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[mweed]

Twas the day before Christmas,
And all through the town,
Every creature was stirring,
But one wore a frown . . .

Coming this Christmas . . .  it's Bob the Pleo!  Talk about a disaster in the making . . . better hide your presents!  In time for the holidays this year, the second great Bob the Pleo book will hit the shelves.  What would happen if Bob the Pleo spent had a Christmas Carol experience with Charlie Brown and the Grinch?  Well, you'll just have to buy the book to find out!

Well, to be honest, the book is being finalized with the publisher at the moment, so you can't order it yet . . .  I just wanted to give you a "heads up" and a sneak peek.  So here's a look at an earlier draft of the first few pages to whet your appetite and get you in the holiday mood.

More details...

[Crewella]

What's Dr Mel plotting???  I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeed to know!!!!!!       

[kat]

Looks like I will be putting this one on my christmas list.   

[Talon]

Oh awesome, mweed! You're published! No, you're published twice over! I didn't know that. I really need to get to know the little green residence of Widovia. I forgot there's an entire community of interesting characters behind this place. Is there anywhere besides the commic strip I could read up on them?
Talon

[mweed]

Your three main sources are the comic strips, which i've failed miserably on this year with everything that's been going on.  But there are approx. 500 for you to dig through.

This site originally used to be the comic strip site . . .  until the forums kinda took over.  But there are some remnants of the old site still hanging around, including a description of most of the gang: http://bobthepleo.com/pleo/comics/characters.php and an out-of-date wiki: http://bobthepleo.com/pleo/comics/wiki.php

Lastly, there are the books . . .  all two of them.  The first book "It's the Great Pepperoni, Bob the Pleo" came out about two years ago.  It's still available on Amazon and you should be able to special order it from your local book store.  After the first printing sold out, it has been relegated to the print-on-demand, but somebody must still be buying copies as I did get a second (although small) royalty check.   http://www.amazon.com/Its-Great-Pepperoni-Bob-Pleo/dp/1449588875/  A early preview/first draft is here: http://bobthepleo.com/pleo/comics/wiki/Great_Pepperoni.pdf  The main plot is still the same, but anyone who owns a copy will tell you the printed copy is quite different.

The second book  is the one this topic is all about, and isn't available quite yet . . .

As for the town itself, I built a model of the main street in Roller Coaster Tycoon 3.  If you have the right set of texture packs, you can do an interesting fly-thru or ride the train between library, bob's castle, and the picnic grounds on lookout mountain.  It is, after all, roller coaster tycoon, so I had to build the obligatory roller coaster . . . .  But since it's not really a user-freindly model, I've been working on a version of the town in Minecraft.  It's blockier and not as elegant as the RCT3, but it's a lot more interactive and better suited for socializing.  I've got most of the main street done as well as the beginnings of Bob's castle, Dr. Mel's lair, and a custom texture pack.  The neat thing on the minecraft version is, once we get the town finished, there will also be an interactive set of mystery/adventure challenges for people to be able to play.

[Talon]

Awesome! I'll enjoy taking a look at these links. Best of luck with this new book!
Talon

[Crewella]

I do miss the old 'comics' section that used to be unde the blue 'Comics' button.

[fancyfont]

Looking forward to your new book, Mike! Loved book number one. 

[mweed]

For those counting their pennies this Christmas, you'll be in a tight spot . . .  with both the calendar and a book coming out at the same time!  But the book goes live for ordering online next week at $12.95   I'll keep an eye on Amazon to see when it shows up, and post the link here.

I am also supposed to be receiving a few copies myself  next Monday that I'll make available at a decent discount for those who want a signed copy . . .  It's looking like they'll run around $9 plus postage.  If you're interested, just let me know and I'll figure out exact postage.

[shadowmice]

Ooh, can't wait for the new book. Loved the first one. Would love to get a signed copy if possible.