As you probably know, my name is Woelf Dietrich and I’m the author of the dark fantasy novella, The Seals of Abgal and the inspirational short story, Bullies and Soggy Soup Bones. I also have stories in the flash fiction anthology, These Broken Worlds, from Kōsa Press. The collection seems to have been well received and even received a mention on Tor’s Aurora Australis. Kōsa Press is an indie label I co-founded last year and our flagship release “Interspecies” is due in a month’s time.
Oh, lest I forget, I’m also a member of the science fiction writer’s group, the Collective SF. We write stories in a universe where a God-Machine is creating life and recording it with the help of tethered slave-scribes, but something goes awry and real history gets mixed up with fairy tales and folklore, creating a completely new reality. Our slave-scribes have log entries to share their ordeals with readers and so far I’ve written three. You can read them here: Introducing Wifelier Docht, The Pit, and Skin-Deep.
I’ve done a strange thing. I’ve been thinking for a while now of getting my own Patreon page. An inability to pay bills and not finding enough time to write between caring for my three kids and frantically searching for odd jobs convinced me to try. So I compiled one, writing soberly about my intentions with the page, about my lack of time due to factors most of us struggle with, and my aim to complete all my projects this year if the page generates sufficient support. I even had fun writing up the various rewards for the different pledge levels. You should actually go read them just for the entertainment value alone.
The Patreon platform is designed to serve as an ecosystem where people who love art, in all its various guises, can support artists on an ongoing basis. Patreon relies on the old benefactor system used in centuries past where an artist received support from a patron of the arts via a stipend paid weekly or monthly, and all the artist had to do was focus on their art and art harder. This is Patreon in a nutshell.
Unlike Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms, patrons pledge as little as $1.00 a month to support an artist in their endeavors to create, whether it be painting, writing, or making furniture. There is no limit, as far as I am aware, on how much a patron can pledge a month, and it is an ongoing monthly thing. Being a patron will give them access to a Patron-Only feed where the artist will keep them updated and interact with them and a bunch of other exclusive things.
From epic fantasy to weird cosmic horror, by Odin’s Truant Eye! Help me get these stories out before they drive me crazy!
I like the idea a lot because if enough people support me I’ll be able to write full-time, which means I will have 40 to 60 hours a week available for focused writing, which in turn means I’ll actually finish my books this year. Not being able to write enough has weighed heavy on my heart for a long time now. When I look at my stories in their various stages of completion a pang of regret flutters across my chest, immediately followed by the throttling effect of stress-related worries about finances and other things.
And here are the projects I want to complete this year:
1. The Morrigan, book 2 of The Guardians of the Seals (Supernatural)
I have three books planned for this series. Book 1, The Seals of Abgal, is already out and introduces the series (You can read a fawning review on Amazing Stories Magazine). Book 2 is a few drafts in and called “The Morrigan,” and book 3 is tentatively titled “Rebirth.”
My protagonist is a novice antiquarian bookseller called Sebastian Kaine. Sebastian is also the last living guardian of the Seals of Abgal, a book even gods fight over.
2. The Spirit Bow, book 1 of the Land of Giants series (Fantasy)
I’m writing an epic fantasy that takes place in an antediluvian world populated by giants and gods and monsters.
Synopsis: Ashur, son of a temple prostitute and a Gutean barbarian, is in love with the Sumerian princess, Enhed, and they desperately want to marry. But Ashur is a bastard and mere commoner and will need to perform an act of great bravery and courage to impress her father, the Lugal of Eridu, if he hopes to get even a whiff of a chance at obtaining the king’s approval.
And so Ashur sets forth on an epic quest to the Mountains of the Gods in search of the Spirit Tree from which he intends to cut and fashion a magnificent bow and present it to the Lugal in the hopes that such a godly gift would impress the king enough for him to allow the union between a commoner and member of the royal house.
But Ashur will come to discover that finding the Spirit Tree is only the beginning of his journey. A journey that would see the bastard child of a temple prostitute become a god of war for a new nation of people. (My wife’s been pushing me to get this one done.)
3. The Dead God (Heroic Fantasy)
The Dead God is a failed game proposal I’m adapting into a heroic fantasy novel of the same name. I based the premise on Slavic lore and it features a hero named Krakus, veteran soldier of the 100-Year War. This is a standalone novel and I’ve already written a detailed outline.
4. Hameln-13 (Science Fiction)
A science fiction retelling of the Legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Only, in this tale, the setting is an outpost planet in a remote galaxy, and instead of a rat problem, my characters will face weird-looking creatures called Murr who haven’t eaten in over a century and are apparently really hungry (Thank you, Captain Obvious!).
5. The Mercy Giver (Supernatural Horror/Cosmic Horror)
A tale about a psychopath on the loose with a warped sense of destiny who is forced to deal with his literal demons. So, If you’re in the mood for a modern tale, loosely based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, where instead of a bitter old miser you’ll get to meet a murdering psychopath, you’ve only to gift me time.
I’m not asking you to throw money my way for nothing. If you mosey on over to my Patreon page and you read the rewards, apart from them being quite humorous, there are some awesome things you can get from me. Another positive is that if I receive enough support I’ll even be able to write more short stories in between the projects which would be fantastic. However, if, like me, finances are tight, just sharing my Patreon page will help a ton and make me smile from ear to ear.
This is an experiment, like most of the things I try on here. Whether it works or not, I’ll continue to write. I’ll steal slithers of time here and there, and when there is motion there is hope for it means I’m on the road and it may be slow but I’m moving and if you keep moving eventually you’ll reach your destination.
Thanks!
Woelf