Mary Shelley Presents, the Trade Paperback

The Dragons by the Yard Kickstarter project funded!
almost 3 years ago – Mon, May 03, 2021 at 09:08:12 PM

It's been slow and steady but... YEAH! The Dragons by the Yard Kickstarter project funded.

We've got today and tomorrow to hit some stretch goals. Here's a few reminders about what's in reach.

Every $1K we collect beyond our original goal will unlock a stretch goal reward. These will be going out to everyone who has pledged at a level that includes a physical reward. Please reach out to friends and family and let them know about our Dragons project. Everybody loves Dragons!

STRETCH GOAL #1

Our first goal will unlock this collection of bookmarks featuring art from the first four issues of Dragons by the Yard. Each of the seven bookmarks are backed with the "DRAGONS BY THE YARD" image at the left end.

STRECH GOAL #2

We love this image so we're putting it on a 3 x 5 inch magnet that will look great stuck on the back of your car or anywhere else for that matter.

STRETCH GOAL #3

We've put together a package of four great digital comics for everybody!

STRETCH GOAL #4

Hitting this goal will unlock a gorgeous print of Anna, Robert and Mae meeting Kalsaru for the first time since Anna's weyr of dragons came to life.

STRETCH GOAL #5

I absolutely love this coin we're getting minted. This antique bronze coin is 34 mm in diameter and features a bust of Anna on the front side and a dragon on the other so you'll get an obvious head or tails whenever you flip this coin. Additionally, when we hit this stretch goal everyone will get Issue #6 of Dragons by the Yard. Those with physical rewards will get the print version and those with downloads will get a PDF version of Issue #6.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it...
almost 3 years ago – Fri, Apr 30, 2021 at 08:55:12 PM

If you are one of our Backers, either Dragons by the Yard or Mary Shelley Presents, thank you so much for your support. If you're one of the 100+ watching our DBTY campaign, it's time to accept the mission and help put us over the top. But if you happened to see this update because someone forwarded it to you, read on. I think you'll like our story. So with four days left and oh so close, I think it's time to speak to you about the Kymera Press mission.

As some of you may know, I used to be a television writer, writing for such shows as Murder, She Wrote, Touched by an Angel, Promised Land and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. I lost that career when I was diagnosed with a rare lung disease and lost 50% of my lung capacity. I no longer had the stamina to work the long hours required of a television writer/producer.

It turned out it was the butter-flavored microwave popcorn that was the culprit. In our production office, the air constantly smelled like the free popcorn available as a snack to get us through the days (and nights.). But it wasn't until nine years after I was diagnosed that I discovered my particular disease was caused by the microwave popcorn's butter flavoring. The diacetyl that gives it that buttery flavor is a toxic chemical, and it stays in the air as an aerosol for hours after you pop open that steaming bag of popcorn. It is called popcorn lung if you wish to google it.

I sued the popcorn companies, and I got a settlement. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with a portion of the money from the settlement. Of course, the major portion of it went towards the lung transplant I received in May of 2017. But before that, I had been trying to figure out what I could do with my writing that might also be of service to a cause in which I believed. Then my agent suggested I turn a television pilot I had written into a graphic novel.

It was perfect. I decided this was where I could put my money. I wanted to start a company that would pay our artist more than just a token payment, where I could hire all women, and where I could portray realistic bodies, strong female protagonists, and diversity. I would also have control over what was advertised in our comics so there wouldn't be any ads that went against our mission statement.

As of today, we have five titles with multiple issues, all funded by the money from that settlement. But the money has run out and that is why we need your help.

Nancy Holder, our writer for Mary Shelley Presents Tales of the Supernatural has been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award, the highest award in horror. We will find out if she wins next month. The Pet Noir writers were nominated for a Scribe Award from the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers and I won the Irwin Award for Gates of Midnight from the Southern California Publicists Association.

