Tag Archives: Pledges

April 3, 2014 · 6:07 pm

GRACE UNDER KICKSTARTER FIRE OR ANOTHER STORY TRYING TO COME OUT

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Hello all,

I’m attempting to wrestle with showing grace under Kickstarter fire, not to mention bad hair days, and so sorry a blog has become a tedious repetition of links and reminders. I’m a little surprised though many readers have not backed the great Light of The White Bear fight and seem to be here only for the un-allowed and long gone private lives of authors and editors, and the gossip too. Not to mention the laughable poison that can sometimes lurk in the immediate neighbourhood of dear old Facebook. It was a delight to see that jumped on by other supporters.

Very well though, as the project seems to fail at last, though 40 backers is damn good, you can have the whole story of Harry N Abrams, (very rarely the whole story of anyone’s innards), in both a film and the updates, by CLICKING HERE

They really are very welcome to disagree, and of course still almost publish Fell, one reader blogged he could not find in the shops, but I should be telling the story of Uteq of the Black Paw! Another glimpse is in an Update, but then off to study St Cuthbert and get a bloody life.

David

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April 2, 2014 · 1:24 pm

THE LAST WEEK OF KICKSTARTER AND IT AIN’T OVER TILL THE FAT LADY SINGS!

It was what a fan and backer in the UK said, about that singing lady, and yesterday’s April Fool about the UN was meant as part of some fun, though it would hardly hurt! But spurred by readers, rather than giving up, a last talk and film goes up about a Kickstarter project on the newly named Light of the White Bear.

I just won’t be silenced on what happened in New York and London, among ‘friends’ and colleagues, but it is a story that needs pushing into the background, so only appears in the second part of a film. If Abrams, which still publishes Fell, for those who talk of ‘the past’, wants to challenge on libel, I have also said I would prove it, but this is hopefully about the future now. There is also a free e-edition of Fell alone, available till Monday April 7th from Amazon.com

Likes are fantastic but it really needs your active support now and you can see a talk that raises the bar of ambition by CLICKING HERE

A warm thank you both to Backers and to readers at Phoenix too.

PA PRESS

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March 27, 2014 · 5:53 pm

KICKSTARTER AND THE GREAT WALK TO THE SEA!

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Hello again,

well 33 brave backers of Light of The White Bear but the last race to the finishing post now, with just 12 days to go. Over a quarter, with 26%. I am going to treat it like the Ah Tic Tok, when polar bear mothers and their cubs come out of their ice dens and wander across the spring sea ice to learn how to fish and marvel. Never fear, if it fails it fails, but it would still be wonderful if we all believe in magic and story and I could hear your calls of the wild.

You can see another little talk, about a plot, and the work behind Phoenix too, while you can also join this brave band of brothers and sisters by Clicking Here

As a friend once said a Phoenix is a mythical bird that, wherever it’s found, can simply never really fail.

Thank you.

DCD

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March 24, 2014 · 2:46 pm

AN AUTHOR TRIES TO TALK TO AUTHORS!

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Hi, I don’t know your experience but do authors really support one another in the world of Social Media and Kickstarter projects? Are we only a jealous and fiercely competitive lot, or is there such a thing as connecting to try and do something about the changed landscape of publishing, dying bookshops and fighting but endangered species of authors?!

I made lots of friends this weekend via Facebook and don’t want to use it just to peddle me, but right now I’m trying to get some help with properly publishing a long-delayed novel Light of the White Bear. It has its own rather extraordinary story, and why a leading author under four contracts who got so close to the heart of a firm had such an awful battle in New York City and then walked away from his own major publishing house. It led to creating this little publisher, Phoenix Ark Press. But if you pledge, or simply help by spreading the word, blogging, linking or liking, I would be hugely grateful. Only 16 days to survive and 50 years to save the melting ice caps and all those mighty polar bears!

You can see it by CLICKING HERE

Many thanks

Davidx

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March 20, 2014 · 7:58 am

KICKSTARTING HITS BRICK WALL, SO WE GO OFF BOOK TO TALK ABOUT PHOENIX ARK STATISTICS

12_001Never the gloomy, negative or doom ridden(!), like that IPCC report in the Independent about melting ice caps and global mayhem, but today the Kickstarter project on Light of The White Bear has hit a serious brick wall! Did I say 15% in a film or here, that came from someone else, it’s 14%?

So, a little tediously for readers or fans who love talking about story, and not in his chat to camera (Blanche puppet and all), David drops all the fronts and posts details in the new project text of Phoenix Ark Press visitor statistics, talks about business practicalities and publishing models and how it has already been a thrill to engage about things like publishing back into America, where a novel was billed by an editor as the break through book. Carpe diem!

You can see the whole project by CLICKING HERE

Have a great day.

DCD

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March 18, 2014 · 8:48 pm

PHOENIX ARK ADOPTS A MOTTO AND ANTHEM FOR THE LIGHT OF THE WHITE BEAR KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN

Via a friend, over to a song for the campaign by CLICKING HERE and a wonderful end line “We may be fighting a losing battle but we’re gonna have a lot of fun trying…”

Then to a new video up today on Kickstarter today by CLICKING HERE

No, those links don’t quite work, so for the film you have to copy and paste https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1159695087/light-of-the-white-bear

Good Night dear readers…sweet dreams

DCD

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March 18, 2014 · 6:26 pm

JO BRAND, KICKSTARTING, GLOBAL MELTDOWNS AND TURNING TO STAND UP COMEDY!

Meeting Brit comic Jo Brand today in the Kennington Texaco – well, I opened the door for her – I should have told here about this and asked her help, reminded her of meeting her in a bar in Madrid years ago, when she told me to piss off, or just asked for some hot tips of Kickstarting stand-up comedy! It is the only way ahead.

