While the Googala Duck books are a series for kids about a duck that stays behind for the winter while his family flies south, and he has to overcome harsh winter conditions, it has two timely messages that can inspire everyone today.

            The first message is to listen to those who have the correct information and facts rather than succumb to emotional feelings and do what you want.  Otherwise, there are consequences for being led astray.  That's what happened to Googala Duck, when he didn't listen to his parents and join his family in flying South to a warmer winter climate, which is what ducks normally do each year.  Instead, he ignored their pleadings to go South with them, because he loved playing in the pond. He didn't know that winter would come and be very cold.  He didn't realize that he would be threatened by predators or that a hunter that would try to eat him.

            The second message is that if you make a mistake and encounter harsh conditions as a result, you have to do what you can to overcome those difficulties to survive and thrive.  You have to learn new strategies. You need to recognize who are friends who can help, while avoiding false friends who might harm you.  That's what Googala Duck did.  He learned how to overcome the cold of winter by finding shelter and new ways to find food. He found friends like a helpful owl who took him in for a few months until it was spring again, and he got information from the hunter's dog to know a hunter was going to cook him for dinner, so he could quickly escape when the hunter went outside to get wood.  

            In short, the book incorporates the message of learning from the wisdom of others, in this case from one's parents and the hunter's dog, and it offers a message of persevering in the face of adversity to become the mastery of one's destiny.  That's what happened for Googala Duck, who reunites with his family when they return in the spring, and he is much stronger for the challenges he mastered. He is also more willing to listen to and learn from his parents' advice.

            There's an introduction to the five books that tell Googala Ducks story in a video for the first book in the series Saying Goodbye for the Winter at https://youtu.be/_epiwtLMOuk.  The full series is available on Amazon in a paperback and ebook.

            Besides writing about ducks, author John Pluff has been writing film scripts and is the owner of a successful building company, the American Building Group. The first script, The Dragon of Locke, is about two detectives who help to solve a case involving the theft of a sacred dragon from a Taoist monastery in China after it is shipped to Stockton, California, while they are trying to find the missing brother-in-law of a local businessman.  The script has recently been entered in 35 international film festivals, and has received 27 awards so far. Additional scripts based on the adventures of Dan and Winnie are in the works, too. 

           For more information or to set up interviews, visit the website at www.jmichaelpublishing.com, and you can contact John Pluff at J. Michael Publishing at info@jmichaelpublishing.com or call (408) 316-5553.