One of Kickstarter's new projects, which has gained quite a lot of attention lately, is a thrilling novel by the first time author, Lars Hellmont. Ever since its inception, Kickstarter has helped in bringing numerous creative projects to life. It is a platform where creators share and gather interest in a particular project they are working on and eventually would like to launch or publish. The projects are crowdfunded, meaning that the general public and their money is what pushes these projects towards production. Every project is independently crafted while friends, fans, and total strangers offer to fund them in return for rewards or the finished product itself.
This new project is a novel that is a work in progress. The first ten pages of the novel are published on Kickstarter's website, and in those few pages, it proves to be a delightful read. The novel brings three strangers from different corners of the world and places them together at the center of the novel. These are the three main characters who go by the names of Mig, Gordo, and Fiona. The action of the novel takes place through six major locations, which are: Stockholm, Guam, Lapland, Italian Ponza Island, Hong Kong, and Micronesia.
The novel is a brainchild of Lars Hellmont, aCalifornia-based businessman and a loving husband who is in his early sixties. Hellmont was born and raised in Sweden. He was born in Tyreso, of the Sodermanland province of Sweden. During his adolescence, he moved to Stockholm, where he attended high school at the Frans Schartaus Gymnasium. After graduating from high school, Lars Hellmont moved to the United States to pursue higher studies. He enrolled himself at the University of Texas and went on to major in Finance and Accounting.
Lars Hellmont has always remained within the sphere of business and investments, and this novel is his first attempt at stepping out of that sphere into something new. Hellmont has always been passionate about writing, and this passion reflects in his writing of the plot and characters. In his first attempt itself, Hellmont chooses three different characters as his key players in the novel and uses a multi-location plot. Even though it is a risk most new writers try to avoid, Hellmont not only takes up the challenge but stands up to all the expectations a reader might have. The biggest spectacle the novel offers is the journey of these characters through the continents of Europe, Asia, and Oceania.
The first character that Hellmont introduces to his readers is the Austin-based Mig, who is an underwater cable expert hired by the world's most ruthless telco company. Before Mig was assigned a project at Guam by his employers, he had to go through a very strict and secret training for the post. However, he was not informed about the infamous brown tree snakes and concrete eating termites of Guam, which pose a threat to both Mig's career and life. The second character is that of a rich Gordo, who comes into possession of his family's fortune when his parents go missing from a hot air balloon from Montana. Gordo invests his money in the watchmaking market of Paris. However, the person he is supposed to go into business with is later found dead, leaving Gordo cluelessly stuck in Paris. The final key character of the novel is Fiona, who is blessed with impeccable disguising and impersonating skills. Owing to this sole reason, she is sent as an undercover agent to bring down a cross-border illegal drug trafficking ring with the involvement of the Swedish Army. After successfully busting the racket in the middle of the Mediterranean, Fiona is assigned again as an undercover agent and is placed with the Sami family who dealt in animal trafficking.
All three of Lars Hellmont's characters live three different lives. They all have different professions, all of them unique on their own right. They also have their individual flaws, which make them relatable and real for the readers. All the characters are driven towards each other by the forces of destiny and fate to unravel one mystery which unites these three characters. In the unraveling of this mystery, one can experience the culture and beauty of all the locations through the characters. Lars Hellmont himself is a man who loves traveling and has traveled around the world for both professional and personal reasons. So when a reader reads the description of a place in the novel, they should know that it is coming from a man who has had a first-hand experience of the place and the people there. The characters of Mig, Gordo, and Fiona, all bear Hellmont's personal touch and even reflect different aspects of Hellmont's tastes and even his own persona. As a reader, one can see Hellmont's art of characterization when the characters start exhibiting relatable features. The plot of the novel is also quite intricate, which keeps the reader engaged. The bold choices of characters and location only mirror Hellmont's bold personality.
Lars Hellmont is a popular name when it comes to real estate management. He is the co-owner of the Fujita Property Guam Inc. and co-founder of the South-North Entities. But before he moved to California and started working there, he used to work for some Europe-based stores, like Ikea and H&M. He also used to work as an internal auditor for ITT Corp. based in New York. Hellmont has also served on the boards of companies like Stan Lee Media and CIBA Assurances. The success of his companies is proof of Hellmont's hard work and dedication. Apart from being an affluent business personality, Hellmont is also a dedicated philanthropist who supports organizations like the Boy Scouts, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Guam, Salvation Army, Via Trust, and the Special Olympics Guam.
Lars Hellmont's novel is one of the most promising projects of Kickstarter for the year 2020. The draft published on Kickstarter shows Hellmont's craftsmanship and the quality of content. Also, the reward scheme for backing this project on Kickstarter is also quite benefitting. For this novel of Hellmont's, the minimum amount you can invest is $1. However, if the amount is as high as $20, the reward you would receive will be the e-book of the novel and a travel log written by Hellmont himself. Again, an investment of $50 or above would be rewarded with an e-book and the digital photographs of the locations mentioned in the novel. And if you can invest $100 and above, Hellmont will be offering the limited first-run printing editions to the first 100 contributors.
