Category: Kickstarter

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“Aim For The Heart” Creator Spotlight: Jupiter V

We are on the cusp of the FINAL 24 HOURS of the crowdfunding campaign to publish our next anthology, Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers”! Our project is funded, we’re inching toward our first stretch goal, and we’re delighted to introduce you to the last of our creators, Jupiter V.

Jupiter is doing two interior pieces for the book, and is the creator of the 12-page comic! This teaser is for one of their sketches, not for their final piece. 😀

Where Hearts Cross by Jupiter V

About the Artist: Hailing from Kjipuktuk/Halifax, Nova Scotia (that’s in Canada), Jupiter V is an artist, musician, and creative crackerjack with a career spanning over a decade. Cutting their teeth designing award-winning gig posters, they’ve gone on to illustrate for film, graphic fiction, children’s literature, and more. At times, they have been caught painting murals at the circus (?!) and whooping their child mercilessly in Rivals of Aether.

Jupiter is currently toiling away at their next graphic work of fiction, Wizards 99k, as we speak.

Today is your last chance to back this awesome campaign, support independent publishing and queer creators, and get this amazing book and the accompanying exclusive merch! Don’t miss out – pledge to our Kickstarter NOW!

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“Aim For The Heart” Creator Spotlight: MouMouSanRen

We’re entering the final 48 hours of our crowdfunding campaign for Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers”! We’ve introduced 19 of our 20 authors. Meet the last (but most definitely not least) – MouMouSanRen!

Untitled by MouMouSanRen

About the Author: MouMouSanRen (she/her) was born and raised on unceded Matinecock territory in what is now known as Flushing, New York. She has been published in multiple non-fiction magazines including Polygon. Aim for the Heart is her fiction debut. She resides in her native Queens, practicing martial arts and taking care of her dogs.

Link: Twitter

Story Teaser:

“Her parents must have gone to Montana,” they whispered, some admiringly, some with fascinated pity. When New Yorkers fled the Eruption, it was to find something more than what the city could provide for them. Some had retreated to well-fed, well-off places like East Asia or Europe, or warm, spiritual places, like New Mexico. They were sometimes drier, sometimes colder, than New York, but they were good lots to end up with after fleeing the city. Only the poorest went someplace like Montana.

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“Aim For The Heart” Creator Spotlight: Sebastian Marie

Duck Prints Press (the indie Press founded by fandom folks to publish the original work of fandom folks) is nearing the end of our current crowdfunding campaign to publish our next anthology, Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers”! Four days left til the Kickstarter ends, three creators left to spotlight, and a little over $3k to go to hit our first stretch goal!

Here, check out another story teaser, this one by Sebastian Marie! The tag line on this one, per Sebastian, is: THE MUSKETEERS IF THEY WERE HOT BUTCHES FROM FLORIDA. If that isn’t an elevator pitch to get your attention, I don’t know what is…

Pensacola’s Most Wanted by Sebastian Marie

About the Author: Sebastian Marie (he/him) is an engineering student with a penchant for writing off-the-wall fantasy, darkly comedic prose, and sickeningly indulgent short stories. He has a lot of opinions about dragons, pirates, and sword fighting. Track him down on Ao3 and he’ll share these opinions through fanfiction for various fandoms including BBC Merlin, The Mechanisms, and Our Flag Means Death. His original works often combine fantasy and dystopia into what he calls “queer fantasy hopepunk,” something that will be explored in his future novels. He loves to write conflicting traditional and non-traditional family dynamics, especially where they intersect with queer relationships. And if he can throw werewolves and brujas into the mix? So much the better. When not writing, frantically studying dirt, or reading, he can be found singing loudly, sewing impractical coats, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and going on long rambling walks while plotting stories (and occasionally falling into rivers).

This is his second time writing for Duck Prints Press, having previously contributed to She Wears the Midnight Crown. This brings his grand total of published works up to two! He’s looking forward to more, as soon as he gets some sleep.

Links: Archive of Our Own | Tumblr

Story Teaser:

“So,” Connie drawls, wrapping herself around Darcy, her wife of two days, as they enter their private dormitory. “You gonna explain to me exactly how you managed to get all those recommendation letters?”

