The final Godsverse Chronicles campaign ends soon!!!
almost 2 years ago
– Fri, Jun 03, 2022 at 05:30:36 PM
Hi!
The final Godsverse Chronicles Kickstarter is about to end, and this is your last chance to pick up these awesome Kickstarter exclusive covers, including FOUR NEW NOVELS and a stand alone novella.
Kickstarter link
These new books slot into the universe before And Death Followed Behind Her, and each book leads closer and closer to the inevitable Apocalypse of 2020 with every new installment, from the events of Black Market Heroine in 1985, and novelized inside the pages of And Magic Followed Behind Her, through the Elysian Civil War of 2015 in And Heaven Followed Behind Them, until the eventual Apocalypse of 2020 in And Death Followed Behind Her.
These new books are tightly concentrated on building out the universe BEFORE the Apocalypse, with And Death Followed Behind Her being the waypoint where all the books pointed.
Here is the new, definitive reading order for the books. As you can see, these five new books slot in BEFORE And Death Followed Behind Her, and tell five stories leading up to the Apocalypse at the start of that book.
Since the early days of The Godsverse Chronicles, And Death Followed Behind Her has been book #1 of the series, but with the release of these final books, the reading order will change, and the new book #1 will be And Magic Followed Behind Her (with And Change Followed Behind Her being a book #0 prequel novella).
I love And Death Followed Behind Her, but it's a sweeping epic of a book that starts in the Apocalypse, then moves 10,000 years into the future, spanning multiple planets, universes, and galaxies.
People who've read that book love it, but it's hard to describe in one sentence, which makes finding new fans...a bit of a challenge. Some people who pick up the book think it's a horror book, while others think of it as space fantasy, and still others...well, it's all over the place.
I wanted people to know from the jump that this is a portal fantasy series filled with monsters, magic, and mythology. Hence, the reason I wrote these new books.
What I've learned is that you can get pretty crazy in a series, but you shouldn't start that way. The first Dresden Files book is a pretty normal urban fantasy book. It's not until much later in the series that he rides a dinosaur through downtown.
And Death Followed Behind Her is my Dead Beats (Dresden Files #7), where it gets really bonkers, while And Magic Followed Behind Her is my Storm Front (Dresden Files #1). They are both awesome books, but now you ease your way into the craziness a bit more.
Plus, every book is still a standalone adventure, so they CAN be read in any order, but this is the one I suggest.
Whether you've been a huge fan of the series since the beginning, or are just learning about The Godsverse Chronicles right now, there's something for you in these new books.
Kickstarter link
What's new in these editions?
- Every ebook and print book now comes with a planet guide and timeline, as you can see above. Now, you can keep track of your place in the Godsverse as you bounce around the universe.
- TWELVE all-new audio commentaries, which you can get through the digital tiers from $5-$110, or NOW you can choose either audio commentary OR ebook when you buy any of our new and improved, special edition Kickstarter books.
- All books have been reproofed for an even better reading experience.
- All books are now numbered in SERIES ORDER, from 0-11, on the front cover, spine, and inside. I know you have been asking for a long time for this one.
PLUS, everyone who pledges $100+ for physical books will receive a full-color, trifold pamphlet of the timeline and the planet chart. I never plan to offer these again and they are just so very pretty, designed by Milestone Initiative winner and Cthulhu is Hard to Spell contributor Andrea Rosales.
Kickstarter link
I hope you'll join me again behind the backer wall as we celebrate the end of the biggest series I've ever worked on.
-Russell
The final Godsverse Chronicles Kickstarter is live right now!
almost 2 years ago
– Sat, May 21, 2022 at 01:07:12 AM
Hi!
The final Godsverse Chronicles Kickstarter is live right now, and we're rocking and rolling.
Kickstarter link
Katrina Hates the Dead, Pixie Dust, Black Market Heroine, and all of the book covers above are part of my epic Godsverse Chronicles portal fantasy universe.
