FORMER National cartoonist Greg Moodie is calling on our readers to help fund the production costs of his new novel.
Readers of The National will recall his fantastically satirical take on current events, bringing humour to more serious moments with his absurdist cartoons.
The idea for his new book, Six Degrees of Stupidity, came to Moodie immediately after finishing his first novel, The Unbearable Stupidity of Being, in 2011, but the campaign for Scottish independence and the upcoming 2014 indyref took his attention away from it.
READ MORE: Greg Moodie: Lockdown with Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings
He took another look at his books during the height of lockdown in 2020 and has just completed the lengthy editing and rewriting process for Six Degrees of Stupidity.
Moodie is now looking to raise £4500 through the crowdfunding website IndieGoGo that will go towards the costs of publishing the new book.
He said: "It's taken years to produce this book. As well as being the writer, I'm also the publisher, editor, typesetter and cover designer. But I'm not asking you to fund that time.
"What I'm asking for is the cost of printing and the materials needed to create the additional perks, along with a modest wage to continue the weekly cartoon for a few more months.
"I still believe independence is just around the corner, and this is no time to quit making fun of politicians."
READ MORE: Greg Moodie: Phwoar! Look at the virus on that
The book follows Tony Boaks, an underemployed graphic designer who creates a coat of arms for a lawyer called Guy LeSnide who has "monumental delusions of grandeur".
Before the bill is settled, LeSnide's delusions turn to madness and he retreats to the fictional English region of Wester that can only be accessed by canal.
Boaks then sets out on an epic quest into the murky heart of Wester, taking the spikey unrequited love of his life, LaFlamme, along for the ride.
Perks for the crowdfunder include a signed copy of the book as well as t-shirts, hand-painted prints and full-size canvases based on the book's cover art.
Moodie stressed that support is vital to get this work into print and this type of work is generally quite rare in Scotland.
He said: "According to the publisher of my 2018 book Cool Scots, satire is a rare breed in Scottish literature. It may be that some books never see the light of day or get the attention they deserve due to the ongoing difficulty artists face trying to fund their work.
"Your support is vital. Every contribution will help bring this odd little gem to life and show that Scotland can produce genuinely funny satirical fiction."
You can donate to the crowdfunder HERE
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