Leo is creating
Works of Fantastic Family Fiction
A friend to talking mice, apprentice knights and the Master of Mischief himself.
1
$20
Milestone Goals
The First One Hundred
All of the people subscribing for the first $100 will receive a passport for travel through the Hundred Kingdoms as a thank you for being in at the beginning. And there might be a few other bits and pieces too...
An Extra Day To Work
At this goal I will be able to start running an extra play by message game.
Double Trouble
A third Play By Message game will be added.
Illustrations
At this level I should be able to start commissioning new illustrations for the deluxe editions of the Bridgetown Tales.
Weekly new content
At the moment I will be aiming to produce one story per month towards the new volumes of Bridgetown Tales. At this level of funding I will be able to return to the days of weekly stories. I will also be looking to upgrade the puzzles to weekly also.
Levercastle is born!
At this level I will be able to start work on developing the Levercastle story game for families and fairy tale enthusiasts everywhere.
Going full time
At this level I will be committed to weekly new stories and puzzles, new art for the deluxe editions and the development of the Levercastle story game. With this amount I will be able to spend all of my time working on these projects and this will mean getting out and about, running story games at events etc. and bringing the Faerie world with me wherever I go.
More new pictures.
At this level I will be able to seriously make the illustrated adventures a reality.
Exploring growth.
At this stage I can start exploring the idea of making the world of Levercastle Adventures even bigger. All the content would continue to grow and I would be able to start thinking about expanding the number of games subscribers would be able to take part in.
About
When I was ten years of age my primary school teacher gave me an exercise book. He did this out of a deep concern about the appalling quality of my cursive script. I was instructed to write what I wanted in it. The intention was to improve my handwriting with practice. This was an enterprise history now tells us was always doomed to failure.
Into that exercise book I handwrote many short, rambling stories. Each in spidery script that never improved. All are long since consigned to the dustbin of history. I read as much as I wrote: a varied diet of books, magazines and comics.
When I was a boy I loved 2000AD, The Three Investigators, Choose Your Own Adventure, Mythology and folk tales of all kinds. As I grew up I started reading Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett alongside horror authors like Stephen King. My early work was an odd collision between all these styles and imaginative ideas. I'm sure it is hard to imagine what it is like to read a story that is a cross between The Shining and Judge Dredd with a dash of celtic mythology. The results were not always successful, but they were always interesting.
During this time my handwriting issues became less and less of a problem as I learned to type. Solid plotting, rounded characters and other features of good writing were not so quick to follow. Still I kept at it, producing about 100,000 words of unreadable tripe by the time I was 18.
For a short while I dedicated myself to scriptwriting, this helped enormously with getting my ear in for dialogue. Between the ages of 18 and 23 I produced two novels and a number of screenplays and scripts. None of these provoked much by way encouragement from the outside world. Although some of my friends told me they weren't bad. (These friends were too kind, they were pretty terrible.)
At one point I did make myself known to regular publishers with mediocre queries about a couple of ideas I'd had. One, I believe, would no doubt have garnered an impressive number of agency rejections if I had kept sending it out. I gave in and self-published it because I thought it was worth preserving but not worth distributing via a national book chain. It now enjoys its long life hanging around the dark corners of the internet read by a small number of people.
This was back in 2005 before I could be a hip indie author, rejoicing, instead, in the title of Oddball McWeirdo. The book I called this self-published opus: The Confessor's Tale and you can go and look for it if you like. (HINT: There is a free PDF available if you look hard enough, dark corners of the internet indeed.)
Also In 2005 I first had a stab at National Novel Writing Month. I polished off 50,000+ words in four and a half days. I surprised even myself with a half-decent effort for young adults called Figure of the Sorcechanic. In 2006 I repeated the word count eventually producing a monster novel called Starfall. It's such a complex piece of dark fantasy it will only see the light of day later this year (2015).