I've been working on this series since 2011, and I love it so much. I can't believe it's ending this campaign, but I'm so proud of what we've done with this series.
Are you obsessed with mythology?
Are you gaga for monsters?
Do you love exploring new fictional worlds?
Then you'll love my twelve book portal fantasy series, The Godsverse Chronicles (covers and reading order listed in the image above).
Portal fantasy is my absolutely FAVORITE genre of fiction, whether it's The Wizard of Oz, Alice In Wonderland, The Magicians, His Dark Materials, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe The Hazel Wood, Caraval, Ten Thousand Doors of January, Peter Pan, Coraline, or literally any other book about characters traveling to different places, worlds, realities, they are my jam.
If it has portals, then I'm there, and the Godsverse Chronicles has just about every portal story you can imagine.
Across the twelve books of the series, the main characters of the Godsverse travel to Heaven, Hell, Mount Olympus, Valhalla, other dimensions, different planets, time, space, and reality on their adventures across Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, and Judeo-Christian mythology.
This campaign features FOUR new portal fantasy novels, including And Magic Followed Behind Her, And Evil Followed Behind Her, And Time Followed Behind Her, and And Heaven Followed Behind Them, and a prequel novella which comes included in every pledge.
Kickstarter link
What's new in these editions?
- Every ebook and print book now comes with a planet guide and timeline, as you can see above. Now, you can keep track of your place in the Godsverse as you bounce around the universe.
- TWELVE all-new audio commentaries, which you can get through the digital tiers from $5-$110, or NOW you can choose either audio commentary OR ebook when you buy any of our new and improved, special edition Kickstarter books.
- All books have been reproofed for an even better reading experience.
- All books are now numbered in SERIES ORDER, from 0-11, on the front cover, spine, and inside. I know you have been asking for a long time for this one.
PLUS, everyone who backs between May 19th and our original launch date of May 23rd will receive pre-early bird perks the likes of which you have never seen before.
All physical backers will receive a 5" x 7" print of Katrina, surrounded by zombies, scowling her trademark scowl, along with all digital rewards listed below.
All digital and physical backers will receive a digital wallpaper of the print, along with digital copies of Guild of Tokens by John Auerbach and Mark of the Breenan by Emma Shelford.
Kickstarter link
I hope you'll join me again behind the backer wall as we celebrate the end of the biggest series I've ever worked on.
-Russell
LAST DAYS of the Cthulhu is Hard to Spell Kickstarter campaign!
about 2 years ago
– Sat, Mar 26, 2022 at 11:40:13 PM
There are only a few days left to back the Cthulhu is Hard to Spell: Battle Royale Kickstarter campaign!
Kickstarter link
This is already our second most successful campaign EVER and we're gunning to make this #1 before it ends.
Cthulhu is back, and this time heroes of legends will team up to send him and the old gods back into the void of oblivion where they belong...but these immortal deities of chaos and disorder will not go easy.
The third and final volume, Cthulhu is Hard to Spell: Battle Royale. features stories by Trina Robbins (the first woman to draw Wonder Woman) David Pepose (Scout's Honor), Christian Gossett (The Red Star), and a fantastic cover by Aaron Alexovich (Invader Zim), among many fabulous writers and artists.
In total, over 75+ creators contributed 34 incredible stories to this third 180-page hardcover collection, and the results are pretty mind-blowing.
Plus, you get a metric ton of free digital books when you back the campaign right now.
Kickstarter link
I have never, ever, ever, ever, ever offered this many books in the final weeks of my campaign before, so if you've been sitting on the fence you can get the best bundle I've ever put together for the end weeks in any campaign.
