Some Stories Begin With a Manuscript. Mine Began With a World.
Hi, my name is Desmond , and I create and write under the author name Rizlon Hackett . I am an independent Canadian fantasy creator from Ontario.
For years, I have been building The Forbidden Saga of the One . What began as a story idea continued growing into kingdoms, families, magical systems, armies, creatures, histories, relationships, mysteries, and characters whose choices affect generations.
I never wanted to create one book, release it, and walk away. My goal is to build a connected fantasy universe that readers can live in for years. The long range vision currently includes more than forty connected book concepts, with possibilities for audiobooks, original artwork, collectibles, television, film, animation, and games in the future.
That is the larger dream, but I know where the responsibility begins.
It begins with completing Book One properly.
The Beginning of the Saga
The story opens in Averanth, the Crownheart of Humanity .
For generations, the Human Realm has been protected by the Elder Crown, powerful royal orders, respected warriors, and traditions built through sacrifice. Beneath that strength, however, old tensions are growing. Hidden forces are moving, trusted institutions are being tested, and events are beginning that will affect far more than one kingdom.
At the centre of Book One are Malik and Maya Pendronic , sixteen year old twins standing at the beginning of a journey neither of them fully understands.
Around them are young rookies, experienced veterans, royal guardians, ancient families, magical creatures, rival powers, and enemies who do not always reveal themselves openly. Every character has a history, a purpose, and relationships that will continue developing as the Saga grows.
Book One introduces the Human Realm and the people who will shape its future. It is a story about family, loyalty, responsibility, power, identity, sacrifice, loss, and the consequences of choices made under impossible pressure.
I want this campaign to create curiosity without taking away the experience of reading the book. The major revelations, betrayals, deaths, transformations, relationships, and future identities will remain protected.
I Know Where This Saga Is Going
This is not a random story that I am still trying to figure out.
I know how the central Saga begins. I know how it ends. I know the major events that happen throughout the middle, how the characters grow, how their decisions affect future generations, and how the different books and storylines eventually connect.
There will always be room for ideas to develop and improve during the professional writing process, but the foundation, direction, major character arcs, and destination already exist.
The current Book One roadmap contains approximately 43,000 words of planning material. It includes a prologue, sixteen planned chapters, four major acts, an epilogue, scene development, character motivations, battles, emotional turning points, and consequences that must continue into future books.
Beyond the Book One roadmap, I have created character codices, family histories, organizations, kingdoms, armies, maps, locations, magical abilities, creatures, transformations, weapons, political systems, and long term character arcs.
Book One is not yet a finished novel, and I will never pretend that it is. It currently exists as an extensive and still developing professional blueprint.
What I am asking for is help taking the world that already exists in my mind and in my planning, and putting it properly onto the page. I want it professionally written, edited, illustrated, protected, published, and delivered to readers at the level it deserves.
A Personal Note From Me
I live with multiple disabilities and other personal challenges.
I am not sharing that information because I want anyone to feel sorry for me. I am sharing it because it is part of my journey, and because I want supporters to understand how serious I am about refusing to let those challenges define me.
My disabilities are part of my life, but they are not the limit of my future.
Whether this campaign reaches the complete goal or not, The Forbidden Saga of the One is still coming .
I will continue using my own personal income to move the project forward. I will keep writing, planning, developing characters, improving the world, and paying for professional work as I can afford it.
The difference is time.
Relying only on my personal income means that every major stage must wait until I have saved enough money for the next writing section, the next editor, the next artist, or the next part of production. That could cause a project of this size to move extremely slowly.
Support from this campaign would allow me to hire the right professionals sooner, complete larger sections at once, move through editing and production more efficiently, and bring the books to readers much faster.
The campaign does not determine whether I continue.
It determines how quickly and professionally I can bring this world to you.
Why I Need Support
Creating a professional fantasy novel requires more than imagination.
The detailed roadmap must be transformed into finished prose with professional writing support under my creative direction. The completed manuscript will then require independent editing, revisions, proofreading, cover design, formatting, publishing preparation, professional artwork, legal protection, marketing, and eventually audiobook and physical book production.
I have already completed an enormous amount of the creative development myself. I know these characters, their histories, their relationships, their abilities, and where their journeys are heading.
What I need now is the professional team and financial foundation to execute that vision properly.
Every contribution allows part of that professional process to happen sooner.
Every person who follows or shares the campaign helps grow the community around the books.
The more support the Saga receives, the faster I can turn years of development into completed books that people can finally read and enjoy.
How the Funding Will Work
The complete campaign goal is $200,000 CAD .
This is a Keep It All campaign , which means production can begin as contributions arrive. I will not need to wait until the entire goal has been reached before using the money to move the project forward.
Every funding level has a purpose.
$20,000 CAD
This milestone funds the professional production of the Book One manuscript, including writing sections, consultations, revisions, currency changes, and payment processing costs.
$35,000 CAD
This allows the completed manuscript to receive independent professional editing, copyediting, proofreading, and final revisions.
$50,000 CAD
This funds the professional cover, ebook formatting, print layout, publishing preparation, ISBN requirements, and essential release materials.
$70,000 CAD
This expands the visual side of the project through priority character artwork, maps, campaign media, website development, and professional refinement of the world’s presentation.
$90,000 CAD
This allows work to begin on the audiobook, paperback, hardcover, proof copies, and physical fulfilment preparation.
$120,000 CAD
At this stage, Book One can receive a complete professional launch, including legal protection, supporter fulfilment, release management, and a measured marketing campaign.
