My dear good people,

What an extraordinary first day it has been for Tatterdemalion! I launched this project yesterday morning just as it was getting light outside, after having looked for a while at the great scoop of the Big Dipper and the north star from my front steps. Then, last night, giddy at meeting 17% funded already, I watched the Big Dipper again, this time flipped around in the sky. And now, this morning, at 21%, it had wheeled back again, the earth fully spun on its axis, and this project almost a quarter of the way born!

I am staggered, I am overjoyed, I am deeply moved, by all of your abundant and immediate support. I wish I could thank each and every one of you face to face, for gathering here to show your excitement about this new and beautiful book, for making Tatterdemalion feel so welcome on its birthday. This book has been a joy, from the very first word I penned through to the last, and now each step of this crowd-funding journey. Thank you so much for joining us on it! The fun has only just begun...

A note about this place, called The Shed. Here, you will find updates about the progress of the book, from funding & on through editing and publication (if all goes well, which it very much seems to be!!), as well as other lovely tidbits. Some posts, such as this one, are open to the general public. Others, such as a very exciting one we are planning for next week, will be viewable only to Supporters. These will include more exclusive content (excerpts! films! etc!)

For now, I leave you with two twin blog posts, from my Indigo Vat and Rima's Hermitage. Many of you may have already read them, but for those craving a glimpse of mythic Dartmoor, of the landscapes of heart and mind out of which Tatterdemalion was born, and a bit about its backstory, look no further! Know also that in the future, I will be sharing some deeper musings about my time on Dartmoor, about land and myth and old friendship and ancestors.

In the meanwhile, I raise a hearty cup of tea to you all, in deep gratitude. 

Onward!

Love,

Sylvia