Setting the Stage

As I said last time, in the very near future, I will be publishing a short story that is a snarky and sci fi version of "Puss in Boots" that will kick of my new chapter book series, Doomimals. Doomimals is about three children and their animal companions saving the world from the evil Dog of War.  Each book will follow a fairytale, Aesop's fable, folk song, or some other familiar story that most people know.  For instance, the first book in the collection I will publish is called CockadoodleDOOM and will adapt "Chicken Little" into a crazy, funny sci fi/fantasy adventure.  The second book, Cat-a-clysm, will have the three little kittens losing their Mittens of Cataclysm.  The kids have to retrieve them before the Dog and her minions use them to destroy the world.  

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This new "Puss in Boots" tale is called "If You Give a Cat the Boot."  It will be set in medieval England. However, the language reflects modern speech so as to remain readable to young people for whom the series is written.  Characters spend time in the woods and in castles, as you'd expect of a story set in such times. However, the story makes clear there are other amazing places within our world that we've never heard of, namely, a place called Jerf, a high tech paradise for animals, led by the Great Leader, a giant (in the real world, extinct) snake also called a Titanoboa.

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This story will offer a peek into the world I will explore more fully in Doomimals. My son will explore this world in his earlier chapter book series, Just Us Chickens, a zany romp about a super chicken group. He'll revisit it in his chapter book series for older kids, Keylime Python, a series about a snarky, world-traveling and sword-fighting snake.  It all begins with "If You Give a Cat the Boot," which I will publish and make available for free in the next few weeks.  The first volume will include the first several books from Doomimals. As a bonus, it will also offer a few books from Just Us Chickens and a cross-over introduction of Keylime Python. I will publish this collection in the next few months.  Stay tuned for more information. 

Coming Soon

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With an Eye toward Sharing My Stories with You

I have made an award-winning short story available to you.  Here is  a link to my landing page to sign up. 

I have just started two classes on getting published, one about publishing children's books on Amazon and one about publishing short stories and novels.  By the end of the children's books class, I plan to start publishing picture books.  By the end of the other class, I will have a short story published and linked to here.  In the future, I will review these courses for other interested writers.

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See My Website 

In this short story, I retell "Puss in Boots," with a sci fi twist entitled "If You Give a Cat the Boot."  I look forward to sharing this short story for free upon its publication, with anyone who is interested.  As you meet Zara,  who appears to be a cat asking a peasant for boots to help him achieve his dreams, you'll enter the world Doomimals Extended.  This is a place where aliens regularly hide among us as a cat, a bird, or your neighbor, waging a war for control of the galaxy under our very noses.  This short story will set the groundwork for several series and solo stories I plan to write, many of which I've thumbnailed on my new website here.  Some of them will be written by my teenage son, including a series about zany super chickens called Just Us Chickens. 

[1st Draft of CockadoodleDOOM cover, by me]

About the First Series

In the first book of Doomimals, CockadoodleDOOM, based on "Chicken Little," three kids and their animal allies have to warn their mayor that the Dog of War is sending an evil animal army to attack their town.

[1st draft of Cat-a-clysm cover, by me]

In the second book, Cat-a-clysm, based on "Three Kittens," three kittens have lost the Mittens of Cataclysm to the Dog's minions, and the kids must get them back before the Dog uses them to destroy the world.  Both of these are in draft form and are being revised with an eye toward publication as quickly as is possible.  Other projected titles in the series include Cow-lamity, Alpaca-lypse, Arachnageddon, Ragnar-octopus, and DoomsDuck and are similarly inspired by familiar tales and songs.

I am looking forward to bringing all of this to you and will keep you posted right here about how all these things go.  Stay tuned.

Update: This last week, I found a hybrid publisher who will be working with me to release Doomimals in sets of ten as my romance novels.  Watch for future developments.