Twenty pulse-pounding thrillers where luck decides who lives and who dies—hitmen, con artists, cold cases & the killer next door. From J.D. Barker, Mary Stone, Craig Martelle & more. Roll the dice.
It's late. You promised yourself one more chapter twenty minutes ago.
But the interrogator just realized the traitor works inside her own agency. The priest just shook hands with a family a stranger swore he'd already murdered. The hitman just got the name of his first target — and it's a face he knows. And in a snowed-in mountain resort, a man everyone was sure had died just walked back into the room, watching the color drain from every face that sees him.
You're not going to sleep. Not yet. Because every story in this book turns on one quietly terrifying idea: that the line between safe and doomed, saved and damned, lucky and finished, is thinner than you ever wanted to believe — and it can flip on a single roll of the die.
That's the feeling you're holding when you open Last Roll of the Die.
Twenty original thrillers. Twenty storytellers. One deadly obsession: luck, chance, and the moment that changes everything. It's the kind of collection you tear through in a weekend and find yourself thinking about weeks later — assassins with a conscience, con artists who've met their match, cold cases clawing their way back into the light, and the killer who might be sitting across your own kitchen table.
And it was hand-picked and edited by two of the biggest names in the genre: internationally bestselling author J.D. Barker and bestselling thriller author Mary Stone. Oh and they both have contributed original stories for the anthology.
Here's what makes this different from any anthology on your shelf. Last Roll of the Die is Reader Nation's way of putting the authors you already love shoulder to shoulder with the ones you're about to. Turn one page and you're with a bestseller you've followed for years. Turn the next and you've just discovered your new favorite writer — someone with real, rare talent and a career you'll get to say you spotted from the very beginning. Established legends and rising stars, in the same book, every single one chosen for one reason: the story was too good to leave out.
And when you pledge, you're doing more than buying a great read. Every dollar this project raises beyond the cost of production is split evenly among the authors — bestsellers and newcomers alike. You're not funding a machine. You're putting money straight into the hands of the people who just kept you up past midnight. That's the whole point of Reader Nation: readers and writers, on the same side of the table.
The complete digital anthology — all 20 stories, delivered to you via Bookfunnel DRM Free
A digital file is convenient.
A book you can hold is yours.
This is the tier for readers who want Last Roll of the Die as a real, physical paperback — the kind you dog-ear at 1 a.m., pass to a friend with "you have to read the one about the priest," and line up on the shelf where your favorite thrillers live.
Here's what you're backing:
The full print paperback edition of Last Roll of the Die
Plus the complete digital anthology, sent the moment it's ready.
Think about the weight of it in your hands — twenty stories from bestsellers and rising stars, edited by J.D. Barker and Mary Stone, that you'll come back to again and again. For just a few dollars more than the digital-only tier, you get the version that actually lives in your home instead of disappearing into a device.
And remember: every dollar past production is split evenly among the authors, so the book on your nightstand is a book you helped make possible.
The version you'll still have in ten years.
Double Down gets you the special-edition hardcover — Gold foil on cover, custom dust cover, sprayed edges and custom end papers.
Here's what you're backing:
The special-edition hardcover of Last Roll of the Die Foil stamped dust jacket, foil stamped hard cover,custom end papers, custom sprayed edges
The digital anthology — read it now, shelve the keepsake
Limited edition collector's box
Magnetic closure, interior and exterior art
Picture it: the weight of the hardcover in your hands, 20 stories bound into one object you actually own, that you brought into reality, from a lineup of authors you'll be following for years. It's the collector's move — and a genuinely great gift for the thriller reader in your life.
Best for: collectors who want the hardcover on the shelf.
♦ ALL IN ⭐ MOST POPULAR
Everything. Nothing left on the table.
All In gets you the full collector package — the special-edition hardcover and limited-edition box that anchor Double Down, plus a reading.
Here's what you're backing:
The special-edition hardcover of Last Roll of the Die Foil-stamped dust jacket, foil-stamped hardcover, custom end papers, custom sprayed edges
The limited-edition collector's box Magnetic closure, custom interior and exterior art
A paperback reading copy — so your foil-stamped hardcover stays pristine on the shelf
The digital anthology — to take on the road
Picture it: the boxed hardcover in your hands, the swag spread across the table, a paperback already cracked open — 20 stories you brought into reality, from a lineup of authors you'll be following for years. It's the complete experience and the best overall value on the board, and every dollar past production splits evenly among the authors.
Best for: the superfan who wants it all — and the best value on the page.
Two of a Kind Pledge
♦ TWO OF A KIND — $149
One to keep. One to create your next fellow addict.
Two of a Kind doubles the collector package — two of the same foil-stamped hardcovers and limited-edition boxes, so you can keep one flawless on your shelf and put the other in the hands of the reader you've been meaning to convert.
