My journey on Kickstarter & Update for September

Hello riders and readers. Things have been heating up this September since I launched my first campaign over on Kickstarter for my Tales of Ferrês Special Anniversary Editions. Right now I am sitting with 28 backers and just reached over 1k towards my goal. I'm super excited how it is rolling out and wanted to give you all a fresh update on what is going on when it comes to the Kickstarter.

Right now I have a Flash Reward going for the first 30 backers that back one of the physical tiers. They get Blake & Meisha's Character Card in physical format as a thank you for being the first 30 physical backers. Right now I am still looking for more backers to back the physical tiers to earn this reward.

Click the Graphic to Back My Kickstarter Today!

As for other stretch goals. We have unlocked our first stretch goal where everyone that backs the project will walk away with the SnowFire Double-Sided Bookmark. If you back a digital tier you will get it in digital format to print off at home on your own office printer. The physical tiers will get it professionally printed and sent to them in a special envelope package separate from their book order since I am doing drop shipping with the books themselves.

We are closing in on our second stretch goal. I do have this one where everyone could vote on my Kickstarter Update poll. It looks like our second stretch goal when we hit it will be dragon brooches for those that back a physical tier. Not able to send this one in digital I'm afraid. But the dragon brooches will have a variety of colors and they are super pretty. 

As for writing, I haven't done much this month. The Kickstarter has been taking up most of my time and I probably won't have time to get to Mazu's Hatchling Adventure's next installment this month. But I do plan to release it next month on the last Wednesday of the month. Hoping things slow down with the Kickstarter for social media reasons. But I try to post each day and see if I can build my backer list each day. Plus I have my clients to take care of.

I did start doing re-writes on "Bonds of Friendship." Don't plan to change to much about this story but making it more personal and flowing smoother. Right now I am probably about a quarter of the way through it. I needed to change stories because Blake and Meisha were being pests and not letting me thing straight to finish their ending. 

What have you all been up to this month? Anything fun? I'm looking forward to October. It will be a busy month with the kids and trunk or treats. But I love doing it with them each year. Going to miss that when they get to old. 

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you aren't subscribe to my blog and want to get notified when I have knew content head over to the sidebar menu and subscribe by the RSS Feed Option or through the Follow Me Button. Either way works. Until next time.

~ Katie

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Tales of Ferrês

Special Edition Fantasy Short Story Collection

by: K.M. Jenkins

Epic Fantasy Short Stories with: shifters, dragons, dragon riders, mages, and a magical forest the gods can't control + a bonus story!

BACK THIS PROJECT TODAY!

"Mars Declassified: Red Disclosure, Book 1," by: Brandon Ellis — Now Live on Kickstarter!

 Hello riders and readers. It is Sunday. The final day of our bookish content weekend and I am ending things off with a Kickstarter Spotlight for an archaeology sci-fi thriller that is written by Brandon Ellis. Check out the details below then head over to his campaign page to check out all the official details and find out why you should BACK THIS PROJECT today. It is the first book in its series and you can start things off right with a special edition paperback or hardcover. They both look amazing and you will be happy with whichever you decide to grace your shelf with. Happy reading everyone :).

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Now Live on Kickstarter!

Mars Declassified

Red Disclosure, Book 1

Mars wasn't always dead. An archaeologist has proof. A forbidden archaeology sci-fi thriller, Book One of a new science fiction series.

by: Brandon Ellis

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MARS WASN'T ALWAYS DEAD.

An archaeologist finds what an older civilization left behind, and why someone kept it secret for a decade.

Logan Wells has four hours.

In four hours, a corporate mining convoy reaches the site where he's standing and tears through twenty-five meters of Martian sediment. Under that sediment is the most significant archaeological discovery in human history. Ruins. Symbols. A structure buried for over a million years under a planet everyone agreed was dead.

He's not supposed to be here. He's a checkbox on a mining permit, hired to sign off that nothing of historical value exists. Except now it does. And the company that hired him is moving fast to make sure it doesn't for long.

On Earth, Paige Writ is pulling at a different thread of the same secret. A whistleblower's napkin. A classified congressional hearing. A mining corporation with a private army and a senator who wrote the law that let them operate. The deeper she digs, the more she realizes the people who buried this didn't just want it hidden. They wanted it controlled.

What's buried beneath Mars destroyed one world already. Earth could be next. And the clock is already ticking.

BACK THIS PROJECT TODAY!

