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Ruby and the Off-Road Rally

Created by Lisa Ferland

Ruby and Scout will need more than just speed to succeed. Go off-road in this problem-solving adventure through the hot desert sands.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Ruby visited two classrooms and is now off to illustrations!
9 days ago – Wed, Nov 13, 2024 at 11:20:46 AM

Last week, we took Ruby on a test drive into two fourth-grade classrooms to see if students enjoyed the off-road rally adventure as much as we did.


Not only did the students love the story, but they had some great ideas (like putting a compass on the pages with cardinal directions), and they gave us important feedback on our choice of words.

We feel 110% confident in the story now that we've gotten lots of feedback from 60+ kids.

They loved both characters and enjoyed the compass lesson that followed the storybook reading.




So, what is next for Ruby and Scout?


We will be following up with everyone who has a reward for adding a name in the book so we can get that over to our illustrator, Alvin Adhi.

Please be on the look out for the surveys, which will be coming soon!

If you have any questions at all, just send me an email at [email protected].

If you want to share Ruby with others to pre-order, you can share this link: https://ruby-and-the-off-road-rally.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Thank you so much for coming along with us and supporting us around every turn!

Lisa 

Ruby and Scout are in the final rounds of edits!
about 1 month ago – Tue, Oct 22, 2024 at 07:07:47 AM



Since the end of the campaign, we have been working hard with our editor to get Ruby's story into the best shape possible, and our words are in the 3rd (and final) round of edits. After this, we will storyboard the text and send it to Alvin Adhi for illustration.

Storyboarding is a great way for us to shape the scenes and craft how the book will be read with full spreads, single pages, and spot illustrations. There are so many different ways to tell a story, and it starts to come to life with the storyboard.

SURVEYS
We wanted to give you a heads up that surveys will be coming out soon to collect your information regarding what names you'd like included in the book (if your reward tier included it), and as well as the shipping address where you'd like your physical rewards mailed to.

Since we are collecting information that will be incorporated into the book, we need the surveys completed as soon as possible. Don't worry - you will have a chance to update your shipping address before we ship anything out.

If you pledged to customize a 4-wheeler
- you have already received a Jotform survey, so please check your inbox.

We appreciate your timely completion of the surveys so that book production can move along our timeline.

As always, if you have any questions, just send Lisa an email at [email protected]

You are amazing!!

Thanks so much!!
Lisa and Julie

What happens next?
about 2 months ago – Thu, Oct 03, 2024 at 05:21:17 AM

One week ago, Ruby and Scout zoomed across the finish line, thanks to your help and support! We are so grateful to everyone who cheered us on during the campaign!

So...what happens next?

Ruby's manuscript is currently in the second round of edits, so she is safely in the hands of our trusted children's book editor. We started with 1100 words and are reshaping the story to 700-800 words without losing the story's integrity.

The final manuscript will be completed by October 29th, and then Ruby will go to Alvin Adhi for illustration!

Toward the end of October/early November, we will contact the backers who selected the Customize Your Own 4-Wheeler Reward so that you can design your character for Alvin to illustrate in the book. If that applies to you, keep an eye on your inbox! :-)

Please Note: We have had 18 backers' pledges fail (~$1000), so please take a look at your BackerKit account and double-check that everything went through.

If you need to update your CC information, please do so as soon as possible so we can continue production and bring this fun book to you as quickly as possible! Please reach out if you're having any issues.

Let us know if you have any questions or need any help!

Vroom, vroom!
Lisa and Julie

(Lisa's email is [email protected] if you want to reach out privately).





Thank you so much!!
about 2 months ago – Thu, Sep 26, 2024 at 02:14:51 AM

We wanted to express our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for embracing the idea of Ruby and the Off-Road Rally and helping us get across the finish line in style!!

What started as a fun off-road training in the desert with me and my mom turned into this sweet children's book adventure. We are so excited to share the illustrations with you as they develop!!

We never could have made it without all of you. We are truly grateful to each and every one of you!



Celebrate with us today by envisioning a big group giving high fives and hugs all around!!

Special thanks to all of you!

