A new and complete epic fantasy duology with regular and special edition books, following a character-driven story of found family trying to stop a magic-wielding queen from saving the world.
A farm boy runs away from home to keep his family from killing each other (again). An inhuman sorceress murders her way to the throne to save thousands of lives. A reluctant prince is cast into a hostile nation to redeem a hostage. Unlikely allies realize the only way to recover a kingdom is to deceive each other.
An epic tale of friendship and catastrophe.
Back now for this new and complete epic fantasy series from a multi-award-winning author, delivered in ebook, audiobook, paperback, hardback, and beautiful special editions!
If you like epic fantasy that is:
intensely character-driven
full of found family and captivating relationships that aren't just romantic
mature and tackling Big Themes
...but without steamy scenes
a smidge of romance but also has ace rep
a bit different from the general market, something a little less mainstream or formulaic, something made for a selective audience
...then please check out this compelling new duology! Backers will receive the entire story with this project—no waiting for the next book!
Galen was unhappy in his overcrowded farmhouse even before learning his uncles murdered his father for the spoils of a robbery. Now the only way to keep his family from killing each other—again—is to steal the magical amulet they’re fighting over. Too bad it turns out to be a hoax.
A coup leaves Prince Kayvin entrapped by the usurper, with his mother hostage in an icy prison. To save her life, he must venture alone into a hostile land to collect legendary artifacts. He can trust no one but a beautiful dancer and a young man trained to be the perfect luxurious companion—and perhaps not both of them.
When Galen and his notorious sorceress partner find themselves on the front line of an inhuman invading horde, Kayvin is the unlikeliest of allies. But how can so few stop a magic-wielding queen bent on saving thousands of lives?
Surely you mean “ending thousands of lives”?
I said what I said.
If you like deeply realized characters, sweeping adventure, and multilayered storytelling, then you’ll love this new epic fantasy.
"This story made me feel the whole range of emotions. I keep thinking about it!" -- K., ARC reader
As usual for my books, we have an ensemble cast of wildly varied backgrounds coming together and finding ability where they thought they had none.
Galen is a farm boy who sacrificed everything to save his family from a threat that turned out to be fake. Now he's trying to stop a magic-wielding queen from saving the world.
Lisveth was an infamous sorceress highwaywoman, terrorizing the roads with fire and theft. Now she's an itinerant mercenary with her emotional support village idiot.
Kayvin wasn't a good prince, but he was one, and he's lost that. He knows the throne is gone, but the only way to redeem his hostage mother's life is to retrieve a legendary artifact for the usurper. And you're telling him that some random ginger farm boy has it?!
Dielo is professionally gorgeous and a real people-pleaser. But his master isn't interested, and his true master doesn't need his reports, and what's a courtesan-spy to do when no one wants him?
Yovela has finally found a safe place. It's a terrible job description, but Kayvin treats her better than anyone else has, and that's enough for now. If anyone threatens that, she'll do all in her power—and if she doesn't have enough, she'll recruit help.
Rewards are available for a wide variety of budgets and format preferences. Each book will be available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and human-narrated audio—and in beautiful special editions!
Indulge in special editions in your choice of covers. The special edition paperbacks feature holographic foil covers, premium paper, and sprayed edges. The decadent special edition hardbacks offer holographic foil covers, premium paper, full color end papers, ribbon bookmark, colored tail bands, and custom sprayed edges! All print books are black text on cream paper, with black illustrations and chapter spreads in the special editions.
a color illustration and the title page in the special edition hardback
It's no secret how some books that appeal to a selected audience can better find those readers on crowdfunding platforms. As a long-time hybrid author, both traditional and self-published, I know each story has its own path. That's why I'm here! And I'm collaborating with a number of authors bringing new projects to life with Booktopia.
There are two ways for you as a backer to reap extra rewards during Booktopia:
Support my partner creator A. E. Zeigler! If you back both Weave of a Thousand Lies and The Eyes of Mandoral, you'll receive exclusive oracle art cards from each for a total of 6 art cards. (Back additional Booktopia creators to receive more cards, over 50 in all!)
Back 5 or more Booktopia projects to receive an exclusive Booktopia 2024 reward!
See the Booktopia section below for more information.
For amazing backers, we have amazing rewards. Back for glossy character prints, vellum inserts, full color hardback jackets, travel posters, and more to be revealed as we progress.
But you don't have to wait for bonus rewards -- early backers (first 48 hours) will receive a bonus ebook (with all tiers), and returning backers (from my Only The Dead Face North project) will receive a sticker (with physical tiers). A returning backer who pledges within the first 48 hours will receive both!
At $3,000, we'll add a glossy print to every physical tier, and we'll make that a flat-envelope-rate-shipping-only add-on option for digital tiers.
