WATSONVILLE — Four years ago, Jonathan Fesmire looked to the public to help fund his book, a western that is set in an alternate version of Santa Cruz.
The $2,000 campaign, which Fesmire organized over Kickstarter, a crowdsourcing website where people can pledge a certain amount of money toward an idea, actually exceeded its goal.
Those who helped fund the book will soon see the result of their investment, as “Bodacious Creed: A Steampunk Zombie Western” is set for release on Friday.
The plot, set in 1876, follows U.S. Marshal James Creed, who is resurrected after being gunned down by the infamous killer Corwin Blake. He eventually makes his way to Santa Cruz, where he discovers a secret criminal organization that wants to use the resurrection technology to create mindless zombies.
Fesmire, a 1987 Watsonville High School graduate, said he took his first creative writing class at the school during his senior year. Having graduated from UC Santa Cruz, Fesmire said he enjoyed spending time in Santa Cruz.
Readers of “Bodacious Creed,” he noted, will recognize locations such as the Pacific Garden Mall area, San Lorenzo River and more.
“I know Santa Cruz well and love it,” said Fesmire, who now lives in Southern California. “I thought it would be fun to set my steampunk zombie western there, and it has. Most westerns take place away from the coast, so Santa Cruz is also a slightly different sort of setting for the genre.”
“Steampunk” is a genre of science fiction, often taking place in Victorian England or the American “Wild West,” which emphasizes steam technology.
When writing a novel, Fesmire said he enjoys figuring out how to make everything fit together.
“I strive to write character-driven stories, and getting into my characters’ heads is a lot of fun, figuring out what they want and what they’ll do to get it, which then sets up conflicts and drives the story forward,” he said.
The funding he received from Kickstarter went toward new writing software, such as Scrivener and Aeon Timeline, as well as fulfilling the rewards of the campaign’s backers, including hardcover and paperback editions of the novel.
Although the novel is not yet in readers’ hands, Fesmire said he already has ideas for a second book set in the same world.
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“Bodacious Creed: A Steampunk Zombie Western” will be released on Friday, and the book can be pre-ordered on Amazon. Fesmire will hold a book release party on Facebook on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at www.facebook.com/events/125859738033454.
For information, visit jonfesmire.com.