Darcy is still riding the highs of A: marriage, B: watching an excellent con come to fruition, and C: as a direct result of that con, successfully enrolling in the New Pensacola branch of the Florida Academy for Fighting Arts (FAFA for the initiated) after a full year of waiting. She just smiles and wraps a hand around her wife’s waist. “Are you insinuating, Mrs. Batz, that there was foul play involved?”

“I know there was some funny business, Mrs. Batz, what with who your aunt and uncles are. I think I deserve the story.”

“Hey, I didn’t know they were infamous when they adopted me.”

“Story, now.”

“Okay, okay.”

We’ve got this whole story, and 19 other fabulously queer tales, AND a whole delightful pile of queerified musketeer art, in this anthology – don’t miss it! Visit our campaign page now!

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“Aim For The Heart” Creator Spotlight: E. V. Dean

There are only FOUR DAYS left on the campaign to fund Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers” – it ends on Saturday, July 15th at 10:15 AM Eastern Time! This is a perfect moment to get your pledge in and make sure you get your copy of this awesome book and gorgeous merchandise. And don’t forget to peek at our add-ons – there’s a lot of great stuff in there, including the only opportunity we’ve given to buy print copies of our past anthology And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” (only six of this add on are left!) and the chance to buy items from the limited quantities of merchandise we have left from some of our past campaigns!

RUN, DON’T WALK (okay, wait…) CLICK THE MOUSE OR TOUCH THE SCREEN, DON’T AMBULATE, TO CHECK OUT OUR KICKSTARTER NOW!

And don’t forget to help us spread the word!

Anyway, onward. Today, for our fourth-to-last spotlight, meet E. V. Dean!

Heartbeat by E. V. Dean

About the Author: E. V. Dean is a writer with a decade of fanfiction writing under her belt. She’s embarking on her original fiction adventure with the angst tag kept within arm’s reach. Her favorite excuse not to write is watching Jeopardy.

Links: Instagram | Tumblr

Story Teaser: 

Athos cups Aramis’s jaw as he wipes the blood away with a wet cloth. He moves gently across his cheekbone, his hairline. His touch is as gentle as if it could cause agony, even though Aramis is deep in his slumber and he can’t grunt or flinch or feel a thing. It’s good, Athos tells himself. He’s not in any pain for a while.

Selfishly, though, he’d rather have his groans and screams than this uncertain silence.

He carefully wipes the blood from Aramis’s eyelid, so that when he wakes up, he can open both his eyes and focus them properly: on Athos, on his surroundings. On the world that is too close to slipping away from him. Athos makes sure there are no cuts around his eye, but luckily all of the blood came from the gash on his forehead. Aramis will be inconsolable about the scar, as if that small mark could make him any less beautiful.

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“Aim For The Heart” Creator Spotlight: Author Catherine E. Green and Artist Cris Alborja

There’s only a few days left in the campaign to crowdfund Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers” – gosh, I can’t believe it’s almost over already. Here’s our last two-fer creator spotlight! 😀

Want to get a copy? Make sure you back before the campaign ends at 10 AM Eastern on July 15th, 2023!

Start your engines by Cris Alborja

About the Artist: I’m an illustration and comic artist from Spain. I’ve got a nursing degree, but I decided to pursue my passion. I have studied Illustration at EASD Pablo Picasso in A Coruña and comics at O Garaxe Hermético in Pontevedra. I have done cover art for an anthology called Infiniteca by Retranca Editorial and comics for Altar Mutante, Nai dos Desterrados, and Abraxas en Cuarentena fanzines, as well as in Gaspariño 21 by Retranca Editorial.

Link: Instagram

The Serendipity of a Late Train by Catherine E. Green

About the Author: Catherine E. Green (pronouns: xe/xem/xyr or they/them/their) is an agender person, one who’s had an on-again, off-again love affair with writing. Xe began writing when xe was a wee thing, when xyr other major pastimes were playing xyr mother’s NES and roughhousing with the boys next door. It’s only in the past few years that they have begun writing consistently and publishing their writing, fanfiction and original writing alike, leading to their first published short story titled “Of Loops and Weaves.”

