South Georgia-based fantasy author and online content creator Jess L. M. Anderson has released her first children’s book in The Keepers Series.

“Caligo’s Crow: An Unlikely Friendship” follows a younger version of Caligo “Cal” from The Keepers Series as a young prince learning to express his emotions with the help of his new friend, Nex the Crow, publishers said in a statement.

“I usually write for an older audience,” Anderson said. “My novels are all 500-plus pages, so a kid’s book? It wasn’t even on my radar.”

Anderson wrote the children’s book alongside her close friend, Jessy Dinkelman, who she met while obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Chicago.

Dinkelman is a mother and a huge fan of Anderson’s work and wanted to share the series with her 1-year-old daughter, Ambi, publishers said.

“It’s amazing how this kid’s book has come together honestly,” Anderson said. “Jessy called me up one night and said, ‘If I help, can you and Viyanca (series illustrator) add a kid’s book to the series?’ and of course, I said ‘yes.’”

The illustrator of the book, Viyanca, is a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design and a current resident of Savannah. Viyanca is on the creative team for The Keepers Series as the official artist. Her work can be seen on the covers and within the pages as he brings Caligo’s sketchbook to life in the series.

When asked about her choice to self-publish, Anderson said, “At the end of the day, I want my books to be authentic to my vision. You lose so much creative control with traditional publishing and I refused to let that happen to my characters and story. I get to be hands on with everything from the cover art to the audiobooks to the marketing strategies. Even the editing.”

Anderson moved to Tifton in 2021. She wrote, produced and released a majority of the second installment in The Keepers Series as well as her upcoming third installment and the children’s book while in Tifton.

“Caligo’s Crow: An Unlikely Friendship” is available on Amazon and the official website, along with the New Adult Fantasy novels in the series.

More information, visit KeeperSeries.com.