A breakdown of both milestone celebrations on Wattpad and a place to see concept artwork and images that inspire me (and might even prove helpful in your own writing!) I also will be sharing some writing activities I've found useful, so check these...
Hey! The talented artist behind Callisto's cover just sent me his original concept for the book as I pitched it to him. I liked this different take so much that I think it's only right I showcase it here to show not only his art but a little more backstory behind the novel:
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As you can see, Rain-Born and her lovable rogue Jespar feature prominently, but wait - why are they in a lush, dense forest? Well, originally I had planned for the Iron Forest to actually include vegetation like this - vines, forest creatures, and even a living tree or two.
A couple of things changed this for me: for one thing, showing the forest early was a spoiler - the fact that it was actually an oasis amidst the dry Deadlands was going to be a surprise twist. Secondly, I tried writing it this way and for me it just didn't gel well with the atmosphere I wanted - I needed the Iron Forest to be a desolate, dark place. The kind that seems forgotten by time and totally ruined. I felt keeping it covered in sand dunes 'fit' more with the spirit of The Deadlands I was building - the place where nothing is ever safe, and there is only the arid sands beneath your feet. The Iron Forest had to be part of this world, even in its strangeness, not separated from it. So ultimately I had the cover changed.
What do you think? Would you have liked to have seen a different take on the great Dead City that heralds the end of our adventurers' quest? The question is not Team Edward or Team Jacob, folks. It's much, much bigger than that: are you TEAM SAND or TEAM TREE?
I even have some drafts of chapters I wrote surrounding some humans who had found shelter in this lush Oasis. Ultimately, I didn't include these chapters. Callisto is a journey narrative, and these sections for me slowed the pace down a little too much. But I may release them as bonus scenes in the future!
Wherever you are right now, enjoy your reading and writing and have a great day/night.
- J S Boyd
PS: All credit for the beautiful cover goes to mikeysgraphicz. You can find him on Fiverr.
