[Let's give Treesong a hand]

[This is an out of character post]

Many of you know Treesong, one of the sometime contributors to the story that is this blog. Tree is a very interesting guy. For example, Treesong is now his legal name. How many people can you say that about, honestly?

My first exposure to his work was a bit of writing he did for a local paper where my friends Courtney (yes, the Courtney that has written on here before) and her husband Steve live. What struck me most about that article was the amazing and seemingly effortless precision with which Tree laid out and constructed his ideas. It was a very dense piece of writing for its length, and from beginning to end it was thoughtful, flowed well, and most important made me think.

Tree is, as I said, and interesting guy. He's an activist with toes dipping into many pools; he supports environmental policy change, total equal rights, and the power of individuals to shape and better their communities. That barely scratches the surface, really. I mean, he's also a part of the real-life superhero movement, and I can tell you from personal experience that he plays Dungeons and Dragons with a gusto that I've rarely seen from anyone else.

Above all that, though, he's a great guy. He's a friend of mine. We don't agree on everything, but even though our stances on some issues may be far and wide from each other, he has always been gracious and open-minded to me. He's that way with everyone. No matter how much he might disagree with you, he'll always listen and give you a fair shake.

All I'm asking is for you to do the same.

Treesong has just launched a campaign on Kickstarter, which is a new and potentially game-changing way of crowdsourcing funds for creative projects. As an indie writer, I feel it's my duty to support other indies when and where I can. It is my pleasure to do so today on this blog, with a link to the Kickstarter page for Treesong's campaign. The urban fantasy he's going to be writing looks to be very interesting. I won't ruin it for you, nor will I tell you to donate.

Rather, I ask you simply to go to the link and check out the page. Watch the video, read the background, and ask yourself if it's worth the cost of a coffee at Starbucks to support an amazing project by an amazing man. If you go there and see the video, read the background, and decide not to back Tree's work, that's just fine. All he and I ask is some honest consideration.

We live in a fractious and difficult time. It seems like all we hear are how different sides of the various arguments going on in America right now will never give an inch. I'm here to tell you that this guy represents the best in those arguments--patience, willingness to listen, and a desire to do right by everyone involved. I can't think of a better or more deserving person. I've donated $15, and I was the very first to give. I say that proudly.

Change: A Kickstarter campaign by Treesong

Please give it a look, and keep an open mind. I appreciate your consideration.