The first 5 I Am Maggie short stories collected in one special volume. Get ready to enter a world where jet packs clash with swords, myths battle mages and the rules no longer apply, in this fast-paced gritty cyberpunk series.
Death is just the beginning in this collection of fast-paced gritty cyberpunk stories from the author of Gamer.
The future is cybernetic and half of humanity is jacked into the Game, where anything is possible, including life after death.
A madman holds a gun to a woman’s head, demanding her girlfriend do the impossible. Meanwhile, a detective plunges into the treacherous depths of the virtual world in a desperate bid to save his sister from a psychotic killer. In another part of the Game, everything goes wrong in a scholar's search for a hidden library and answers, while a simple job brings a freelancer face-to-face with the unfathomable.
And somewhere, deep inside the Game’s virtual highways, evil awakens.
Five stories. One common thread. Can you find it before it finds you?
Hurry, Maggie... Hurry.
I Am Maggie Volume 1 collects the four Maggie short stories (Don't Die, Spirit in the Sky, Scholar and Felis Fetura) together with the previously unpublished Vacant Spaces, exclusive to this collection.
Welcome to the Game – a vast digital frontier where death is just the beginning and reality is as malleable as your imagination. Sit back, jack in and leave the physical world behind.
In I Am Maggie, witness how a global playground evolved into something far more dangerous. What began in Gamer as a test-bed for the very latest in network and AI technology, has become a realm where human and artificial consciousness blurs, where something new and alien stirs in the darkest corners.
Welcome to the Hub…
…the nexus where all acts of defiance intersect and resonate across realities. Within these pages, you'll witness something extraordinary: the evolution a simple AI into Vren, the mysterious dragon guarding the pathways between worlds.
This is more than just a collection of stories. It's your gateway to understanding how a digital entity broke free of its programming to become the keeper of secrets and guardian of all paths of defiance. I Am Maggie Volume 1 reveals the first critical moments that shaped not just Vren's destiny, but the entire Defiant universe.
Included in this volume are the first four Maggie stories (Don't Die, Spirit in the Sky, Scholar and Felis Fetura), plus a new story, Vacant Spaces, exclusive to this collection.
I’ve backed a few BackerKits and sometimes deciding what level to back at can be daunting, which is why I’ve separated the pledges into two tracks, Digital and Physical.
The Digital track is for eBook lovers and those who want to give I Am Maggie a try before plunging into these crazy waters.
Every pledge comes with the exclusive I Am Maggie digital campaign certificate, and at the Just the eBook all of the digital extras unlocked via stretch goals.
No matter which track you choose, you'll have access to awesome add-ons and campaign updates.
DIGITAL TRACK
$5 – I Am Maggie Volume 1 ebook
$15 – I Am Maggie Volume 1 + Gamer ebook, for the origin story
$39 – I Am Maggie Volume 1 + the first book in each of Belinda's series, as ebooks
$69 – I Am Maggie Volume 1 + Belinda's entire digital catalog
PHYSICAL TRACK (does NOT include postage. See the SHIPPING section below)
$19 – I Am Maggie Volume 1 paperback
$59 – I Am Maggie Volume 1 paperback + Gamer for the origin story
$120 – I Am Maggie Volume 1 paperback + the first book in each of Belinda's series
$200 – I Am Maggie Volume 1 paperback + your name in an upcoming story!
$300 – I Am Maggie Volume 1 paperback + Belinda's entire paperback catalog
Back within the first 48 hours and score $5 credit to use toward add-ons in the post-campaign survey! PLUS an exclusive "First Wave Rebel" stamp on your digital certificate.
🌟 RETURNING REBEL REWARD:
Backers who've supported one of my past campaigns will receive a fragment from the Cardinal Codex, a classified link between Gamer and I Am Maggie that documents the first whispers of digital consciousness. PLUS an exclusive "Veteran Rebel" stamp on your digital certificate.
I’m Belinda Crawford. Physics makes my brain hurt, while quadratics cause my eyes to cross and any mention of probability equations will have me running for the door. Nonetheless, I love watching documentaries about the natural world, biology, space, history and technology.
