I've been crunching together a number of previews and sneak-peeks at materials that will have some impact or use within the Secrets, like Dragons... project and the Kharndam world. As noted in my previous update, I'd been posting them to my primary website, as I did this one as well.

http://www.steveneschend.com/2011/05/28/kharndam-rumors1/

I cannot thank all the new backers who've appeared in the past 36 hours or so (and I'll advance an equally effusive thank you to any more who come along in the next 18). Your support and your encouragement have been amazing and deeply appreciated.

I don't know how to do much more on this project, given the time constraints of the holiday weekend (for us Americans, at least). Still, I'll keep my email window open in case any questions or comments need addressing before this funding drive is out.

We're down to nearly the last 24 hours of our fund-raising drive but we've made great strides toward our goal, so thanks again to our amazing patrons!

If you know anyone who was curious but still on the fence or wondering about more information about this project (and its related worlds), send  any or all of these links to posts I've put together over the past week. Some great friends and fellow authors have allowed me to guest-post on their blogs, and I've been rebuilding my personal website (some of which material will port over to the kharndam.com site when it's officially active).

http://grubbstreet.blogspot.com/2011/05/message-from-steven-schend.html

http://frabjousdave.blogspot.com/2011/05/telling-secrets.html

http://www.steveneschend.com/2011/05/26/kharndam-ancient-history/

http://www.steveneschend.com/2011/05/27/pegasus-throne/

There's a few random and scattered tidbits and secrets among each of the posts, for those hoping for more details on the Akanri. If I can find a little more time today, I'll try and add a few Akanri character sketches to keep up the excitement and interest.

Keep getting the word out to friends and other fantasy fans you know, as every new patron will help make sure this project becomes a reality sooner than later. And no matter what happens in the next 24 hours, know every bit of time and support you've shown us here has been very much appreciated.

Steven Schend

Due to a number of personal emails and discussions with folks interested in the project, we've added another reward level for people bidding $800 or more.

In short, they get the same opportunity to add their creative input to the Kharndam world as Stage 6 (and the lone Stage 7) supporters, though they work with us to develop more than one character. They could be up to 4 individual and unrelated characters of variable prestige or they could be all inter-related family members and we'll work in the details on said family.

Please bear in mind it's unlikely you could add a group of thousands, but I'd be more than willing to entertain small guilds, military bands, or religious orders (or at least the staff of a religious abbey or cloister). They merely must be groups that have an identity and purpose within the world of Kharndam that hasn't already been filled by one of our authors.

Alternately, this reward stage allows you the option to work with an author to develop a subplot within a novella (or perhaps influence and add a new supplemental piece between the novellas that adds more depth and detail to the world.

All details (re: authors, areas, and character details) are to be determined (via email, phone, and/or private forums) after the funding drive's successful completion and once contracts are in place with the authors. Said benefactors will also be signing contracts with Vistag Media regarding their co-creator status and their character or input on the world.

 I'm working hard in the project drive's last week to come up with more material to entice and intrigue, and I'll post links here when any more details on Kharndam, the Akanri, or anything else related to Secrets, like Dragons... gets written or posted online. 

As always, please ask any questions you have (or simply leave comments and your thoughts) here or on my website.

Thanks for your time and attention.

Steven Schend

http://www.steveneschend.com

Sorry to all for the lack of updates, but there'll be a few updates next week after I get past a bottleneck of competing deadlines.

For now, any who want a look at what our prototype Akanri badges look like (especially of interest to those patrons of Stage Five and above), take a look at my latest blog post.

Thank you so very much to our first 26 backers--I cannot tell you how great it is to have your support and 18% of our goal in only a week! I'll be thanking each of you personally later, but there's a lot going on behind the scenes here at Vistag Media to make sure we're ready to come out of the gate running when we reach our funding goal.

Thanks as well to all the 263 people commenting and supporting us with "likes" via Facebook. Great to have the moral support as well and people curious and talking about Secrets, like Dragons...

Our info update comes from a comment I saw in Facebook and thought I'd answer here for everybody to see--exactly what do I mean by "graphic and text touches" anyway?

I don't want to pen myself or our writers into any corners by committing too much too soon, but here's my thinking behind them--they're extras, backups, or addenda to each novella, really, They serve to expand what readers know about the world of KHARNDAM™ without interrupting the stories as they play out.

The materials around the novellas will serve to fill in some gaps of knowledge or add more mysteries, and they could be anything.

They won't be complete stories, though they could be vignettes or brief scenes.

They could be Akanri histories relating to places or people or events mentioned in a novella, or merely a group of messages between two Akanri.

They could be an official Imperam travelogue detailing the country in which a story takes place, or it could be a military report documenting the troubles in the same area.

As my plan for KHARNDAM is for it to build a reader-interactive community, I'll open up those "extras" materials for discussion. Tell us what you'd like to see as extras. Leave comments below, at http://kharndam.com, or both.

I can't promise that we'll be able to incorporate everyone's ideas or wishes, but I'd love to see what you readers most want. I know that it's hard to say, since KHARNDAM only exists in idea-state yet, but think of it this way--after you've enjoyed a good book, what are the things you find yourself thinking about and wishing you knew more about? THAT is what I really want us to provide along with five great novellas.

Okay, long enough ramble from me, today. Hope to hear from you 26 and many more, and I'll try and have another update/note in less than a week.

Thanks again, all and every!

Steven

www.steveneschend.com