Come on, Mama, Move into the 21st Century!

Ok. I'm finally doing it. This technologically ignorant 40-year-old mama is finally moving into the 21st century.

Grudgingly.

I admit that while I have many strong suits, anything remotely connected to technology just isn't one of them. I don't have a smart phone. It's a cheap, pre-paid little number that I don't even know how to enter the contacts in. I really just use it in case I break down while driving and to keep track of my kiddo when she's out. And honestly, most of the time I leave the house, I forget to bring it with me. Wanna know a secret? I hate texting. I'd rather just talk to you. Same with when I need customer service for something. I don't want to email some unknown person in the ethosphere, I want to talk to a real person. Even if they have an accent I can't understand.

I got a new TV two years ago, and I still don't know how to turn it off without hitting multiple buttons a bunch of times. So I usually just leave it on. I still have an old-fashioned answering machine, and I never have used the fax machine on my printer because I have no clue how to hook it up. When I was gifted an iPad last year, it took ages for me to figure out how to do even basic tasks on it. Except the games. That I figured out okay. But when I have to switch between the laptop and iPad for research and writing, I still catch myself poking my laptop screen, confused as to why it isn't working. Yeah, I know. I'm an idiot.

And that brings me to my recent move forward. In preparation for the upcoming release of my first novel and the Kickstarter campaign I'll be launching in a few weeks, I've had to re-evaluate my presence in the social media world. While I've actually had a Facebook account for a number of years, created back when most people still used MySpace, I still have less than 70 friends on my list. I also started my blog a couple of years ago, but didn't get too active on it. So now, I'm blogging more, and trying to increase my presence elsewhere.

And so, I created a Tumblr blog. I'm stumbling around the site like and elephant in wedges, but at least it's up and running. And I'm hoping it will improve over time. I'm also attempting to create a Facebook Author page, a Facebook Kickstarter page, and a Pinterest account. Next is Twitter, but that one makes my heart pound a little. I opened my account there years ago, and think I have one tweet. I tried to tweet a few times, but couldn't get it to post. Seriously, sometimes I feel like my 90 year old grandma trying out how to work the DVR box. It's embarrassing.

Lucky for me though, I have a teenager. So if I can pin her down long enough, perhaps I can coax her into helping me figure it out. If not, I'll keep plodding through on my own, grumbling and cursing under my breath. Eventually I'll get it. But at least I'm trying.

And my Kickstarter campaign is looking quite awesome, if I do say so myself. I'm even preparing to tape an introductory video. Fortunately, several people have offered to help with that, so I don't have to worry about figuring out how to work the camera. Thank God for small favors. Now, if I can just figure out how to use this Cloud thingy everyone's been talking about...

Kickstarter Campaign Intro

Yay!! I'm so excited to announce that I'll be launching a Kickstarter campaign in just a few weeks. If I get funded, it will allow me to finally finish my book this year and get it published. The book, Mystic Manor: Book One, The Door to Tangwyn, has been my baby for a number of years now. I'm so close to the finish line...I can see it right over there...

This post actually has a two-fold purpose. To explain the crowd funding process to those unfamiliar with it (in very simple, abbreviated terms), and to get some feedback about rewards for my backers.

To start, crowd funding is an amazing fairly new way for creative types to get financial backing they need, but otherwise couldn't get, to finish a creative project. Projects are typically art, music, film, gaming, photography, dance, play, book or other creative product. There are a handful of sites out there that assist in crowd funding, but Kickstarter is probably the best known, having successfully funded over 35,000 projects and raising over half a billion dollars in just four years. The coolest thing about Kickstarter, for me at least, is that it's not just someone standing there with their hand out. It's a give and take. An even exchange of energies, if you will. But more about that in a minute.

It works like this: A project creator creates their campaign and posts it on the site. There's generally an introductory video, then a detailed written piece about what the project is, where the money is going, any risks and challenges to completing the project that might come up, and the rewards! That's the best part, see. Backers can pledge any amount they wish, from $1 up, and that pledge amount will fall into a reward tier designed by the project creator. Many of these rewards are unusual and clever, and well worth the pledge itself. So in addition to making someone's dream come true, to being part of something special that in many cases goes on to be commercially successful and widely recognized, the backer also gets goodies related to the project. What more can you ask for? 

An important thing to understand is that if the project doesn't get fully funded, the creator gets nothing. When setting up the campaign, the creator picks a dollar amount they think is the least they'll be able to complete the project for (figuring in taxes, Kickstarter's 5% fee, and the cost of producing and shipping the rewards) and a specific time frame, usually 30, 45, or 60 days. They must raise the entire amount in that time frame, or they get nothing. No money changes hands. If they do raise it, then at the end of the campaign Kickstarter will take the funds from the backers electronically, depositing it into the creator's Amazon account. If the creator raises more than the pledge goal, they keep it. Most will update their campaigns with stretch goals. For example, if I raise $5000 over what I'm asking for, I'll be able to get every chapter of my book illustrated. The money gets used to make the project even better. 

That's the gist of it anyway. You should go on over to the Kickstarter site and poke around. You may find someone's dream you want to be a part of. And remember, as little as $1 lets you be a backer. Every little bit counts, and the thought and energy behind pledging even a little bit is a powerful force, almost like a prayer in my view, that that person's project be successful. You could change someone's life! (Of course, I'm hoping plenty of people will still feel like being a part of a creative project when my campaign goes online.) At the bottom of this post is the link to the Kickstarter home page. You can take a look at more detailed information and search through all the awesome campaigns currently trying to get funding. When my campaign goes live, I'll update with a link to my project. Go check it out. I'll even have three of the llustrations for the book up. Yippee!

So that brings me to the feedback I'd like. I already have most of the tiers worked out. 

Basically:

On the modest end: bumper stickers, decals, t-shirts 

Just up from there: signed copy of the book, personalized message in the autograph, named mention in the acknowlegements

A little more gets you: advanced copy of book, signed limited edition collector's copy, copies sent to schools or libraries of your choice

The Holy Cow! level: character named after you in Book Two or Three, having one of the characters in Book One bear your likeness (or a loved one, if you're out to give one of the most awesome gifts ever). 

There are a lot more, each attached to a dollar amount. But what I want to know is this, what do YOU think would be an awesome reward? If you were backing my project (even if you don't), what do you think would be a cool reward in exchange for backing my dream? Let me know in the comments. Be creative. I'll consider all ideas that are legal, moral, and humanly/financially possible. What say you, readers?

www.kickstarter.com/www.kickstarter.com/