Everyone who backs by 4/3 will receive digital copies of Lands of Toons #1-5 by Kevin Chilcoat, Andrew Morrice, and Hayley Russell, Soccer by Nathan Lueth and Russell Nohelty, Baby #1 by George O'Connor and Griffin Ess, Ichabod Jones: Monster Hunter #1 by Russell Nohelty and Renzo Podesta, Voodoo Nations #1 by Travis Gibb, Brian Dawson, Luke Stone, Alan Emmanuel, Jerome Gagnon, Andrea Lorenzo Molinari, Heather Gibb, Sebastian Piccione, Elias Melendez, Ryan Shimek and Karl Moline, Katrina Hates the Dead #1 by Russell Nohelty, Juan Frigeri, Thomas Bacon, and Bernie Lee, Boston Metaphysical Society #1 by Madeleine Holly-Rosing, Emily Hu, Gloria Caelie, Fahriza Kamaputra, and Troy Peteri, Impure Blood #1 by Nadja Baer and Nathan Lueth, Goth Ghost Girl #1 by John Schlim Jr. Sergio Quijada, and Bernardo Brice, Ah Heck! #1 by Mary Bellamy, Night Wolf #1 by Robert Multari, Oscar Choquecota Ale, Carlos Herrara, and Ryan Rotuna, Surrounded by Death #1-#2 by Mark Elliott, Johnny C, Joe Martinez, Eugen Betivu, Brenton Barnes, and Mark Alvarado, Rancidville #1 by John Edingfield II, Conceptual Heist #1 by Jay D'Ici, Matt G. Gagnon, Ateliermuse, Shawn Baichoo, Kris Rix, and Kelly Tindall, Galaxafreaks: Dark Vibes #1 by Andrew Pawley, Gage and the Dragon's Tear #1 by Patrick Kellner, Donny Hadiwidjaja, Bruan Valenza, Ed Dukeshire, Marta Tanrikulu, and Randy Michaels, Gone by Simon Birks, Juan Fleites, and Lyndon White, Infinity Agents #1 by Schlim, Cotejar, Munake, and Jones, The Lonely Giant by Jana Hoffman, The Turners in Night Terrors: The Villains by Robert Krisch and Aleksandar Bozic Ske, Ungodly Champion #1 by Shane Morrison, Diego Vidal, Shaun Barbour, Michael Woods, and Chuck Pineau, The Wildcard Chronicles #1 by McAdams, McClaine, Tang, and Cakra, Woohooligan vol. 1 by Samuel Isaac Dealey, Xtreme Champion Tournament #1 by Shaun Paulet, Brendan Halyday, Jerry Gaylord, Alex Sollazzo, Optci Pop, Gabriel Cassatta, Jason Franks, Louie Joyce, and Chris Copeland, Death & Comics: Reincarnation #1 by Randy Stone, Gavid Guidry, Maddy Wahl, Christian Dibari, Jenn St. Onge, Matthew Dunn, Erin Kobo, Aditya Bidikar, Reilly Stone, Waylon Stone, Tayler Stauft, Maddy Wahl, Chris Piers, Elligh Wright, and D.C. Stuelpner, and a print by Claire Leslie.
Plus, for the first time ever we have an extra perk for all returning backers. Since you've backed one of our previous campaigns, you will receive one of these 3" Cthulhu stickers. We've never done this before, but we wanted to show how much we appreciate your support.
Kickstarter link
I hope to see you behind the backer wall once again. Thank you so much for all your support!
-Russell
Cthulhu is Hard to Spell: Battle Royale is live on Kickstarter!
about 2 years ago
– Wed, Feb 23, 2022 at 10:35:05 AM
Cthulhu is Hard to Spell: Battle Royale is live on Kickstarter!
Kickstarter link
Cthulhu is back, and this time heroes of legends will team up to send him and the old gods back into the void of oblivion where they belong...but these immortal deities of chaos and disorder will not go easy.
The third and final volume, Cthulhu is Hard to Spell: Battle Royale. features stories by Trina Robbins (the first woman to draw Wonder Woman) David Pepose (Scout's Honor), Christian Gossett (The Red Star), and a fantastic cover by Aaron Alexovich (Invader Zim), among many fabulous writers and artists.
