If you've already read this post, then I invite you to stop by Heroines of Fantasy this week, where we are having a lively discussion about whether an author's personal beliefs should influence our decision to buy his or her work.
And, saving the best for last, please visit Hadley Rille Books new web site, which went live just last weekend. If you're an author, make sure to check out HRB's call for submissions for its new Ruins anthology while you're browsing the site.
Enough news; here's my post. Enjoy!
Images of Eolyn
The novels Eolyn, High Maga, and Daughter of Aithne tell the story of a woman struggling to define her own path in a world largely ruled by men.
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| Cover art for EOLYN by Jesse Smolover |
High Maga is a companion novel that begins about four years after Eolyn ends. Early in the story, Eolyn’s fledgling coven is destroyed and the kingdom invaded by an army that commands a terrible and malevolent magic. Eolyn discovers a weapon that could unravel their power, and must find a way to deliver this weapon to her king. This is a darker novel than the first, deeply entrenched in the brutal realities of war. And Eolyn is older, more mature and capable of taking on greater and ever more complex challenges.
The artwork for Eolyn and
High Maga illustrates very nicely the
evolution of Eolyn’s story and character between these two novels. I’ve had the privilege of working with
wonderful artists in both cases: Jesse Smolover, who did the cover art for Eolyn, and Thomas Vandenberg, who is
putting the final touches on the cover art for High Maga.
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| Detail from the cover art for HIGH MAGA by Thomas Vandenberg |
Jesse’s image of Eolyn
captures her innocence and nascent power as she steps out of a sheltered
life in the South Woods with the hope of restoring women’s magic to the life
and culture of her people.
Thomas’ illustration for High
Maga shows us Eolyn in battle, a vivid image of a determined woman who has
already suffered loss and sacrifice, yet who refuses to surrender in the face
of danger.
I have loved Eolyn in all her stages of development. It’s such a privilege to work with a complex
character for whom every new experience becomes an opportunity for growth and
change, and it’s really delightful to see these changes reflected in the
artwork for my novels.
My third novel, Daughter
of Aithne, is in the works so I can’t talk a whole lot about it, but I know
that when we see the face of Eolyn for this final book in the series, it will
be reimagined once more to reflect the added years of her experience and the
changing context of her world.
~*~
This post was originally published on October 22, 2013, on the blog for author DelSheree Gladden.