I've spent a few years (2007-2011) pulling apart the mechanics of storytelling. Along with some co-conspirators we reassembled them into narrative role playing games. Some of these are available to buy via my blog.
Since the Kindle has altered the paradigm of publishing irrevocably I have realised what it is I have been training to do since I was ten. I couldn't have known that electronic self-publishing was going to be a big thing, it is just serendipity that it is. Now I have set about directing all my skills toward producing the kinds of stories I am sorry I don't get to read that often myself.
I never predicted the revolution in publishing. I never thought more than ten people would ever read my stories. I'm still not sure that more than ten people will. I don't care. I write. I am passionate about storytelling and... well...
I would like to tell you all a story, the price of admission is low and I promise that it will be a great ride.
Shall we?
Into that exercise book I handwrote many short, rambling stories. Each in spidery script that never improved. All are long since consigned to the dustbin of history. I read as much as I wrote: a varied diet of books, magazines and comics.
When I was a boy I loved 2000AD, The Three Investigators, Choose Your Own Adventure, Mythology and folk tales of all kinds. As I grew up I started reading Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett alongside horror authors like Stephen King. My early work was an odd collision between all these styles and imaginative ideas. I'm sure it is hard to imagine what it is like to read a story that is a cross between The Shining and Judge Dredd with a dash of celtic mythology. The results were not always successful, but they were always interesting.
During this time my handwriting issues became less and less of a problem as I learned to type. Solid plotting, rounded characters and other features of good writing were not so quick to follow. Still I kept at it, producing about 100,000 words of unreadable tripe by the time I was 18.
For a short while I dedicated myself to scriptwriting, this helped enormously with getting my ear in for dialogue. Between the ages of 18 and 23 I produced two novels and a number of screenplays and scripts. None of these provoked much by way encouragement from the outside world. Although some of my friends told me they weren't bad. (These friends were too kind, they were pretty terrible.)
At one point I did make myself known to regular publishers with mediocre queries about a couple of ideas I'd had. One, I believe, would no doubt have garnered an impressive number of agency rejections if I had kept sending it out. I gave in and self-published it because I thought it was worth preserving but not worth distributing via a national book chain. It now enjoys its long life hanging around the dark corners of the internet read by a small number of people.
This was back in 2005 before I could be a hip indie author, rejoicing, instead, in the title of Oddball McWeirdo. The book I called this self-published opus: The Confessor's Tale and you can go and look for it if you like. (HINT: There is a free PDF available if you look hard enough, dark corners of the internet indeed.)
Also In 2005 I first had a stab at National Novel Writing Month. I polished off 50,000+ words in four and a half days. I surprised even myself with a half-decent effort for young adults called Figure of the Sorcechanic. In 2006 I repeated the word count eventually producing a monster novel called Starfall. It's such a complex piece of dark fantasy it will only see the light of day later this year (2015).
I've spent a few years (2007-2011) pulling apart the mechanics of storytelling. Along with some co-conspirators we reassembled them into narrative role playing games. Some of these are available to buy via my blog.
Since the Kindle has altered the paradigm of publishing irrevocably I have realised what it is I have been training to do since I was ten. I couldn't have known that electronic self-publishing was going to be a big thing, it is just serendipity that it is. Now I have set about directing all my skills toward producing the kinds of stories I am sorry I don't get to read that often myself.
I never predicted the revolution in publishing. I never thought more than ten people would ever read my stories. I'm still not sure that more than ten people will. I don't care. I write. I am passionate about storytelling and... well...
I would like to tell you all a story, the price of admission is low and I promise that it will be a great ride.
Shall we?
Location
Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot, UK
Top PatronsSee all 1
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An Entire Universe of Fun and Adventure is Your Playground
The world of Faerie is waiting for YOU (and/or your kids) to come and help shape IT. At the moment everyone's carrying on by themselves and, well, you know what happens when you leave people to their own devices. The story books are changing, the heroes are uncertain, the Terra Draconis isn't going to rescue itself. We need some serious people power up in this mythical Faerie cosmos, people.