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Make sure to head over to the campaign page for a thorough break down of the special edition novel and find out how you won't be able to resist BACKING THIS PROJECT TODAY. Also you can get access to free chapters to wet your appetite. Don't miss out! Head over there now before the campaign ends and you miss out on a sci-fi thriller that would have kept you up at night. 

Did you enjoy this post?

Want to get notifications when new content is available here on KM Jenkins Book Nook's Blog? Head over to our sidebar menu and subscribe. Either by the RSS Feed Option or the Follow Me Button. Both ways will subscribe you to the blog's updates and you won't miss out on awesome content in the future. Until next time.

~ Katie

Author Interview with Joanna White

 Hello riders and readers. It's Sunday! And you know what that means...it is time to sit down with another talented author within the Fantasy Genre. Today I am sitting down with fantasy author Joanna White. We are going to talk about her journey thus far into the publishing industry and her upcoming Kickstarter that is going live in the next few weeks. Make sure to head over to her pre-launch page to check out her campaign for Warrior and click the NOTIFY ME ON LAUNCH button to get all the updates and the launch announcement. I hope you enjoy this interview and are ready for it to begin. Happy reading everyone :). 

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Author Interview with Joanna White

Hi Joanna. Can you please start things off by introducing yourself?

Hi! Of course. My name is Joanna White. I’m a self-published author who writes in multiple genres. My primary genre is fantasy, but I’m also working on military romantic suspense, science-fiction, and more. 

What types of books do you write and how long have you been publishing?

I’ve been writing since I was ten years old, the summer before my 6th grade school year, but I’ve been published since 2019. I was trad published at first, then switched to self-publishing. My main genre is fantasy. That is where I’m most comfortable, but I’ve written in many different genres, like historical fiction, Biblical fiction, action, action & adventure, paranormal romantic suspense, romantic suspense, and military romantic suspense. 

Click the graphic to check out Joanna's Valiant Series on Amazon!

Do you do a day job or anything else within the publishing industry as a side job?

No, I am a full time author, so I don’t have another job outside the industry, but I am an editor. I was a writing competition judge and host for several years, so I decided to start editing for clients because I saw a lot of indie authors like myself struggle to afford good, professional editors for affordable, reasonable prices, which is how I got into it. I keep my prices cheap and affordable for that reason. I also can’t shut parts of my editing brain off, so I do all types of editing. I also tried map design for a while but had trouble finding clients. 

What kinds of books do you like to read? Do you write what you read? 

Yes. My primary reason for writing started out because I wrote the kinds of books I wanted to read. Writing has always been a passion and hobby for me first before it’s been a job and career. My moods change, so what I’m in the mood to read isn’t always the same. Sometimes it’s military romantic suspense set in the real-world other times it’s romantasy. Recently, I’ve been reading a lot of romantasy, but I hate that they’re always full of spice and smut. But when I tried finding no spice romantasy, I couldn’t find any that were still as gritty or intense, if that makes sense. One thing spicy romantasy books do well is the male characters. They all have tragic, tormented pasts and the characters go through so much angst and feels, and I love that. It just isn’t as heavy in the no spice books I’ve found. And I also like huge fantasy plots outside the romance, so that’s what I started to lean into in my own writing. Of course, at the moment, I’m also writing military romantic suspense, which is my current writing obsession. And recently I’ve been reading through the entire Dungeon Crawler Carl Series. I also am excited about several indie books recently, like my author friend H.A. Pruitt and her book Elores and Sipora, a perfect combination of all the things I love to read. And there’s a ton more from other indie authors on my TBR. It’s growing so long, I’ll never have time for it all *sobs* haha. 

Tell us about a day in the life of you…what makes you, you?

Well, I’m a full time author, and I’m a stay at home wife. My husband and I don’t have kids yet, but he still works and allows me to be an author full time, which is a huge blessing I know not a lot of other authors get. I spend a lot of time with my mom and sister, but when my sister is working, I’m at home working as well. When I’m working on a writing project, I try to write every day as much as I can, even if it’s a little, just to “show up” which helps my mentality. 

At the moment, I’m planning a Kickstarter for my new Valiant book called Warrior, so that’s a lot of searching the threads for swaps, messaging authors, getting their info, scheduling that out, planning updates to reveal to my Kickstarter followers, doing updates when I have a new reveal to do, including author swaps in it, messaging them back. 

I’m also doing a booth at a fall festival with my editor and author friend H.A. Pruitt, so that’s a ton of work. We made bookish themed candles, my sister and I did, so that required countless hours of research, buying supplies, hours making the candles, and buying other supplies for the festival. If I have editing clients, I usually edit a chapter a day as long as they aren’t long chapters. 

