To my shock, I received a great deal of encouragement about the idea of doing a Kickstarter for an anthology to gather the stories from the Unexpected Enlightenment series.
So…here is the campaign…which has already funded while I was writing this post.
So if you join in, the first anthology is a given! With more, hopefully, to come!
Come join in and force me to write more short stories!
Welcome to the Return to Roanoke Kickstarter!
This campaign relates to The Books of Unexpected Enlightenment by L. Jagi Lamplighter. Six books of which are already available.
Many tales of the adventures of Rachel Griffin and her friends wait to be told, but the telling of them has been slowed by life events and the need to pay bills. However, I have many short stories either about life at Roanoke and related places or about the previous lives of those at Roanoke Academy. However, they are spread out over many anthologies.
As a service for those who await more of Rachel’s adventures, I plan to gather these stories together. When I suggested this, a number of friends and readers urged me to do a Kickstarter, so here it is!
Two other authors also write stories set at Roanoke Academy. Some of these stories will appear in the first volume, too.
I am only asking initially for enough to typeset one anthology. If we raise more, we will do more accordingly.
Not familiar with Roanoke Academy or The Books of Unexpected Enlightenment?
See the books on Amazon
Visit Roanoke Academy’s website
Read The Roanoke Glass, the school paper (and related articles)
All the physical books include the ebooks of both anthologies.
All non-physical items over $100 include a signed book of your choice and both ebooks.
Physical Books are printed by Amazon. Ebooks are distributed directly.
There are also a slew of Add-Ons in the form of mugs, shirts, pillows, etc, even socks sporting Rammish! or Black Moth and his rail gun. For more about these, see the pictures below.
Timeline Expectations: If all goes well, the first volume and all the add-ons should be available before Christmas. The second volume before next Christmas. I have set the fulfillment dates well in the future, because life sometimes interferes, and I don’t want to fall short of fulfilling everything by the promised date.
However, the first volume is ready to be compiled...unless this campaign unlocks another short story for itl The same with the second volume...if no short story stretch goals are reached, the second volume also could be done by Christmas. If they are, I will need some months to write the stories.
The typesetting itself usually takes a few days.
Here is what we want to typeset:
Tales of Roanoke Academy—including stories about Rachel and her friends, stories set at Roanoke written by two other authors, and a story set at the Lower School
Stories of Rachel and Her Friends:
The Unexpected Rescue of Sigfried Smith — takes place during spring break (Book Six)
Rachel and the Missing Laundry — takes place at the end of the school year ( Book Six)
Rachel and the Real Olympics — takes place at the end of the school year ( Book Six)
Frozen Chicken Master — takes place during Yule of Rachel’s sophomore year
Good as Gold — unclear when it takes place, stars Lucky.
(Possibly the latest story about Club Day: The Quest for the Bespoke Dumplings)
Roanoke Academy Through Other Eyes
How Do You Get To A Magic School? by Erin N H Furby
But Is It Magic? by Erin N H Furby
Should the Punishment Fit the Crime by Erin N H Furby
Crush It by Erin N H Furby
The Phoenix and the Student by Erin N H Furby
Digging Two Graves by Ben Wheeler
The Lower School
See You Down the Road — this story is about Kora Chandler, whom Rachel will meet her Sophomore year, and Od Rune, who was mentioned to Rachel when she was in the Foothills of Heaven.
Before Roanoke: Tales of Greater Sideria—containing the many stories I have written about various Roanoke characters before they came to the Veiled World.
Ring of Sounding Brass — the previous life of Astrid Hollywell
Gaslight Jungle — the previous life of Charlie Fairweather, Laurel Griffin’s boyfriend
Merry by Gaslight — the previous life of …well…it is clear by the end
Hildy and the Steam-Powered Hounds of Hella — the previous life of Hildy Winters
Odin’s Hundred — the previous life of someone at Roanoke who is different now.
Camelot’s Understudies — a story about someone Rachel will meet later
The Delinquent Life of Zoë Moth — the previous life of Zoë Forrest
Defending the Wood Perilous and Other Essays: If we should do absurdly well, I might put out a third anthology of my most popular essays, including Defending the Wood Perilous, Holy Godzilla of the Apocolypes, and more.
Goals and Stretch Goals:
$250 -- funded -- Tales of Roanoke Academy
$500 -- typeset Before Roanoke: Tales of Greater Sideria
$1000 -- allow me to pay an honorarium to my lovely colorist, Codex of Codex and Quizzer. (The images for the covers are taken from illustrations done by John C. Wright for the books.)
$1500 -- I will write another story for the Sideria anthology. Backers can vote on which one they would want and contribute ideas.
$2500 -- I will share with the backers the two short stories in which Rachel Griffin visited the Nameless World of Schooled In Magic by Christopher G. Nuttall and his Zero world. (One of these may appear in Fantastic Schools Isekai.)
$3500 -- I will write a second story for the Sideria anthology
$5000 -- I will write “Lucky and the Rabbits Down Under” for the first anthology
$7500 -- I will write a third new short story for the Sideria anthology and put out the third anthology of popular essays.
$10,000 -- If we reach this point, I will share the story “Valiant and Dauntless” with backers, with the major spoiler removed. This is the previous life of Gaius Valiant and Tessa Dauntless
$12,500 -- In the crazy, impossible timeline where we reach this point, I will write a short story just for the backers. I will poll them and write either another Roanoke story or someone’s previous life, which I will send just to them but not put in the anthologies.
$15,000 -- we will not reach this lofty goal, because even John’s Kickstarter has never reached this high. But if we were to, I would send backers the unedited version of “Valiant and Dauntless”-- with the major spoiler still included.
Possible other stories that could be written for these anthologies -- These titles (except the second one) are subject to change.
“Lucky and the Rabbits Down Under” — The Young Angels’ Society (The Seventh Book of Unexpected Enlightenment) will open in September of Rachel’s sophomore year, but that summer, she and Sigfried will visit Magical Australia. I could write a story about that visit.
“The Man With All The Weapons” — the Previous Life of Vladimir Von Dread
“The Princess and Pestulence” — The previous life story of a young woman with the yeth hounds from The Sixth Book of Unexpected Enlightenment, whose name Rachel does not know.
“The Danger Club” — the previous lives of Valerie Hunt, Salome Iscariot, Solon and Solomon Drake, Penny Royal
“Flops-Over-Dead Chick” — the previous life of Xandra Black
“The Marshes of the Lamia” — The previous life of Magdalene and the Fetch
“Finn and the Figurine” -- The previous life of Finvarra MacDannan, enchanter extraordinaire and King of the Daoine Sidhe.
Roanoke Swag:
Shipping included with all Swag, which is produced by Zazzle. We have found their merchandise to be of good quality in the past, and on the rare occasion where something did not seem to be up to standard, they have been quick to replace it.
To see the swag, visit the campaign.