In total, over 75+ creators contributed 34 incredible stories to this third 180-page hardcover collection, and the results are pretty mind-blowing.
Plus, the first anthology is a 176-page hardcover collection featuring 35 amazing stories from 70 more creators, featuring stories by Lea Hernandez (Teen Titans Go) and Megan Hutchinson (Will o' the Wisp).
There are a total of 107 full-color comic stories in this anthology series, comprising over 500 pages of Lovecraftian goodness!
Stories range from cute to scary and funny to poignant, and feature creators who have worked on books from Marvel, DC, Image, Oni, Dark Horse and more, along with brands from Invader Zim to My Little Pony, and everything in between.
We blew past two early bird bonuses and are close to unlocking a whole new batch of books from contributors.
Notification link
That means everyone who backs by Sunday, 2/27 will receive digital copies of Binary Star volume 1 by Jamie Primack, Run for Your Lives #1 by Kevin Chilcoat, Ryan Schulz, Kyle Strahm, Mark Englert, crank!, and Brian Chilcoat, Dusk County Chronicles #1 byJoel Rodriguez, Roman Gubskii, Angrea Lorenzo Molinari, Ryan M. Kincaid, and Riccardo Faccini, Fangs and Foul Play #0 by L.K. Ingino, Alex Guenther, Ilaria Fella, Joel Rodriguez, and Chuck Pineau and Hunter Black volume 1 by Justin Peniston, William Orr, and Jacob Bascle, plus an awesome Bayoleth Instagram print by Erik Lervold, an amazing Mind Trap print by Donny Wadiwidjaja, and a sweet Faust print by Claire Leslie, all from stories inside Battle Royale
Plus, If we hit $15,000 by 2/27., then everyone who backs by then will receive digital copies of The Hunchback of Theological Quadrant 19 by Timothy Fling, Erwin J. Arroza, Matias Zanetti, Luis Santamarina, and Matthew Moiss, Broke Down and 4 Dead Bodies #1 by Travis Gibb, Feliz Novara, James Sims, Jerome Gagnon, Davi Comodo, and Heather Gibb, Pen and Ink volume 1 by Dee Parson, and a second awesome Faust print by Claire Leslie from inside the pages of Battle Royale.
That's already a ton, but I really want to hit that number today, so if we get to $15,000 by tonight, then I will include five digital issues of contributors Kevin Chilcoat, Hayley Russell, and Andrew Morrice's Lands of Toons, the main characters of which appear inside the pages of Cthulhu is Hard to Spell: Battle Royale.
Notification link
I already know some of you love this book, and I can't wait to share it with everyone who helps us get over the hump today.
Plus, for the first time ever we have an extra perk for all returning backers. Since you've backed one of our previous campaigns, you will receive one of these 3" Cthulhu stickers. We've never done this before, but we wanted to show how much we appreciate your support.
Notification link
I hope to see you behind the backer wall once again. Thank you so much for all your support!
-Russell
The Dragon Strife trilogy is Live!
over 2 years ago
– Thu, Jan 06, 2022 at 07:07:14 AM
Hi!
Happy New Year!!!! I'm so excited for 2022, and the slate of projects we have coming up. This year will see the end of The Godsverse Chronicles, the fourth and final volume of Ichabod Jones: Monster Hunter, and the final book in the Cthulhu is Hard to Spell anthology trilogy, along with the long delayed release of my book Anna and the Dark Place.
Yes, this is a year of completing series, but before we get to any of those, I have released a new series on Kickstarter called Dragon Strife. It's a trilogy of books about dragons.
Kickstarter link
Are you in love with epic fantasy?
Do you swoon for dragons?
Do you love getting lost in elaborate worlds?
Then you'll love the Dragon Strife trilogy.
Gilda will die today.
She has lived her whole life for one purpose—to be sacrificed to the great dragon lord, Ewig. And now, when the sun falls over the horizon, the time will come to fulfill her duty and walk to her death.
It was a fine life, but a lonely one.
