by Lorie Lewis Ham

Want to help support KRL & and the podcast, and get something fun in return? Keep reading to learn more.

Kings River Life Magazine is approaching its 11th birthday this May, and Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast will have been going for 3 years this coming June. It has been exciting, and we hope to be going for many more years to come. For anyone who doesn’t know, I am the publisher and editor-in-chief of KRL, and the producer, director and more of the podcast. Like it has been for most of us, 2020 was a challenging year that saw me being forced to leave my day job for my safety and health due to Covid. On the plus side this time without a day job is giving me more time to focus on KRL and the podcast, and to finally release a new mystery novel.

However, we still need to pay the bills and we don’t sell a lot of advertising. But we do have some new ways that you, our readers and listeners, can help support what we do financially. And one old way that doesn’t cost you a dime, but also helps us a great deal.

If you would like to help support us financially there are 4 things that you can do. If you are an author or a business you can always buy an ad (mention this post and I will give you a special discount, plus 10% of your ad fee will go to an animal rescue), and you can donate to us via the paypal button that appears on KRL and KRL News and Reviews in the sidebar. And believe me every little bit is greatly appreciated!

Now for the new and exciting things you can do, and get something fun in return. We now have a Patreon. What Patreon does is provide a way for you to make a monthly donation to KRL/Mysteryrat’s Maze (which can be stopped at any time) and get something in return. Even if all you can contribute is $1 a month it is a huge help and greatly appreciated–just think what would happen if a lot of people gave $1 a month? It could cover all of our expenses and offer a chance to possibly grow and expand to provide even more mystery, theatre, and animal rescue fun (and more). For that $1 a month donation you get a shout out on the next recorded episode of Mysteryrat’s Maze. The shout out can either be to you, or a message for someone else.

If you donate $5 a month here is what you will get:

A personal shout out on the next episode of Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast
Access to Patreon only content
A surprise free mystery novel (after 6 months)

If you donate $10 a month here is what you will get:
A personal shout out on the next episode of Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast
Access to Patreon-only content
An ebook copy of “One of Us” the first Tower District Mystery written by myself that will hopefully be out in April (after 3 months)
A surprise free mystery novel (after 6 months)

And we may be adding more perks to the $10 a month tier as we go along–based on how long our patrons have stayed with us. I know the tiers right now are focused on our mystery readers, but if there is interest among our Arts & Entertainment readers we may add some benefits along those lines in the future.

We are still working on what the extra content will be. It will likely include bonus podcasts which may be author interviews, or episodes of Mystery TV Talk which we are working on putting together. We are also open to suggestions that our supporters might have.

Lastly, we have also opened a Redbubble shop where you can purchase fun and cool merchandise with the Mysteryrat’s Maze logo, or the logo for our mystery section. You can check it out here.

I know times are tough for a lot of us, and many of you can’t even manage the $1 a month and I totally understand that. You can still help us by simply reading, listening, and sharing about KRL and the podcast with others. That means a lot! If you listen to the podcast you can help us by rating and reviewing episodes that you enjoy–this really does help make us easier to find, especially reviews on Apple Podcasts.

And you have my promise that KRL and the podcast will always be free. I don’t want money to ever stop anyone from enjoying what we do! We want to bring joy, fun, and information to your life, while at the same time supporting authors, artists, and animal rescue.