Here's what you're backing:
Two special-edition hardcovers of Last Roll of the Die Foil-stamped dust jacket, foil-stamped hardcover, custom end papers, custom sprayed edges
Two limited-edition collector's boxes Magnetic closure, custom interior and exterior art
The digital anthology — yours to start immediately
Backer-only access to reveals, sneak peeks, and every unlocked stretch goal
Picture it: one boxed hardcover on your shelf, the other wrapped and ready for a birthday, a holiday, sent by us to your friend, just-because. The 20 stories you brought into reality, handed to someone who's about to fall as hard for it as you did. It doubles your impact to the authors, too — twice the support flowing to the storytellers past production.
Best for: sharing the obsession.
♦ READER NATION 2026 COLLECTION
One pledge — All the collector's editions.
This is the complete Reader Nation shelf: the same foil-stamped hardcover and limited-edition box treatment as Double Down, across all three of the year's anthologies.
Here's what you're backing:
The special-edition hardcover of all three 2026 Reader Nation anthologies — Last Roll of the Die plus All in on Love and the Parallel Truths Graphic Novel Foil-stamped dust jackets, foil-stamped hardcovers, custom end papers, custom sprayed edges
The limited-edition collector's box for each Magnetic closure, custom interior and exterior art
The digital edition of all three anthologies — a full year of reading, instantly
Backer-only access to reveals, sneak peeks, and every stretch goal
Picture it: three unique limited edition hardcovers lined up on the shelf, dozens of authors across multiple genres, a whole year of Reader Nation brought into reality by you. If discovery is the point — bestsellers beside rising stars, one great story leading to the next — this is the pledge that leans all the way in, and supports every author across all of it.
Best for: superfans building the entire Reader Nation shelf.
🔥 ONLY 50 AVAILABLE
Step up to the premium table.
Some backers don't just want the book — they want the version almost nobody else can get. High Roller is the premium collector tier, strictly limited to 50 seats.
Here's what you're backing:
A signed / numbered limited collector edition of Last Roll of the Die (signing/numbering happens at Reader Nation in November)
Plus every format from All In — hardcover, paperback, digital —
Mystery Swag Box Thriller related swag in the box
High Roller recognition and the deepest backer access to the making of the book
The limited-edition collector's box
Magnetic closure, custom interior and exterior art
Backer-only reveals, sneak peeks, and all stretch goals
This is truly limited edition you can hold: once the 50 numbered copies are claimed, they're gone for good — no reprints, signed and numbered, no second chances. If you want a piece of this anthology that's genuinely rare, and the status of being one of the fifty, this is your seat.
Best for: collectors who want what the rest can't have. Capped at 50 — first come, first served.
Last Roll of the Die brings bestsellers and rising talent to the same table — the writers you already love, and the ones you're about to. Here's who's dealing you in.
Edited by and including stories by
Mary Stone Mary Stone is a multi-million-copy bestselling author of crime fiction thrillers, with over ten million books sold worldwide across more than sixteen series. Her work has earned a loyal global readership and a prominent presence in Kindle Unlimited, known for gripping plots, emotionally layered storytelling, and strong female protagonists. Her recent work expands into psychological thrillers, exploring the darker edges of trust, identity, and obsession—often focusing on the quiet dangers that hide in plain sight. Blending fast-paced suspense with psychological depth, all her stories resonate with readers who crave both tension and emotional complexity. In addition to her writing, Mary serves as the creative director of Mary Stone Publishing, where she continues to champion bold storytelling and innovative publishing. She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of East Tennessee, where she writes day and night, fueled by curiosity and caffeine.
J.D. Barker J.D. Barker is the New York Times and international best-selling author of numerous novels, including the wildly popular 4MK series. He is currently collaborating with James Patterson. His novels have been translated into two dozen languages and optioned for both film and television.
Contributing authors
Kate Adele Kat Adele lives in a cabin in a legacy forest in the Pacific Northwest, where she spends her days counting fish on salmon streams alongside people she doesn't always know, and her nights writing thrillers. She's learned to read people fast; it's served her well through two capsized boats and two backcountry rescues. The Black Friday Dilemma is a standalone story that quietly sets the stage for a novel already underway, in which the killer's identity finally comes to light.
J.M. Bannon When not writing, the time is spent reading or walking the grounds of the sanitarium, where on a clear day you can see all the way to Prague Castle.
Margie Benedict Award-winning novelist Margie Benedict—author of fourteen published works—writes emotionally resonant, genre-defying fiction rooted in the power of second chances. From coastal suspense to time-twisted mysteries and sweeping speculative worlds, her stories follow characters who rise, reclaim their agency, and rewrite their destinies. Kirkus Reviews praised Margie's latest release—Not My Job Anymore—as "a sparkling later-in-life tale that spills over with wit, warmth, and humanity."