The Tales From Bridgetown have been running (on and off) since 2013. The Levercastle Adventures have been a story game for a select few since 2009! Now it's your turn to join in the fun. Patrons to the Bridgetown Tales experience will benefit from having input into the story universe.
The key point is that these are adventures that are suitable for children of all ages (as long as they can follow the plot). I'm keen to give the kids the kind of heroes they're interested in hearing about (particularly a new breed of adventure-friendly princesses, see below for details).
I'm not intending to leave this page for the odd silent update. All my stories are written (currently) with the aid of story dice and I want to add you people into the mix. Imagine reading your kid a story at bedtime a new, fresh story minted in the last week (or maybe a re-read of one of the classics). So of course they enjoy the story, you tell me they enjoyed the story. So I say: "That's awesome, what do they think should happen next?" And then it does. You really, honestly don't get that with any other storytelling experience in existence.
Yeah, that's right, I'm taking this patronage business seriously, super seriously. You're not just funding my rock and roll lifestyle*, you're putting me on your payroll as a bespoke crafting story teller for your kids (or, y'know, for your inner kid, if you follow my drift).
And get this, at the moment, if you're reading this text, I really am your dancing monkey. I reckon that for the first, maybe 200 subscribers this could be a really, really specific kind of deal. Okay so some weeks you're going to be, like, "I have no imagination left, just write me a story" and other weeks you'll be laying down the law about what it is you want. In both cases I will be so happy to be entertaining you that I am going to be down with that either way.
Over time there will be e-books, real books, audio books, story games... oh man you and me are going to have SUCH FUN TOGETHER! But, of course, only if you subscribe. Shakespeare had to get paid and so does this typing simian.
Even so, a dollar a month is total chicken feed for all the awesome story power I have lined up. In many ways you'd be a fool not to at least give it a go. Also, at the moment there's all those early bird offers to take advantage of**. Really, it's a no lose situation, all you have to do is hit the little orange button and your in the club... the fightin' princess, crazy adventure, master of mischief, hilarious talking animals club. And who doesn't want to belong to that?***
* You are funding my rock and roll lifestyle. But as soon as I've paid the hotel back for that television I'm totally writing your kid that story about the dragon with stomach problems, I promise.
** If you don't know, ask. They're really cool early bird perks...
*** No, you do. You really, really do. If you're still not convinced/bored please feel free to read on...
More About The Bridgetown Tales & Stories From Levercastle
An ongoing serial of amazing adventures across the Faerie Universe from the Undone, through the soft places, into the Shadow Realms, the Hundred Kingdoms, the mortal realm, the Upside Out, the NeverWill and into the very heart of Luminis, the city in the centre of everything.
The adventures play out over time and space, always attempting to create a world where everyone can be an adventurer. A world where talking animals are normal yet everyone always feels compelled to point them out. A world where a character who was originally intended to be a bumbling comedy knight became capable but is still a naive farm boy at heart. A world where the heroes think about having a crush on someone, then defer it until after villainous magicians and corrupt knights have stopped trying to kill them. A world where villainous magicians and corrupt knights never stop trying to kill the heroes.
Presenting the largest selection of kick-ass women outside of ABC's "Once Upon A Time", plus they're all original IP. Meet Phoebe September the witch with anger problems and the ability to manipulate plasma*, not always a convenient combination. Meet Anabyl Spireshine, once upon a time the scourge of her family home now an intense mystical warrior who still knows how to raise some hell. Meet Teleosti Shaleshore (Eos to her friends) a mermaid who's beginning to realise she's cleverer than just about everyone she knows and braver than she ever thought she could be.
We're here to kick evil buttocks and chew some rubbermint grass, and we're all out of rubbermint grass.
Come along for the ride! It's awesome!
* which now I come to describe her sounds like a kind of lightning-y version of Elsa from Frozen but I invented Phoebe on the 10 March 2013 so ner.
