That’s right! Today is my birthday and I’m offering Call of Kythshire for free on Kindle!
It’s the first book in my Keepers of the Wellsprings series, and if you haven’t read it yet, you’re missing out! Follow knight-in-training Azaeli Hammerfel, squire of His Majesty’s Elite, on an adventure to uncover the root of the mysterious curse that has befallen her family. Are fairies to blame for her father’s mysterious madness and her mother’s disappearance, or is something far more sinister to blame?
His Majesty’s Elite
If you have read it, tell your friends! Call of Kythshire is free today only! Thanks for helping me celebrate my birthday! Here’s to fairy wishes for great adventures!
Celli is one of my more tragic characters. Lured in by Sorcerers and twisted to their ways, she quickly became a thrall and plaything for Quenson, who proved to be a powerful and cruel master. Celli’s tale is deep and moving, and I’ll leave it at that because I really want you to read it for yourself.
Illustration for Call of Hywilkin, Keepers of the Wellsprings Book 4
Sometimes, I find a piece of music which captures a character perfectly. This piece, called Il bell’Antonio, Tema III is the most perfect soundtrack for Celli’s fall into darkness, especially around 4:54 when the notes start to get scratchy and uncomfortable. I hope you listen to it through until the end, and it inspires you as much as it did me.
When Christina McMullen, one of my favorite indie authors and a good friend, approached me to work on the cover for her book, I admit I was a bit nervous. I mean, I’ve done commissioned artwork for years, so I’m accustomed to doing artwork for others. And I’ve even done book covers, but they were always for my own books, so it was mostly easy to know what to do.
Still, I’d read an early beta copy of the first few chapters of A Space Girl from Earth, and I was hooked. Ellie was a heroine I could really stand behind, and her story is filled with delicious sci-fi, edge-of-your-seat adventure, and heart-string-pulling romance. Admittedly, I haven’t had a chance yet to read through the final version, but it’s next on my list and I’m itching to get to it.
So, with a just a little trepidation because I felt this was a character who deserved a great portrayal, and because I wasn’t sure I was the one to make that happen, I agreed to paint Ellie for Christina. The result, to my delight, is exactly as I (and Christina, thankfully) pictured her. I’m so excited to finally be able to share the final result with you. Here’s Ellie!
Click the cover to preorder A Space Girl From Earth
Christina was so happy with all of the details I added to Ellie, that she created a separate cover for the Kindle edition of the book with a close-up:
Click the cover to visit Christina’s blog and read more!
I had so much fun working on all of the little details, like the doodles on Ellie’s shoes, and her blue nail polish, and of course her glowing spots!
You can read more about the book, which is now available for preorder, on Christina’s blog. Christina also has some preview chapters up for grabs, so make sure you visit her blog for more info!
Now, as for the second part of the title of this post… a dream come true. Last night when I was reflecting on the anticipation of today and this exciting cover reveal, something occurred to me. Back in my college days, I studied under a sci-fi cover artist named Abe Echevarria. He was my mentor, and he encouraged me to focus on Illustration as a career. Here are a couple of examples of his work:
At the time, I worked hard to hone my skills and emulate his style. I dreamed that one day I could be a freelance illustrator and have my artwork on fantasy book covers. This was back in a time before digital art, when covers were hand-painted with oils or acrylics and canvases were rolled up and shipped to the publisher to be processed for printing. I romanticized what the life of a freelancer would be like, and imagined myself one day in my own studio, negotiating contracts with publishers and seeing my artwork on store shelves. But abstract painting lured me away, and my focus on illustration faded. I spent my graduate studies in the fine art painting studio, and left illustration behind.
How amazing that the faded dream just ended up falling into place, and here I am twenty years later, with my artwork on the cover of someone else’s novel!. And it’s a trilogy, so I’m really looking forward to painting more covers for Christina soon!
Finally, I’d love to share a fun little video of my process. I do all of my artwork on the Procreate app on my iPad Pro, which records time-lapse videos as I work. If you watch closely, you can see all of my reference images popping in and out of the canvas, along with Christina’s suggestions and comments on some of the images. You’ll notice that I sometimes sketch over the reference images to make sure I get proportions and certain features right. This was one of the techniques Mr. Echevarria taught me, though back in college we used vellum, light tables, and projectors for the same process. I really love technology!
If you’d like to discuss cover art or other commissioned pieces, please feel free to contact me through my website: http://www.missysheldrake.com
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