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In the words of the Guide, "Overtwixt is the world of bridges, where all parallel universes intersect." It is a place of wonder, where strange bridges link floating islands that are populated by bizarre peoples. In Overtwixt, adventure and excitement abound... along with sword fights, magic, witty banter, and positive moral messages.

After arriving in Overtwixt for the first time, each visitor is offered his or her choice of three roles, then given a quest. And though this is a magical place, where the impossible becomes possible, certain rules still apply — including the Five Fundamental Laws, which govern everything:

  1. Every Life is Unique and Precious
  2. No one Race is Greater than any other
  3. Time marches Forward independent of constraint
  4. All must Choose one Master
  5. Once only may any man Live, and after, to know Reality

The Overtwixt universe currently consists of NINE books by R.L. Akers, but it is not a single series which must be read in a particular order. Seven of these books are written at a "YA" (Young Adult) reading level, while the chapter book and picture book are intended as standalone tie-ins for younger children. All volumes include beautiful sketches throughout, artfully crafted by illustrators Jesse Lewis and Charlotte Bauman.

Overtwixt: The World of Bridges and Escape from Overtwixt relate the modern-day story of four siblings' arrival in Overtwixt, after they step through the wrong gate at the airport. They must overcome challenges and prejudice to unite the realm and overthrow an evil dictator. Both books are YA novels, around 65,000 words. (Read excerpt here.)
Circus of Dagmor, Heroes of Centhule, and King of Caymerlot comprise the Golden Age trilogy of prequel novels, set in Overtwixt about 3,000 years before the modern age. These books tell the tale of a troupe of circus performers and their friends who get caught up in larger events when an army of giant barbarians attack — which provides fun historical backstory to some of the situations in the modern-day books. All three prequel books are YA novels, 75-105,000 words. (Read excerpt here.)
The Knight & his Friends is a children's picture book focusing on the youngest modern-day character, the 5-year-old Knight. It summarizes the events of both Overtwixt and Escape as experienced from that one perspective. The book is written for the understanding of very young children, fully illustrated in color, and is roughly 50 pages in length. (Read excerpt here.)
The Princess & her Throne is a chapter book showcasing the "middle child" of the modern-day sibling characters, the 8-year-old Princess. It relates the events of Overtwixt from her perspective, focusing on her struggle to see just how special she really is. This book is written at an elementary reading level, illustrated in color, and is roughly 200 pages in length (split into 20 chapters). (Read excerpt here.)
Perilous Flight and Scavenger Hunt each focus on one of the modern-day teenaged characters, the Empress and Loremaster, exploring substories that occur during the events of the novels. Specifically, the former bridges the gap between Overtwixt and Escape, telling of the Empress's harrowing escape from an army of evil minions; the latter expands upon chapter 16 of Overtwixt, telling more of the Loremaster's library-wide hunt for answers, with all the extra details only a true Loremaster would appreciate. Both books are YA novellas, 10-20,000 words.
The four main characters of Overtwixt's modern-day books were inspired by the author's four children, and they choose the roles of Knight (5-year-old Ewan), Princess (8-year-old Cécilie), Empress (12-year-old Amélie), and Loremaster (15-year-old Nachton). Together, they are tasked with overcoming prejudice, uniting the peoples of the realm, and defeating an evil tyrant known as the Vizier. For some reason, they are in a unique position to accomplish this... but that doesn't make them the only heroes of the story. In fact, they are surprised to discover that their new roles do not make them more "special" than anyone else.
The Golden Age prequel novels feature an entirely different cast of non-human teenage characters, including the gnomaid Inventor (Pyrsie), the mermage Wizard (Hembrose), and a pair of dagmen with no idea what their roles should be (Arth and Morth). Their adventures traveling the world of bridges with the Circus of Dagmør seem tame enough at first, but everything changes when a race of giant barbarians begins conquering and enslaving one land after another.

Kickstarter is a crowd-funding platform which connects investors (everyday people) with authors, inventors, and other creatives, to help those creators bring their projects to life.

R.L. Akers chose to launch the nine books of Overtwixt all at once via Kickstarter in order to make a fun initial splash. Funds raised allow for a big First Printing of the books, with excess going toward fun rewards like vinyl sticker decals, bookmarks, and perhaps even better "swag." Amazingly, this campaign reached its minimum viable funding goal of $5,000 in less than two days, ensuring that this First Printing will occur — but we are still accepting preorders until October 30! Everyone who backs Overtwixt before the end of October will receive books and other rewards, most likely in time for Christmas.

Please be clear: Pledges made via Kickstarter are not donations. They are investments to manufacture one or more books which are already written, edited, and illustrated. Everyone who pledges money at one of the established investment levels will receive appropriate recompense in the form of books and other rewards.