The Search For Chester - A Puzzling Adventure In Serial Form
Join The Rummages and Eos on a brand new Faerie adventure with puzzles every fortnight.
PLUS...
Uncle Chester Goes Missing...
'Going on a short trip,' read the looping scrawl on the back of the postcard. 'Will return soon with news. Much love to you and the family, Chester'
James sighed.
He had mentioned the postcard upon its arrival of course. Both Rachel and Rebecca knew that Uncle Chester had gone off on a jaunt to do 'research' or whatever.
The post in Faerie being what it was James had not expected any further missives. So it came to pass that when he didn't receive them he wasn't surprised. That was until the pensive mermaid had asked to meet him at Fion's Cafe on the high street.
"Eos," James said, sitting down next to the mermaid. "How nice to see you. Will you be in town long. I know Rachel would love to see you."
"Yes, I would love to see Rachel too," Eos said. "But first I have to tell you something."
"What's the matter? Are you having witch problems again?" James asked.
"No. No. Everything in Shaleshore is fine. We had a group of acrobats through a few weeks ago. They were talking about a man they had met in a port at the border of Phebe. He was an adventurer, a sea captain, looking for conscripts to sail upon the Shark Seas in search of the Golden Porpoise."
"Chester," James said. "The explorer was Chester."
"How did you know?" Eos asked.
"I know Chester, quite well as a matter of fact," James said. "We've worked together closely since we returned to Levercastle. Chester got himself a job lecturing in the Esoteric History of Chemistry at the University. Unfortunately I also lent him my Indiana Jones DVDs. I think it gave him some unfortunate ideas about what University Professors actually do."
"I'm sorry, is that a mortal thing," Eos said. "I don't think I understand."
James sighed. "No, it's okay, it doesn't matter. Basically, I think Chester's decided that in order to be the best professor he can be he has to go sailing around on the ocean having adventures. We travelled together from the Patchwork Market to the edge of the Undone. I was a mouse for most of it. We survived that."
"But he's gone out into the Shark Seas!" Eos objected. "He might never come back!"
"Well, I don't know what kind of a sailor he is but he's a pretty intelligent chap these days," James said. "I think we have to trust that he knows what he's doing."
"I sent messengers to look for news," Eos said. "There was a storm. Half of Chester's ship was discovered by Pheban fishermen nearly a week ago."
"Oh dear," James said.
"Not only that," Eos continued on, her tone still dark. "I came to your town via the Patchwork Market. I dropped in on Tabarnas's stall. He wasn't there but Cressidia was. She told me someone had been asking after Chester. I checked a few other places and I heard the same thing."
"Oh dear," James said again.
"I'm going to have to go back to Shaleshore," Eos said. "Why don't you come with me, and Rebecca and Rachel, you're all welcome. Maybe we can find out who's looking for Chester and why. More importantly maybe we can get some news of Chester's whereabouts."
"I don't know," James said. "I've never really been much of one for adventure."
"I don't want to be mean," Eos said. "But if someone's looking for Chester they may well be looking for you as well. Last time that happened well, you ended up living in a pumpkin."
"Yes," James said. "I could probably do well without being cursed again. It's coming up to summer, the University's about to take a break. I will come with you, but it's a holiday to Shaleshore, you understand? I hope Chester's okay, but I'm not a knight or an alchemist, I'm just a lecturer and a dad."
"I think you're underselling yourself, James," Eos said. "You helped us escape danger on numerous occasions."
"Very nice of you to say so," James said. "But we shall see."
It seemed as if they were all going back to the Patchwork Market to see if they could find Uncle
Chester. And you could help them too.
Be Legendary! Subscribe Now.
The world of Faerie is waiting for YOU (and/or your kids) to come and help shape IT. At the moment everyone's carrying on by themselves and, well, you know what happens when you leave people to their own devices. The story books are changing, the heroes are uncertain, the Terra Draconis isn't going to rescue itself. We need some serious people power up in this mythical Faerie cosmos, people.
