Dear Friends,

It's getting close to the fund raising deadline and in spite of my best effort, it looks like I may fall short of the goal.

I am writing to thank you for your support and generosity. Your encouragement of my work has made an incredible difference and I wanted you all to know how much I appreciate it.

This has been a good learning experience and I'm not at all discouraged by the results. In the next few days I'll figure out what my next steps will be to bring ESPERANZA FARM into the world. Editing seems to be the first logical step, but I'll get clearer and let you know.

Just for the record, I also wanted to post my financial projections on which I based the goal amount. It was based on actual figures -- those that I knew before hand -- and some projections on others. But for the sake of transparency, I wanted to post it here:

Editing 1200
Cover Photo 250
ISBN 275
Bar Code 25
Copyright 35
Promotional 500
Publishing Business Reg/PO Box 125
S&H (200* books x 2.83**) 566
Subtotal 2976
Subtotal Plus 10% Misc 158
Subtotal 3134.8
Spanish Edition/Translation 925
Printing/Lighting Source 500 x 4.88 2440
Total 6499
ROUND UP TO 6500

*Books to be mailed to backers 146
Books to be mailed to distributors/promo 54
Total 200

**S & H
Envelope 0.32
Printing Supplies 0.13
Subtotal 0.45
Shipping 2.38
Total 2.83

Being the kind of person that will always be open to the possibility of miracles -- having experienced a few in my lifetime -- I will not shut out of my mind the chance that a rich relative or philanthropic, new-author supporter might come through with the balance left before midnight tonight.

If that doesn't happen, I'll let you all know what Plan B I will be adopting in the next few days.

Blessings, peace and health to all of you!

Jesus

Thanks for your support and for helping me spread the word.

A partial reward for a $75 pledge: "Framed Pedro Ramos baseball card (who makes a cameo in the novel) pasted on actual page where he is mentioned."

It's looking like this:

http://www.kickstarter.com/images/icons/Icon_PhotoFile.png...

http://www.kickstarter.com/images/icons/Icon_PhotoFile.png...

Most of the people I write about in ESPERANZA FARM are composites of people I've met at some point in my life. A few are completely made up to fit a particular story-telling need while others are closer to their real life persona.

Reinaldo, a next door neighbor and confidant of the young protagonist, fits the latter group:

Reinaldo Garsa, who had lived in the United States for many years, was saying that an attack by the United States on Cuba could come any minute. People believed him when he said that the plane that flew low above the fields earlier that afternoon was an American spy plane. Reinaldo should have known, they said, because he had fought as a Sergeant in the American Army during the Korean War.

"Reinaldo" was my real-life neighbor. I remember the content of our frequent conversations, his very strong opinions about the Cuban government and other matters. I could also recall his descriptions of New York from the time in the forties and fifties when he made the city his home. His love of baseball is still fresh in my memory. But because I had not seen him in approximately forty years, his physical features were lost to me. It's odd how one can remember almost all about a person from one's past, except their face. That was until very recently, when I discovered the photo that accompanies this update.

Suddenly, "Reinaldo" came back to life and I realized, at the same time, where his love of baseball probably came from: he managed one of the baseball teams that traveled my province, Pinar del Rio, delighting Sunday fans. This was a detail I did not know about the character or about the person.

I'm considering slipping that detail -- about him being a manager -- into the final revision of the manuscript. It would add depth and context to the character. I also know it would please the person I knew.

"Reinaldo" is the man on the far right. Looking at the photograph, I concluded that he came to the ballpark straight from work. He was in such a hurry to get to the game that he didn't have time to change. "Let's get this damn ceremonial first pitch over," I can imagine him thinking, "let's play ball."

I am comforted by this:

"When setting your funding duration, longer isn't always better. Projects lasting 45 days have our highest success rate."

---Cassie, Kickstarter Staff

So, exciting, fund raising days lie ahead. I'm ready...

For a few months, I had settle on a wonderful photograph depicting a baseball field in the Cuban countryside for my novel's cover art. This photo captured a game in progress, on a sunny day, under the bluest of skies. I had contacted the photographer, who was very professional and accessible, and we had struck a deal for the rights. I had done a number of cover designs based on this photo and had chosen one.

Then a few weeks ago I went searching for a photo to use on a post I was writing for my blog. I entered "children playing baseball" into the search and baseball #10 popped up. Mr. Frandsen, a photojournalist based in Stockholm had visited Cuba and discovered that "baseball is the national sport [i]n Cuba and the Cubans play it everywhere." This photograph is part of a series aptly titled "Baseball in Cuba."

The photo made a strong impression on me but I went to bed convinced that I already had a cover. I did not want to start all over again with design and marketing material. I found out, however, that I could not stop thinking about Mr. Frandsen's image. And the more I thought about it, the more it seemed meant for the book. I thought that I had found a portrait of the novel's protagonist and even though the story takes place in the 1960's, the scene appears timeless. Anyway, not much has changed in Cuba in fifty years.

The photo I've chosen for my novel's cover was not my first choice. But I believe it's the perfect one.

Please visit Johannes Frandsen's website and say hello. By the way, he is available for international work.