Then, I’ve got at least three other books back from my editor of my own since I’m horrible at editing my own books (too close to the story), which has been pushed aside due to a lack of time. I’m also trying to post on my three main social media channels and post a good YouTube video once a week. I also send out newsletters every Saturday. I think part of me overcompensates for working at home and being a full time author. There are people out there who don’t consider what we do a “real job” so even though I know it’s just ignorance, that’s always stuck with me, so I tend to overwork myself and not have a good balance on the work-life balance since I work from home. 

What are your favorite tropes to read and write? Are there ones you stay clear of? Why?

Everyone who has read several of my books knows that I love male characters. I don’t know why, but I prefer to write them over female characters, though I do write them too. But I love a male character with a tragic or tormented backstory and I love to break my characters like little glowsticks, tehehehe. I’m not a psycho, I promise. But in all seriousness, even though I’m a Christian author, I write a lot of dark and gritty stuff. I prefer to write characters in dark places going through really harsh or rough times because it isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. I lean into the whole morally gray antihero male character who has killed people or done horrible things and may or may not have a redemption arc. I love no spice romances but with all the yearning, angst and grit, and the more my characters can go through, the better. I love strong male characters, and lean into the forbidden romances and enemies to lovers sometimes but done correctly, not where they were already secretly attracted to each other from first sight. 

Another odd trope that I’m not even sure is a thing is the male character who was experimented on. I’ve done that three … maybe four times already? I also tend toward building races and cultures that resemble either Native Americans (specifically the Lakota people) or Japanese, medieval/feudal Japan. I can’t help myself. 

And I love strong female leads but done right. I hate the trope as it’s become in today’s books. Sara J. Maas does this in a horrible awful way where the female leads often do everything right, never go through a struggle, and demean the male characters to make them seem like baddies. A female character and even just a character in general can be strong in so many other ways other than having masculine traits. There’s nothing wrong with a woman who can fight—one of my favorite female characters I’ve ever written is Akari, a baddie female samurai character who fights well, but also still has her soft feminine side and her struggles. 

You are a Kickstarter Author. How many Kickstarters are under your belt and what made you decide to try Kickstarter in the first place?

Warrior is in prelaunch right now and it would be my third. I did Immortal, a prequel to my Valiant Series in 2024 with the Omnibus and then Survivor, Valiant Book Seven last year in 2025. I started it because I saw the Kickstarter for Authors group, and I hadn’t been making a lot of sales or royalties for my books and wanted to give Kickstarter a try. When Immortal’s Kickstarter which was awful because I did it all wrong and had no idea what I was doing and combined it with the omnibus, did over $2k, I was like this is the most money I’ve ever made as an author even when I was trad published. And also, because I used to write on Wattpad where I got a lot of feedback and comments from readers who loved reading my stories on there, I missed that author to reader interaction in publishing and I feel like Kickstarter provides that again, especially with the recent updates to follower updates and stuff.

Right now you have a Kickstarter campaign in prelaunch for your book “Warrior,” which is a no spice medieval romantasy. Can you tell us about the book and the series it falls into?

Yes. Warrior is technically Valiant Book Seven, but you can read the series in any order, so if a person wanted to start reading the series with Warrior, they can. The Valiant Series is a series of epic fantasy interconnected standalones where darkness called Corruption is spreading from one world to another, so each book is about a different hero chosen to help stop it and their battle with Corruption until they all come together for sort of an epic fantasy version of the Avengers Assemble moment in the last four books, but no scifi or superheroes just epic fantasy. 

Warrior specifically is, as you said, a medieval fantasy with a no spice romance in it. In a world where first born sons are conscripted into the army, Cynndra’s family has no sons, but she’s the eldest daughter. She’s forced to join the army, and she has to complete training or her family will be banished from the Empire. So, it’s sort of a Mulan meets Fourth Wing in a way but without the spice and with bonded animals instead of bonded dragons. Cynndra is surrounded by an army of men.

Who are the main characters in “Warrior” and what do you love the most about them?

Excellent question. First, there’s Cynndra. She’s kind and compassionate and a bit shy and scared, so I love that she doesn’t fit into the box of typical strong female lead, and it creates this really interesting character arc with her being in an army learning to literally kill other soldiers and how can she hold onto her kindness and compassion through that? In this world, people bond with animals when they’re young, so she’s bonded to a wise white female fox named Lyric who is there to help and guide her along the way. Lyric is a fun companion.