The Tales From Bridgetown have been running (on and off) since 2013. The Levercastle Adventures have been a story game for a select few since 2009! Now it's your turn to join in the fun. Patrons to the Bridgetown Tales experience will benefit from having input into the story universe.
The key point is that these are adventures that are suitable for children of all ages (as long as they can follow the plot). I'm keen to give the kids the kind of heroes they're interested in hearing about (particularly a new breed of adventure-friendly princesses, see below for details).
I'm not intending to leave this page for the odd silent update. All my stories are written (currently) with the aid of story dice and I want to add you people into the mix. Imagine reading your kid a story at bedtime a new, fresh story minted in the last week (or maybe a re-read of one of the classics). So of course they enjoy the story, you tell me they enjoyed the story. So I say: "That's awesome, what do they think should happen next?" And then it does. You really, honestly don't get that with any other storytelling experience in existence.
Yeah, that's right, I'm taking this patronage business seriously, super seriously. You're not just funding my rock and roll lifestyle*, you're putting me on your payroll as a bespoke crafting story teller for your kids (or, y'know, for your inner kid, if you follow my drift).
And get this, at the moment, if you're reading this text, I really am your dancing monkey. I reckon that for the first, maybe 200 subscribers this could be a really, really specific kind of deal. Okay so some weeks you're going to be, like, "I have no imagination left, just write me a story" and other weeks you'll be laying down the law about what it is you want. In both cases I will be so happy to be entertaining you that I am going to be down with that either way.
Over time there will be e-books, real books, audio books, story games... oh man you and me are going to have SUCH FUN TOGETHER! But, of course, only if you subscribe. Shakespeare had to get paid and so does this typing simian.
Even so, a dollar a month is total chicken feed for all the awesome story power I have lined up. In many ways you'd be a fool not to at least give it a go. Also, at the moment there's all those early bird offers to take advantage of**. Really, it's a no lose situation, all you have to do is hit the little orange button and your in the club... the fightin' princess, crazy adventure, master of mischief, hilarious talking animals club. And who doesn't want to belong to that?***
* You are funding my rock and roll lifestyle. But as soon as I've paid the hotel back for that television I'm totally writing your kid that story about the dragon with stomach problems, I promise.
** If you don't know, ask. They're really cool early bird perks...
*** No, you do. You really, really do. If you're still not convinced/bored please feel free to read on...
More About The Bridgetown Tales & Stories From Levercastle
An ongoing serial of amazing adventures across the Faerie Universe from the Undone, through the soft places, into the Shadow Realms, the Hundred Kingdoms, the mortal realm, the Upside Out, the NeverWill and into the very heart of Luminis, the city in the centre of everything.
The adventures play out over time and space, always attempting to create a world where everyone can be an adventurer. A world where talking animals are normal yet everyone always feels compelled to point them out. A world where a character who was originally intended to be a bumbling comedy knight became capable but is still a naive farm boy at heart. A world where the heroes think about having a crush on someone, then defer it until after villainous magicians and corrupt knights have stopped trying to kill them. A world where villainous magicians and corrupt knights never stop trying to kill the heroes.
Presenting the largest selection of kick-ass women outside of ABC's "Once Upon A Time", plus they're all original IP. Meet Phoebe September the witch with anger problems and the ability to manipulate plasma*, not always a convenient combination. Meet Anabyl Spireshine, once upon a time the scourge of her family home now an intense mystical warrior who still knows how to raise some hell. Meet Teleosti Shaleshore (Eos to her friends) a mermaid who's beginning to realise she's cleverer than just about everyone she knows and braver than she ever thought she could be.
We're here to kick evil buttocks and chew some rubbermint grass, and we're all out of rubbermint grass.
Come along for the ride! It's awesome!
* which now I come to describe her sounds like a kind of lightning-y version of Elsa from Frozen but I invented Phoebe on the 10 March 2013 so ner.