At $3,500, that glossy print becomes reversible, so you can flip to your favorite team of characters at will!
At $4,000, each copy of The Poet's Eye and The Prince's Song, in both paperback and hardback, gets a vellum insert illustration. Backed with a digital tier? We'll make those illustrations available to download.
At $5,000, ebook and print editions of both books gain fancy chapter headings.
At $5,500, the special edition hardbacks gain full-color jackets.
At $6,000, I'll include a dark fantasy version of the characters on a reversible glossy print (and it becomes an add-on for shipping cost only for digital backers).
At $6,500, all physical reward tiers get an extra sticker in their box (and it becomes an add-on for shipping cost only for digital backers).
Hi, I'm Laura VanArendonk Baugh, and while this is only my second crowdfunding campaign, I'm not a new author. I've been writing for decades, published both traditionally and independently, and I've won multiple awards at various industry levels. My fantasy is known for character-driven stories and deep worldbuilding with plausible magic.
Want to try it first? Grab the free short story "A Midwinter Theft" (retailers here) to meet Lisveth and Galen on one of their hired jobs, going slightly sideways as usual. Or, if you picked up the Origins Game Fair anthology A Trove of Legacies, you can find another story "A Signet to Save" in that.
Are there any content warnings?
This series has not been rated by the Motion Picture Association of America, but if it were, it would probably sit about PG-13.
No spicy or steamy scenes. There are trafficked persons, but there is no sex on the page and little implied elsewhere; their subplot is not about their past encounters but about their relationships with others and learning new views after a lifetime of exploitation. There is violence, but not graphic. There is a feticide following an obliquely referenced case of abuse. Beta readers report this was emotional but not too detailed.
My last series, The Shard of Elan, launched with a fundraiser for IJM to fight modern slavery and trafficking. I will donate profits from this series as well. My goal is to address real evils in my fantasy, but without being exploitative.
Was any AI used to create this project?
This series is 100% human-made. No generative AI was used for text, audio, or images. Thank you for supporting humans in the humanities!
Ebooks and audiobooks will be delivered via BookFunnel, which I have used successfully for years and for previous campaign fulfillment. BookFunnel offers its own fully-featured app as well as delivery support for other ereaders such as Kindle, Nook, etc. so you can enjoy your ebook on any device. BookFunnel also provides live-human tech support in case you have questions or, rarely, trouble.
Shipping of physical items is not included in your pledge. Shipping will be charged after the campaign closes, to reduce prices with individually accurate rates rather than a higher rate to accommodate all possible orders. At current rates and costs, shipping is generally estimated at $10-14 USD within the USA, depending on rewards chosen, and $25-30 USD outside the USA. (Add-ons are not included in these estimates, and costs are subject to change.)
Shipping outside the USA: Charges will reflect actual shipping calculations at the best rates that include tracking. In some cases, there may be additional customs fees and duties beyond the standard shipping fees, and these are the responsibility of the recipient. I will ship with accurate customs information to minimize fees, but I cannot guarantee what your country's system may choose to do.
We live here, too! All planned shipping materials are compostable or curb recyclable.
This is my second crowdfunding project and my first on BackerKit, but I'm confident in fulfilling this project. I've been an independent and hybrid author for more than a decade, so writing, printing, and fulfilling are not new. The manuscripts are mostly complete, and plans are already in place for finishing, editing, printing, and audiobook creation.
Digital rewards will delivered through established systems I have used for direct sales for years. Print rewards will be ordered in surplus to allow for damages or lost shipments. Printing and shipping are subject to delays out of my control, but I will update backers in case of any such delays and work as efficiently as possible to mitigate impact.
📚 Welcome to Booktopia — a celebration of creativity and collaboration from a vibrant collective of writers, authors and artists collectively running crowdfunding projects from September 5th -September 26th.
🔥 Limited Cross-Collaboration Freebies — All 50+ Booktopia creators have paired up with a fellow participant to create two unique and limited freebies together. If BOTH projects successfully fund, backers who support BOTH will get the TWO [2] cross-collab freebies listed on their campaign pages, one from each creator. The more pairs of Booktopia creators you support, the more freebies you will earn! ✨
🧧 1 FREE Limited Edition Booktopia 2024 black metal bookmark if you back FIVE [5] or more projects.
To get these 6 cards, back both The Eyes of Mandoral and Weave of a Thousand Lies at any tier with physical rewards.
Booktopia creators are offering cards, pins, and more as collaborative rewards! Browse them all to see.
Want to complete the deck? Check out all of the other campaigns offering cards for this unique Booktopia 2024 oracle art card deck! Back all campaigns to complete your deck with 52 cards and a matching box!