Then, there’s General Rothan. He takes on a sort of more grumpy version of Li Shang, haha. He’s cold and closed off and a bit grumpy but he’s straightforward and no-nonsense, but he’s a good leader. The soldiers all admire him, and he’s a leader for a reason. He’s bonded to a snarky black male stallion named Iyro, who contrasts Rothan’s personality really well.

Then there’s Cynndra’s squad. It’s a fun, perfect example of found family, camaraderie and brotherhood (which I’m a huge sucker for a good brotherhood trope). I released a mini character guide as a follower update a few updates ago on the Kickstarter page going over each one in more detail. 

“Warrior” is the seventh book in your Valiant Series. Can you tell the readers why they should back this project or how they can get the first books in the series?

Well, all of the books will be available in the Kickstarter as eBooks and paperbacks, and then I also have an Omnibus of books one to five in eBook, paperback, and hardback. You can also read the series in any order, so people can jump right on in to Warrior if they want. 

Also, if you want a book that’s like Mulan meets Fourth Wing but without the spice, set in a gritty medieval world with bonded animals, found family, brotherhood, and a really heart wrenching romance with all the angst and feels, and especially if you want to cry your eyes out, then that’s why you should back Warrior.

What kind of world did you create within the Valiant Series? What kind of magical world or creatures coexist within the pages?

Because each Valiant book takes place on a different character’s homeworld, I’ve created many worlds. One, from Rogue Book Five, is a world made entirely out of water. Another, from Samurai Book Three is a world that was inspired by feudal Japan. In the later part of the series when the characters all come together to battle Corruption, they’re traveling across many worlds, so I started creating many of them.  

 

Each world is different and unique. One has shapeshifters divided into clans by what they shapeshift into, including dragons and wolves. Another, in Remnant, Valiant Book Eight—you’re getting a special sneak peek here, by the way—is an industrial world inspired by and kind of set in the 1920s, but outside the city lies a wilderness they’ve been destroying. The MMC in that book, Rayth, has magic where he casts runes and the runes are filled with magic that comes from his wings, and he uses them to cast spells and fight, which is pretty cool.  

 

What is your overall goal that you are aiming for with your crowdfunding project?

With Warrior’s Kickstarter, and all of them, I hope to raise not just enough money to cover the cost of the Kickstarter itself, delivering the goods to the backers, but to cover the costs of editing the next books in the series and art for future books which I can then use in their Kickstarters. Obviously, the main goal is to find a lot of readers who want to read Warrior and who get interested in the series. I’m working on building a fanbase on Kickstarter, so I’m hoping that works.  

 

What advice would you give to an author that is doing their first Kickstarter campaign?

My main piece of advice is get on the Kickstarter for Authors Facebook group and read through all of the resources, including buying Anthea L. Sharp’s new book about it. It will help you with all the research and best prepare you for launching your first. And then just try it. If you don’t make it, there’s no harm, especially if you don’t spend much money on your first until you know how things will work and stuff.  

 

Do you plan to use Kickstarter in the future? How do you plan to include it in your publishing business?

Yes, I plan to use it for all my books as long as it stays “in.” We authors have to stay on top of what’s working, and for me this has been more successful than anything else I’ve tried. I love using it to do a prelaunch for my books. I am hoping to start my military romantic suspense book series next alongside finishing up the Valiant Series and more.  

 

Please share anything you would like our readers to know about your or your Kickstarter Campaign for “Warrior…”

To save her family, Cynndra must become a warrior.

Cynndra Morevold is the eldest of two daughters in a world where having no sons is a disgrace. With her father sick and dying, she is forced to join the army in place of a first-born son. If she fails to complete her training in one year, her family will be banished from the Empire.

No woman has ever succeeded.

Training is overseen by General Rothan, a battle-hardened commander with a snarky bonded horse and a reputation for ruthless discipline and a past carved by grief. Cynndra struggles through the harsh training with her faithful bonded fox, Lyric, as a guide and strength to get through.

When training becomes civil war, Cynndra forms friendships that give her strength, and she must decide who to become as she faces the battlefield. In the quiet spaces between battles, she finds love, drawn to him by shared grief and fear of loving again.

The war will try to harden her. To save her family and survive what’s coming, Cynndra may have to sacrifice what the man who loves her is fighting to protect.

Also, if you follow the campaign, you’ll be able to vote on the campaign and help create the kind of campaign you’re interested in and see all the art, Chibi art which everyone is loving a lot right now, and all the reveals before anyone else. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joanna White is a Christian Author and fangirl. Hunter and Shifter are the first two books in her debut series, called the Valiant Series. She writes Fantasy, Science Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Historical Fiction, Nonfiction, and more. Her short stories have been featured in several anthologies. 

