Hi everyone!

First off, a very important update-- I apologize for the lack of updates! As you might have seen, I ran an enamel pin campaign in January/February and that was all-consuming. Added to that, the first book in the series, The Odd Dog, just arrived and I've been busy with the 'soft launch' for that book.

If you're not aware, offset printing a book like The Odd Dog's Guide to Making Friends usually takes between 9-12 months between conception, illustration, and the printing process. Unfortunately, both Shannon (the illustrator behind the Odd Dog) and myself have had several family events that are pushing the book back even more. This is one of the reasons I chose to run a quick enamel pin campaign; I was able to use the characters from the first book to create a product I thought would compliment Odd really well.

So where is the Odd Dog's Guide? Since I knew Shannon would be unavailable for a while, I've been connecting with several local shelters and rescues to get feedback on the story and the concept. I've also been researching ways to provide an engaging story while also adding educational value. What we've decided to do is a unique fold-out flap style for the book. My friend Nocola (my cross-collab partner) used this style in Bugzee and the Bees. Essentially, it allows the story to flow uninterrupted by providing tactful inserts interspersed throughout the story.

For example, Odd's narrative will be outlining the first three days, three weeks, and three months his new brother Tiny lives with them. There will be fold-out flaps on at least three pages, with the fold-out offering helpful advice and guidelines during those periods.

Why do this? A few reasons:

1) Readability- when communicating new ideas to young readers, it's easier to introduce a story and then have the actual learning occur during the discussion. Using fold-out pages allows the story to flow naturally and then discussion can occur after the fact.

2) Practicality- When speaking to a group of students, it's difficult to gauge their level of engagement for that particular day. The shorter and easier a story is to read, the better chance you have of actually ARRIVING at a discussion. If you need to stop the story to discuss your chance of meaningful dialog can get dicey.

3) Expertise- I'm not a humane education expert, nor do I pretend to be. That said, I'm learning as much as I can and working with experts to create a story that they consider age-appropriate and relevant. 

If I was an expert I might write a textbook, but my goal is to introduce the topic so that experts have something they can use as a jumping off point. My hope is that this is also a helpful reference to new adopters or those who need to teach their kids the basics about the 3/3/3 rule. It's not meant to replace humane educators; if a family has a major issue I want to normalize asking for help before getting frustrated and deciding a dog doesn't belong.

All this to say-- the book is being planned and tended to every day, but it will likely be several more months before it's in your hands. Here's what I can promise you:

1) If there are parts of your order that I can fulfill, I will do those in the next few months. For example-- if you ordered The Odd Dog or a partner's books, I'm going to begin fulfilling those. Then, once Odd Dog's Guide is available, I'll wrap those up.

2) I PROMISE that, moving forward, not to wait so long to provide an update. I will be providing them monthly at the least.

3) I will be working to bring on additional shelter and rescue partners during these months and introducing them to you. That way, when you decide who to support, you'll feel really connected to them.

Thank you, as always, for supporting me on this journey. You are so appreciated and I PROMISE this book will be worth the wait!

Have a wonderful day,

Leia

Greetings everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to make 2025 amazing!

I have a quick updates to share:
Odd Dog's Guide Status Update
If you asked to be part of my early readers, good news! I'll be sending the initial story out to you in the next week or so as part of a survey. Since 3/3/3 is such a niche topic, I'm asking for content readers earlier than I normally would.

I'm working to identify elements of 3/3/3 that can be used for discussion that still offers a good story. This is a razor thin wire to navigate, so there will be several stages of feedback requested. Once we've gotten feedback from several experts, we'll begin editing to ensure the story is sound. Once that happens we begin illustrations. Even though it's early, I'm really excited for the initial layout planning. But more on that later. :D

Launching next week: Odd Dog Pins!
On January 23rd I'll be joining 175 creators for Pintopia 2025. We'll be offering three initial pins plus a bonus is you back my campaign and my collaborators as well.

Here are the initial designs; the new pin is an entirely new character named Ghost, an odd Pom inspired by a local rescue who JUST found her furever home.

If you back early, you'll receive a "Park Pals" sticker sheet, and if you're a return backer you'll receive a 'fun in the sun' sticker sheet. 

My hope is to unlock other pins featuring characters from The Odd Dog, including:

If you'd want to help us decide which pins to unlock, please consider following our Odd Dog Pins campaign! https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/mea-publications/odd-dog-pins-quirky-pins-for-silly-rescue-dogs

Thanks as always for your support and for loving dogs as much as I do! Have a wonderful day, and stay safe and warm. :)

Sincerely,

Leia

Greetings gentle readers!

I have no idea how awake everyone will be during this message, but I hope your October was WONDERFUL!

We're finalizing The Odd Dog, the first book in the series, and it's absolutely stunning. Here's a video from our printer of our proof:

We're focusing all our energy on The Odd Dog, and once that is in the printer's hands, here's what comes next:

1) In November/December, we'll be working with the editor for The Odd Dog's Guide to Making Friends. The editing process usually takes about a month or so, with illustrations taking a few months.

I'm looking for some help with my launch team (getting the word out) and with beta readers. If you're willing to help, please fill out these 3-question form: https://form.jotform.com/242929120280048

2) Once the editing is done, Shannon gets to work on the illustrations. This usually takes a few months. Our hope is to have the book to the printer in January, just prior to Chinese New Year.

It's our hope that the 2nd book is available in April/May, and we're already planning some amazing events with shelters and rescues.

Now that you know the timeline, here are a few quick announcements:

That's about it for now. I will be publishing a SPECIAL PAWLIDAY ANNOUNCEMENT this week about The Odd Dog, so stay tuned!

Thank you, as always, for your incredible support.

Sincerely,

Leia B
StoriesbyLeia.com