So, we're doing something right. Our adaptation of Ivory Ghosts from the pen of Caitlin O'Conner is in the hands of Producers in LA and is helping to pitch her screenplay. We're hoping it makes it to the big screen soon. And our fifth series is of course Dragons by the Yard, the one we're hoping you'll support in these last few days of our campaign.

We are so appreciative of those who have supported us along the way, and we are appreciative of all of you, our glorious backers. So we're going to sweeten the pot in the hopes of surpassing our goal in these next few days. We will send the first issue of every one of our titles to everyone who has pledged for a physical reward. This means you will receive the first issues of Pet Noir, Ivory Ghosts, Mary Shelley Presents, and Gates of Midnight (almost $20 of bonus materials.) Please spread the word and help us surpass our goal and perhaps hit a few stretch goals (even more extras!) Thank you. Just a few days more.

BEWARE, THERE BE DRAGONS HERE!
about 3 years ago – Wed, Apr 21, 2021 at 07:03:35 AM

 Did you really think dragons laid eggs? As it turns out, there's a craft involved. Some humans have a special talent and have been recruited for millennia to help bring each new generation of dragons to life. In Dragons by the Yard you'll meet Anna, a young woman who gets drawn into an ancient dragon's plan to bring forth a race of dragons that has nearly gone extinct. You'll also meet Robert, the last in a long line of dragon slayers. If this captures your interest, we know you'll find the Dragons by the Yard Kickstarter project a project worth backing. 

We're halfway through our thirty day window. Please support our wonderful Dragons team and pledge today and please, share our link on your social media. Click HERE to go check it out. If you can't wait and want to see the project video right now, here it is. 

 We've got the usual rewards for you, PDF's and print copies of the comic, but we have a number of novel dragon-themed rewards for you, too. For instance, we've got a variety of Dragon Lamps that make an excellent accent for a bookshelf or maybe a night light for your bedroom.

For the chocoholics out there, we're creating our own chocolate dragons. We'll make these dragons from Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate and they're approximately four inches tall. Each dragon will be carefully packaged and shipped with a cold pack so they'll arrive intact.

We've put together a 32 page coloring book full of line art pulled from the pages of Dragons by the Yard. It's available as a PDF for those who want to print their own pages for coloring or as a printed and bound edition.

Anna created seven hand-sewn dragons that transformed into lively young dragons. We can't guarantee ours will (they're packed with beans, not brimstone) but these beanbag dragons will be available in seven colors similar to the colors of Anna's dragons.

We have a new hard enamel pin featuring Anna and her Dragons. Lifted from the final panel of page 14 of Dragons by the Yard #3, it's a must have and available as an add-on. It's approximately 2 inches  wide and a little more than an inch tall.

There's even more you can check out over at the project, including some really special rewards when we start hitting our stretch goals.

Hello Glorious Backers
about 3 years ago – Wed, Mar 31, 2021 at 10:20:42 PM

Again, thank you for your support of Mary Shelley Present Tales of the Supernatural.  

We are getting ready to run a new Kickstarter, one we hope you will be as excited about as we are.  It's for Dragons by the Yard Issues 5 and 6.

Our Launch date is April 5.  We have some special 1 of a kind rewards, so you need to get in early or you'll miss out.

We have chocolate dragons, beanbag dragons, and, of course, all issues of Dragons by the Yard. So please hurry over to our preview page and follow us, and then put our link on your social media.  We are very excited about this project and hope you will be as well.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/maryshelleypresents/dragons-by-the-yard

Mary Shelley Presents is on the final Bram Stoker Ballot
about 3 years ago – Sun, Feb 28, 2021 at 08:19:44 AM

Hello to our glorious backers!

Just wanted to update you on the Bram Stoker Awards.  Nancy Holder, the writer of Mary Shelley Presents Tales of the Supernatural, the graphic novel you all made happen, has made the final ballot.  You can read the article here.  Congratulations to Nancy and our entire Kymera Press Team.  And congratulations to you as well since as I said before, you made this project happen.  Fingers crossed for a big win!