I had a baby! Plus fulfillment update
over 2 years ago
– Tue, Nov 21, 2023 at 01:06:19 PM
Hi, everybody. I've been really quiet this past month. That's because I finally had my baby!
Newborns are a ton of work, but we love her so, so much. ❤
To be honest, I don't have much to share about Animal Magica v3 progress, because I've been taking a bit of a break. I've received several more stretch goal stories, so the book is getting ever closer to completion.
My plan is to get back to work on the final illustrations starting in December. But for now, I'm just enjoying a little maternity leave and time with my family.
Thank you for your patience. I appreciate you, and I hope you'll reach out to me if you have any questions!
-Tanya
We did it. Thank you!
over 2 years ago
– Sat, Oct 14, 2023 at 10:36:50 AM
I hardly know what to say.
Because of you, my 119 backers, we did it!
I knew it was a gamble to run a Kickstarter campaign while eight months pregnant. I knew I wouldn’t have the energy to do all the marketing and bonus Kickstarter stuff I did last time. I knew I would be so much more tired than usual and might even let people down.
But you didn’t let me fail. You didn’t let me fall. You made this a sparkling, blazing, roaring success!
Thank you to all the many people who’ve been involved in making Animal Magica Volume 3 a reality:
- The 30+ authors who have contributed beautiful, moving stories.
- My amazing editor, Joshua Essoe, who always encourages me and makes all the writers he works with look so good.
-
Wolpertinger, the anonymous donor whose generosity ensured we would reach our final stretch goal.
-
My parents who were a sounding board for me at many times while I made decisions about the campaign.
- My husband, Jacob, my loving best friend, who took over running the household on top of his full-time job so I could manage this campaign and get the rest I needed.
- My 119 backers who have made it possible and shown so much faith in me.
Thank you, thank you!
I will be in touch with you all. There are a lot of things to finalize for this book as I prepare to send it off to print. But for now, I’m going to have a little rest.
With love, from
Tanya
The BIG, final stretch goal (#4) is here! Introducing the Elite Team!
over 2 years ago
– Mon, Oct 09, 2023 at 08:34:00 PM
We did it! We made it to our fourth stretch goal!
I’m delighted for myself, you guys, and Nina, because we’ll be able to enjoy her delightful coloring pages together. She’s beyond happy knowing that so many people are going to enjoy her art. 😊
You will be able to download those bonus coloring pages through Backerkit after the campaign is over.
Which brings us to our next announcement….
Stretch Goal #4 is here!
I’m pulling out all the stops this time. This is the goal I’ve been looking forward to the most!
Introducing…
The Elite Team!
Last year, I had so many great authors who contributed stories to volume two. Some of them expressed interest in returning for volume 3 and have been especially supportive of my efforts to make the Animal Magica series a reality. I also loved their volume 2 stories so much, trust their flexibility as writers and their ability to write to a deadline and communicate well.
And that’s why I’m bringing back Mike Jack Stoumbos, Mark Leslie, Jessica Guernsey, Stace Johnson, Jacob Hales (yep, that’s my one true love ❤️), and Trisha J. Wooldridge!
I needed this Elite Team to perform a very specific task… to write the missing pieces of the climax and resolution for this book.
As you probably know by now, Animal Magica volume 3 follows a group of fantasy adventurers as they rebel against the Usurper King, a ruthless leader who is trying to steal the magic from the bonds people have formed with their animal companions. People all across the land are suffering their most important personal connections destroyed, and the characters in this book are determined to stop this false king and restore the magic. Their efforts culminate in a grand battle, which my Elite Team will be working together to write.
Six more stories. Six more illustrations. A battle that will determine the destiny of the Forty-Two Isles.
Can we reach this stretch goal in just a few remaining days? Let’s find out!
Please continue to share this campaign. Word of mouth is the best way to help this campaign succeed! Thank you to all of you who have recommended it to friends or shared it on social media already. You make all the difference!
Talk more soon!
-Tanya
Author Bios for the Elite Team:
Mike Jack Stoumbos is an author and educator, living with his wife, parrot, and puppy in Virginia. He is best known for his space opera novel series THIS FINE CREW and as a 1st-place Writers of the Future winner. His work appears in anthologies from Zombies Need Brains, WordFire Press, and Camden Park Press, among others. Mike Jack is the lead editor of WonderBird Press, whose first illustrated anthology, Murderbirds, released in April 2023. Mike Jack teaches writing craft classes for teens and writing habits workshops for emerging authors. You can find him at https://www.mikejackstoumbos.com/
Mark Leslie’s first short story appeared in print in 1992, the same year he started working in the book industry. He has published more than twenty-five books under this name that include thrillers and fiction, paranormal non-fiction, and anthologies. Under his full name he writes books to help authors navigate publishing.
