Large Print and Steps Toward Chickens

[Doomimals, 1st illustration]

It has been a busy few weeks. As you know, Doomimals Book 1: Cockadoodle-DOOM is available and ready for you. I uploaded a refined copy to improve the reading experience of paperback and hardback editions. You can now get a large print edition. As I may have mentioned, I'm also working on a Spanish translation and an audiobook. I want this book available for everyone interested in reading it. 

[Upcoming short story]

I now have the associated freebie short stories I've mentioned revised and illustrated. One occurs in the Middle Ages and is an adaptation of "Puss in Boots." It's called "If You Give a Cat the Boot" 2nd Edition. You may have read the earlier edition, but this new one is both more refined for younger audiences and includes pictures, including a new cover. 

[Cinderella; source]

The above short story opens up a lot of new avenues for future stories, including fairy tale adaptions that occur in the same world for older audiences, youth and adults. These will be somewhat darker and include romances, which the main Doomimals tales avoid. Even planned "Cinderella, "Snow White," and similar adaptations will focus on the kids' adventures. We're working on making a newsletter available. When you sign up for that by going directly to the webpage, you'll get "If You Give a Cat the Boot." The link to the newsletter will appear on our website, sleepyhollowpress.com. This is where new books will be posted as they're done. 

[Doomimals Short 2]

The plan is that when you follow a link given in the book, you'll get a special story, one about the kids' dad when he was their age. It's called "Shadow Man Comes" and is a bit darker but still intended for the same readers. It's about how Davis and Kitt's dad first ran into the same kinds of struggles featured in the main Doomimals books. 

[Just Us Chickens Tentative Cover (working toward a new one)]

Right now, our big push is to get the first of the spinoff series published within the next couple of weeks. The first book is The Misadventures of the Just Us Chickens and is all but finished. The author, Ax the Narrator, is currently working on the dramatic finale. Most of the book is now illustrated and is going through several rounds of editing. 

[Cookie and Her Sisters Picture books.]

I'm also working quickly on three holiday picture books based on the model of "Three Little Kittens." They occur within the world and rules of Doomimals but are for a much younger audience. Cookie the black cat, a main character in Doomimals, has three little sisters to be introduced in Doomimals Book 2: Cat-a-clysm, about how the three little kittens lost the Mittens of Cataclysm. The picture books will be titled Cookie and Her Sisters Go Trick-or-Treating, Cookie and Her Sisters Make Thanksgiving Dinner, and Cookie and Her Sisters Go Christmas Shopping. Since we plan to sell books at a table in the Cache Holiday Gift Show in a month, we'll need to make those books available even earlier than planned. I have the stories written. I'm just working on the illustrations. 

[Doomimals/Chickens Crossover.]

I'm hoping to also make a Christmas-related novella, a crossover between Doomimals and Just Us Chickens, available at that time, but it's likely to be too much on top of everything else. As you see, things are moving fast at Sleepy Hollow Press. For now, I'll keep you posted here. However, the day is not long in coming that all updates will come from the newsletter. I hope to see you there soon. 

New Cover and Picture Books

[New Cover for Book 1]

I've been talking about the various projects I'm working on with my writing. As you know, I published Doomimals Book 1 recently, am working hard on revising Doomimals Book 2, and am helping my son and writing buddy, Ax the Narrator, edit Just Us Chickens. I'm hoping to publish it by the end of the month.  Book 1 has a new and improved cover as created by my child. Recently, someone pointed out that the paper and hardback copies of the book had formatting issues, so I've now fixed those with the new copies. I've also added a coming soon section that gives the first bit of both Doomimals Book 2 and Chickens. I'm meanwhile working on freebie short stories, one that was released before based on "Puss in Boots," which is getting a revision and illustrations, and one that is a prequel for book 1 on the main characters' dad as a kid. 

