Isn’t this just begging people for money? I hear some folks ask. Well, no. This isn’t GoFundMe or a charity. Kickstarter is a platform for bringing creative projects to life – things like art, music, and BOOKS!

It’s a way for people to directly support the creator and get extra-cool stuff as rewards into the bargain. Here are the projects I’ve been able to create this year, thanks to supporters on Kickstarter:

MARCH – Into the Darkwood hardcover omnibus. Kickstarter backers got this 700 page hardcover months in advance of retailer release, plus a free digital short story, plus a collection of fairytale retellings (Mermaid Song), plus I donated a percentage of the proceeds to Ukraine, plus my husband and I recorded a special fiddle & guitar performance video just for Kickstarter supporters.

JUNE – The Perfect Perfume & Other Tales short story collection paperback. Kickstarter backers got the book months in advance of retailer release, plus all supporters got their names included on Thank-you pages in the back of the book, plus an exclusive digital collection of short stories, plus a bonus expanded story from the book, plus Steampunk-themed coloring pages.

All the rewards were included with the price of the book. Think of supporting a Kickstarter as preordering a book, putting extra money in the author’s pocket, AND getting extra goodies. Everybody wins!