Luke Manly is creating
dark fantasy short stories
Dreaming of writing isn't enough.
4
$11
Milestone Goals
The Start
This is the most viable amount for me to be able to start releasing stories with reasonable regularity. However, I may launch earlier.
Art
This much per story will enable me to ask my artist to put together little pieces or sketches with every released story. These wil be sent out to all subscribers with their stories (in electronic format).
Art and Writing
With this much, I will be able to write very nearly full-time, so stories and (the $300 goal) of little art pieces will flow forth regularly to all subscribers (in electronic format).
Art and Writing and More Art
Along with the two previous goals, I will be commissioning my artist to put together fancy collections of art (landscapes, portraits, concept art, and more). These won't be released as often as the stories or little art pieces, but they will be provided to subscribers for free (in electronic format) when they are complete. I know these goals sound like reward tiers, and they are. I'm doing it this way because I wish for more people to subscribe rather than charge any one or two of you gazillions of dollars for extra things.
Lifetime
Yours forever. Plus previous tiers. And watch this space, I will update it if it looks like it will come about.
About
Hi! I’m Luke Manly - a writer, an author, and a dreamer.
I've lived in countries as unrelated as Australia, Jordan, and Yemen. But as interesting as those places were, I connected much more with books (mostly fantasy), and lost myself in countless pages. When I eventually resurfaced, I had to put my pen to paper. Since then, I've buried myself in an office job (gotta eat) and published works such as Imalion's Tale through Amazon. Now I'm irreversibly a fantasy author, and am trying to become unentrenched from dual-job reliance so that I can (as hinted at above) write and write and write.
You can catch further information and writing by me on http://thesoulshardchronicles.com.
I've lived in countries as unrelated as Australia, Jordan, and Yemen. But as interesting as those places were, I connected much more with books (mostly fantasy), and lost myself in countless pages. When I eventually resurfaced, I had to put my pen to paper. Since then, I've buried myself in an office job (gotta eat) and published works such as Imalion's Tale through Amazon. Now I'm irreversibly a fantasy author, and am trying to become unentrenched from dual-job reliance so that I can (as hinted at above) write and write and write.
You can catch further information and writing by me on http://thesoulshardchronicles.com.
Top PatronsSee all 4
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
A writer is someone who has reached the point where reading isn’t enough anymore.
I’m a writer.
An author is someone who wants his or her writing to be read.
I’m an author.
A dreamer is someone who tends to gaze blearily into the distance, and in conversation he or she commonly reverts to the terms “if only” or “what if”.
I’m a dreamer.
So what do I, as a writer, author, and dreamer, do? I write, I look for people to read my stories, and I dream of people all over the world being able to read my writing for free.
Yep, for free.
But (here comes my dreamer side) if only I could write full time and have people read all my writing at no cost… and also be able to access art of my world, books, and characters with no price tag! The problem is this: writing, editing, and artwork all cost money. So my goal is to reach a point where I can write and write and give all my writing to my followers for free - but I'm not quite at that stage yet. So what if you could be part of this? If you love dark, medieval, fairy-tale-infused fantasy, this is the place for you. And the best part? I’m only just getting started!
I'll be starting this with a little compilation called Flames of Solsgard (named after the feature story). In other words, the first reward will be a four-story collection. Thereafter, however, your subscription will be per story. The main character followed is Talmere of Nerida, a seasoned volsark. His existence was simple: stand vigil at druidic rituals and protect Vaelandic people from invaders. But when war saw the druids destroyed, Talmere and his remaining brethren were left adrift. Times are no longer easy for the once-honored volsarks; their defeat left their countrypeople with mixed feelings toward them. And as the druids foretold: blood is the beginning of even darker tales.
I’m a writer.
An author is someone who wants his or her writing to be read.
I’m an author.
A dreamer is someone who tends to gaze blearily into the distance, and in conversation he or she commonly reverts to the terms “if only” or “what if”.
I’m a dreamer.
So what do I, as a writer, author, and dreamer, do? I write, I look for people to read my stories, and I dream of people all over the world being able to read my writing for free.
Yep, for free.
But (here comes my dreamer side) if only I could write full time and have people read all my writing at no cost… and also be able to access art of my world, books, and characters with no price tag! The problem is this: writing, editing, and artwork all cost money. So my goal is to reach a point where I can write and write and give all my writing to my followers for free - but I'm not quite at that stage yet. So what if you could be part of this? If you love dark, medieval, fairy-tale-infused fantasy, this is the place for you. And the best part? I’m only just getting started!
I'll be starting this with a little compilation called Flames of Solsgard (named after the feature story). In other words, the first reward will be a four-story collection. Thereafter, however, your subscription will be per story. The main character followed is Talmere of Nerida, a seasoned volsark. His existence was simple: stand vigil at druidic rituals and protect Vaelandic people from invaders. But when war saw the druids destroyed, Talmere and his remaining brethren were left adrift. Times are no longer easy for the once-honored volsarks; their defeat left their countrypeople with mixed feelings toward them. And as the druids foretold: blood is the beginning of even darker tales.
Excerpt from Flames of Solsgard:
Vadlik stood. Vadlik the one-eyed. That was
new. His face and shoulders and torso and arms were collections of scars
and scratches, some self-afflicted, others gained from fights. His
raven-black hair hung loose behind him. His chin bore thick stubble. He
looked around at the others and chuckled his husky chuckle.
"Do I have a story? Perhaps." He poured himself another shot of black
whiskey, downed it, then poured another and threw that back as well. He
grimaced. "Near a moon ago, I caught wind of an insurgency group.
Urskania pushing into Taratine lands. Fact that I heard about it was the
kicker for me; if I'd heard about it, news'd probably gone over the
border as well. I smelled blood. So I wait at a likely river crossing. I
spend three days watching, fishing, waiting.
"Then they come, just before the fourth dawn. Two score. Urskanian knights, mostly, clad in blacksmith's nightmares, but they were accompanied by a couple of sorcerers and witches, probably from down south.
"I just watch them. It's a cold dawn on the moors. Mist everywhere. They make it to the river, but then they pause for a bit and a sorcerer conjures up a flame to light the crossing. They're emptying their boots on the other side when Taratines rise up out of the mist and butcher them. One of the witches lights half the ambush on fire before she's cut down, but they're practically on top of the river. Lot of good that did. The Urskanian screams die down quickly enough. The sobs take a little longer."
"Then they come, just before the fourth dawn. Two score. Urskanian knights, mostly, clad in blacksmith's nightmares, but they were accompanied by a couple of sorcerers and witches, probably from down south.
"I just watch them. It's a cold dawn on the moors. Mist everywhere. They make it to the river, but then they pause for a bit and a sorcerer conjures up a flame to light the crossing. They're emptying their boots on the other side when Taratines rise up out of the mist and butcher them. One of the witches lights half the ambush on fire before she's cut down, but they're practically on top of the river. Lot of good that did. The Urskanian screams die down quickly enough. The sobs take a little longer."