Minerva Cerridwen's Blog, page 6

We did it!

With the minimum goal doubled, the Audiobook Kickstarter has ended successfully last night! Thank you all so much for your support!

I’ll keep you all updated here on the progress, of course. For now, you can read the newest update on the project here, from Atthis Arts.

Thank you and have a wonderful day! I hope you can feel our celebratory vibes all over the world.

Minerva

5 hours left!

The full set of count-down dragons is counting down the hours with us! It’s almost like New Year’s Eve came early. To see them all in detail, you can check Instagram.

There are now exactly 5 hours left in the Kickstarter for the audiobook of The Dragon of Ynys, narrated by Ryan H. Reid. It will end on December 16 2021 2:00 AM CET. So if you’d like to preorder a copy of a full fairy tale audiobook with an aro ace main character, trans and lesbian side characters, a dragon, and a message of acceptance for as little as $1, best be fast!

Or just enjoy the silly dragons, of course! ^^

Thank you for being here!

How It Started

With almost $3000 on the counter (which would be a magical number to push us forward in the algorithms and general perception!), we’ve got a new update from narrator Ryan H. Reid where he is getting started on the audiobook. Ever wondered what the absolute essentials are to create an audiobook? Discover it in the new video!

At the time I write this, there are 64 hours left to preorder your The Dragon of Ynys audiobook on a “pay what you can” basis, starting from $1. And yes, offering just $1 is absolutely a legit option that helps us forward! We can’t express our thanks enough to everyone who is making this project possible and who helps us move towards the best possible quality.

The Countdown Dragons (or afteldraakjes) have all gotten their own micro-poem by E.D.E. Bell – you can see the whole thread of dragon drawings and poetry here on Twitter.

This was the latest little dragon, with 3 days to go:

If you want to know what the Dragon of Two will look like, check the thread or my Instagram this evening (European time). Feel free to show them, and of course our Kickstarter, to all your friends!

Wishing you a very nice day with delicious tea (if you like tea),

Minerva

A Project We Love – Fully Funded!

Things are moving so fast I can’t even keep up blogging about them – and I can only be very grateful for that!

We have (already!) reached the point where we can proudly say that the audiobook of The Dragon of Ynys will definitely be made. This is absolutely amazing! A big thank you to all the wonderful people who want to support us and our project. And to Kickstarter, for making us a “Project We Love” and featuring us on the main page as a “Fresh Favorite”.

Now what’s next? Well, for starters, you can still pledge to grab your own copy of the audiobook (and perhaps the ebook, paperback, or limited edition hardcover!) on the same Kickstarter page, with audiobooks starting at $1, in the next 8 days. You can even see yourself in a story in the universe of Ynys, if you select the Rainbow Catcher, or get a new story written especially for you if you select the Wish Fairy level. Moving beyond our funding goal allows us to improve the quality of the hardcover, increase the amount of new material, and of course supports Atthis Arts, which has been going through a rough time as a small publishing business – and believe me, they deserve a boost. As there are so many improvements that could be done, we don’t have any set stretch goals as yet, but of course, if we really go way beyond the goal, who knows what we’ll come up with…

For now, I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I think I speak for almost every writer when I say that getting an audiobook made of your work is a dream come true. It’s so magical to know that people who wouldn’t get to read the book in its current form will get access to it.

If you’d like to see something silly but fun, I’m making countdown dragons on Instagram: number-shaped dragons who will guide us through the Kickstarter campaign.

Again, thank you, and please keep sharing the news about the audiobook to everyone you think might be interested!

Hugs,

Minerva

What an Actual Dragon Sounds Like

Everyone!!! Our Kickstarter is live!!!

I am SO excited that everyone is finally getting to hear Ryan’s introduction video. And of course, that’s only the beginning! Hearing this, can you imagine how awesome the finished product will be?!

So… It’s real now. In the next 10 days, you can help the Kickstarter reach its minimum goal and make our The Dragon of Ynys audiobook see the light of day. Yes, the campaign is only on for ten days – so don’t wait too long! If money is tight, you can get yourself the audiobook and ebook for as little as $1. This Kickstarter works on a “pay what you can” basis. Of course, if possible, you are most welcome to give more, with recommended prices being indicated in the Pledge descriptions on the right of the page. There will also be a limited edition, one-run-only, hardcover edition of The Dragon of Ynys! This reward level starts at $100 and the hardcover edition will include exclusive content – unseen material which, in turn, you can also get as a digital add-on starting from $5. So… We think there’s something for everyone who likes to spend a little time in Ynys. Please do spread the word about this to all of your friends (and foes – they can probably use a little extra message of acceptance, or they wouldn’t be your foes, right?). I really, really hope we’ll make it – I can’t wait to listen to more of Ryan’s narration!

Click here to open the Kickstarter!

Did you never hear about my queer fairy tale novella The Dragon of Ynys before? Read more info about it here!

Thank you so much for your support!

Lots of love,

Minerva

 

Skulls & Spells Interview

In the newest update, the awesome Skulls & Spells patches are being shown off and you can read a short interview with LS Reinholt and me about queer horror and narratives that are important to us. Check it out here!

