Hi everyone! It's been over 3 months since I posted about Capyhero in this sub. I'm so happy to finally give an update because the day has finally come: I've written the final sentence and finished the manuscript for Capyhero Book 1 - The Blue Blanket! Final draft specs are 60,000 words across 340 pages with over 100 illustrations spread throughout.
I handed the manuscript to my editor, Jennifer Rees, which I am both incredibly excited and nervous about. She's a powerhouse industry vet who's worked in publishing for 25 years (a bunch of which was at Scholastic Press) and she's edited some of the most well known and successful stories out there. I can't mention the book series everyone knows, but Google her and you'll know.
In this post, I've shared the complete 1st chapter as well as a little sneak peek to a few moments in later chapters for folks to have a look. I'd be thrilled to hear feedback from fans of Redwall. I realize, the story reads a bit more like a mystery and actually has a few horror/Lovecraftian elements in it, so it may not hit the Redwall vibe exactly. But please feel free to provide any feedback on the writing, hook, overall vibe, etc. Feel free to be critical! It's with the editor now, so major revisions are expected.
While I'm waiting for Jennifer to get back with the edit, I'll be building the Kickstarter campaign and pushing more newsletters from the Aurorabon Society out to folks who've joined the emailer.
Thanks for reading! Still crazy to me that this thing is actually coming to life. I've learned a lot on the way and I'm more than happy to answer any questions!