Over the weekend you probably saw several pledge diaries requesting support for Larime Taylor (aka The Gimp). He was using Kickstarter to fund a book project that he would write and release in serial form - one episode per month. He even offered the first episode of Hellwatch for free so folks could get a taste of exactly what they'd be supporting with their pledges.
His first attempt to fund the project turned out to be a bit to large, so he revised the amount down to $2000. That amount would cover costs in producing the next two episodes, which in turn would help him build readership and obtain advertising to promote the project to an even wider audience.
The dicey part was, with the renewed Kickstarter pledge drive, the folks who had participated the first time around would have to repeat their pledge on the second one. He had garnered $985 during the first drive, but had no guarantee those funds would 'carryover' to the second try.
After watching Larime's first effort fall short, it just didn't seem right to have the new one jeopardized over a 'technicality'. To make matters even more difficult, the time frame to reach the $2000 goal was incredibly short - only 3 days!
So, having seen the folks here at the Great Orange step up time and again, I decided a pledge drive here might just be able to assure that Larime's book project got the attention it deserved. Many here were familiar with his fabulous artistic skills, but had no idea what a great story-teller he is. I found that out when I read the first episode and knew that this was a way for him to support himself and his wife.
He's had a rough go of things lately and their disability income just wasn't enough to meet their basic needs. He came up with the idea of producing a steady income by writing serial fiction - like Stephen King did with The Green Mile. It's a brilliant concept since he can work from home and provide the episodes via the 'net.
Well, the great news is that folks here saw that it was an effort worth supporting and late last night, Larime reached his goal! And, even better news, in true Kossack fashion, you went above and beyond - the final total was $3,200!!
Several donors not only renewed their pledges, they increased them. Some folks weren't able to financially support the effort, but they did use their Recs to increase visibility of the pledge diaries. Some used their contacts to spread the word and direct their circle of contacts to the Kickstarter page. Those combined efforts were responsible for allowing Larime the chance he needed to get the project off to a rousing start!
To everyone who participated, I'd like to say, "THANK YOU!" You've proven once again that this place has a huge heart and will bend over backwards to see one of our own succeed. We can now look forward to new episodes, featuring the appearances of several of the larger investors, and know that Larime now has the ability to expand his readership.
Again, THANK YOU for your support! Now, if you haven't already done so, go read the first episode via the free download. Then, you can tell everyone you know about the great new author who has a very different take on a popular theme in supernatural fiction.
No doubt about it, Kossacks rock!