Why Patreon?

So I’ve had a lot of people ask me, why Patreon? Why switch over to that platform? Okay, I’m lying. Nobody’s asked me. But maybe they’ve wondered. Maybe they’ve wanted to but their sink sprang a leak right as they were about to reach out. Or aliens… you know, abductions… hey, it could happen! Whatever the case, here’s what I’d say if that question reached me.

I love to write. I need to write. I’ve got all these ideas and characters and stories in my head and if I don’t get them out, honestly, I get sad. More than sad… depressed. I need to experience them and see what they can and will do. I need to know what’s going to happen to them and how they’re going to survive (if they’re going to survive). Maybe it sounds crazy or corny, but it’s true.

So how does Patreon enter into that? How does it change the landscape from me using more traditional publishing like I’ve been using. Well… I’m really not sure! I probably shouldn’t admit that, but I’m a sucker for honesty and integrity. I see other writers using it to great effect and they’re able to focus more on writing and using a single platform. They can deliver more to their readers and tailor what they write to those readers. I’ve always pushed for interaction with my readers and Patreon offers great opportunities to do that.

Speaking of honesty, it’s about money too. Patreon is a subscription based service, but I’ve proven time and again that I can, will, and am producing content at a rate that blows away virtually every writer out there. It’s cheap too — damn cheap at the lowest tiers— and that’s a price cheaper than any book… yet it gives access to tons of my material – and at certain levels the access it to all of my material! I’ve even got a tier that gives access to my wife’s stories too. That’s well over a hundred books! Okay, so skip Dawn Michelle, it’s still somewhere around a 100 books.

And I’m writing more, obviously. While Dark Metal is in the editing phase (cover art’s already done), I’m focusing on new fantasy story that kind of came out of nowhere. The main character was one of those voices that I kept trying to do something with but kept running into dead ends. I figured I’d stop waiting for the right opportunity and make my own! So now I have the story, Enchanted, which is flowing like an open faucet these days. I’m seven chapters and 36,000 words since Friday! Oh, and all 7 chapters are available on Patreon too. Maybe, someday, I’ll publish it elsewhere too, but for now it’s only there.

What is Enchanted? It’s a story about a man who used to be a powerful wizard. A renowned enchanter with servants and estates all his own… Or at least that’s what he thinks he was. The story begins with him waking up in a strange place struggling to remember who and what he was. It gets better – or worse – when he finds a strange woman that claims to be his assistant. It turns out they both serve the same Mistress… and that Mistress is responsible for John’s change in venue, lost memories, and strange new powers. It’s not without a cost – John’s mistress has demands that must be met before he can begin to put the pieces together of his who he was or who he’s going to be now that he has a second chance at life.

Enchanted is also a change in style for me – it’s a spicy story. From John’s assistant, a willful and capricious woman with a her own dark side to the people along the way that John meets and interacts with in order to satisfy his Mistresses cravings.

So here it is, a chance to have access to tons of material and, as time progresses, original and exclusive material at a bargain. Plus work with me to help provide the kind of stories you want to see. So far Patreon hasn’t done much for me outside of inspiring me to do a lot of writing. My early morning and late evening hours (like now) have been consumed with writing… and don’t get me started on the weekend and the 18,000 to 20,000 words there alone! Here’s your chance to help me make it work across the board.

To learn more about Jason Halstead, join his Patreon page, visit his website to read about him, or sign up for his newsletter.