Afternoon readers,

A warm welcome to my new subscribers. Though I’m not sure that's the right term.

Today, I want to talk about what the book is about...

In some ways, this should be the easiest question to answer. In many ways, it’s the hardest.

So I’m going to try in a few ways because I find that different things resonate with different people. The book is not for everyone. Yet, I also don’t want to pigeonhole it into just one genre.

Possible Elevator Pitches (off-the-cuff today):

• It’s 1984 meets Planet of the Apes with a more humorous tone.
• It’s like famous anthropomorphic fantasy books (Watership Down, The Jungle Book, Redwall, and The Wind in the Willows), but primarily for adults. A modern equivalent is Laline Paull’s The Bees.
• It’s a story for anyone who’s ever felt trapped in their life, confronting the question: should you escape your environment when struggling? Or should you stick it out and try to make things better in the world you have?

The Tail:​
Claude Talador, a rebellious pichu, dreams of doing what no monkey has ever done before—getting out of Tierra Libre. It’s a bleak rainforest world where it constantly rains, boredom reigns supreme, and the dictatorship’s minions bleat the directive: No Monkey Business. However, Claude’s life changes forever when he follows the eye of the Toucan and stumbles across the Refuge, a literal underground resistance group. On the night of the blue moon, Claude attempts to make the leap out of society, starting a journey in pursuit of the fabled माया.

A little about me in relation to the story:​
I bring to this story my experiences escaping the corporate grind and traveling through the Amazon, Costa Rica, and China, alongside my current role as Content Manager for Swoop Patagonia, a company specializing in journeys to the ends of the earth. My writing background includes freelance work for Onscreen Magazine and participation in writing communities such as the Story Grid Guild and London Writer’s Salon.

That’s enough words for one Sunday.

My question today:​
Do you have a favorite story involving animals (book, TV, or film)?

Hang comfy,

J. R. Roberts

P.S. My editor (Kathy) and I are locking in final changes over the next few days. We spotted a few gremlins in the print copy and a few last-minute (minor) plot holes! I've also been a cheeky monkey and held things up with the acknowledgements. Nothing like taking it close to the vine. It was inevitable—all part of the fun. Still on course for a 20 Jan release. I’ll send a link to the Amazon page then. Have a great week.