His industry experience includes President of the Canadian Booksellers Association, Board Member of BookNet Canada, Director of Author Relations and Self-Publishing for Rakuten Kobo, Director of Business Development for Draft2Digital and Professional Advisor for Sheridan College’s Creative Writing and Publishing Honours Program.
Mark lives in Waterloo, Ontario and can be found online at www.markleslie.ca
Jessica Guernsey writes Fantasy and Sci-Fi short stories. With a degree in Journalism from BYU and a Masters in Publishing from WCU, her work is published in magazines and anthologies. By day, she crushes dreams as a slush pile reader for multiple publishers. During November’s NaNoWriMo, Jessica is a Municipal Liaison for the Utah::Elsewhere Region. Frequently, she can be found at writing conferences. She isn’t difficult to spot; just look for the extrovert.
While she spent her teenage angst in Texas, she now lives on a mountain in Utah with her family and a bossy mini schnauzer. Discover more stories at jessicaguernsey.com.
By day, Stace Johnson is a mild-mannered IT manager, but at night he transforms into a poet, writer, and musician. He has appeared at numerous science fiction and fantasy conventions as a panelist and parody singer. His written work has appeared recently in Animal Magica 2, Modern Magic, and Drabbledark II anthologies, and he is currently writing a novel in the Steve Jackson Games Car Wars universe for publication with Three Ravens Publishing. Learn more at his Linktree, https://linktr.ee/lytspeed.
Jacob Hales is a software engineer who sometimes pretends he's not by writing stories and doing art. He grew up in Oregon and now works from his home office in Utah. He enjoys spending time with his wife—the amazing and truly talented Tanya Hales—and saving his three kids from axolotl overpopulation disasters in Minecraft.
Trisha J. Wooldridge (child-friendly T.J. Wooldridge) is an award-winning pan-genre, pan-media chaos word witch. Find her in the Shirley Jackson Award-winning The Twisted Book of Shadows; several HWA Poetry Showcase volumes; all the NEHW anthologies (that she didn’t edit); and various anthologies and literary journals. Her current projects include The 27 Kingdoms epic fantasy series; Where Monsters Pray, a dark speculative fiction collection; and curating an anthology or two. She spends mystical “free time” with a very patient Husband-of-Awesome; a tiny witch and large witcher kitty pair; a rescued bay gelding; and a matronly calico mare. www.anovelfriend.com
Stretch Goal #3 Announcement! (This one is super cute)
over 2 years ago
– Fri, Oct 06, 2023 at 03:52:24 PM
I took my sweet time making this post, so thank you for your patience. I feel like I’m keeping up pretty well for being 36 weeks pregnant and feeling so tired that I start nodding off almost every time I sit down to work. 😅😂
Thank you for all your support that’s been keeping this campaign moving!
Several days ago, we knocked out our second stretch goal, meaning we’re getting new sticker designs! 🥳
Because we hit the goal, these stickers will be added for free to the order of anyone who has backed at a merch tier--meaning they have something other than books in their order--or who has a merch add-on such as stickers, pins, or a print.
Why don't the people who have ordered just the book get it? Because the margins on the book alone are slim, and I'm relying on being able to get it to you with media mail prices, and if I add the stickers to your order, it will no longer count as media mail. However, I've built the prices of the merch items so they will cover the additional cost of shipping non-media-mail. Thank you for understanding.
You are welcome to change your pledge or add additional items at any time, if you want. Reach out if you have questions about how that works.
Stretch Goal 3 🧜🏻♀️
For our next goal, I’m excited to announce that I’m collaborating with my daughter, Nina! 🤩
Some of you know about Nina. She’s eight years old. She’s incredibly creative and loves fantasy. She’s better at drawing than I was at her age.
This summer, she made her very own coloring book featuring twelve pages of mermaids and magical ocean creatures. I helped digitally edit and clean up the pages, but the art is all hers. It’s such a cute book! 💖
Nina told me she would like to offer these twelve pages as digital downloads for the third stretch goal. This means that if we reach $5,000, all of you will receive her pages to print at home!
I hope her coloring pages inspire your imagination just as much as my own do, and that they make the children in your life excited to create fun things as well. You’re never too young (or old!) to get started. 🥰
Other cool Kickstarter Campaigns
Looking for more cool projects on Kickstarter? Take a look at these campaigns!
"Paranormal Women's Fiction with magical cats, tiny dragons, and the ultimate power of self-acceptance. Women don't disappear after forty. They get more powerful."
"Murderbugs stories are inspired by real-world creepy crawlies but set in realms of science fiction and fantasy, with a healthy dose of humor and whimsy amongst the suspense and occasional horror."
I’m set to be a stretch goal illustrator for this one! If the campaign gets a few hundred more dollars, I’ll be able to make an awesome bug illustration for the book. And you guys probably know by now that I like bugs. 😊
Thanks for everything! You'll hear from me again soon.
-Tanya