[Imaginings of Holidays Future: source]

Yesterday, Ax and I were thinking about how the holidays were approaching, so we decided to start working on holiday books. We're going to cross over the Doomimals kids and the Just Us Chickens in a send-up of Christmas shows and tropes. I'm hoping to release that short at the beginning of the holiday season. 

[Impish Cats: Illustration from Book 1 by Ghostelle.]

Furthermore, I've been pondering writing picture books for preschoolers about Cookie, a cat from book 1, and her three sisters, kittens from book 2. I sat down and wrote a whimsical book on the mischievous and super-powered kittens for each of the holidays. It follows the plot of "Three Little Kittens." The first one, to be released by early October, will be, "Cookie and Her Sisters Go Trick-or-treating." By early November, I will release "Cookie and Her Sisters Make Thanksgiving Dinner." The final of the set of three will come out by mid-November and will be called "Cookie and Her Sisters Go Christmas Shopping." Between now and those release dates, I'll be working on illustrating them. 

Tell me what you think of my book if you've read it. I look forward to hearing from you. 

Free Book!

 

[Book 1 cover]

Book one is free until tomorrow in digital format. You can buy it here. These last two weeks, I've been working on getting reviews, so people understand how much fun this book is. It's an end-of-the-world tale about kids and their super pets saving the world, in case you haven't heard. It's an action-adventure rewrite of "Chicken Little." One of the hardest parts is always getting reviews. If you have time after reading my book, I'd appreciate a review. 

[Recording: source]

TPAW/TPA Wulfric sent me proofs of his audio recordings to make it available to you in another format. I know a lot of people find audiobooks a better way to consume written material, so it will be ready for you soon. It sounds really good. 

[The Chickens Are Coming: source]

Meanwhile, my son and I are making great progress on the next big thing, he with The Misadventures of the Just Us Chickens, me with Doomimals Book 2: Cat-a-Clysm. He's rewriting chapter 7 out of 10. I'm about midway through the third revision, then I will present it to my beta readers. 

[The Magic of Picture Books: Source]

We've also been researching how to spread the word of these books. One thing I learned was that audiences love freebies. Soon, I'll be starting a proper newsletter, and in order to get those freebies, you can sign up for the newsletter, which will keep you posted on the progress of these books. The short story I'm almost done with tells the backstory of the kids' dad and how he first tangled with magic. Also, I learned it may be helpful to write children's picture books, so I'll be featuring the main characters from my main series in such books. A lot of exciting things are happening. Watch for all of this. 

Launched!

[The Doomimals Kids]

Doomimals features three kids striving to save the world from the evil Dog of War. She's sent the sinister Bird to hunt down three kids and their super-powered animal companions. Book 1 kicks off the whole adventure and is an action/adventure romp for kids and is based on "Chicken Little." The kids' rooster tells them the sky is falling; in other words, bad things are coming. Davis, a nerdy boy, Kitt, his heroic twin sister, and Tessa, his sweet cousin, have to fight their way through a gauntlet of animal enemies to tell the mayor the world is in trouble. Only their pets' help will help them survive. 

[Delayed launch; source]

I apologize for the delay. I thought I was ready to launch and was focused on researching how to publish on Amazon when I had my friends, Theresa Furbish and Evelyn, her daughter, play the part of final beta readers. Thanks to them. They helped me see the books still needed some work to be ready for you to enjoy. It's finally ready! Expect updates a lot more frequently now that book one is done. 

[The Cover]

Book 1 is now available for you on Amazon! Pick it up today in ebook, paperback, or hardback. Here is the link. This would be perfect for kids who love Animorphs or Percy Jackson or even "Phineas and Ferb." Included in book 1 is a link to a prequel, "If You Give a Cat the Boot," based on "Puss in Boots." If you'd just like that short story, here it is. It's free there as well. 

[Just Us Chickens]

As for what's next, five years ago, Ax the Narrator, my 13-year-old boy, won second place in the children's book category of the League of Utah Writer's annual contest. He went up against several writers like me with degrees and years of experience. My reviewers always give me feedback to help me polish. The reviewer simply loved the characters and zaniness and said, "Send me an email when it's published. I must have a copy." 

