Who am I and why am I here?

As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a writer, specifically a novelist. I’ve tried several times to write a book - first in my spare time in high school, later during my free time while working part time at Disneyland. These efforts eventually resulted in a short novella, under 100 pages in length. Over the next few years I wrote a handful of short stories, the quality of which I am very proud of.

At the time I was working a stressful job with a great deal of overtime and irregular scheduling. This left little real time to decompress, as it were. Yet, I had a solid outline, one I’d been working on in my head for years. So, attempts were made to write this new novel. I would get a chapter or two finished, then due to work or other obligations I would be unable to return to it for weeks or months. When I was able to get back to writing, I’d invariably have thought through some course of events that lead to significant, even drastic changes, requiring a restart.

Eventually, my job saw me living and working in Russia for six months in 2007. This put an end to any actual writing – but I have spent the years since refining the original idea to a high level of polish. It’s good, maybe even excellent. But, as any writer knows, starting a work and keeping the flow going is critical. Stopping and starting is a sure way to mediocrity, plot holes and one dimensional characters. This is why I’ve come to the Kickstarter community – both to grant me the time I need to focus on getting the novel written and self publish via a print on demand service as well.

What is The Cliffshore?

The Cliffshore is my name for the world in which the novel takes place. There is like all worlds a continent stretching from the frozen tundra in the north, mountains and plains on into tropical jungles and deserts in the south. Much like the continental united states, the east is made up of plains and low hills and mountains, with a much more drastic and severe mountain range on the western coast. Unlike the US west coast, however, the mountains don’t stop and leave great beaches. They go right to the water’s edge, leaving sheer cliffs and jagged reefs of broken rock along thousands of miles of coast.

Out beyond this Cliffshore there are large archipelagos of islands, much like the south pacific. Some are small atolls, others as large at the islands of the United Kingdom. Many are inhabited, and well developed nations exist among the islands. These islanders trade heavily with their inland neighbors, who themselves exist largely as self governing city-states. There is one rather dramatic challenge to this healthy trade relationship – that is the Cliffshore. Because of the sheer cliffs and rocky reefs, there is only one viable deep water port where ships can dock. The city of Rhan has been built around this port, its buildings now covering the surrounding cliffs and mountain sides at steep angles, and in compact verticality in the poorer areas.

However, the status quo has recently changed with the invention of flight. Both small fast propeller driven planes and large, lumbering airships are increasingly common sights. Trade contracts and treaties have kept Rhan at the center of trade, officially. Unofficially, both the inland city-states and island nations are routinely using smuggling operations to bypass the iron grip Rhan has held over them. While not in fact a governing body, its position as the key to international trade has made the city of Rhan both wealthy and powerful. Their navy is formidable, and they are defended on the landward side by mountain outposts guarding the few viable approaches. A quickly assembled airship core now backs the navy in its struggle among the island nations to counter the smuggling.

To solve the smuggling problem once and for all, end the conflict, and ensure their continued hold on power, Rhan has built what they are calling a Dreadnought airship – I gigantic craft, it was constructed out of view in a cavern sealed behind a massive door in the cliff face. Now launching, there is a grand celebration being held as it hovers quietly over the city, covering much in shadow.

Unknown to any in Rhan, the smugglers and their backers have secreted artillery units out of site of the approaches to the city, but well within striking distance. It is this Dreadnought airship they will target. It is this shadow across the city they will fire upon, and bring crashing down.

This is the world in which we begin. The city is in ruins, its great creation now the bringer of destruction. Our protagonists wake up in the rubble of their homes, destroyed in the calamity. They will struggle for survival, for safety, and for answers. Where are the leaders of Rhan, and where is it's mighty military? What happened, why? What will happen next?

As you can see, I know the setting as if I had lived it, so developed is the story in my mind and notes. With your help, I’ll actually get this written and published.

My novella can freely downloaded at: http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/oslindorus/6228673#detailsSection

My short story work can bee seen at: http://arklan.deviantart.com/