I am going all-in.   You heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen!   I am diving in and it all starts on Friday.

Two big things are happening with Pomodoro Penguin on Friday.  First, the release of book 5 -the first holiday book – Pomodoro Penguin and the Halloween Costume Conundrum.   By children’s picture book standards, this one is a bit long, but let me explain.

I got the idea to do an alphabet book, but not the typical alphabet book –  A is for Apple, B is for Ball, C if for Cat… etc.    Instead.  I opted for a much more fun approach by brainstorming Halloween costume ideas.   For instance, pictured is the “Letter C.”

The Letter “C” from Pomodoro Penguin and the Halloween Costume Conundrum

In doing this, I drew a ton of art with each letter getting its own page.

This sets up a conundrum for me – the book will have to be longer than 32 pages (the standard length of a children’s picture book) if I want to actually turn this into a story.

I decided to let it all hang out and gave the book a plot, added a couple of new characters, and even a pair of recurring characters – the library lemur and the history hedgehog – are revealed at the end of the book. I plan to introduce both of them in 2014.

Of course, turning the alphabet into a story made the book 44 pages long.  Frankly, it is a quick 44 and was a ton of fun to draw.   There is even a twist at the end.

And, as if the new Halloween book wasn’t enough, I plan to launch a Kickstarter project on Friday to fund the printing of books 1-4.  That’s right!  This is the ultimate “going all-in,” as I put the fate of Pomodoro in the hands of fans, friends, family, and complete strangers for the next 30 or so days!

I am committed to Pomodoro for the long haul.   I believe in my character and think the concept is great.   It is one of the rare times I have been so excited about a project.  I even sat down last week and sketched out the next three years worth of book topics.

The only question is whether Pomodoro gets the “Kickstart” he needs to accelerate his growth.      On Friday,  I will ask that question.  By November 18th, I should know the answer!