KickTraq

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Why did we deliberately set a goal at an underfunded level? The real cost of the book is well north of our Kickstarter target. Last time out, we asked for $3,000. And got it, just getting over the line. Too nervous-making! This time, we banged the... (Read More)

Why did we deliberately set a goal at an underfunded level? The real cost of the book is well north of our Kickstarter target. Last time out, we asked for $3,000. And got it, just getting over the line. Too nervous-making! This time, we banged the... (Read More)

First of all, it’s the anniversary of the Normandy landings. I’d often post a Sabaton song when they have a relevant one, but in this case it both feels on the nose and bluntly, the video is awful. I love the band, and the song Primo Victoria is good, but they hadn’t learned to dial down the environmental noise and effects. (Read More)

The point of no return is here. My name is Nadia, and I’m a Marshal of the High Queen of the Elves. That means it’s my job to keep the peace between the humans, Elven commoners, and Elven nobles under my command. (Read More)

URSULA OF ULM: A REVIEWGabriel MamolaDr. Gabriel Mamola is the managing editor of Thimble Literary Magazine and an independent scholar. He received his MA in Literature from the University of Dallas and his PhD from UT Arlington. His scholarship has... (Read More)

A banner year for civilization. The first and best Star Wars came out, whose special effects remain unsurpassed (the development of CGI notwithstanding). Altman's 3 Women and the superb The Spy Who Loved Me came out that year as well. Breaker! Breaker! was great if you love trucks, fighting, and CB lingo. But the one closest to my heart is Smokey and the Bandit. Burt Reynolds steals the show and the year. Give me a Diablo sandwich, a Dr. Pepper, and make it quick, I'm in a goddamn hurry. Plus, my mom drove the same Trans Am. (Read More)

So, we've financed. We've funded. What's the real objective? Because benchmarks matter. "What would be a success for Pilum?" asked one of our publishers when we were beginning our venture.  When the needle ticks over one hundred books. One hundred... (Read More)

Pilum: Your previous novel Shagduk, like your present one, is written in diary form. What are some of the challenges of telling a story this way?  JB Jackson: For me, the diary format poses no special challenges, rather, I find it much easier than a... (Read More)

Pilum: There are basically two types of American families: Rockford Files families and Mc Millan and Wife families. We're the former. Part of the show's attraction is looking at the cars. Americans were car crazy in the 1970s! (Remember Corvette... (Read More)

Pilum: Best book of 1977? Kind of a stupid question. Everyone knows the best book from 1977 is John Le Carré's The Honorable Schoolboy. You're probably going to say The Simarillion. So, what is your wrong answer? Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin? The... (Read More)

Pilum: Both your earlier novel Shagduk and Ursula of Ulm are immersed in the culture of late 1970s America. What is your favorite movie from 1977? JB: A banner year for civilization. The first and best Star Wars came out, whose special effects remain... (Read More)

JB reads from Shagduk, the predecessor to Ursula of Ulm. Personally, I'm amazed that there are now more people who know of the existence of Hoots TV than there were two years ago. Strong sorcery, like that of JB's, moves the world in imperceptible... (Read More)

Our freelancers are paid! (Almost). Now, let's see about getting Jackson and his wife to a nice dinner in Sonoma. Jackson didn't follow Steven for years through the dreamscape of the late seventies for filthy lucre. They, like Steven, are searching... (Read More)

With the kickstarter for Ursula of Ulm - the sequel to Shagduk - making it over the finish line I wanted to highlight music that I still truly like that would have been around in the background, even if Steven and his band would not have been playing it or even liked it. Since Shagduk ends in May, it already excludes favorites like “Dust in the Wind”, but not “Carry on My Wayward Son” from Leftoverture. “Come Sail Away” from Styx’s The Grand Illusion fails for similar reasons. (Read More)

On Tuesday, May 21st, Independent Publisher Pilum Press launched a Kickstarter for their next project, “Ursula of Lum” by author JB Jackson. The crowdfund for hopes to help pay for production expenses and offer readers a continuation of the story that began in the previous book in this new series. (Read More)

Oh yeah! Our freelancers are going to get paid. Well, most of them. Let's keep it up! Maybe if Jackson makes enough for a good dinner out, he'll write another!  (Read More)

You may have missed out on Shagduk. If you did, you should feel bad! It really is the best novel to come out during the past several years. Here is my old Amazon review of the book: Shagduk is great. Yeah, it's got weirdness, wonder, mystery, intrigue, and magic. Of course, it does! But all… (Read More)