Here are five reasons to support Secret Rose, my crowdfunding project.
1) You'll be reviving WB Yeats as a writer of fiction.
These stories have been neglected and underestimated by the critics. In the introduction to the book, I explain why these dramatic stories of national and personal vision, that have the flavour of folklore, deserve to be resuscitated. (I believe they are as important to world literature as Grimm's Fairy Tales).
2) You'll be supporting an indie author's crazy passion project.
Making a beautiful artefact like this is unbelievably expensive these days. The paper alone is hard to source and use in modern machinery. In this, Yeats 150th anniversary year, I want to pay homage to his greatness as a writer and a bookmaker by producing this unique tribute. I can't do it without your assistance.
3) You'll be supporting worthy arts and literacy charities:
A proportion of the income from this project is going to The Pubslush Foundation and 50% of any profit to my local arts charities, Creative Cricklewood & Friends of Cricklewood Library.
4) You'll be highlighting that WB Yeats was an indie author –
As were so many famous authors of the past. The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) defines an indie as an author who is the creative director of the book from concept to completion, through publication and beyond. Yeats took the greatest care with all aspects of book production and commissioned his friend to design this book (see below).
5) You'll be helping to create an important, unique and beautiful book.
Originally, Yeats intended The Secret Rose to end with three stories dealing with visionary moments in a contemporary setting. These were to presage the end of the Christian era and the birth of a new order (the dawning of the age of Aquarius). But his English publisher took fright as all this Celtic magic and mysticism and only one of the stories, “Rosa Alchemica”, was included. Later, Yeats persuaded him to change his mind and he published the other two stories separately.
This book, for the first time, brings all the stories together as Yeats intended. It also includes my novel Her Secret Rose (similarity of title no co-incidence!), that tells the story behind the making of the stories: the passionate love for his muse, Maud Gonne, that fired their production.
If you agree that these are good reasons to support, you can donate any amount over £1 and all amounts are most gratefully appreciated.
You'll need to register with Pubslush (Irish donors, please put 0000 where they ask for postcode) but it only takes a short few minutes — so do head over now to ornaross.com/secretrose and choose your reward!
