It has been a rough April! I have spent more time at our nonprofit’s CEO’s house, taking care of his kids while he was doing some exploratory work for us in Portugal. There are some wonderful updates coming from that trip, and we will be sure to post them here on Substack, as well as in our own monthly newsletter for those who subscribe to that via our website. Please consider subscribing to The Asylum Project’s substack for information about the state of legislation within the country, as it relates to the Pride, BIPoC, and Disabled communities; tips for safety both online and at rallies and protests; information about expatriating; and stories of those who have or have had to make that difficult decision. Subscribe at https://theasylumproject.substack.com.
Now! On to exciting things with A World Reborn: Book 1 of The Hearthlight Cycle!
As of writing this newsletter, I am approximately half- to two-thirds of the way through my novel! I have a hard stop of 42 chapters (excluding prologue and epilogue), and a hard stop of 300,000 words (including prologue and epilogue, but excluding the glossary). Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan, I am not (but I aspire to be!). Anything longer than 300,000 words will encroach into their territory and, although I like to tout myself as a “child” of an unholy union of Tolkien, Jordan, and Pratchett (for this series, anyway), I also understand that 42 chapters or 300,000 words is intimidating! I know Mr. Sanderson just posted a video, recently, about his newest book being about 1300 pages, and my first thought was, “Sir. That is a textbook.”
I would like to avoid doing that as I am but a humble, newbie author.
What I am doing, however, is offering you the opportunity to purchase chapters! It is something I am testing to see if there is interest. These are raw, unedited chapters in PDF-format that I must manually send to you once payments have cleared. Below is my current marketing pitch:
✨ A World Reborn is available to read — but not for long.
A world crashes into existence. A fire-born stranger finds himself far from home. Seven beings rise from ash and ember, and a name is spoken by the stars themselves: Aestraea.
This is where it begins.
A World Reborn is a fantasy saga of rebirth, belonging, and the slow, sacred work of building something worth keeping. If you love rich worldbuilding, found family, and characters who feel achingly real — this story is for you.
These chapter bundles are available only until the Kickstarter goes live. Once the campaign launches, this will be your last chance to grab them at these prices — so if you’ve been curious, now is the time.
🐉 Just want to dip a toe in? Chapter 1: The Dragon’s Lair — $2.50 Meet Asrin, the world he helped create without meaning to, and the tavern at the edge of everything. A perfect place to start.
📖 Ready to stay a while? Chapters 1–5 — $10 The full beginning. Grief, wonder, new faces, and the slow unraveling of what this world is becoming.
🗺️ Already hooked? Keep going. Chapters 6–10 — $10 The journey deepens. The road to Kairavija awaits, and not everyone traveling it is who they seem.
These bundles disappear when the Kickstarter drops. Get in before the stars reclaim them.
Pretty spiffy, huh?
I hear you ask, “But, Chrissy! Why not set it up as a download so you do not have to do extra work and can just write your novel!?”
Because Squarespace, where I would like to host my site, is $25/mo. Cardd.co, where I have my site, currently, is $20/year. I can afford one of those, right now.
You have read some excerpts here on Substack. Now is your chance to own raw, unedited chapters of this book! Book Goblins everywhere, rejoice! Come with me on this journey of life and find yourself along the way.
Until the Fires call us home.
Chrissy
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