The Moonhound is the first novella in a planned series, called Wakerobin Hollow, which follows the adventures of Alan (rabbit) and Zeke (possum) as they search for the secret of the mountain fairies. The Moonhound is already written and in the process of being edited, with gorgeous cover art by Logan Volkmann.
It's a cozy fantasy adventure focusing on friendship, and often funny. It's not written specifically for younger readers but would be appropriate for older kids.
Everyone who pledges, at any level, gets their name in the "thanks" page of the book!
If we reach the audiobook goal, everyone who pledges, at any level, gets an audiobook download code!
You can back at the ebook, paperback, or hardback levels--that's pretty self-explanatory. You can choose between signed or unsigned paperback copies, but I plan to sign all the hardbacks.
If you want me to name a minor character after you, one of your kids, or anyone else, you can back at the "name a character" level! I'll be a little picky about the names, because Voremaw666 is a terrible name for (for instance) the skunk postmistress in a tiny mountain town, but there's room for fanciful names.
If you really want to help us reach our stretch goals, you can pledge more to have me dedicate the entire book to you (or to someone else of your choosing). You'll get a hardback copy of the book and an ebook copy along with this pledge.
If money is tight or you just want to show some support without a copy of the book, you can just pledge $1. Every dollar helps!
Add-ons are items you can add to your pledge after choosing a pledge level. For instance, if you pledge for the ebook but you want a hardback copy too so you can admire the cover art better, you can pledge for the ebook and add-on a hardback copy before you confirm your pledge. (Or you can pledge for the hardback and add-on an ebook copy.)
There's only one add-on available at the $1 pledge level. That one is special, and a little different (and available to all pledge levels, not just the $1). It's for an ebook copy of Small Mysteries, the follow-up to Strange Animals Podcast's previous book Beyond Bigfoot and Nessie: Lesser-Known Mystery Animals from Around the World. Small Mysteries is only about half the length of BBN, but it's still a solid 50,000 words of well-researched scientific mysteries about small animals.
Other than that, you can add-on an ebook, paperback, or hardback copy of The Moonhound, and you can even add-on to name a minor character. Remember that the hardback and character name levels are limited, so once they're full, the add-on options for those two will also vanish.
Remember also that adding on a physical copy of the book will add to your shipping cost! Shipping is calculated later and charged separately from the initial charge! See below for estimated shipping costs.
The initial goal of $300 is to gauge interest and cover the cost of ordering copies. I've paid all other expenses (commissioning cover art and design, ISBNs, etc.) out of pocket.
If we reach the stretch goal of $2,000 and fund the audiobook, every single backer will receive an audiobook download code, no matter your pledge level. Even if you only pledge a single dollar!
If we reach the second stretch goal of $2,500, it will allow me to commission the same artist for book two's cover art!
Let's fill this extremely badly made (by me) thermometer goal thingie!
Alan Green is a city rabbit, but he grew up listening to his grandparents’ stories of their idyllic Smoky Mountain childhoods. He bought a house in their hometown of Wakerobin Hollow in hopes of connecting with his roots.
Instead, Alan feels like an outsider. Only his elderly cat neighbor accepts him, and she’s full of warnings. She tells him about the moonhounds who killed her husband, about the unfriendly bear tribes that live nearby, and all the unpleasant town gossip. Alan starts to regret his decision to move to the mountains.
Then a possum named Zeke jumps Alan on a hiking trail, bent on robbing him--but during their scuffle, a moonhound attacks them both. They have to work together to chase the hound away.
To Alan’s surprise, Zeke doesn’t judge the rabbit for his city ways. He even asks him for help retrieving a valuable item stolen by the moonhounds. But to help the possum, Alan has to face his fears of the moonhounds, the bears, the mysterious fairies rumored to live inside certain mountains--and his distrust of Zeke.
All shipping fees will be chargedseparately, AFTER the campaign, during pledge management. The prices below are estimates. Actual shipping prices will be determined once I receive the printed copies.
Estimated shipping costs (for asingle book):
$7 USA
$20 Canada and Mexico
$25 (most of) Europe
$35+ everywhere else
You will be responsible for any VAT or Import Taxes that your country charges when ordering from outside of the USA.
While the campaign is going, I'll be finishing up final edits to the book! I should have the final polished manuscript ready for formatting by the end of August. I should be able to order copies of the physical book by late September.
The planned official publication date is Tuesday, October 20, 2026. Ebook download codes should go out well before this date.
Depending on how long it takes for physical copies of the paperback to be shipped to me, I hope to have all copies mailed out to backers by the end of October. Hardback copies may take a little longer, but not by more than a few weeks.
The Moonhound's cover art is by Logan Volkmann, a Canadian artist. The cover design is by Tempe O'Kun. Even if you aren't sure you'd like the book, you should probably get a copy just so you can admire the cover.