Outside of writing, xe is a collector of books and sleep debt and an avid admirer of the cosmos. Playing video games, reading a variety of fiction genres (primarily fantasy, queer romance, and manga and graphic novels of all kinds), and working on wrangling their own personal data archiving projects occupy most of their free time. Xe has also started meeting up with a local fiber arts group and is excited to be crocheting xyr first scarf.

Story Teaser:

Oh, no. This is not happening.

Athos picks up the threads of Porthos’ insults. “One has to wonder if this is the same girl who gave me lip for interrupting her, frankly, dangerous stunts? Weaving sloppily through bunches of brand-new skaters, nearly bowling into several of them, and then acting like it was no big deal?”

“Excuse me?” Lottie replies, sharp and in disbelief.

Aramis starts in, “Or the girl who arrives late to tryouts—”

“It’s not my fault the train out of Gascony was late!”

“—and then proceeds to make a huge commotion thereafter. No doubt, a calm, polite conversation with our NSOs would have sufficed,” Aramis finishes, nonplussed.

“Don’t forget: this is the girl who insulted my plumage!” Porthos cries, gripping said rainbow-colored plumage to her chest.

Lottie raises an eyebrow. “Excuse me for mentioning it was a tripping hazard.”

“Like you’re one one to talk, girlie!”

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“Aim For The Heart” Creator Spotlight: Shea Sullivan

There is ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT in the crowdfunding campaign for Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers”! And we’re funded! Are you excited? We’re excited. We really hope you’ll keep sharing this around, as our base goal was only the beginning, and we’d love to get this awesome book into the hands of a whole mess more people. 😀

The campaign ends Saturday, July 15th at 10:15 AM Eastern Time – back now to be sure you don’t miss out on this debut opportunity to get this wonderful anthology!

Love and Graffiti by Shea Sullivan

About the Author: Shea Sullivan is a life-long writer living in upstate New York. As a late-blooming queer person, she enjoys writing about complex characters coming into themselves and finding comfort in being exactly who they are.

Shea’s day jobs in computer programming and middle management have molded her into the patient, sarcastic, big-hearted, frustrated human she is today, but it’s what she does outside the 9-5 that really excites her. When she’s not writing, she can be found painting, napping, making quilts, watching documentaries, and trying not to adopt more animals, usually with a cup of tea in hand.

Story Teaser: 

“When you think of me, what do you…?” I hardly know what I’m asking. I feel young, suddenly, more uncertain than I have in a long time. “Do you think I’m…?” Disconnected? Corporate? Boring?

Alix turns their head and I can just see them in the soft light through the window. They blink slowly, then smile. “Is it a two-for-one crisis Friday? She really got under your skin, huh?”

“Shut up,” I grumble, poking them in the side. “There’s just. I used to do more, when we were younger. I used to be more fun.”

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“Aim For The Heart” Creator Spotlight: D. A. Hernández

WE’RE FUNDED!

As of about 20 minutes ago, the campaign to crowdfund Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers” has hit it’s funding goal, which means we are GO for publication and merch production and the whole ten yards. We’ll keep posting these updates and see if we can’t hit our first stretch goal – at $12,000, we’ll be able to give our contributors a raise, and all backers will receive the cover as a print-suitable image file!

We are so so excited that we’ll be able to bring this collection to print life, and we couldn’t have done it without y’all. Thank you backers, and thank you signal boosters!

The campaign has another week left, so it’s not too late to check it out and help us reach our stretch goal! Come on over and check it out!

The Inseparables by D. A. Hernández 

About the Author: AKA Mitch, an author who works as a teacher, reads fanfiction compulsively, tells anyone who will listen about their weird dreams, takes long naps, and once in a while manages to write a story or two. You can find another of their stories in the Duck Prints Press anthology She Wears the Midnight Crown.

Mitch’s playlist includes metal, pop, electronic, bluegrass, reggaeton, and cumbia.

Link: Twitter

Story Teaser:

Suddenly he heard his own voice singing a familiar melody.