She graduated from Full Sail University with a BFA in Creative Writing For Entertainment. Ever since she was ten years old, she's been writing stories and has a deep passion for writing and creating stories, worlds, characters, and plots that readers can immerse themselves in. In 2020, she reached her personal goal of writing a million words in a year. Most of all, Joanna loves God, her family, staying at home, and being a total nerd.

To stay updated and find out more about her novels, where her inspiration comes from, games, giveaways, and more, visit her website at: authorjoannawhite.com

Follow Joanna at the Following Links:

WEBSITE | FB | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE

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COMING SOON TO KICKSTARTER!

Warrior

A No Spice Medieval Romantasy

Deluxe Hardback & Art

Mulan meets Fourth Wing but with no spice and bonded animals instead of bonded dragons in this military romantasy.

NOTIFY ME ON LAUNCH!

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I would like to thank you for reading Joanna White's interview. It was a pleasure having her on my blog and look forward to featuring her again in the future. Please do take some time to check out her books over on her Amazon or her Kickstarter for Warrior. 

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~ Katie

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Tempus Unbound," by: Janet & Chris Morris — Book Tour & Giveaway!

 Hello riders and readers. It's Sunday, or last day of our Bookish Weekend. Today I am featuring a Book Tour & Giveaway for authors Janet & Chris Morris. They wanted their book "Tempus Unbound," to be featured today along with a special guest post. Check out the details for this dark epic fantasy adventure mixed with mythology and find out how to purchase your copy today. Happy reading everyone :).

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This hero of legend will encounter a challenge he has never faced before . . . present-day New York City.

GUEST POST

What is something unique/quirky about you?

We breed Morgan horses. We consult with Morgan breeders to help them choose breeding combinations to achieve a desired result. 

 

We are also song writers; Janet plays bass guitar and Chris sings and plays guitar. We have an album on MCA records. Look for Christopher Crosby Morris on Soundcloud or N1M.com 

Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

Janet wrote her first book in 1975 and Chris was the first one to read and comment on it. Their marriage survived. A routine emerged where Chris would read aloud all the new drafts and we would make edits on the spot. After a few books Chris’ ideas became frequent enough that we agreed he should have credit for writing, whereas before we had kept separate Janet’s storytelling and Chris’ songwriting. The rest, as they say is history.

Who is your hero and why?

Heraclitus of Ephesus, a pre-socratic philosopher, whose Cosmic Fragments foreshadow our knowledge of reality and how to perceive it. Among his precepts is the statement that change alone is unchanging. We’ve worked Heraclitus’ fragments in here and there throughout our books.

Which of your novels can you imagine being made into a movie?

All of them. We write cinematically, our books are vivid adventures undertaken without knowing the destination.  I, the Sun, The Sacred Band, Outpassage and M.E.D.U.S.A. are particularly suited to film. The Threshold Series is a feast of opportunities for today’s special effects creators.

What inspired you, to write Tempus Unbound?

If you love your character, you often want to see them in unaccustomed circumstances, far from their comfort zones. Tempus surprised us because there is something about him that transcends historical periods, even far future encounters. Across time Tempus remains relevant and even his quirks take on added significance. 

 

Convince us why you feel Tempus Unbound is a must read.

More than a must read, Tempus Unbound was a must write for us. It was time for Tempus to grow as a character and that demands that the reader grow with him. We know from experience that that is what our readers want and we do too.

Who designed your book covers?

Most of our covers, including Tempus Unbound, are realized by Roy Mauritsen, a gifted graphic artist.

Advice to writers?

As for advice to writers, here is all we know: write the story you want to read. Start at the beginning, go to the end, and stop. Seriously. From start to finish you must inhabit the construct in a manner that makes the reader choose to continue; if you, as the writer, can’t feel what it’s like being there, your readers can’t either. So close your eyes, look at your feet where they are standing on the story’s ground; tell me what you see. Tell me what you hear. Ask at the end of each paragraph ‘what happens next?’. If you lose touch with it, wait until you’re back inside it. Tell the story that comes to you, and from you, to me. 

 

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Tempus Unbound

Sacred Band Series Book 6

by: Janet & Chris Morris

Genre: Dark Epic Fantasy Adventure, Mythology

BLURB:

Is this the Lemuria of antiquity, or of times to come? Once you've ridden the storm clouds of heaven from the edge of time, anything is possible. Demonic hordes threaten to destroy the very fabric of time itself. The fate of all humanity rests on the shoulders of Tempus the Black, Favorite of the Storm God. But even this hero of legend will encounter a challenge he has never faced before . . . present-day New York City.