As payment for her service, the City Council bestowed her with riches, allowed her to live in the lap of luxury, and fed her the finest food. She never knew hunger or strife, even when others worked themselves to the bone and suffered starvation.
The others always resented her for that, but they never knew her pain. Theirs was a hard life, but at least they got to live it. Gilda never had that choice. She would not live to see adulthood. She would never be married or have children.
All that remained of her brief existence was to walk up the lonely volcano to the dragon’s keep with honor, even though nobody treated her with any during her life.
Join her as she lives the last hours of her life, and find out what happens once she enters the dragon’s cavern and everything changes; for her life, for her town, and for the world.
This campaign is for all three books in the trilogy, which is 100% complete and ready to print once the campaign is over.
Everyone who backs in the first week of the campaign will receive digital copies of Born of Magic by Jack Holder, Of Dreams and Dragons by Karpov Kincade, The Herebey Dragons by Simon Birks, Eda Cagil Caglarirmak, and Lyndon White, and Wildskies book 1 by Melissa Hudson.
Below, you can find the first chapter of the book, along with a picture of the special print we're doing for this campaign.
Kickstarter link
Today, I will die.
This wasn’t a surprise to me. I had been preparing for it my whole life, but I never thought it would come until it crashed upon me this morning like a suffocating wave. Fifteen years on this Earth seemed like so much time, but now I realized how little of my life as a ceremonial sacrifice afforded me.
I was always an early bird. I woke with the sun, ready for the start of a new day. However, when the tender kiss of light touched my eyes on my final morning alive, I shut them tighter and pulled my sheets over my head. If I didn’t face the day, then perhaps my death would never come.
I trained for this since I was a small child, but there is no amount of preparation that readied you for being swallowed by a dragon; its horrible, jagged teeth ripping through the white dress Sister Milka sewed special for the occasion and tearing your flesh as it gnashed against your virgin body.
Somebody softly knocked on the door to my room. “Gilda, we need to get started. Today is a big day.”
Sacrifices were given every privilege. We wanted for nothing in our short lives, and after our deaths, those we loved were taken care of for the rest of their days. It was what the villagers bestowed upon us to assuage their guilt, and it was a small price to pay compared to the one we paid.
We were the salvation of the village, after all. It was only because of our noble sacrifice that the great dragon lord Ewig stayed satiated in his cave inside the volcano that loomed above us and didn’t sweep down to destroy us.
That was the pact, cemented in blood a hundred years ago. Every five years, one of us must willingly walk to our deaths, and in return, the great dragon would watch over our village, and prevent the great volcano that loomed over us from erupting, burying our village under its magma.
It was a great honor to be chosen as the sacrificial lamb. That was what the line they told me at least, but today it certainly didn’t seem like an honor. It seemed like I was raised like a lamb for slaughter, provided every luxury to die at the right moment.
“Coming!” I said after a long pause. Sister Milka was a harsh and unforgiving mistress, and would not accept anything but perfection today, on my last day of life. Every day of my life she watched over me, training me to die well. Even now, at the end, she would not take her foot off my neck. Especially now, with so much on the line, with the prosperity of our town riding on the spillage of my blood before the clock struck midnight tonight.
I slipped my sandals on my feet and rose to stand. Before I answered the door, I spun and made my bed, as I was trained to do; the first sign of an uncluttered mind was a perfectly made bed. It was the least we could do to show how much we appreciated all we were given.
As I pulled the corner of the bed taut, I thought about not tucking in the final edge as a little sign of rebellion. However, when I tried to leave it mussed, pangs of guilt washed over me, until they were so overwhelming that, with shaking hands, I forced the last edge of my blanket in tightly.
Once I was dead, my house would become a museum, and my room a shrine, preserved exactly how I left it, and I didn’t want my mother to have to explain that her perfect daughter died a slob. Why do I care what people think of me after my death?
With the bed made, I walked to the door and placed my hand on the knob. The minute I opened it, the machinations of my last hours, those that I trained for my whole life, would wash over me one after another.
