush rewards?
Yes, about the rewards . . . in addition to getting a copy of The Age of Mages if the campaign is a success, my reward levels contain goodies like a mention in the dedication, social media promotion for your book or business, and newsletter sign up. But best of all are the heavily-discounted manuscript critiques.
Many writers (and aspiring writers) already know what professional critiques are, but if not, no worries. They’re just something similar to what an editor might do to tighten up your manuscript (but are not the same as copyediting or proofreading). Critiques address plot, structure, characterization, and the like—what I call “big picture issues.”
Since I’ve been a full-time freelance writer for almost five years, I can offer something beyond what you get via reviews by friends, family, and beta readers. Not that those folks aren’t awesome, of course. But if you’re looking to take your manuscript to the next level, you need to go pro.
Support The Age of Mages today!
Anyway, if you have any questions, just leave me a comment at the bottom of this post. Feel free to let everyone know about it (that’s what the helpful share buttons below are for). Otherwise, click here to donate to The Age of Mages campaign and be a part of the magic.
And if you do, thank you, thank you, thank you!