There is a moment in the book where Donovan walks through the door of the Tavern at Map’s Edge and calls out into the empty room.
No one answers.
He wanders in, helps himself to the mead, and settles in to wait. The fire is going. The food is still on the spit. Someone has clearly been here and is clearly coming back. The place is warm and real and alive in a way that does not ask him to explain himself or account for where he has been. He just sits down.
That is, I think, the best description I have for what it felt like to build this world.
The hearth was already lit. All I had to do was sit down and write what I found there.
Something is coming to Map’s Edge. One week from today, on June 1, A World Reborn, Book One of The Hearthlight Cycle, launches on Kickstarter.
I have been writing this story for a long time. It is over 125,000 words and it is not finished yet. The world of Aestraea is old and strange and full of things I am still discovering. But the campaign is built, the pre-launch page is live, and I wanted the people who found their way here to be the first to know the door is about to open.
When it does, here is what is waiting on the other side:
Supporter ($5) — Your name in the acknowledgments and a digital Aestraea map wallpaper.
Digital Adventurer ($15) — The ebook of A World Reborn, the map wallpaper, and the acknowledgment.
Traveler ($30) — A signed paperback, the ebook, the map wallpaper, and an acknowledgment.
Hearthlight ($60) — A signed limited edition hardcover, the ebook, the map wallpaper, and an acknowledgment.
Proprietor ($100) — Everything above, plus your name woven into a minor character or location in Book Two.
Starbound ($250) — Everything above, plus a thirty-minute virtual chat with me.
Stretch goals will be announced between June 1 and June 3. There is more coming. Watch this space.
The funding goal is $5,500. It covers cover art, editing, and production — everything it takes to bring Aestraea into the world the way it deserves.
If you have been reading along, this is for you. If you just found your way in, pull up a stool. The food is probably still hot.
Follow the campaign here, and you will be notified the moment it goes live.
Until the Fires call us home.
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