The Path and the Gate Author Fund

Fund Mormon Literature

The Path and the Gate: Mormon Stories, is a fiction collection, to be published in October 2023 by Signature Books, that includes stories by some of the best authors currently writing and publishing in the Mormon literary space, including stories by Steven Peck, Tim Wirkus, Phyllis Barber, Ryan McIlvain, William Morris, Larry Menlove, Theric Jepson, Jennifer Quist, David Pace, Todd Robert Petersen, Eric Freeze, Annette Haws, Mattathias Singh, Joe Plicka, Alison Brimley, Heidi Naylor, Danny Nelson, Jack Harrell, Charity Shumway, Michael Fillerup, Holley Welker, and Ryan Habermeyer. The writers were asked to use a passage from the Book of Mormon as inspiration, but came up with a very wide range of themes, styles, and subject matter, including a story by Todd Robert Peterson, "The Investigator," about a post-apocalytpic world where a survivor figures out that Mormon homes, because of their food supply, are some of the best places to scavenge, making a ward list a very valuable commodity, a wonderful story by Steven Peck, "Sister Carvalho," about a former Israeli Defense Forces soldier who gives an unforgettable Relief Society lesson to settle a dispute in the ward about rival MLM products, and a futuristic story by William Morris, "Always To Be Found," about a search through the metaverse for some lost Mormon general authorities prior to the departure of spaceships evacuating members of church from Earth.

As with many such projects, the authors are receiving payment only in contributor copies and satisfaction. This fundraiser is to raise money to pay the authors a little extra for their amazing creative efforts, and to give them if not quite a living, at least the cost of a dinner, movie, and babysitter. As the collection has 23 authors, the fundraising goal is $2300, $100+ for each author (plus the costs of the perks). All proceeds not paying for perks will be divided among the amazing authors of the stories in The Path and the Gate.

As an added incentive, we're offering the following rewards for various donation levels:

$30 gets you a Path and the Gate hot chocolate mug

$40 gets you a copy of the book signed by one author of your choice

$40 gets you a Path and the Gate t-shirt

$65 gets you a copy of the book signed by one author of your choice and a Path and the Gate hot chocolate mug

$75 gets you a copy of the book signed by one author of your choice and a Path and the Gate t-shirt (will ask you for t-shirt size in the thank you message)

$100 gets you a copy of the book signed by three authors of your choice plus either a hot chocolate mug or a t-shirt (will ask you for t-shirt size in the thank you message) AND a special seat of honor at any reading

$400 gets you a copy of the book signed by all authors and the editors, a hot chocolate mug and a t-shirt, a special seat of honor at any reading AND automatic entrance to the Celestial Kingdom (subject to certain limitations)