Anoche me besaste en la playa
la luz de luna iluminaba tu cara

The opening phrases of “Solo Dos Bros.” Alone in his bedroom, in the dark of night, he let himself listen to it like it was someone else’s song. A young man’s voice mixing with Athos’s deep timbre, slow, sexy, and nostalgic. It really was a very good song.

He couldn’t help the memory that came: Athos rolling a joint on his sofa, the faint glow of the streetlight illuminating his elegant profile, messy dreads, regal nose, and chiseled jaw. Despite his casual clothes, he had a classic look to him, like a painting in a museum.

As he watched Athos’s clever fingers rolling the joint, D. Art gave words to a melody he’d been rolling around in his head that night. Athos looked up, joint already on his lips, one of his rare, big smiles stretching them, radiating a joy that lit up the dark room.

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“Aim For The Heart” Creator Spotlight: Aria L. Deair

Duck Prints Press is only 5% away from our Kickstarter crowdfunding goal of $8,000 on our upcoming anthology Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers”!! SO CLOSE!!! You KNOW you want to be the backer whose support puts over the line, and we’ll celebrate you forever keep our praises for you silent as we maintain your anonymity entirely because we’re a responsible company that protects our customer data in compliance with all domestic and international laws!

Come on over and BACK OUR CAMPAIGN! Every dollar helps!

Today, meet Aria, and check out their modern heist version of these characters we love…

Stolen Hearts by Aria L. Deair

About the Author: Aria L. Deair is an author who has been writing and (while cursing her excessive comma usage) publishing fanfiction online for more than sixteen years. Freelance writer by day and author every other hour that she isn’t sleeping, she spends her days courting carpal tunnel and “forgetting” to wear her wrist brace.

As a proud member of more fandoms than she can count, Aria can be found blogging about some of the writing that she is avoiding doing at arialerendeair.tumblr.com.

Like a dragon with her hoard, she can be found in her New Hampshire apartment, surrounded by notebooks (most of which are empty), half-filled mugs of tea, and some of the comfiest blankets that have ever existed. Disturb her at your own risk, especially during NaNo Season.

Links: Discord: Dragon#5555 | Tumblr | Twitter

Story Teaser:

“You ready?” Athos asked, pretending to sip the coffee.

D’art sighed and gave him a look. “You hired me for this. You should know that even with all my teasing, I am a professional.”

“So you are,” Athos agreed. “That’s why we’re planning to offer you a position on the team when we’re finished.”

D’art was quiet for a long moment as they stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the 39th floor. He could feel Athos studying him. Assessing his reaction to the offer, maybe. “You have a policy against dating people you work with?”

Athos blinked and sighed. “D’art—”

“Crimson,” Porthos’s voice hissed into the mic.

D’art froze, eyes widening. Over the comms, a crackle and the sound of the earpiece being shattered under a heel came. “Shit.”

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“Aim For The Heart” Creator Spotlight: Artist MidnightSilver and Author Rhosyn Goodfellow

We have 9 days to go, and Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers” is 94% funded, and things are lookin’ great…and we still have 11 creators to meet!

Today, we introduce two more: MidnightSilver and Rhosyn Goodfellow. Take a peek at the teasers…

Affaire D’amour by MidnightSilver

About the Artist: I’m MidnightSilver (They/Them). I’m a freelance artist who specialises in fandom art, most often inspired by Supernatural the TV show, and I can usually be found illustrating stories for independent authors—my favourites are those that combine adventure/magic/horror with a boatload of feels! As a bi, non-binary, mixed-race person, I don’t believe in restrictive boundaries, and I love tales that highlight diversity and freedom of expression while at the same time incorporating the fantastical and magical elements that I fell in love with when reading stories as a child. It’s my aim to take all the many wondrous worlds and people with whom we visit when lost in book pages at 2 o’clock in the morning and to share them with you in visual form. It’s a project I never tire of pursuing.