Lauryn Christopher As a mystery reader, Lauryn Christopher likes figuring out "whodunit" as much as anyone—but as a mystery writer with a background in psychology, she's much more likely to write from the culprit's point of view, exploring the hidden secrets driving their choices. You can see this in the crime fiction and cozy capers she contributes to various anthologies, as well as in her "Hit Lady for Hire" novels.
Stephen Gay Stephen Gay writes bold, character-driven fiction where action collides with heart. His stories span the far edges of space and the dark corners of small towns—worlds where loyalty is tested, justice has a price, and courage refuses to quit. Known for cinematic pacing, found-family dynamics, and vivid emotional stakes, his books blend the heart of Firefly, the immersive energy of Ready Player One, the realism and scale of The Expanse, and the moral grit of Jack Reacher. Whether in the chaos of a lunar rebellion or the shadows of a quiet coastal town, Stephen's heroes always fight for what matters most: connection, redemption, and hope in the dark. Originally from Canada, Stephen earned a degree in Industrial Design from Carleton University before moving to the U.S. to pursue a career in technology, where he has led creative teams in innovation and design. An avid traveler who's explored over 45 countries, Stephen now lives in Silicon Valley, California, with his fiery red-haired partner and their two wonderful boys.
Julie C. Gilbert Julie C. Gilbert is a high school teacher and a multi-genre writer. She's explored everything from stories set in space to terrifying real-world what-ifs to life as a guardian angel. She lives in New Jersey, where you can find her taking long walks, drinking coffee or tea, and likely listening to an audiobook.
Nicholas Harvey A USA Today bestselling author, Nicholas Harvey's life has been anything but ordinary: race car driver, motorsports professional, adventure traveller, divemaster, and since 2020, a full-time novelist. Raised in England and resident in America for many years, Nick and his amazing wife, Cheryl, now base themselves in Grand Cayman, from where they travel the globe in search of new plots for his novels. He is the author of the Investigator Kat Cromwell Mystery, Nora Sommer Caribbean Suspense, and AJ Bailey Adventure series, along with multiple collaborations.
Amanda Siri Hill
Amanda Siri Hill loves to explore inner demons through storytelling. You can find her short fiction on the Creepy Podcast, The Good Life Review, and Utah’s Best Poetry and Prose 2023. Her debut novel The Lost of Lake Hotel was funded in under two hours on Kickstarter. When not writing, she collects books and bikes in her Utah home that she shares with her husband and five children. Connect with her on Instagram @amandasirihill and her website amandasirihill.com
Elyse Hoffman Elyse Hoffman is a best-selling, award-winning author of more than ten books, best known for her genre-blending works of WWII historical fiction laced with fantasy and Jewish folklore. A student of WWII since age thirteen, she wrote her first novel at fourteen. She studied English, History, and Law at George Mason University. In her spare time, she loves to read, work on pretty keyboards, and hang out with her co-authors: her goldendoodle Ari and her ex-feral cat, Echo. Her upcoming series, The God of Nazi-Land, is an ambitious blend of historical fiction and Dante's Inferno, using history's darkest chapter to ask dangerous questions about power, guilt, and what people become when time and luck are not on their side.
J.L. Kwak Jessie (J.L.) Kwak is an author, storyteller, and business book ghostwriter living in Portland, Oregon. She writes thrillers and mysteries set in one of her favorite places to explore: the Pacific Northwest. Along with the Danica Burns FBI Mystery Thriller series, she is the author of two series of space scoundrel sci-fi crime novels, and a handful of productivity books for artists and writers.
Craig Martelle Craig Martelle is a retired Marine, a retired lawyer, and a full-time author. He has published over 200 books and has sold over a million copies in his favorite genres of Science Fiction and Thrillers. He also ran the largest indie author conferences in the world, along with the group that has changed innumerable authors' lives for the better.
Michelle Melton Michelle Melton writes gritty paranormal suspense about what we inherit, what we hide, and what it costs to survive. A former crime-and-courts journalist and a friend of Bill's since 2004, she writes like a survivor who's stared down her own demons and learned which shadows hide real danger. Her story in this collection, "The Inheritance," follows a woman handed back the one memory her mother stole to protect her — and is a prequel to her debut novel, The Sickness of Secrets, first in The Borrowing series, coming October 2026. She believes the most powerful force, supernatural or otherwise, is the courage to break generational cycles and choose a different path.
Kim Olgren Kim Olgren is a Book Fest award-winning, internationally selling author of the cozy/amateur sleuth mystery Flipped – A Jillian McElroy Flipping Mystery (written as Kimberly Olgren). Kim writes stories with witty, slightly snarky characters who attract trouble like it's their job and tend to be far too busy for the romantic entanglements in which they sometimes find themselves—or so they say. When not writing, Kim can be found in her local community renovating houses with her husband, volunteering with her local writers' organization, or hanging out somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
Danielle Pays Danielle Pays writes crime thrillers and romantic thrillers from the Pacific Northwest, where black coffee fuels both her writing and her habit of plotting fictional trouble.
