Limited Edition Leather Bound Series Art by D.L. Gardner's original oil paintings
"As dragon novels go, this is way up there. It’s the suspense, you see, of never knowing what’s going to happen next. I loved every page!" - The Wishing Shelf
Maurice, and his dragon, Kai, formerly known as The Keeper, are sent on a journey by his uncle, King Barin, to Allotrope Island to oversee a crucial trade deal Barin had made with the island's King Delitar.
After reeling from a bizarre and unsettling welcome from the quirky king, Maurice, accepts his promises and starts his journey home. But as he and his dragon soar through the clouds, they are astonished as another dragon and Dragon Rider appear. Wasn't Kai the last of his kind in this world?
Kai and Maurice meet
Amidst the towering peaks of the Telwa mountains, Ala, an orphan boy, is entrusted with a young dragon, a creature whose lineage links to the legendary Keeper. As Ala's uncle and the Telwa tribe pledge to help the king of Ellington fight his enemies with their dragons, Ala is left behind to nurture his hatchling. But the weight of his family's plight burdens him.
Warned by a dream his young dragon has, and with unwavering faith in the legends etched into his people's history, the boy sets out to find the The Keeper, hoping for deliverance for his people.
Once Ala and Maurice meet, Kai, discovering that he has living relatives and they are in danger, ignores his master's protests and carries him into a foreign war where sorcery, deception, and a cruel queen challenge Maurice's passive nature.
Facing a relentless battle, Maurice has no choice but to get involved. The fate of Kai's relatives seems to lie in his hands, and the call to heroism resonates in the depth of his heart. Together with Kai, they prepare to confront a wicked queen and her devious plot, hoping to uncover answers and restore balance to the world of their new-found family.
EBooks, Paperbacks, Audio books, and Limited leather edition hardcovers. These are collector items as well as a good wholesome story.
With echoes of The Pied Piper, a mother, a mercenary, and a king band together in this epic fantasy to rescue the kingdom's children
"An engaging tale filled with magic and parental love. Darkness Holds the Son is first - the story of a father struggling to save his kids and second - that of a king hell-bent on saving his kingdom's future." - Independent Book Review
The Story
In a small village named Tuluva, Jareth, an unemployed mercenary, and his wife and two children are raising goats to sustain themselves. Things go well for them until the land-baron of Ogress raises their taxes, forcing Jareth to pick up his crossbow and return to the battlefield.
Jareth has an even more pressing problem than keeping his family out of debtor's prison. His son Crispin has seizures that are caused by magic and if Jareth doesn't find the source soon, it could be fatal as the boy hears voices instructing him to kill his parents.
In his search for work, Jareth is late for every war that rages and is soon accused of being an enemy to the crown. With his arrest he learns his son has disappeared. He bequeaths King Barin to help him.
Taking pity on the man, and seeing his nephew is developing the same symptoms, King Barin consents. Their search takes them through a portal and into a chasm known as the Neverworld. Here enchantments and sorcery give birth to an unfathomable evil, and their children are the instruments of its ploy.
When King Barin discovers who is behind this plot, his anger rages from a broken heart, yet he is tested by the very magic the thaumaturge once wielded.
Inheriting a dilapidated mansion with a tattooed butler would throw anyone's world into a tither. Just think what it might do to an already dysfunctional vampire family.
The Kickstarter is launching at this very moment with some discounts for early birds, some tempting stretch goals, and prices that accommodate every pocketbook.
Aside from a fun novel what’s in the campaign?
Limited exclusive to Kickstarter hardcover edition signed and numbered according to pledge order.
Paperback and hardcovers are 6 X 9
289 pages
Illustrated chapter headings and other black and white illustrations.
All books are signed and shipped by the author
The 100 prints of Dusty the Chipmunk will be 5 X 7 hard stock, signed and numbered.
Bookmark with a possibility of upgrade to foil.
Printed in the USA
Audio book narrated by award winning narrator Brad Wills.
Some awesome stretch goals in the works including printed edges if we make them!
Thank you so much for your support for Thread of a Spider.
I packaged the last of the campaign rewards this morning. Those of you with hardcover pledges, I sent an email with your tracking number but I might have missed you. If so, send me an email and I'll give you your tracking #. I've yet to be proficient with Backerkit and I think I failed to put a few of you in the queue for sending the notification.
If you want to stay engaged with me and learn of my events, books, and other trivia, please subscribe to SubStack. I have free stories and other info for you there. I did a cleaning of my email list, so it's possible if you signed up before you might not be on it any longer.
I'd love for you to follow my next campaign over on Kickstarter. It will be a while before it launches, after the holidays, but the sooner I get followers, the better it will do on the algorithms. This is book 4 to the Sword of Cho Nisi series and you can pick the entire series up in this campaign if you missed any of the books.
Sword of Cho Nisi Series
Darkness Holds the Son
I hope after reading Thread of a Spider, you'll be interested in this series as well. Thank you for following!
Everything but the hardcovers for Thread of a Spider have been delivered. If you didn't receive something that you pledged for, please email me and let me know!
Hardcovers are in the process of being made. They will be delivered to me Oct 30 if all goes as planned. I'll pack them up and send them to as soon as I get them so you can expect your books the first week of November if you're in the US, otherwise it might take more time. You will get tracking numbers so you can keep an eye on your delivery. Please do. Sometimes customs expects further communication if you're International.
In the meantime might I invite you to take a look at the Sword of Cho Nisi series I have on Kickstarter. There are only 3 days left as it ends Tuesday the 15th. Whereas this is book 3 in the series, and all three books are available in this campaign, there are 2 more spin off novels. Those campaigns will be launched next year.
All the books in the series have leather covers, gold stamping, and textured gold foil dust jackets. The audio book is narrated by Erik Franklin, a Seattle film producer and actor. We just reached a stretch goal for Curse of Mt. Ream that puts select chapter illustrations in the book, and there are word art cards that have been reached with the stretch goal too. But what I mostly want you to know is that this is an award winning series that I believe is one of my best.
Read the editorial review by Independent Book Review
"The entire series is a rising star in a universe of fantasy favorites such as The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and even Tad Williams’ The Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy.
Gardner really knows how to write epic fantasy. Hopefully, she has more adventures, worlds, and legends to bring to life for us after this one. "
