I didn't have access to a lot of things growing up. Living in suburbia with two parents who didn't drive made it impossible to access, well, everything. We had to spend half an hour in transit or an hour walking to reach the nearest grocery store. Free or affordable programs for youths of all kinds were at least as far. I never even learned how to swim. The lessons we could afford were simply too far away.
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| Photo by Ed Robertson on Unsplash |
My world descended into chaos when my parents split and my dad was diagnosed with cancer, and those books became my lifeline. Sometimes I read lighthearted, comedic stories with guaranteed happy endings for pure escapism. Other times I read the darkest, most gruesome books I could find so I could look at my life and say "at least I'm not the characters in this book".
Both types of stories served their purpose: they kept me alive. And I was lucky. I accessed most of those books for free from my own relatives' libraries. When I got bored of the books my family had to offer, I went to the school library or sometimes directly to a favorite teacher for a personalized recommendation. I was able to immerse myself in hundreds of worlds without spending a dime.
Many kids weren't so lucky. Their parents didn't have books in the home, their school libraries were inadequate or even nonexistent, or their nearest public library was an hour or more away. They struggled for every book they read, until they either found a way to buy their own books or gave up on reading altogether.
The problem isn't limited to kids either. I know many adults, especially other adults in their 20's, who have tiny or nonexistent book buying budgets. And all across the western world, our public libraries are under threat. Library funding in my home province was cut by 50% this year alone. The loss of libraries combined with stagnant wages and the ever-rising cost of living are making books inaccessible to millions of people.
As an author, I need to make money, but as a person who grew up in poverty—a person who, let's face it, still lives in poverty—I never want money to be the reason why someone doesn't read my book. Everyone deserves access to books, and not to sound egomaniacal, but everyone deserves access to my books.
So I've come to a compromise: my novel, Moonshadow's Guardian, is sold for $4.99 on most major ebook retailers, but it's also now available on Gumroad with Pay What You Can Pricing. That means you can pay five dollars, one dollar, or no dollars at all to read Moonshadow's Guardian. Because in my world, books are for everyone, regardless of how much money you have.
Here's a brief intro for you.
Bound by the curse in her demonic blood for millennia, Riana has tried several times to bend the rules and live out her life in the mortal realm. Now her consistent rule breaking has drawn the attention of Loki, God of Mischief, the main tormentor of Riana’s kind. But instead of punishing her, he offers her the escape she has always desired. All she has to do to is save the kingdom of Moonshadow from a mysterious magical plague.
Armed only with the inherent power of her own blood and Loki’s pet dragon, Riana is determined to fight for the right to create her own destiny.
However, when her mission forces her to destroy the last remnants of an ancient culture, Riana must ask – what is freedom really worth?
Moonshadow’s Guardian is a tale about the meaning of belonging, and the struggle to create a future not defined by your past.
Along with Gumroad, Moonshadow's Guardian is available at
Dianna L. Gunn is a freelance writer by day and a fantasy author by night. She knew she wanted to be a writer since she was eight years old. Dianna wrote her first novel for Nanowrimo at eleven years old. As an adult,Dianna quickly discovered writing books is not an easy way to make a living. So she decided to broaden her horizons, seeking another career that still allowed her to work with words.Her freelance writing career started when she became a marketing intern at Musa Publishing in September 2011 and quickly became a staff writer in charge of multiple imprint blogs. Since then she has worked with a variety of small businesses and non-profits to improve their online brands and create long term marketing strategies. Some of her most notable work has been for the tech education non-profit STEAMLabs and natural dog care company ProPooch. She is dedicated to helping her clients build successful brands and making their dreams come true.
Need help creating awesome content for your business? Send an email to diannalgunn@gmail.com explaining what your needs are, and she will help you.
When she isn’t helping her clients bring their dreams to life, Dianna can be found working on her own dream of being a successful fantasy author.
Dianna blogs about writing, creativity, and books at The Dabbler.
Learn more about Dianna on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
