Gods of Smoke and Stars is live on Amazon, and has been sent to all the people on my newsletter list. I’m setting it up so that future signups will get the free download link automatically, so you’re not out of luck if you haven’t already signed up for it.
While I was creating the cover this time, I took some screenshots of the process. This was the fastest I’ve ever created a cover, at about ten unbroken hours of work. Of course, I regretted that afterward when I realized I hadn’t eaten that day, my hands had started shaking, and I was dizzy with the lack of sustenance.
One interesting thing about line work is that noses are way bigger than we think they are. When you outline a nose, it (the width especially) always looks disproportionate to the face. I taught myself to draw as a young teenager, and I remember being shocked at how big and broad my nose was when I did my first realistic self-portrait.
My old computer died in a way that I couldn’t fix myself a couple days before I did this illustration. I’m a pinch-penny so spending money on a new computer was painful to my soul, but I really like my new set-up. The screen is big enough to illustrate things without zooming in and out constantly, and I can now have two windows or applications visible at the same time.
I really suck at hair, and my next artistic goal is to get better at it. Still, the writing comes first so it might take a while.
And voilà! All finished. I want to do more stuff like this. I’ve started an illustration of another character in GOSS, and I’m puttering away at it as I have time. This is also a good reminder to me that I have posters I want to do a giveaway for. They’ve been sitting around for a while because I haven’t had time to coordinate the giveaway. Things like this make me wish I had an office assistant. (“Maybe one day,” Azalea says wistfully, looking off into the distance with a misty expression.)
Other relevant updates:
GOMM’s paperback (Book 3) is available for purchase, just in case I forgot to mention that when it went live.
GORR (Book 2) is coming out in audio sometime in January, probably mid-month.
