New Upcoming Book
Two mysteries. One boy. No easy answers.
The Good Goose and the Gun is a powerful, deeply honest middle-grade realistic fiction novel about empathy, coming of age, and finding your place in the world. Who are we, why do we act the way we do, and how can we create a kinder world? Thirteen-year-old Joaquin asks himself these kinds of questions every day.
Growing up in a loving family in a small rural community with a garden producing much of their food, Joaquin knows that nature, like the goose that laid the golden eggs, gives us what we need to live a healthy happy life.
He knows that when people share what they have, there is plenty to go around.
Joaquin cannot understand cruelty or the gun violence of the drug cartel.
In the book you'll find out what happened after the cartel shattered their peaceful village life. Where did Joaquin and his mother and sister go? And how did they pick up the pieces of their lives and start over?
Having fled drug cartel violence in Mexico with his mother and sister, Joaquin is adjusting to a new community in Three Creeks, Ohio. He is deeply observant, highly creative, and resourceful—often working to sort out life’s big questions through his sketching and journaling.
Two deep mysteries trouble him most. Why are some people greedy, cruel, and determined to hurt others? And why, when Joaquin senses danger, does his own body betray him, leaving him unable to speak, frozen in fear? Along the way, Joaquin encounters bullies and prejudice, but also friendship, kindness, animals he can help, and an environmental protection nonprofit called the Good Goose Foundation.
Through these connections and journaling practices, he realizes he has meaningful gifts to contribute. The Good Goose and the Gun is a thoughtful, compassionate contemporary story that beautifully addresses critical issues kids face today—including bullying, immigration, anxiety, childhood trauma, and diverse family structures.
Perfect for school libraries, classrooms, and families, this entertaining book inspires young readers to discover how understanding human psychology, helping others, and developing social-emotional skills can solve some of life’s biggest mysteries.
The book is in production now, and if you'd like to be notified as soon as it comes out please click here.
The Good Goose and the Gun Book Cover Revision History
Initial Design
This puzzle piece with a goose on it is part of an early idea I had for the cover of the upcoming book. I was going to have a big puzzle where none of the pieces fit together, because that's part of the theme of the story. You know trying to understand the whole world and how we fit into it, right?
So I worked with paint and paper and glue and markers. I had fun, but I wasn't creating anything that I liked for the book cover. Then Dani, an artist and illustrator, gave me a few lessons on illustrating to get me started. (I'm an artist and love to paint big pictures, but illustrating is a whole other thing!)
So first we brainstormed different ways I could illustrate the overall theme of the book. We found all kinds of images online of puzzles, geese, golden eggs, guns, Earth and 13 year olds. (That's how old the main character in the story is.)
Dani said AI was helpful to get things going. I had never used a computer for anything much beyond emailing and writing! So I was a little nervous about it, but I said, "Okay let's try it." I described my concept to an image generator and got a lot of weird looking things that weren't even close to what I imagined.
Then finally, after experimenting and experimenting at home, I got this.
Early
Version
I liked it, and I worked with this idea and several others with puzzle pieces for several weeks using markers and crayons and various images generated by AI. One image that I'll show you in the link shows the boy in between two giant puzzle pieces. I was going to have the puzzle piece on the left be of beautiful nature and happiness, and the one on the right sad, violent and ugly. It never turned out very well.
Then one morning I woke up and could see in my mind what it was I was going for.
Early
Version
About the Author
One time about 20 years ago, I made this picture of my soul. This image still feels very true to how I feel about who I am. I'm on the Earth and I'm part of a big universe. I love the Earth and all the people and other animals and whole big beautiful ecosystems living here.
I believe if we understand enough about how things work in our own hearts and minds and in the world and through nature we can all enjoy a healthy, healed, peaceful planet.
To find out more about Patty Sheehan's life story click here.
Check out other great books from Patty Sheehan.