Authors Note

Author's Note for Bigfoot:

I wanted the story to feel as though the reader was on a journey with the crazy safari guide and was experiencing the confusion at the same time. I also wanted the story of Bigfoot to be told by including some proof people had found already. There are so many sightings of Bigfoot, and videos people have taken that are widely accessible. I wanted to find a way to incorporate all of the cool findings that other people had found as well as my own findings as a cryptid enthusiast. I didn't want the characters to fully have seen or experienced Bigfoot yet, but I though a bit of a hint was a good way to keep the excitement alive about the other cryptid prospects. As of right now I want to be able to tell the stories of all of the cryptids I am discussing without taking too much away from what people have found and sighted already. I think using the photos people have taken and the records found makes it feel more realistic. Especially that as a character Sav would've researched the topic thoroughly before going into an environment with a cryptid, of course she would want to share this information with her partner. I am excited about this storybook and hope to fix and develop parts of the bigfoot story before moving on to the other two cryptids in my book!

Author's Note for Chupacabra:

I really wanted to give this story in a similar format as the last one, but obviously we have introduced another character that is a sort of extra on the scene. Claudia was a somewhat necessary facility to acknowledge that Sav maybe cannot navigate an island by herself. She may have the information to find the creature, but she does not have the means of understanding the land. This is where the newly introduced character comes in. I also wanted to include the two different types of Chupacabras that have been reported since they both have different descriptors. I wanted the second story to be a bit of a less realistic route and make it so that maybe there was some doubt in the reader's mind. I think it is important to acknowledge that every cryptid hunt will not be successful. So they made a new friend along the way, and met a feral dog that Sav somehow claimed and got along swimmingly with. I feel like this aspect of the story makes it fun and unpredictable. For the Jersey devil cryptid I want to also go another route with the story and dialogue, but I am not exactly sure where yet. I think I still have some room to improve this story and I definitely will work on doing that these next couple of weeks. As well as get more graphics and drawings to utilize!

Author's Note for Jersey Devil:

I was really excited about this story because I thought that it was such a different one than my other two. I felt like it was more on the horror path than the others. I really love the idea of the Jersey Devil and have always been fascinated with the story, my family is from the Philadelphia area and I have always heard the stories. I think that the whole witchcraft aspect to the story is really fun and makes it just a bit different than the other cryptids. I wanted to wrap up this trilogy in a unique way that brought everything together. I was nervous about making a cohesive storyline, but I think that I did a good job finalizing everything. I am really proud of all the hard work that I have been doing and how I have finally realized my full vision. Bringing the dog alongside for the journey as well I thought was fun. I just feel like this was a good change and end to the story.