#wingsofthepegasus

https://www.amazon.com/Wings-Pegasus-Mark-Kirsch-ebook/dp/B01KU9RYGI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1471961115&sr=8-4&keywords=wings+of+the+pegasus#nav-subnav

You all probably have noticed that I haven't said much about the recent tragedy in Orlando. Well, I have something to say now, and it's something I want everyone to hear.

Many of you are probably familiar with my Inkshare project: "Wings of the Pegasus". I've been trying to get this book published through crowdfunding for the past couple weeks. And today, after an e-mail conference with Inkshare management, I have cancelled this project.

My reasons for cancelling this project are not, as you may assume, because of my failure to achieve a multitude of backers these past few days. I am aware that I will most likely not receive 250 pre-orders by August 22nd, but if that were my only worry, then I would still stick with this project until the bitter end. My reasons for wanting to cancel my Inkshare are far more important than that.

Lucy Natsumi is gay. My 13-year-old protagonist is a lesbian, and she is not alone. Out of the 79 named characters in "Wings of the Pegasus", 4 of them are gay, 6 of them are lesbian, 9 of them are asexual, and 1 of them is bisexual. That's a little over 1/4 of my entire cast being proud members of the Q-munity. That's a lot, and to be perfectly honest, that wasn't even a number I was actively trying to reach. My goal when I set out to write "Wings of the Pegasus" was never to write a Queer Fiction story, but rather a Science Fiction story. So I didn't want to "talk up" the plethora of queer characters in my story because I didn't want to have my story stuck in a queer label. Queerness was, in my eyes, not important.

But just because it isn't important to me, that doesn't mean queerness isn't important to the world. It certainly was important to Omar Mateen. It certainly is important to every political pundit trying to weave a narrative out of the Orlando shooting. And it definitely is important to the millions of queer people in this world who live in fear every day. No-one deserves to feel that fear.

I believe that humanity can change for the better. I believe that we have already become a more tolerant world today than we were 100 or even 50 years ago. And I want to believe that this world is ready for a lesbian protagonist in its Juvenile Fiction. But I would be a fool to believe that I could publish such a story without a fight. I knew going into Inkshare that I would have to fight to preserve Lucy's orientation. I knew that I may have needed to compromise on certain measures, to bend so that I wouldn't break. But in the wake of this tragedy, I have realized that I cannot bend. I cannot alter one single queer character's orientation. I cannot cater this story to an older audience. I cannot, and I will not.

There is only one option that allows me to preserve every element of queerness in this story. I have to self-publish "Wings of the Pegasus". I know that doing so will be tantamount to writing my story on the sidewalk in chalk, in terms of how many people I can reach. But this is something I need to do. This is a story I need to tell. And this is a decision I need to make. I need to cancel my Inkshare project, and take my story elsewhere.

Hi everyone! The monochrome background of this poster made me able to get it done in record time. Also, the Q*bert reference is intentional. Also, since the following chapters will all be ones that you can’t read on my Inkshare, I will be adding a teaser paragraph to complement each of the teaser posters. So, let’s give it a go.

"After their harrowing escape from Arkadia, our intrepid explorers find themselves in Idun, a Cylinder inhabited entirely by children! In Idun, all known forms of disease, decay, and disrepute have been virtually eliminated thanks to a mysterious serum known only as the Cure. But for everything there is a price, and Idun has become a cold and sterile society because of its addiction to the Cure. In this scenic Cylinder of white and plainness, our adventurers learn the history of the ARK, and begin their journeys in earnest." Once again, if you have not already done so, please check out my Inkshare, or better yet pre-order my book for only $10! I have until August 22nd to get at least 250 pre-orders, so please, any help that you can give is sorely appreciated. Ciao!

Uh, hi. I don’t normally post original content. But I’m making an exception this time. Y’see, recently I completed a novel, and am now in the process of trying to get it published.  To this end, I have started an Inkshare, which is essentially Kickstarter for publishing. If I can get 250 people to pre-order my book, it will be printed. If I can get 750 people to pre-order my book, it will be formally published and sent to book-stores and Amazon. I have 90 days to collect those pre-orders, so please, if you can, help me out.