Hi everyone! I shared this with the folks on the Redwall subs and the feedback was super positive so I am unabashedly trying to share it where I can now! Please let me know if this doesn’t belong here and I can take it down/modify it right away.

My name is Tyler and I'm the author of Capyhero. It is an illustrated fantasy about a brave, young capybara who finds himself in a strange world called Stratum settled entirely by animals. I'm currently writing Book 1: The Blue Blanket, which introduces our hero, Capy. He awakens with only a tattered blue blanket and the fading memory of a boy named Reed.

There are villages and communities of animals, each with distinct cultures, architecture, history, beliefs, etc. The worldbuilding is certainly inspired by Redwall, but the vibe is quite a bit different, focusing a bit more on mystery, archeology and intrigue. Growing up, I really loved Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away and when I was even younger, The Neverending Story. More recently, works like Undertale and Outer Wilds have really stuck with me. Capyhero explores some heavier underlying themes through one hero's heartfelt journey.

The story of Capyhero has been on my mind for about 10 years. I actually tried to turn it into a video game back then, a top down action RPG like Zelda from classic SNES, but the technical ambition was too great while I was working full time at a "real" job. So I shelved it for like 7 years. Then I had my own kids recently and I revisited Capyhero. The story held up, and actually felt more emotionally resonant to me after becoming a father. So I decided to turn it into a middle grade fantasy series. My hope is by the time my kids are about 10 years old, I'll have 2 or 3 books in this series published! One can dream, right?

I'm about 70% through the manuscript and Jennifer Rees will be editing Capyhero in July (not supposed to mention her biggest project, but you can look her up). Then I hope to release it via Kickstarter in 2027.

I want to share some of the page spreads we're making. I've been working with [u/NickThaGreek](https://www.reddit.com/user/NickThaGreek/) on the illustrations. I had a brief stint in commercial art production, but Nick is the super talented traditional artist behind all of these pieces. The process has been amazing in a very simple way. I provide a sketch and the written scene of what I want illustrated, Nick draws with a fountain ink pen on real paper, scans it, and I place it into the book, wrapping the text in a way that I hope will create a joyful reading/viewing experience. The finished book will have about 100 illustrations spread across 250 pages or so. I think, when this is all done, it will be a beautiful thing to have on the bookshelf.

We want to keep all of the art traditionally done (even stuff like the ink wash at the top of the page), which definitely complicates the brainstorming and revision process, but in an age of ai-slop, this is something I think is non-negotiable. We want to make sure we can proudly say Capyhero is made by humans.

Super thrilled to be finally sharing this publicly! There's a lot more info at the link in my bio, but thanks for letting taking the time and feel free to ask me anything!

Introducing Capyhero Book 1: The Blue Blanket!