The Search For Chester - A Puzzling Adventure In Serial Form
Join The Rummages and Eos on a brand new Faerie adventure with puzzles every fortnight.
- Puzzling Updates for $5+ Subscribers Every Fortnight
- Weekly Adventure Puzzles for $10+ Subscribers
- Access To A Private Play By Message Game With Monthly Updates For $10+ Subscribers
PLUS...
- Stories, E-books, Audio Content and many more subscriber perks.
Uncle Chester Goes Missing...
'Going on a short trip,' read the looping scrawl on the back of the postcard. 'Will return soon with news. Much love to you and the family, Chester'
James sighed.
He had mentioned the postcard upon its arrival of course. Both Rachel and Rebecca knew that Uncle Chester had gone off on a jaunt to do 'research' or whatever.
The post in Faerie being what it was James had not expected any further missives. So it came to pass that when he didn't receive them he wasn't surprised. That was until the pensive mermaid had asked to meet him at Fion's Cafe on the high street.
"Eos," James said, sitting down next to the mermaid. "How nice to see you. Will you be in town long. I know Rachel would love to see you."
"Yes, I would love to see Rachel too," Eos said. "But first I have to tell you something."
"What's the matter? Are you having witch problems again?" James asked.
"No. No. Everything in Shaleshore is fine. We had a group of acrobats through a few weeks ago. They were talking about a man they had met in a port at the border of Phebe. He was an adventurer, a sea captain, looking for conscripts to sail upon the Shark Seas in search of the Golden Porpoise."
"Chester," James said. "The explorer was Chester."
"How did you know?" Eos asked.
"I know Chester, quite well as a matter of fact," James said. "We've worked together closely since we returned to Levercastle. Chester got himself a job lecturing in the Esoteric History of Chemistry at the University. Unfortunately I also lent him my Indiana Jones DVDs. I think it gave him some unfortunate ideas about what University Professors actually do."
"I'm sorry, is that a mortal thing," Eos said. "I don't think I understand."
James sighed. "No, it's okay, it doesn't matter. Basically, I think Chester's decided that in order to be the best professor he can be he has to go sailing around on the ocean having adventures. We travelled together from the Patchwork Market to the edge of the Undone. I was a mouse for most of it. We survived that."
"But he's gone out into the Shark Seas!" Eos objected. "He might never come back!"
"Well, I don't know what kind of a sailor he is but he's a pretty intelligent chap these days," James said. "I think we have to trust that he knows what he's doing."
"I sent messengers to look for news," Eos said. "There was a storm. Half of Chester's ship was discovered by Pheban fishermen nearly a week ago."
"Oh dear," James said.
"Not only that," Eos continued on, her tone still dark. "I came to your town via the Patchwork Market. I dropped in on Tabarnas's stall. He wasn't there but Cressidia was. She told me someone had been asking after Chester. I checked a few other places and I heard the same thing."
"Oh dear," James said again.
"I'm going to have to go back to Shaleshore," Eos said. "Why don't you come with me, and Rebecca and Rachel, you're all welcome. Maybe we can find out who's looking for Chester and why. More importantly maybe we can get some news of Chester's whereabouts."
"I don't know," James said. "I've never really been much of one for adventure."
"I don't want to be mean," Eos said. "But if someone's looking for Chester they may well be looking for you as well. Last time that happened well, you ended up living in a pumpkin."
"Yes," James said. "I could probably do well without being cursed again. It's coming up to summer, the University's about to take a break. I will come with you, but it's a holiday to Shaleshore, you understand? I hope Chester's okay, but I'm not a knight or an alchemist, I'm just a lecturer and a dad."
"I think you're underselling yourself, James," Eos said. "You helped us escape danger on numerous occasions."
"Very nice of you to say so," James said. "But we shall see."
It seemed as if they were all going back to the Patchwork Market to see if they could find Uncle
Chester. And you could help them too.
Be Legendary! Subscribe Now.