“It’s time to open this door, missy.”
I closed my eyes and felt my breath against my chest, rising and lowering in slow, rhythmic time with the beating of my heart. They were small gestures, in the grand scheme, but right now, they were everything, and soon, much too soon, they would fall fallow and motionless forever.
What would happen after I took my final breath? According to the church, I would rise up into the sky and take my place among the stars, but what did they know? The gods were long dead, and the dragons that remained had none of their love of humanity.
Banging came from the other side of the door, and Sister Milka’s shrill voice cut through the air. “That’s quite enough of this dawdling, Gilda! Open the door this instant.”
Her shouting pulled me out of my calm, and I turned the doorknob. She exploded into the room, her trim frame and long face cutting an imposing image against the harsh light that fell into the room. She was not a big woman, but her presence filled my small room like none other.
“Good morning, mistress,” I said, bowing my head to avoid her gaze. You never looked the nuns in the eyes.
She didn’t answer for a long moment, busying herself with checking my room, inspecting my bed, and running her fingers across the top of my dresser, looking for dust. She rubbed her fingers together and gave a small nod. “I see your mother took this cleaning seriously.”
I nodded to her, keeping my eyes turned to the ground. “Of course, mistress. She scrubbed all day and into the evening.”
Sister Milka not only ran the monastery and school in town, but personally looked over all of us chosen for sacrifice, of which there were three at any time. It was a job she took seriously and had since taking her vows fifty years ago.
“Well, let me get a look at you,” she said. “Stand up straight.”
It was crucial that I not have a flaw or imperfection on my naked body, and for fifteen years I can’t remember a time when I lifted a finger in manual labor. My mother made all my meals, or a member of the community would deliver it, and everything else was taken care of so I could keep myself flawless for my date with Ewig.
I dropped my nightgown to the floor and endured the intense gaze of Sister Milka as she examined every inch of me. Two years ago, I judged a livestock competition, and she looked at me like the other judges looked at the cattle on display, trying to decide which one would give the best meat.
“You need to shave every inch of you, except your hair,” she said. “We do not want the great dragon lord to get a hairball now, do we?”
I shook my head. “No, mistress.”
“Good, good.” She placed her hands under my breasts, and then pinched the sides of my waist. “You have put on decent weight in the past year, my dear. Yes, I think the dragon lord will be most impressed with you.” Then she moved her
hand to my face, and brushed her hand along my cheek. “You are truly one of my greatest girls. I am so proud of what you have become.”
A compliment? She never gave me a compliment before. She had nothing but bitter, terse words for me, that stuck into my gut with pain and tore at my mind.
“T-thank you, mistress.”
She moved her hand to my chin and pulled it up to meet her eyes, a great honor she afforded very few. “No, thank you, my dear. The sacrifice you make tonight is a greater burden than any child should bear.”
Tears filled my eyes as I stared into Sister Milka’s face. Her eyes were a cold, dark brown, and even though her words were kind, her face was sharp, and her voice terse, taking much of the tenderness from them.
“No need for that.” Sister Milka pulled her hand from my face and slid a white handkerchief from her pocket. “This is a happy occasion, after all. Your sacrifice will save us all. There is no greater gift. Now, clean yourself up, and I will draw your bath.”
That's just the beginning of the story. I hope you'll join us behind the backer wall, and you can read a few more chapters by clicking here.
Plus, if you back you'll get a ton of awesome extra books.
Everyone who backs in the first week of the campaign will receive digital copies of Born of Magic by Jack Holder, Of Dreams and Dragons by Karpov Kincade, The Herebey Dragons by Simon Birks, Eda Cagil Caglarirmak, and Lyndon White, and Wildskies book 1 by Melissa Hudson.
And and and and and you can pick up the below 5" x 7" postcard print by backing @ the $22 or $75+ physicial pledge levels.
Let's kick this year off right and fill it with magic and dragons.
Kickstarter link
