Help us illustrate a powerhouse anthology featuring some of today's top authors of science fiction & fantasy
We're raising funds to help cover the cost of having Alberta artist and book illustrator Wendi Nordell provide a black-and-white illustration for each of the stories in the Shapers of Worlds Volume IV science fiction and fantasy anthology, to be published this fall by Shadowpaw Press.
Shapers of Worlds Volume IV is the fourth in a series of anthologies featuring some of the authors, including major award-winners and international bestsellers, who were guests of the Aurora Award-winning podcast, The Worldshapers, hosted by Edward Willett. The podcast focuses on the creative process of science fiction and fantasy writers.
Shapers of Worlds Volume IV will feature original fiction by David Boop, Michaelbrent Collings, Roy M. Griffis, Sarah A. Hoyt, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Noah Lemelson, Mark Leslie, Edward M. Lerner, David Liss, Gail Z. Martin, Joshua Palmatier, Richard Paolinelli, Jean-Louis Trudel, James van Pelt, Garon Whited, and Edward Willett, plus stories by James Kennedy, R.S. Mellette, and Lavie Tidhar.
Wendi Nordell, who will illustrate the book, has previously illustrated Edward Willett's collection of science fiction and fantasy poetry, I Tumble Through the Diamond Dust, among many other titles.
Why the Crowdfundr campaign?
Although the book was successfully Kickstarted earlier this year, raising $15,504 CDN, we came up a little bit short of the stretch goal of $17.000 to bring Wendi on board for a full set of illustrations. This Crowdfundr campaign will ensure that the illustrations go ahead and that every story in the book gets one.
If we reach our goal of $1,500, every story will have a full-page illustration. Otherwise, some may have no illustrations or only half-page illustrations. So every dollar raised here helps improve the finished book and provides more opportunities for this talented artist to shine!
Sample artwork
Here are some examples of Wendi's work from I Tumble Through the Diamond Dust, running the gamut from whimsical to haunting.
Rewards
Of course, all the rewards are listed on this page. They run the gamut from copies of the book in electronic or print form, to copies of all four of the anthologies, to copies of the poetry book from which the illustrations above come from, signed by author and artist and, if you choose, accompanied by a signed art print of your choice of images from the book, to other titles by Shadowpaw Press, audiobooks from Shadowpaw Press, and, at the highest level, a one-of-a-kind editing package: your book edited by Edward Willett, editor and publisher of Shadowpaw Press and of the anthology.
Thank you for your support!
And watch for more Crowdfundr campaigns for more great books from Shadowpaw Press in the future!
Highlights
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Wendi Nordell has been drawing for as long as she can remember, and has never experienced boredom as long as there was a drawing tool nearby. Now that her three children are grown, she has dedicated herself to living up to her childhood dream of being an illustrator. In the last several years she has illustrated a dozen books, including titles such as I Tumble Through the Diamond Dust by Edward Willett, Baxter and the Blue Bunny by Lorraine Johnson, A Walk in Wascana by Stephanie Vance, and How’s Peanut? by Brenda Redman.
Wendi is currently enrolled in the Alberta University of Art in Calgary Alberta, hoping to improve her skills and learn about the new tools and devices in the art world, so she can continue to work in the industry she loves.
EDWARD WILLETT is the award-winning author (under his own name and as E.C. Blake and Lee Arthur Chane) of more than sixty books of science fiction, fantasy, and nonfiction for readers of all ages, including twelve novels for DAW Books, the most recent of which is The Tangled Stars, a humorous far-future space-opera heist adventure featuring an AI-uplifted talking cat who becomes a starship captain.
Ed won Canada’s top science fiction award, the Aurora Award, for his second novel for DAW, Marseguro, and has been shortlisted several times since, including for his most recent young adult science fiction novel, Star Song. Ed also won an Aurora Award for his podcast, The Worldshapers, which gave rise to this Kickstarter project and its three prequels.
Ed also owns and operates Shadowpaw Press, publisher of the Shapers of Worlds anthologies, among other new work (and new editions of notable, previously published work) in a variety of genres.
In addition to writing, Ed is a professional actor and singer. He lives in Regina, Saskatchewan, with his wife; they have one grown daughter and a much younger black Siberian cat, Shadowpaw.
A trade paperback copy of Shapers of Worlds Volume IV, edited by Edward Willett and illustrated by Wendi Nordell.
ALSO: An EPUB copy of the anthology AND your name in the acknowledgements!
A hardcover copy of Shapers of Worlds Volume IV, edited by Edward Willett and illustrated by Wendi Nordell.
ALSO: An EPUB copy of the anthology AND your name in the acknowledgements!
- 1 ordered
- 14 remaining
A copy of Edward Willett's collection of science fiction and fantasy poetry, I Tumble Through the Diamond Dust, illustrated by Wendi Nordell and signed by both the author and the artist.
