Who are you and what are you doing here?

I'm M. Darusha Wehm, the author of the Andersson Dexter series of science fiction noir detective novels, Self Made and the Parsec Award shortlisted Act of Will.  I'm just finishing the third book in the series, The Beauty of Our Weapons, and I'd like to fund the release of this book in early 2012.

What's this book about, anyway?

Dex and his colleagues live in future that's one giant company town.  Governments have collapsed and huge global corporations have filled the gaps.  People spend their days working at menial jobs, their homes and belongings merely part of their employment benefits.  Law and order is provided - or more often, not provided - by the Security arms of the firms.  When an ordinary person needs justice, there's nowhere to turn except to the rogue organization for which Dex works as a detective. 

This third novel in the series follows Dex and his colleagues as they address the tensions between regular people and the companies which control their lives.  Like all the Dex stories, The Beauty of Our Weapons is set both in the streets of this bleak urban future, but also in Marionette City, the virtual world people use as an escape.  Now, though, the freedom and security of the virtual world is under attack, and it's up to Dex and his confederates to stop it.

How do I know if I'm going to like it?

Well, you could read one of the other books in the series. To make that easier, I've put Self Made, the first Dex novel, on sale for just a buck for folks who check out this campaign.

Use the coupon code PP29G at smashwords.com to get Self Made in the DRM-free ebook format of your choice for just 99 cents. You don't even need an ebook reader; you can download a pdf or text file, or read online.

Smashwords also allows you to read a free sample of either book: Self Made is the first and Act of Will is the sequel.

So, what am I paying for, exactly?

This project is to help fund the release of The Beauty of Our Weapons, specifically to commission a professional cover for the ebook and paperback editions and fund editing, layout and promotion. The more I get in funding, the cooler I can make the finished product.

And what do I get out of it?

Ebooks, paper books and other cool goodies, that's what! 

If you contribute, you can get a pre-release copy of the ebook, a paperback copy or one of a limited number of signed hardcovers.  If you're already a Dex fan, you might be interested in the Three Card Monte's or Chemical Celeste t-shirts (black by default, other colours upon request; available in American Apparel men's & women's sizes).

Everyone who contributes will get my sincerest thanks and immortalization in the acknowledgements of the finished book.