A story based on a true mystery

Following the success of A Beary, Berry Good Day (the multiple award-winning kid’s book that I helped create in collaboration with a few work colleagues), I had been wanting to do my own book project featuring my dog Henry. I wanted something educational and interpretive, that would take place on Sidney Island and where Henry would interact with all the creatures who call the island home.

As time went by, I just could not settle on a story I liked. Maybe Henry could lose his ball and get help from the wildlife to find it. Or get himself in trouble for barking for no reason until something serious happens and nobody listens to him. I just could not nail the plot, the big “so what?” that makes people want to turn the page to find out more….

There is this amazing tale going around the island, about a strange event where all apples disappeared from the orchard. The Great Apple Caper, my friend Carla called it in a newsletter article she wrote. There are speculations as to who the culprit could be… but no answers. An idea began to sprout as I thought that this could be the premise of my book. What if Henry and a few of his island dog friends attempted to solve the mystery? Suddenly there was traction and my head filled with possibilities. What if the book was part real/part fantasy, and featured critters from the island as the main suspects? And how about getting dog owners involved and make the book not only about Henry, but including ALL the Sidney Island pups? I asked Carla if she would be interested in writing the afterword, telling the tale of what the book is based on. She kindly accepted. I now had a plan.

When I go on a creative binge, there isn’t much to stop me. Ideas were exploding in my head as I wrote the story, drew the storyboards, sketched some character styles and ideas. I worked and re-worked the text, updated the storyboards multiple times, created a layout and templates, populating the pages with very rough artwork along with text. I now had a rough version of what the final product would be. I edited the story and images again, and again, and again, until it finally came together and I was ready to illustrate.

Moving on to the line art (draft) for each page was where the fun really began. There is nothing I love more than bringing to life characters. Drawing is truly what gives me the most joy in any job I do.

As the artwork started coming together, it was time to contact my island peeps and see who was on board to let me draw their dogs. All I asked for was a few photos for reference. I could not have expected such a great response – I got 37 dogs who wished to be featured in the book!!! And what a cast: small to tall, short-haired or curly, floppy-eared or pointy… I never expected I would have so much fun turning these dogs into book characters.

So here I am. Drawing dog upon dog, making sure everyone gets included. I have spreadsheets to keep track of who is featured where, and how many times they appear in the book. Looks like everyone will be drawn at least four times, some a bit more, depending if they play a bigger role. Once this process is done, it will be time to start color…. Which is where the real work begins.

Stay tuned for weekly updates on the book progress.