$200,000 CAD
The final portion creates the Saga Continuity and Contingency Reserve .
Large creative productions can experience unexpected expenses. A contractor may need to be replaced. Additional editing may become necessary. Printing, shipping, taxes, legal work, marketing, or production costs may increase.
I have experienced enough unexpected problems in life to know that planning only for the perfect scenario is not responsible. This reserve is intended to protect the project so that one serious problem does not bring everything to a stop.
What Happens if the Full Goal Is Not Reached?
The project will move forward in stages using the money that is actually raised.
If the campaign raises enough to complete the next manuscript section, that work can begin. If it reaches the editing milestone, professional editing can begin. Each completed stage brings Book One closer to publication.
I will provide supporters with clear updates explaining what has been funded, what has been completed, what is currently underway, and what still remains.
The $200,000 goal represents the strongest complete production plan. It does not mean that nothing can happen until the final dollar is raised.
This Saga will move forward regardless.
The support determines how quickly it can move and how many professional resources can be used along the way.
What Happens to Money Remaining After Book One?
Book One and every supporter obligation will always come first.
Before funding is moved toward anything else, the manuscript must be completed, the professional work must be paid for, supporter rewards must be fulfilled, and the required tax, refund, shipping, and contingency reserves must be protected.
Any remaining funding will stay dedicated to The Forbidden Saga of the One .
It may be used to improve future editions, commission professional artwork, create physical maps and collectibles, provide special community gifts, strengthen the publishing foundation, and begin professional development of Book Two.
If the campaign exceeds $200,000, I will publish new stretch milestones explaining how the additional funding will be used before making major commitments.
The money will not be redirected toward unrelated personal spending. It will remain connected to the completion, protection, and expansion of the Saga.
The Publishing Plan
The first priority is completing and professionally editing the manuscript.
The ebook will be prepared first. A print on demand paperback can follow without spending campaign funds on thousands of unsold copies. A premium hardcover edition can then be developed for readers and supporters who want a physical collector’s edition.
The audiobook will be produced only after the final manuscript is completely locked. This prevents money from being wasted recording material that later requires major revisions.
Future books will follow the same principle. Each one must be properly written, edited, protected, produced, and completed.
Supporter Rewards
I am still confirming the exact manufacturing, packaging, and shipping costs for physical rewards. I will not promise expensive items until I know they can be produced and delivered responsibly.
Planned options include the Book One ebook, digital artwork, lore collections, paperback and hardcover editions, signed copies, maps of the Human Realm, founding supporter recognition, private development updates, virtual worldbuilding events, and limited Saga collectibles.
Supporters will also be able to contribute without selecting a physical reward.
Every final reward, quantity, shipping condition, and estimated delivery period will be clearly listed before the campaign officially launches.
About the Concept Artwork
The artwork currently being used to develop the project is AI assisted concept artwork .
I use these images to help translate what I see in my mind into a visible reference. They help establish the appearance of characters, locations, clothing, creatures, atmosphere, and the larger visual direction of the Saga.
The AI assisted images are not intended to replace the professional artists who will work on the final publication.
Once the important concepts are established, campaign funding will allow me to hire professional artists to review, refine, recreate, and prepare the most important artwork for publication. The concept images give those artists a much clearer understanding of what I am trying to create.
I want to be honest about that process instead of allowing supporters to make assumptions about how the images were made.
Ownership and Creative Protection
Protecting this universe is non negotiable.
The characters, storylines, names, histories, maps, magical systems, artwork, and larger universe must remain under my ownership and creative control.
Every professional agreement will be reviewed for intellectual property ownership, confidentiality, revisions, deadlines, deliverables, and protection against unauthorized use or adaptation.
Supporting the campaign does not provide equity or ownership in the intellectual property. Supporters are helping fund the professional creation of the books and will receive the rewards connected to their chosen contribution level.
Honesty About the Risks
A project of this size can experience delays. Writing may require additional revisions. Artwork can take longer than expected. Contractors may become unavailable. Printing and shipping costs can change.
I cannot honestly promise that every part of production will happen without complications.
What I can promise is that supporters will not be left wondering what is happening. I will provide regular updates about manuscript progress, artwork, editing, production, rewards, finances, delays, and changes to the schedule.
The purpose of this campaign is to build the project responsibly, not rush it and hope nothing goes wrong.
More Than a Book
The Forbidden Saga of the One is meant to become more than a collection of books.
This is a world built around characters who experience love, loyalty, fear, failure, disability, family, grief, responsibility, ambition, sacrifice, and hope. Some will rise. Some will fall. Some will make terrible choices. Others will spend years trying to correct the damage they caused.
My hope is that readers will be entertained by the action, magic, creatures, battles, kingdoms, and mysteries, but also find characters and moments that speak to their hearts.
I want people to see pieces of themselves in this world.
I want them to debate the characters, mourn them, celebrate them, become frustrated with them, and follow their journeys across generations.
I cannot wait for readers, listeners, followers, and future viewers to enter the world I have spent years building.
Become a Founding Reader
The people who support this campaign will be more than customers waiting for a book.
You will be the founding readers who helped Desmond Rizlon Hackett take a world built through years of imagination and turn it into a professionally published fantasy series.
You can help by contributing, following the campaign, sharing it with another fantasy reader, or becoming part of The Crownheart Circle , the founding community behind the Saga.
Book One is the first promise.
The complete Saga is the larger dream.
Welcome to the beginning of The Forbidden Saga of the One.
