shadows out of providence heading for savannah

Ezra Claverie's original works are finally seeing the light of day!
Well, in PDF version, at least.
He's been having serious issues with a ne'er-do-well shyster who has taken the funds designated for the printing of the book...and skated off into the darkness with them.
What a sad and frustrating story for a creative spirit.
(Although it should be noted that I have a sad story from a backer's side.)
True to his oath to provide rewards to his faithful supporters on kickstarter, Ezra sent his tome, via email, out into the world.
That was back in late September.
Now, I've printed the book for myself.
Isn't it a beauty?
Of course, I still look forward to one day having the book, as he had intended it to be, in my hands.
For now, this will do.
I'll try to read it during the winter break from school...

kickstarter abusers, beware!

He left me no recourse.

After hearing naught from "Nick" for two years concerning his "adventure documentary" in the wilds of Georgia, I decided I would do for his project as I had done for the musical by Accio Actors. Namely, I would snap photos from the video trailer and write my follow-up post using those shots. This is one of those photos I took.

Today, I discovered that "Nick" is actually
Nick McGregor,
an actor
who pulled a fast one
on the good folks at kickstarter.com,
as well as on all who supported his projects.
How do I know his identity?
This photo (on the right) is on his biography page at imdb.com.
It would be impossible for him to claim "mistaken identity" clad in that cap and those shorts.

Three of the five projects he posted on kickstarter are duplicates, even using the exact same dialogue for the introductory videos and the exact same "Update" messages! Twice, he claimed that a backer had ripped him off by pledging a large sum and then reneging.
When I made a cursory investigation of his pledges today, I realized the scam. No such backers had ever pledged those sums to his projects. He had fabricated the existence of those people so he could keep our pledged funds. I guess he simply wanted the money. Nick McGregor is the one who most disappointed me. I had trusted him, giving financial support for his documentary twice, after he had failed in his first attempt.
I've reported the abuse to kickstarter and will be curious to see what happens now. "Nick" has not returned to that website since fall of 2012, so I doubt they will be able to pursue him. Unless, like me, they track him down to his home in Nashville, Tennessee.
Perhaps he could be forced to repay his backers.
Perhaps.
What is that saying? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
Well, then I admit to being ashamed that I did not notice the pattern of his projects before now.
Moral of the story?
Don't support projects for people who don't even use their full names.
I know, in hindsight, that course of action is clearly the only sensible one...
...but, maybe, it's not so clear in these many years after Cher, Madonna, and other one-name stars in the entertainment world.
Crowd-sourcing sites should insist that creators who are not yet brand names use their real names and have some source to vouch for their credentials, such as they may be.
New creators can "thank" scammers like Nick McGregor for making their search for funds even more difficult.

oskar and klaus find bigfoot!

Those two cats certainly lead a busy life!
Check out their Friskies music video with Grumpy Cat and friends! That fundraiser for hungry kittehs everywhere was featured in the "Huffington Post"!
You can also read about it here, in the Rolling Stone!!!
Even Jon Stewart featured them on "The Daily Show"!!!!
Oskar and Klaus have so many adventures together!
The bfe and I do, too.
That's one of the reasons I am so excited about the timing of this book's arrival. You see, my bfe (best friend extraordinaire) has a birthday later this very week! I had so hoped to be able to surprise him with this extra special treat, and, thanks to Mick Szydlowski and company, that hope is reality!
I must be doing something right!
I believe I was directed toward kickstarter at just the right time to find this project. Not only would my support benefit the production of the book - and the audiobook! - but the reward would be a magnificent gift for my favorite "thirteen-year-old boy" (his words for himself).
Like Bigfoot, my friend is an excellent cook, using fancy recipes that I would never prepare. Dinners at his place are a treat for the eyes as well as the tastebuds and nose!
Like Bigfoot, he also has recently become a jazz aficionado and has quite a record collection. How cool is that?
And, like Bigfoot, he likes hot tea and has a tea kettle.
Unlike Bigfoot, he is not allergic to cats and has two old ladies he loves dearly. His two girls, Chloe and Contessa, would certainly have quite a fun time with such gentlemanly cats as Oskar and Klaus!
However, Seattle is quite a long haul from this city by the sea.
I do so hope the kittehs here will be read this glorious adventure, perhaps as a bedtime tale to inspire sweet dreams...
I'll be sure that happens!

What about the patch, you ask?

That belongs to me!

I'm thrilled to belong to "an INCLUSIVE club for anyone who seeks to make each day an adventure"!