Purchase your Copy Today!

AMAZON | B&N 

Add to your TBR List!

GOODREADS

Check out Reviews and Recommendations!

BOOKBUB

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Don’t miss the rest of the Sacred Band Series! 

The Sacred Band of Stepsons series is Homeric and heroic fiction following the exploits of an ancient cavalry unit modeled on the Sacred Band of Thebes. Deftly mixing history, myth, and fantasy, Morris’ Sacred Band of Stepsons live and die in a world where gods are real and magic works — sometimes.

Morris’ accursed cavalry commander, Tempus, first appeared Sacred Band first appeared in the million-selling Thieves’ world shared-universe in 1981. Subsequently, Janet Morris, first alone and subsequently with her husband Chris Morris, take the Sacred Band into their own series of novels, set in the fourth century BCE. Passionate, gritty, lyrical prose and unforgettable characters make this series. Perseid Press Sacred Band novels includes the “Author’s Cut” of the Beyond Sanctuary Trilogy and Tempus, as well as the epic novel The Sacred Band, and The Fish the Fighters and the Song-girl.

Find them on Perseid Press

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Best selling author Janet Morris began writing in 1976 and published more than 30 novels, many co-authored with her husband Chris Morris or others. Most of her fiction work was in the fantasy and science fiction genres, although she also wrote historical and other novels. Morris either wrote, contributed to, or edited several book-length works of non-fiction, as well as papers and articles on nonlethal weapons, developmental military technology and other defense and national security topics.

Christopher Crosby Morris (born 1946) is an American author of fiction and non-fiction, as well as a lyricist, musical composer, and singer-songwriter. He is married to author Janet Morris. He is a defense policy and strategy analyst and a principal in M2 Technologies, Inc. He writes primarily as Chris Morris, but occasionally uses pseudonyms.

Follow the authors @:

WEBSITE | FB | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | BOOKBUB (Chris) | BOOKBUB (Janet) | AMAZON (Chris) | AMAZON (Janet) | GOODREADS (Chris) | GOODREADS (Janet )

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Enter to Win:

Choice of Print or eBook of Tempus Unbound,

$15 Amazon Gift Card

— 1 Winner Each!

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

Next Stop on the Tour:

Books Blog

September 28th

 

"Empress of the Skies," by: Frost Kay — Now Live on Kickstarter!

 Hello riders and readers. It's the end of our Bookish Saturday posts and I am closing our day off with a Kickstarter Spotlight for author Frost Kay and her Special Edition Novel "Empress of the Skies." Check out the details below for this legit enemies to lovers romance and find out why you should BACK THIS PROJECT today. Also make sure to head over to her campaign page for the full break down of what is included with her tiers and what stretch goals she is working towards. Happy reading everyone :).

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Now Live on Kickstarter!

Empress of the Skies

Limited Special Edition

Romantic fantasy for those who enjoy arranged marriage, a cinnamon roll MMC (only 4 her), legit enemies to lovers romance, and angst.

by: Frost Kay

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• Stretch Goals Unlocked:
• Illustrated Art Print 🔓
• Upgraded Sticker🔓
• Reversible Dust Jacket 🔓
• Additional Interior Illustration 🔓
• Illustrated End pages🔓
• NEXT: Bookish Sticker

She made one fatal mistake—believing she was the most dangerous creature in the ocean.

Captured by the very myth she once hunted across the Northern Seas, Mer is forced to become a pawn in Ceto’s ruthless plan to destroy the human world above. To stop it, Mer has only one choice: submit, survive, and plot his downfall from within hist twisted court.

Are you obsessed with romantic fantasy tales of fierce heroines who will do anything for justice, cold love interests who are immune to love but have a weak spot for spicy women, and enemies to lovers romance?

BACK THIS PROJECT TODAY!

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Head over to Frost Kay's campaign page for details on the story itself along with what kind of goodies you can get with each individual tiers she offers. Make sure to BACK THIS PROJECT while you can because this special edition will be gone forever once it hits the last day on Kickstarter. So, don't miss out! Grab your tier today and count down the days with the author to see what other stretch goals she can unleash. 

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Want to get notifications when we have more bookish posts go live here on KM Jenkins Book Nook? Then head over to our sidebar menu and subscribe by the RSS Feed Option or through the Follow Me Button. Either way will get you subscribed to receive notifications when new content goes live here on our blog. Until next time.