ALSO: A paperback copy of Shapers of Worlds Volume IV, edited by Edward Willett and illustrated by Wendi Nordell AND an EPUB copy of the anthology AND your name in the acknowledgements!
- 0 ordered
- 15 remaining
A copy of Edward Willett's collection of science fiction and fantasy poetry, I Tumble Through the Diamond Dust, illustrated by Wendi Nordell and signed by both the author and the artist. PLUS a high-quality print of your choice of an image from the poetry book, signed by the artist.
ALSO: A paperback copy of Shapers of Worlds Volume IV, edited by Edward Willett and illustrated by Wendi Nordell AND an EPUB copy of the anthology AND your name in the acknowledgements!
Get all four of the Shapers of Worlds anthologies edited by Edward Willett in paperback, including the illustrated Shapers of Worlds Volume IV, illustrated by Wendi Nordell.
ALSO: All four anthologies in EPUB format PLUS your name in the acknowledgements!
Get the complete Shards of Excalibur modern-day young adult Arthurian fantasy series by Edward Willett in paperback from Shadowpaw Press: Song of the Sword, Twist of the Blade, Lake in the Clouds, Cave Beneath the Sea, and Door Into Faerie.
ALSO: Get a paperback copy of Shapers of Worlds Volume IV, edited by Edward Willett and illustrated by Wendi Nordell PLUS the EPUB edition of the anthology PLUS your name in the acknowledgements.
- 0 ordered
- 20 remaining
Get access to every audiobook published by Shadowpaw Press except for the Shards of Excalibur books: The Emir's Falcon by Matt Hughes (YA adventure) and Thickwood (historical fiction combining horses and women's professional baseball) by Gayle M. Smith, both narrated by Elizabeth Klett; Right to Know (adult science fiction) and I Tumble Through the Diamond Dust (science fiction and fantasy poetry), both narrated by the author; and Star Song by Edward Willett (young adult science fiction) narrated by Amy Cau Nugent.
ALSO: Get a paperback copy of Shapers of Worlds Volume IV, edited by Edward Willett and illustrated by Wendi Nordell PLUS the EPUB edition of the anthology PLUS your name in the acknowledgements.
Get the complete Shards of Excalibur modern-day young adult Arthurian fantasy series by Edward Willett in audio format, narrated by Elizabeth Klett: Song of the Sword, Twist of the Blade, Lake in the Clouds, Cave Beneath the Sea, and Door Into Faerie. NOTE: Available only to those who have an Audible account in the U.S. or U.K.
ALSO: Get a paperback copy of Shapers of Worlds Volume IV, edited by Edward Willett and illustrated by Wendi Nordell PLUS the EPUB edition of the anthology PLUS your name in the acknowledgements.
Get all four of the Shapers of Worlds anthologies edited by Edward Willett in paperback, including the illustrated Shapers of Worlds Volume IV, illustrated by Wendi Nordell.
ALSO: All four anthologies in EPUB format PLUS your name in the acknowledgements!
Get NINE Shadowpaw Press titles that AREN'T science fiction or fantasy: middle-grade novel-in-verse Stay by Katherine Lawrence, LGBTQ+ poetry collection Phases by Belinda Betker; modern-day YA adventure tale The Emir's Falcon by Matt Hughes; historical novels Thickwood by Gayle M. Smith, Dollybird by Anne Lazurko, and Small Reckonings by Karin Melberg Schwier; First World War memoir One Lucky Fellow by Sampson J. Goodfellow, and essay collections The Crow Who Tampered with Time and Backwater Mystic Blues by Lloyd Ratzlaff.
ALSO: Get the trade paperback of Shapers of Worlds Volume IV, edited by Edward Willett and illustrated by Wendi Nordell PLUS the EPUB edition of the anthology PLUS your name in the acknowledgements.
Eleven science fiction and fantasy novels published by Shadowpaw Press! Duatero by Brad C. Anderson, The Legend of Sarah by Leslie Gadallah, The Ghosts of Spiritwood by Martine Noel-Maw, Paths to the Stars, Right to Know, Falcon's Egg, Star Song, Spirit Singer and From the Street to the Stars by Edward Willett, Assignment: Avalon by Eddie Willett, and BLUE FIRE by E.C. Blake.
ALSO: Get a paperback copy of Shapers of Worlds Volume IV, edited by Edward Willett and illustrated by Wendi Nordell PLUS the EPUB edition of the anthology PLUS your name in the acknowledgements.
Looking for an editor? Award-winning author Edward Willett, a member of Editors Canada and the publisher and editor of Shadowpaw Press, will provide a detailed line edit of your book of up to 100,000 words (plus or minus)--a very competitive price for that level of editing!
ALSO: Get the Shapers of Worlds Volume IV anthology edited by Edward Willett and illustrated by Wendi Nordell PLUS the EPUB version of the anthology PLUS your name in the acknowledgements.