Doug Sjoquist Doug Sjoquist writes wilderness thrillers where it's even money on what will get you first: the wilderness, or the people in it. A software engineer turned novelist, a lifelong outdoorsman, and a lover of God's natural world, he is the author of Through the Gap and the forthcoming Royale Deception. He and his wife live on a dead-end road in the woods of southwestern Ohio, where he plots ways to get back to true wilderness.
Peggy Thorne Peggy Thorne believes in the magic of the written word. She has tried her hand at many genres, but The Hunger Switch is her first thriller. As far as writing goes, she agrees with Chaucer: “The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.”
Savannah Verte A lifelong lover of words and reading, Savannah Verte hasn't quite figured out what she wants to write when she grows up. She considers herself a 'Contemporary Vagabond' when it comes to writing and hopes that others find her diverse offerings as enjoyable to read as they are to write.
We’re using BackerKit's Pledge Manager to calculate taxes and shipping after the campaign ends.
After the campaign, you’ll receive a backer survey where you will:
Provide your shipping address
Be charged sales tax based on your location
Pay shipping based on your delivery location, if applicable.
Physical Rewards
Shipping
Backers of physical tiers (Tiers 2-8) can have their rewards mailed anywhere in the world. All shipments include tracking and insurance.
Please Note: The above prices are estimates only at this point. Exact shipping costs will be calculated and collected after the campaign via BackerKit's Pledge Manager.
*Tier 6 Shipping: This reward includes two shipments (one to you and one to your gift recipient). Shipping costs will be calculated based on each delivery address after the campaign ends.
Estimated delivery times:
Physical rewards are expected to begin shipping in December 2026.
Estimated U.S. delivery time: 2–5 business days
Estimated international delivery time: 1–4 weeks, depending on location
In-Person Pickup
Planning to attend Reader Nation 2026? In-person pickup is available on November 14, 2026, at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. If you plan to pick up in person, you will indicate this on your BackerKit Pledge Manager survey sent after the campaign ends, and you will not be charged shipping.
Digital Delivery
All backers will receive their eBook via BookFunnel. Delivery timing will be confirmed in campaign updates.
Our Printing & Production Partners
Printing: We’ve partnered with The INKfluence, a trusted agency specializing in high-end book production and author support. You can count on professional-quality printing, secure packaging, and timely delivery with their team of seasoned pros.
Fulfillment: We’ve partnered with Creator Unleashed, a company that exists to free creators from operational overwhelm so they can focus on what they do best – creating – while they handle all the logistical fun like managing warehouses and shipping books.
This project was born from a mission to empower indie authors and help ambitious creative work reach readers directly.
Author Ventures LLC, the team behind Author Nation and Reader Nation, is dedicated to helping indie authors connect with readers, grow sustainable careers, and fund creative projects on their own terms.
Through our community, we have worked to help indie authors understand how to use Crowdfunding as a powerful tool to fund their work and build relationships with readers directly.
With projects like Last Roll of the Die, we get to put that ethos into practice.
Our crowdfunding campaigns are here to prove that independent creators can collaborate, fund ambitious projects, and bring readers beautiful, original work without waiting for permission.
Back Three Campaigns and Unlock a VIP Swag Bag
As a thank-you for supporting multiple projects from our cohort, backers who support three or more eligible Kickstart Together campaigns can unlock an exclusive VIP Swag Bag (valued at $100+) when they attend Reader Nation.
To claim your bag, just email us at [email protected]with a list of the campaigns you backed. Redeem your free bag at Reader Nation on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at the Horseshoe Las Vegas.
This project wouldn’t exist without the generosity, talent, and trust of our contributing authors. Their stories, creativity, and willingness to collaborate are the heart of Last Roll of the Die.
To our editors, Mary Stone and her team and JD Barker: thank you for your sharp eyes, thoughtful guidance, and deep respect for every author’s voice.
To the talented teams at The INKfluence and Damonza: thank you for your creativity, craftsmanship, and dedication to producing a book that’s every bit as beautiful as the stories inside.
To the indie author community and our inaugural Kickstart Together cohort: thank you for inspiring us with your collaboration, generosity, and belief in what’s possible when creators work together.
And finally, to every reader who backs projects like this: thank you for believing in independent storytellers. Your support makes creative freedom possible, and we’re honored to share these stories with you.
With gratitude,
The Author Nation® Team
Risks and challenges
The primary risks are potential delays in production or shipping. That said, the most time-intensive work—writing the stories and designing the book—is already complete.
We are working with reliable printing and fulfillment partners to ensure smooth production. For in-person fulfillment, our team at Author Ventures brings experience from managing large-scale events like Reader Nation and Author Nation.