Light of the White Bear has just jumped to 15%, which is great. On the other hand, do you know about Buddhists who rail at their pupils with heavy insults, then swap places? It is called trying to grow. Because in just a day and a half now I have already had another 200 visitors and only 3 pledges!!! Cheapskates. ARE YOU LISTENING, as the IPCC spreads a prophet of DOOM about Global Warming, you enormous CLOTH EARED DULLARDS? Kiss, Kiss. Is a film interesting, good enough, tedious, humiliating, even remotely funny? (Don’t answer that)

What exactly would move you though to TAKE THE PLEDGE, or risk anything except lurking about on the Internet? The true and extraordinary tragic love story of fluttering Phoenix Ark Press? Being a bit more Zen? Reading the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, (you know, machines with a Kickstarter motor), or discussing why my mate Tim is such a mean idiot for talking about certain people not having earned the right to be an artist, or complain, compared with the sufferings of him and the world? He should try being knifed in the back by a lover, an editor, a best London friend, fight on all fronts and survive! (Sort of.) But the point is Spirit is all.

Enough, reader help is required now, to PLEDGE or to please SPREAD THE WORD,because artists prefer proper publishing platforms and some peace too. But at least you can have a good laugh (I hope) at Kickstarter by CLICKING HERE

Tomorrow I’l talk more about story. I am going to bed!

Yours in humiliated exhaustion

DCD

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March 18, 2014 · 4:29 pm

LIGHT OF THE WHITE BEAR AND THE IPCC!

One of the ironies of good fiction is that it should not be messaged based. So previous novels about animals, myths and story are more about the experience of being alive. If one fan and pledger to Kickstarter though can write “There are only two authors that I can say that have had a profound influence on my life and you are one of them.” then it was worth it anyhow.

On the other hand, look at the headline in The Independent in the UK today: Leaked draft of second IPCC report predicts Global Warming will cause violent conflict, displace millions of people and wipe trillions of dollars off global economy.

Perhaps then a novel involving such themes can have some real impact and Light of the White Bear will have a wider meaning and purpose. But not if the pledges do not rise quickly THIS WEEK! You can see a new talk about it by CLICKING HERE

Thank you.

DCD

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March 18, 2014 · 12:00 pm

KICKSTARTING AUTHOR HAS ANOTHER GO AT BAD READERS, EVIL PUBLISHERS, SOULESS EXes AND EDITORS, HOWLS LIKE FELL AND WEARS A SILLY HAT!

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Well, Phoenix Ark Readers you’re doing it again! The stats and so the readership are leaping up, no doubt with all the personal stuff, but the PLEDGES are still limping along, like wounded or drowning polar bears. Despite that most fantastic jump yesterday and just now, thank you, Adam, Martin and Yasmin, which proves it can happen. Would you like your life though, work, art or blogs to be a nasty spectator sport, much the world sport nowadays on the bad mirror of the Internet and Facebook?

What a wonderful comment by Yasmin though, below – “There are only two authors that I can say that have had a profound influence on my life and you are one of them.”

So please don’t just LIKE, though that’s great too, but really support and if you can’t afford anything, spread the word too. Moving towards a Grand THERE IS STILL A VERY GREAT CHANCE but since a fan worked out this Kickstarter effort needs around £274 a day (though experts say it hots up in the last ten days), THIS IS THE WEEK THAT COUNTS, the week of making, and YOU ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WILL MAKE IT COUNT OR FAIL. Here’s looking at you, kids.

So again I go on camera and talk about personal things, books being very personal, wear a silly hat with the badge of the Chitral Scouts, read, howl, tear up contracts as bad and ruthless editors did, while serving their careers alone, explain this serious fight against the system and attempt to communicate through the awful wall of non-communication and isolation all over the Internet. But also talk about why I am NOT BEING NEGATIVE either, out of a six year not 30 days battle, just not really being quite heard yet, and am trying to find some warrior spirit again too. After all, Light of The White Bear is both about planet saving and Warrior Storytellers!

You can see all the embarrassment by CLICKING HERE

Thank you.

DCD

Just to note there is a REMIND ME link at Kickstarter (Thanks to Shiela at Wands and Worlds)

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March 17, 2014 · 6:33 pm

KICKSTARTING AUTHOR REFUSES NOT TO BE PERSONAL!

Well, when I was told years back I must keep my mouth shut by my own editor, but then politics saw a small department threatening a contracted author, when he was not challenging an ex’s career, and in a two year story that became both betraying, vicious and kafkaesque, I refuse to not be personal about Light of the White Bear, Phoenix Ark Press, books and stories, or indeed writers and editors. Things called books are made by real people and first by the writer.

I think the reason for the savagery is the very fear of that public eye, the internet too, that does encourage spooks with talk of ‘sooks’! But the point is the one person who should not have been destroyed in it was the award-winning author, contracted to tell difficult and challenging stories. Why too Phoenix Ark Press has always been a rather sad love story!

In the good fight then I go off book again and talk directly to an ex partner, Tamar, and to an editor of years in the US, Susan, and damn the world for preferring to hide, or to exercise unjust power behind the scenes, let New York Attorneys perjure themselves last year, pretend they fight against US Censorship or indeed say that books and great stories are not and should not be personal!

You can see that online, trying to bump a stalling Kickstarter project (despite sudden great jumps today – thank you) and trying to get over a bad hair day. But because everyone who supports, rich or poor, is important and it’s so helpful hearing from you too a new pledge and reward of £1.99 has just been created, that brings a thank you here and a free ebook too. Find out by CLICKING HERE

DCD

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