[Chickens!]

Ax has written around 20 novels and several short stories, among other things, since his first novel. They're all in various degrees of completion. With all of his years of experience behind him, he's now rewriting the original book 1 to add more depth and fun. He'll include that original award-winning manuscript for free with book 1. We're shooting to have it finished and polished in the next couple of weeks. 

[Doomimals Book 2: Cat-a-clysm]

Meanwhile, I'll be pushing to complete a final edit of Doomimals Book 2 using the help of my friends. I'm hoping to get it done in September. I'll keep you posted. Buy your copy of book 1 today.  

Why the Delay?

 

[Delayed launch--source]

I'm still planning a launch very soon on book 1 of Doomimals, Book 1 of Just Us Chickens, (both chapter books on KDP select, at least for the first while).  I'm also planning to launch part 1 of the Christian Romance book, After the Dream. I'm doing final editing on the latter two. Both kids' books have been illustrated. I was poised to publish Doomimals a few weeks ago since it's totally ready to go, but then, we realized it would be a good idea to have a website set up first. 

[Working on books: source]

I did have a website for several years, but it came up for renewal. I couldn't justify the price, so we started over. We have someone working on it now. Any day now, we'll have a basic page, and Doomimals Book 1 will go up.  In the meantime, Ax the Narrator (my son) will continue to work on new chicken books, a Wiki, and a universe-building role-playing game. Meanwhile, I'm doing the editing and getting the help of my writers' group on future sections of the romance novel.  Very soon, we'll announce a date, and I'll launch it and announce it on social media and advertise it everywhere.  Be watching for these books soon.  

Looking forward to a Break

[The juggle continues: source]

 With the crazy juggle that has been my life this semester, I've been thankful for every scrap of time I could use for writing. I have made some progress, but much of that was with getting feedback to improve what I've already written, as I said last time.  Over the next month, the holidays pick up, and the obstacles between me and getting the time to write start fading again. I will be able to make much faster progress and actually use that feedback.  

[The publisher question: source]

I'm hoping that I'll be done with books 3 and 4 by the end of the break, so I'll be able to explore the next steps of bringing you these books. If I can make connections and find a regular publisher, I'd love that because it's likely to get more widespread readership.  

[Talking animals: source]

However, I know chapter books and middle-grade fiction are hard to place with agents and publishers because they're considered not very profitable.  Add the variety within the lore and series and the essential aspect of talking animals, and my optimism is not high.  However, I still have the plan of a hybrid publisher who can spread word of these fun series far and wide.  One way or another, I will keep working to bring these books to you.. 

My Nephew's Book

 

My nephew, Thomas Paxton, and I have been working on our books in parallel courses for years.  He has finally published his, indie style, and is paving the way for me to publish mine.  He will be my guide, as he has been on many things, as I go that way sometime soon.  His book, Crimson Nightfall: Everything Burns, is a dark fantasy about kids caught up in a dark war.  It's available for you on Amazon. 

He calls it a story of healing.  He's even received a voice of support by one of his favorites, Darren Shan.  The summary of his book reads as follows: 

In the world of Terra'Far, a nightmarish reality of monsters...A chorus of darkness and light...
Peter Wulfric gets lured into a blood-thirsty dance of shadows with Abraxan, the Gatekeeper of Souls.
A war of souls brew[s] between King Kresh and Priestess Alex, two monarchs, which rises from a pit of death.  A boy must learn to embrace his heritage as Shadowfang...Peter, his trusty hell-hound Aries, Vyrima, Sam, Vilus, and Orion adventure through the depths of darkness. Together, Peter and his friends who comprise the Shadow's Hand must rise to face the Unholy Trinity to prevent destruction to their world...

I have ordered this book and look forward to reading it, myself.  It's very different from my chapter books, but I know if you like dark fantasy that delves into the soul, this will be worth reading.