Links: Archive of Our Own | deviantArt

Pierced Hearts by Rhosyn Goodfellow

About the Author: Rhosyn Goodfellow is an author of queer romance and speculative fiction living with her spouse and two dogs in the Pacific Northwest, where she is sad to report that she has not yet mysteriously disappeared or encountered any cryptids. Her hobbies include spoiling the aforementioned dogs, drinking inadvisable amounts of coffee, and running unreasonably long distances very slowly. She’s secretly just a collection of loosely-related stories dressed up in a meat suit.

Links: Personal Website | Instagram | Mastodon | Tumblr | Twitter

Story Teaser:

“The plan is simple,” Porthos tells d’Artagnan the next day. “We spar. You lose. Badly.”

“I don’t see how letting you win a few sparring matches will help.”

Porthos smirks. “Who said anything about letting me win? But you’re missing the truly brilliant part of the plan,” he continues. “If you’re injured, you can ask Athos to help patch you up.”

“Athos has patched me up more times than I care to count,” d’Artagnan points out. “How will this time be any different?”

“This time, you’ll be paying attention. You want to know if Athos returns your affections, and the fastest way to ascertain someone’s true affections is to ask for help tending your injuries. It works especially well with leg injuries,” he adds with a waggle of his eyebrows, “because you can ask them for help taking your breeches off.”

D’Artagnan frowns. “But I don’t have a—” He breaks off with a curse as Porthos drives a knee into his thigh, just below the hip. “Ow! Was that necessary?”

“Quit whining. It’s only a bruise. You’ll need several more if you want this to be convincing.”

Tags: age difference, alcohol use (casual), first kiss, friends to lovers, getting together, love declaration, m/m, meddling friends, pov third person limited, present tense, story diverges from the original work’s canon

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“Aim For The Heart” Creator Spotlight: Lucy K. R.

Today, as we inch toward the finish line on our crowdfunding campaign for Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers,” we have a modern setting alternate universe retelling from Lucy K. R.!

The Three Mic O’ Tears by Lucy K. R.

About the Author: Lucy K.R. (she/her) is technically in existence. Every time she is free, she writes. Sometimes when she is not free she also writes. This has occasionally created problems. She is fortunate to be supported (read: enabled) by her enthusiastic fiancée Tomo, a loving OG family, and a lively found family as well.

Eager for a change after a decade of waitressing, Lucy K.R. took the chance in March of 2021 to make her first steps into the world of published work. Prior to the success of the largely-fabricated German translation of the short-story found in this collection, ‘die Karaoke-Königinnen’, she was best known for her work on Mageling: Rise of the Ancient Ones and in the Duck Prints Press anthologies “And Seek (Not) to Alter Me” and “She Wears the Midnight Crown”.

In her stories, Lucy K. enjoys writing evil ideas as gently as possible, portrayed through unexpected lenses. She would like to acknowledge that she has never written a biographical statement that did not turn out weird, beg your indulgence, and express her hope that you enjoy her work in this anthology. The people at Duck Prints Press have been a delight, and she is deeply grateful to be included!

Links: Personal Website | Twitter

Story Teaser:

“The plan is to pay you back for the slight, not to ruin your life,” Ash agrees with such dead certainty that Dart feels a thrill of terror and excitement all jumbled up, merged into the same creature.

“You seem very sure you’ll win,” Dart offers, tilting her own head in return.

“Ooh,” Portia’s lips quirk into an even cheekier smile.

“Cute,” Artemis comments, appraising eyes still fixed on Dart.

“So, in order of offense?” Dart asks, feeling her inner performer awaken at their attention. “Ash first, then Portia, then Artemis?”

“You seem very sure you’ll make it to the last dance yourself,” Ash returns, even as Artemis strips off her jacket and neatly folds it, nodding her approval.

“I came here to sing karaoke,” Dart takes the opportunity to roll up her sleeves. “Nothing and no one is going to keep me off that stage.”

She’s never fought anyone before. She’s never had to. But she said it, and she meant it—nothing will keep her off that stage. She lifts her fists, only to be tutted at by Ash.

“Wrists straight, dear,” she says, lifting her one good arm in demonstration.

“Ah,” says Dart, and fixes her posture.

We’ve posted this and 18 other teasers at our campaign page, and shared a lot more info to boot, so if you’re looking for a fabulous anthology this summer, make sure you check it out!