~ Katie

Author Interview with Christopher D. Schmitz

Hello riders and readers. Today I am sitting down with a talented author named Christopher D. Schmitz. He has his work cut out for him this September into October. Right now he has not only a Kickstarter running for his books Curse of the Fey Duelist. But he also has a crowdfunding campaign running for his series the Wolves of the Tesseract over on BackerKit. Talk about a double whammy. Throughout this interview you will get to know Chris and his journey thus far with the two crowdfunding platforms along with his campaigns that are running. Make sure to pull up a seat and stick around because things are about to get interesting. Happy reading everyone :).

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Author Interview with Christopher D. Schmitz

Hi Chris. Can you please start things off by introducing yourself…

I write books that nerds like--both original content, but also gaming and fiction content for IPs ranging from D&D, Firefly, Shadowrun, Daggerheart, and many more. I do many genres but prefer SFFH.

Tell us a bit about your day…what does it usually look like?

If I can, I like to start my day with writing, but that's not always possible. I try to get in a workout, do some paid writing for contracts, and try to allocate at least one day per week for personal novel-writing. I work out almost every day to stay healthy, and most weekends I am at conventions or other sales events. I'm relentless about that. Every Wed. I run RPGs at the Weis Mansion B&B (Waterloo, IA) which I own with my wife.

How do you come up with your ideas for your books? Do you have a process?

I don't have a process for idea generation, those tend to come naturally, but I do try to vet them to make sure that they are good before I invest time in story writing...that means research.

What genres do you usually write within? Do you ever go outside of those genres?

I'm mainly SFFH, but have dabbled in non fiction, and others too. I am interested in so many things! I write murder mystery games that we play at the B&B and I think I may attempt some historical fiction in the near future because of a close tie to a badass historical figure. I wrote murder mystery game as a fundraiser for our local museum (Henry Grout's brother was murdered in Tombstone and the tale involves a cover-up, a vengeful investigation, a suitcase full of money, and a prison break... plus a secret society. I just need to finish my fantasy series before I can write the novelization).

You currently have two crowdfunding projects going. One is on BackerKit and the other is on Kickstarter. Is there a reason you chose to use two different sites to fund your book projects?

I much prefer KS because so many people use it. I know Brandon Sanderson uses BK exclusively, but getting people to sign up for accounts is an extra step and... well... people are kind of lazy. I use BK because I'm an invited guest author for their annual Printopia campaign; they push extra traffic toward it. I decided to experiment this year and run both at the same time to see what kind of cross traffic I'd get by running both at the same time... but then a glitch came up in KS (the primary traffic producer) and it derailed launch by 3 days and threw the whole thing into a tailspin. I love having data and providing it to other crowdfunded authors... but the total failure of the software ruined the test, and now I'm scrambling just to make sure everything goes as well as it can. The test (and the campaigns) are already ruined and I don't have an extra 9 months to setup the prelaunch period and re-try the experiment. Here are my links:

Curse of the Fey Duelist

Wolves of the Tesseract Trilogy

Tell us about the series you are promoting on BackerKit?

Backerkit has my dimension-hopping werewolf urban fantasy. After surviving a demon attack that should have killed her, Claire discovers that her missing archaeologist father uncovered an impossible truth—and that the magic flowing through her own blood will either save every world... or destroy them all... it's a complete series and will help print an omnibus with foiled, reversible dust jackets, foil stamped hardcovers, a color comic book, audiobooks, and more.

Click the banner to check it out in full detail: 

Tell us about the series you are promoting on Kickstarter?

The Kickstarter is for my next installment of the Curse of the Fey Duelist series... it reads like John Wick vs. Legolas and pulls in lots of celtic mythology. A human trapped in the land of the fey learns that his blade of vengeance is tied to a dark past which he must unravel--the problem is that only his enemies know his personal history.

Click the banner to check it out in full detail: 

The “Wolves of the Tesseract” is your complete series on BackerKit and “Curse of the Fey Duelist” you are featuring a new book in the Dark Fantasy genre. Can you tell us about the characters and the journey they undertake?

Crazy enough, the Wolves characters visit the land of Arcadeax, from the Curse of the Fey Duelist. WOTT is a complete series, but I knew I'd written something special with this setting. WotT is a complete series, and Fey Duelist's final installments are in writing right now.

With your two crowdfunding projects what are your main goals for the two running projects you hope to achieve?