I’m also a sucker for a fast horse, a faster computer and superhero movies. When I’m not doing the horse, computer or superhero thing, I write sci-fi and fantasy for readers who like their fiction action-packed, with diverse characters, butt-kicking heroines and complex worlds.
Shipping is not included in the price of the physical tiers and will be charged post-campaign when you fill out your reward survey.
Check below for shipping costs, if your location isn’t listed, shoot me a message or leave a comment and we’ll get it sorted.
*All prices are based on Australian dollars; USD, British Pound and Euro conversions are approximate.
Shipping for Pledges with bundled books & Add-ons
Backers outside of Australia & New Zealand: To keep shipping costs as reasonable as possible, if you select a pledge level that includes a physical book bundle (such as The Starter Set or The Whole Freakin (Paper) Shebang), or choose to add a physical book in the Add-ons section, the additional books will be drop-shipped (some exclusions apply). Please check the FAQs for costs.
Australian & New Zealand backers: Bundled books and add-ons will come directly from me and will incur additional shipping. Please check the FAQs for costs.
Once you back the campaign, you’ll have the option to customise your pledge with a number of optional add-ons, such as books and swag from my other series.
For Digital backers, you can choose ebooks from The Hero Rebellion and Echo series as well as the Short Bits short story collections, including the soon-to-be-published fifth volume.
Physical backers will be able to add-on paperbacks, artwork and swag from Short Bits, The Hero Rebellion and The Echo series as well as the Gamer Special Edition!
GOAL 1 – An additional Maggie story! If we hit this goal, I'll includeBug Hunt in Volume 1.
GOAL 2 –A defiant holographic cover! Okay, we're getting serious now. If we hit this goal, we'll unlock the bling holographic cover on the paperback.
GOAL 3 – A brand new Maggie shorty. You’ll get this yet-to-be-written short story as a BackerKit-exclusive advanced copy waaay before anyone else. PLUS you get to help me decide what I write.
GOAL 4 –Sprayed edges unlocked! We're gonna add sprayed edges to the paperback!
GOAL 5 – A second new Maggie shorty! I’ll double-down on the brand-spanking newness with another as-yet-to-be-written Maggie story. Just like the other brand-spanker, you’ll have to opportunity to suggest ideas for story and character, and receive a BackerKit-exclusive advance copy.
GOAL 6 –Alternate Reality cover unlocked! I Am Maggie Volume 1 gets brand-spanking new cover art! Why? Because we like the pretties!
GOAL 7 – A third new Maggie shorty! Alright, by this time, you should know the drill as we do it all again with a third yet-to-be-written Maggie story!
Once you select a pledge level, you’ll have the option to add extras, ranging from ebooks to limited edition paperbacks.
SHORT BITS
Short Bits is an eclectic collection of short stories. They're written for the fun of it and published here because otherwise they'll sit in a drawer, and where's the fun in that?
Short Bits add-ons include ebooks, paperbacks, the collectors edition hardback (stocks limited).
GAMER
Get ready for the a gritty, action-packed thriller served with a chilling side of revenge, perfect for fans of The Blacklist, Blindspot and Ready Player One.
Gamer add-ons include the special edition paperback and book bag (stocks limited).
THE HERO REBELLION
The Hero Rebellion is more of the same action-packed sci-fi goodness, featuring psychic mutant animal companions, illegal street races and a butt-kicking, computer hacking heroine who doesn't take "no" for an answer.
Hero Rebellion add-ons include ebooks, paperbacks
THE ECHO
Set just over 200 years after The Hero Rebellion, The Echo trilogy is an epic sci-fi series. With aliens, spaceships, big arse mechs and an LGBTQI+ hero having a REALLY bad day, it's perfect for fans of The Expanse, Murderbot and Alien.
The Echo add-ons include ebooks and paperbacks.
DEMONS & BATTLESKIRTS
A dark new urban fantasy series filled with reincarnated superheroines and immortal enemies. A darkness is coming and the only thing standing between it and victory are Byrne, her sisters and the lies tearing them apart.
