In a world of beauty, a ceramic-made ballerina awakens atop her music box. She must dance for her elven owners, and so her ballet goes on and on. They praise her elegance, her poise and balance, until one day she falls and her ceramic fractures—but the ballerina dances again, ignoring her ever-increasing fissures. The music plays, captivating and demanding… but should she dance? Even when what she once loved becomes a trap?
This is a dark fairy tale fantasy exploring the confines of depression.
Dance With Me: The Novelisation was originally released through a Kickstarter campaign, to celebrate the second anniversary of Unearthed Stories—the mobile app where I publish interactive fiction. The novelisation has extended and new scenes and revamped sections, but it continues the spirit of its original, interactive version keeping all its literary elements—including the strike-through and bold text.
In particular, the hardcover edition—limited to the Kickstarter—contains additional illustrations that are not available in the game/interactive format.
The audiobook was narrated by the incredible Alison Phoenix, and it is available is most major platforms. The audiobook follows the novelisation, and cannot be used for immersive reading with the interactive version.
The paperback contains five of the original graphite illustrations by José Arturo Bustamante, with a cover and interior design made by myself—Livia! The author notes in this edition are also exclusive. After the Kickstarter campaign, this version will be available through most online book dealers.
The hardcover edition is exclusive to the Kickstarter, and some copies may become available in the future. This edition has a foreword by author Joshua Walker, additional graphite illustrations, and a unique internal design—also made by me, Livia—different to the paperback’s. The author notes are exclusive to the novelisation.
The interactive version of Dance With Me is almost like an ebook, except that you have choices—this is also free-to-read through Unearthed Stories (a free mobile app!). The interactive version is the original version of Dance With Me, and so it was a deliberate choice not to release an ebook.
What authors, reviewers, and readers say about Dance With Me
It was mid-2022, and I was depressed. The type of depression that makes me remember that time as if it were a black-and-white silent film. There was no motion, just stagnation; no sounds, no music, no nothing—not even sadness or despair. I remember …
She didn’t mean that… or did she? ~Never mind.~ Let’s analyse how strike-through text can tease a hidden narrative—one not even the narrator can accept. Can text formatting have meaning? At first glance, the answer is: yes, it …
I did it. I finally dared to launch a Kickstarter! There are several reasons as to why I wanted to do this, and I want to share a bit of the behind-the-scenes and all the preparations that went into it. The Reasons Incredible as it sounds—in …