I was hoping to be able to send traffic between the two fundraisers; people who backed both would get an entirely different special edition book (color art, foiled covers, etc.) book for FREE. Of course, most traffic comes in the first 48 hours and the software glitches pushed the launches apart by +36 hours and so all of that interest fell apart based upon consumer habits... so now I will honor that same deal, but the crowd who is most interested in that  will never see it. There's not much that I can do about that but pivot: authors always need to be ready to pivot.

Tell us about the tropes that you will find in “Curse of the Fey Duelist” and the “Wolves of the Tesseract?”

WoTT is something of a self-discovery tale where everything our heroine thinks she knows gets swallowed up in greater shades of hidden reality. It's portal fiction that mashes up scifi and fantasy. It has elements of both "everyman" and also the hero's quest.

What different tiers or rewards have you unleashed when you launched your campaign over on BackerKit & on Kickstarter?

I always include digital tiers (including audio when able) plus paperback in addition to the special edition hardcover.

Do you have any advice for authors that are thinking about doing the crowdfunding option? Do you prefer one site over the other? Which works the best for your needs?

Kickstarter is by far the easier option, though backerkit is much more powerful. I would also recommend newer creators get involved in different Facebook groups for crowdfunding and watch/lurk for a while to learn best practices.

What advice would you give to an author looking to start their journey into print? Can you tell them some of your first steps when you were a new author?

Definitely watch out for BS. There are a lot of Sharks and Turds in the swimming pool and you'll need to learn to spot them. Sharks are predatory and want a slice of the pie: I don't mean editors and cover artists (though some of them can fall into that category, but those are things you do legitimately need.) The easiest ones to spot often lie or allude (like JR Tolkien Publishing, or Kindle Print Shop and other names that mislead by alluding to quality.) A lot of those places sell "publishing packages" that do not come as advertised. Always get feedback from real, legitimate authors... not the Turds. Turds enjoy floating around like a swimmer and are the first to give advice online--often wildly wrong/bad advice. You probably know a few. The better online writing groups have good turd-mitigation protocols like banning self-promoters, vetting questions, limiting posting, and consequences for not searching the chats for answers first (otherwise you'll get 5 people per day asking "how I do publish to amazon?").

Our interview is about to end and I wanted to check in with you to find out if you had anything else you would like to add for our readers to enjoy? Please share some fun facts about yourself or any additional information about your two crowdfunding projects that you think potential backers need to know…

I am really bad at online sales. It's not my particular skillset, but I am pretty good at face to face interactions. I teach people those skills in my book, How to Sell More Books at Live Events... a lot of the mindsets and practical pieces in it translate to crowdfunding. It's a different landscape from a digital storefront or trying to scream loudest in a room filled with Amazon Ads... probably the most important thing is to urge you to get involved as a backer for a few projects so you see it from a supporter role, then use groups and help provide feedback to creators in prelaunch (you get to see the back-end on how these are setup) and then launch slow with a small project and a small goal. Wading in helps one not jump in over their head.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christopher D. Schmitz writes books nerds like. Sci-fi, Fantasy, and horror that read as fast-paced adventures filled with ancient mysteries, unforgettable monsters, impossible choices, and just enough humor to keep the darkness from winning. When he isn't writing, Christopher is designing tabletop games, organizing conventions, speaking at writing conferences, and helping other creators bring their own stories to life. He's been fortunate enough to write in a ton of IPs he grew up playing in, and brought his style and wit to them.

He can be found online at www.authorchristopherdschmitz.com

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CHECK OUT THE TWO CROWDFUNDING PROJECTS!

Wolves of the Tesseract Trilogy

Omnibus, Comic, & Audio!

A demon set Claire's house on fire—and that's just the start. Hunted by cultists, monsters, and eldritch gods, can she master reality-bending magic in time to stop a multiversal apocalypse in this action-packed supernatural fantasy trilogy?

by: Christopher D. Schmitz

BACK THIS PROJECT TODAY!

Curse of the Fey Duelist

Court of the Scorched Throne FOIL!

Dark Fantasy Special Edition novel in the epic fae series. eBook, pb, or HCw/foil, painted edges, and more! +a new novella, 4th book!

by: Christopher D. Schmitz

BACK THIS PROJECT TODAY!

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Thank you for stopping by KM Jenkins Book Nook's Blog and reading up about Christopher D. Schmitz and his two currently running crowdfunding projects. Make sure to click the BACK THIS PROJECT TODAY button this way you can check out both campaigns individually. Christopher hinted about a potential free book if you back both. You can reach out to him on either site to find out if that is true or not. I hope you take the time to enjoy this interview and look forward to following Christoper on his journey over on Kickstarter and BackerKit together. 

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~ Katie