Although I haven't provided an update in a while, we've been working like crazy behind the scenes on this book. Just a quick re-cap:
When last we spoke, we decided to change the title of The Odd Dog's Guide to Making Friends to The New Dog. This meant going back to the beginning, which included scrapping the illustrations that were already underway, re-thinking the writing, and basically getting to know our new main character.
Well-- that took a WHILE. It's interesting how much baggage you can have with a book when you've got it almost completed. There were so many beautiful moments in the original version of the book that were, frankly, tough to let go of when we got down to business. That said, we are SO close on this one, so I thought I'd give you a glimpse into the book.
Our 'New Dog', Tiny, made a few appearances in The Odd Dog...
In The New Dog, we foreshadow Tiny as a puppy being given as a gift. When Tiny gets too big, he finds himself in a shelter before meeting Odd and becoming part of Odd's Family. We wanted to give Tiny a few quirks of his own, so we decided that he would chronicle his first three days, three weeks, and three months through scrapbooking.
Each significant period (three days, three weeks, and three months), will touch on elements of the 3/3/3 rule before moving on to Tiny's unique experience. We ended up with forty REAL dogs in this book, so many of the dogs are sprinkled throughout the book, interacting with Tiny and Odd at various locations.
Now here's the exciting part!
Since this book touches on 3/3/3 versus being a user manual for it, we've made the decision to create a three month journal that families can use to create their own memories. It'll include prompts that are age appropriate and fun activities kids can do that involve their new dogs. We'll be providing a QR code that provides a free digital version in every hardcover copy or a $5 downloadable version on my website. I'll also add it to Backerkit once it's closer to being completed as an option for those who backed previous campaigns but not this one.
Obviously all backers for this project will receive a free early release copy as part of your support!
My hope is to eventually do a print run that includes a sticker sheet and other fun scrapbooking touches so it can be a beautiful memory book kids keep of their new dogs FURever.
A lot of my work on The New Dog is now in Shannon's capable hands, so I'm taking this little breather to work on the journal. It's my hope that the digital version will be available around the same time as the digital version of The New Dog is in your hands.
As always, thank you so much for your support and patience on this project. You'll be seeing more previews and announcements as we cross the finish line on this project, and I'll be able to provide more concrete dates on when you'll receive your books soon!
