My Dearest Flames,
I am humbled by the support that has been shown to me since December, when I first put fingers to keyboard to clackity-clack away at what would become A World Reborn. Through every twist of phrase, turn of grammar, and intentionally misplaced modifier, you have been there to cheer me on. I am eternally grateful, and the Stars have truly blessed me. May your Fires always burn with the warmth you have shown me.
But, it is now that I must ask for your aid. There is only so much I, as the creator, can do. As much as I wish I could live within the fantasy world I created, I am tethered to the reality that exists, and that reality is harsh and cruel. My other job is as the Chief Operations Officer for a startup nonprofit called The Asylum Project. I mention this simply because when I am not immersed in the world of Aestraea, I am immersed in the Fires of Earth and U.S. politics, and those Fires, my Starlit Flames, burn ever so cold, they freeze the blood in my veins most days.
As I said, it is a startup nonprofit, meaning we are not yet funded. That means our mission: serving marginalized individuals by building tools and frameworks that will help them pursue legal relocation, access affirming care, and rebuild in safer countries, requires a lot of my time and dedication without compensation. I, like many of you, have bills to pay, including a mortgage, and I cannot do it without the capitalism that causes our society to shift ever more quickly into the dystopian futures of our comic book fantasies.
In other words, I need you to follow this Kickstarter. I need you to share it. To tell your friends, your co-workers, your book clubs, your churches, even your enemies, if you have to. I need you to help me spread the news of this brand-new fantasy world to the furthest reaches of our globe. The farther our reach, the more likely it is that I can complete and publish this series. I cannot publish without funding. I am not a grant writer, nor am I a nonprofit. I am a sole creator, happy to share a part of my soul with you. I just need a little help to get there.
Thank you for all you have done and all you will do. The Stars cannot bear our burdens, but they can light our paths, and I feel the Stars are lighting my path right now. I love you all.
Until the Fires call us home,
C.N. Mackey