I’d also like to remind you that you can click “notify me on launch” on this page to be alerted as soon as the Kickstarter launches for the The Dragon of Ynys audiobook on December 5. Giving us this click not only helps you remember when we’re going live, but also helps us become more visible on Kickstarter right away. Thank you so much for your support!

In the past week, the team behind the audiobook has been working to get everything ready for the campaign and I can tell you it’s going to be amazing. The teaser in the introduction video alone is going to be worth taking a peek once it’s up.

Have a great week!

Minerva

Is that a Dragon I hear?

No, not yet.

But it may be, soon.

With your help.

That’s right… The Dragon of Ynys will be made into an audiobook!!!

I can’t describe how exciting this is. Not only will we be able to hear the characters talk, but this also means that the book becomes more widely accessible. I can’t wait to see this happen!

Ryan H. Reid will be narrating the book. I’ve heard some voice samples and it’s going to sound absolutely amazing. Fellow fans of draconic voices, rejoice!

But to get to that point, Atthis Arts, Ryan, and I will need your help. Making an audiobook isn’t cheap, and as we all know, the past couple of years haven’t been kind to the publishing industry. So I would like to ask you to go to this Kickstarter page and click the green button saying “Notify me on launch”. Even if you’re not sure if you’ll end up supporting the Kickstarter itself, this will help us to make the campaign more visible.

The campaign will launch on December 5. Thank you so much for your support!

(No but. Listen. An actual audiobook!!! Of my story!!! Eep!)

Love,

Minerva

Dragon Biscuits!

Hello!

I have a feeling Snap will approve of this post’s title… Happy Publishiversary, Snap & co.!

That’s right – it’s already been a whole year since The Dragon of Ynys came out with Atthis Arts. If you’re new to my blog: welcome! You can read all about my queer fairy tale novella via this link!

Buy links: Publisher’s website – Smashwords – Amazon.com – Amazon.de – iBooks – Barnes & Noble – Kobo – Bookshop – Vrolijk.nu (NL) – Kartonnen Dozen (Belgium)

Add the book to your shelves: The StoryGraph – Goodreads

To celebrate the anniversary, I made real The Dragon of Ynys biscuits! I used a gingerbread recipe and Rainbow Crate’s rolling pin (which you can still find here). As it was the first time I made patterned biscuits, I still have some experimenting to do before every single sword, cupcake, and little dragon will be visible on the dough, but I already learned a lot as I went!

An unbaked biscuit with the Dragon of Ynys-pattern rolled into it.Baked biscuits, the rolling pin, and a copy of “The Dragon of Ynys”.

As you can see, my biscuits even include the spiders’ forest! (Yes, that is Minerva-speak for: “Look, there is a little tree!”)

And while you’re enjoying a biscuit, remember that the Dragoniversary story Lost in Ynys, by Ava Kelly and me, is still out there for the party.

Cheers, and thank you for being here!

Minerva

Release Day of Ink!

Hi!

The Ink anthology is out today and let me start by boasting about my awesome friends! Ink is the collection of 121 stories selected from Queer Sci Fi’s yearly flash fiction contest, and the first and second place went to no other than Ava Kelly and LS Reinholt, respectively! I’m so proud of them – and believe me, both these stories are brilliant. It was a well-deserved win for them both, so I’m glad the jury agreed! I’d also like to congratulate Emilia Agrafojo, who got the bronze medal with “Mixology”. I haven’t read this story yet, but I certainly look forward to it!

You can read all the announcements here: honorable mentions – judges’ choices – winners. Congratulations to all!

This also means that the anthology is now available for sale. There is even a hardcover available of this edition, aside from the ebook and paperback editions.

Here are some links where you can buy Ink: Amazon US – Amazon Deutschland – iBooks – Barnes & Noble – Kobo – Scribd – Thalia – Vivlio

You can also add this book to your shelves: Goodreads – The StoryGraph

And in this post you can read Queer Sci Fi’s own release announcement, with the full list of included stories as well as some story fragments (and a giveaway to celebrate the release): click.

And I’d almost forget to say: my story “Not Alone” is in this book too. Enjoy!

INK (NOUN)

Five definitions to inspire writers around the world and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell:

1) A colored fluid used for writing
2) The action of signing a deal
3) A black liquid ejected by squid
4) Publicity in the written media
5) A slang word for tattoos

Ink features 300-word speculative flash fiction stories from across the rainbow spectrum, from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.

 

Quick post-holiday update

Hello!

As I was away to be surrounded by the true fairy tale forests of Germany, I’m a little behind on sharing news and thought I’d do a quick update.

 

Rolling pins

Rainbow Crate’s The Dragon of Ynys fandom item from their April 2021 box, the adorable rolling pin with the dragons, cupcakes, swords, and hearts print, is now available via their website until stock runs out. Shipping from the US, you can find the link here.

 

Skulls & Spells

Queer horror anthology Skulls & Spells had a successful run on Kickstarter and is fully funded! Celebrations! It even reached two stretch goals. A big thank you to everyone who supported it!

 

Ink Anthology

The cover for Ink has been revealed here. The book will release on August 10, 2021 and you can preorder your copy via Amazon, Apple, and Kobo.

 

Paranatellonta

It’s August 1, so Fie and I just posted a new photo and story combination! It’s our 311th edition and this month marks the 8th anniversary of the project. Read the newest Paranatellonta here.

Thanks for reading! Have a great day.