I need YOUR Help.

Actually, I probably need (mental) help in general.

What? Everyone always says to open with a joke. Anyway. As the title says: I need your help. With what? Well, there's a bit of a story. Here's some cookies and popcorn. Chill. It shouldn't take too long.

I've been a writer for almost twenty years, writing first in pencil on ruled paper and moving with technology to pound away at a keyboard in Word. Some of my original work is still on 3.5 inch floppy disks. Yes, I'm showing my age.

As with anyone who writes there is always the dream of being published and of course that wasn't any different for me. But see, I actually tried to publish. I failed miserably and it struck such a blow to my self-confidence, self-worth, and all that other fun stuff that I'm fairly sure I've been depressed for about four years. You can read more about that here.

Basics: in that post I talk about how I'm afraid of rejection. Even reading over what an editor has done to my story is a blow to my "ego" of sorts. I actually cried when I got edits back for the failed self-published novel. I tried to get something else edited and haven't looked at that thing for almost a year because of it.

So going back to the point: I need your help. If I want to be a "professional" author I need to get over this fear. The only way to get over this fear is to set a concrete deadline and KNOW that there are people out there who are waiting to see the results.

What results? Publishing Burnt: The Story of the Fire King.

I can't do it alone mainly because I am flat broke with no job. Ah, wait. I have a job that I can't leave and am not getting paid for. It's complicated. In the end: I have no money and no way to get money. Unless I win the lottery with the tickets I don't buy. ;)

Moving on: I started a funding campaign in the hopes that I can raise enough money for editing, a cover, and marketing. Why? Because it's about damn time I start publishing the novels listed in that "Novel Series" Tab. No seriously, go check that out. There's a TON there. I write at least a novel a month, thirteen last year and I'm planning on 16 this year. Eventually someone has to read them besides me, right?

So yeah, I'm asking for your help. But I'm not expecting anyone to just donate their hard-earned money to someone who they don't know well or at all for a novel they know nothing about.

In the coming weeks there will be character interviews for the characters in Burnt. There will be a detailed plot summation that mimics the ones in the "Novel Series" for Burnt. This blog post goes into more detail about my situation. I'll probably write another post or two about me in general.

There's also a ton of information on the campaign page itself but to sum it up:
I have no money and editing, a cover, and marketing are expensive.
I am giving stuff away for different donation amounts. Said stuff includes Burnt in various forms, posters, interviews, and other fun stuff.
Burnt is essentially a Frozen inspired story but with two brothers, fire magic, non-racist society, exploration of two very different characters, the difference between social classes, and what Royalty is expected to be like. So, Frozen on steroids. Totally not feel-good-Disney either.
Burnt also gives a shout out to the T part of the LGBT community. One of the characters is transsexual and wishes they could live as the opposite gender but can't because of certain situations.

So, check it out and if you feel so obliged: donate. Pass the word along. Help me show the world that trans* folks CAN BE main characters that aren't just there to be the token LGBT character. Help me become a better me.

Linkage:
The Blog Post that Began it All (Fear)
The Campaign
Burnt: The Story of the Fire King Summary
Character Interview: Darius Lupine
Character Interview: Rowan Lupine
My Twitter