Maddy, Sheri Wall, Mr. L., Tricia Stone, Lafia, Katarina Nash, Patrice Powers King, Barbara Keppler, Claudia Blood, Methelyn, Gillian Dwyer, Rene Geoffrion-Dwyer, Dan Dwyer, Lexxinsweden, Sharon S., Cathy Ferland, Kara Roncin, Rachel, Leigha Huggins Elliott, Heather Lean, Morenike Euba Oyenusi, Richard Rieman, Melissa, Debbie Lichtenwalner, Nadine Tremblay, Ruth Maille. Michelle Peet, Margit Takacs, Jackie Howland, Corvus Corax, Mia Kenkwanzi, Sue Mead, Diana McCarty, Joann Ferland, Crowne, Shiloh Walker, Karen Ferland, Joy Johnson, Stacey Shepard, Francesca Angela, Amy Tillou Parks, Sara, Leslie E Rose, Amanda VanHatten, Alyssa Cukerstein, Yoshito DS, Naila Jinnah Brunelle, Jill Wiggin Dwyer, Don Dwyer, Maria N., Agnes, Damascinus, Nora Szanto, Keira M, Laura Ferland, Kristen Harbert, Haley, How A Steph, Veronica Backlund, Lilautter, Grant Sanders, Joey Howland, Ciera, Jasmine, Dee Howland, Katie Weaver, Geraldine Oades-Sese, Susan Cummings-Walder,  Kat, Sarah Stotz, Wanda, Emelie, Eyeska, Amanda, Simply Play Games, Ed & Kerrianne Howland,  Adi, Rella B Books, B3llatora, Angie Harness, Hildegaard, Angela Sanders, Anonymous Pigeon, Jana, Renata Relyea, Mike Darcy, Tamara Rittershaus, Jonathan Ferland, Jess Fridge, Nocola Williams, Leia Barrett, Linda Jackson, Magnolia Xen, Joanne Buckley, Christine Leach, Ann Dwyer, Kim Cowieson, Thomas Hayes, Margaret Howland,  Jimmy Vee, Georgina Stancer, Mystic Stallion, Katie Milly Lockwood, Ruth Rankin, AK Faulkner, Daniel Sollenberg, Terri, Susan Warzek,  Amber Humphrey, Annye Driscoll, Carlene Gleman, JC Spark, Moxie Melody, Nia, Gina Gallois, Rachael Tobin-Dodd, Drifters Jeep Club, Kevin Leonard, and Leonard Motorsports, Kevin Bhasi, Tracy Blowers, Amanda, Chris, Tania Moloney, Tiffany Semmons,  Monte Cook Games, Heather, and Tim     

We've come so far in just 21 days, and we couldn't have done it without you!

This is only the beginning and we have so many more fun things planned!

Let us know what adventure Ruby should tackle next in the poll below :-)

Thank you!!

Lisa and Julie

48 Hours Left to Pre-order Ruby!!
about 2 months ago – Tue, Sep 24, 2024 at 07:58:46 AM


Beep! Beep! We have 48 hours left to go and <$400 to reach our stretch goal to unlock UV Spot Gloss, which will make Ruby all bright and shiny.

If you've already pledged, you are a rock star super fan, and we are so grateful!! We wouldn't even be CLOSE to our stretch goal without you, so thank you so much.

If you'd like to help us reach more off-road rally fans, you can do any/all of the following:

1) Share the campaign to your Facebook page using the text below:

🚗📚 Ruby and the Off-Road Rally is an exciting new children’s book that’s all about adventure, teamwork, and the thrill of off-roading! Check out their fun video for how they are introducing kids to rallying. 🏁
https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/lisa-ferland/ruby-and-the-off-road-rally


2) Go to your off-road/overlanding enthusiast FB groups, Jeep clubs, and rally competitors and let them know about the campaign and encourage them to watch the video.

3) Engage with this update with a like/comment


What happens next?

As the campaign ends, the real work begins as we enter editing, illustration, and formatting. We will keep you updated every step of the way in this space, so feel free to come back and visit often to see how we are progressing.

Surveys

You will get a survey when we are closer to fulfillment (sending out books) related to your destination address, and any details we need to fulfill your pledge.

Please reply to your survey as soon as you can because we will need that information to process everyone's pre-orders.

If you are customizing a 4-wheeler, we will reach out to you separately to square up those details. If your reward comes with a name in the book, we will also be reaching out to you about those details. We can't wait to feature as many names as possible!

We are so grateful!

Again, thank you so much for making this campaign such a success! 

We've attached a poll to this update for you to tell us which adventure Ruby should go on next! We will be bringing more of Ruby's stories to life soon, so watch this space!


As always, thank you so much!
Lisa and Julie