I actually genuinely adore it when I get the chance to help other people. Possibly because I’ve committed so many sins of such grievous extents that I hope that even the most modest effort toward goodness is enough to salvage my soul from whatever dark hole it’s tumbled into.
Or maybe I just like art.
Let’s talk about Marc Simonetti.
This is still my favorite book cover thus far. Kataria looks like a badass, the netherlings look grumpy and Gariath is all sorts of insane in the background.
Marc did this, along with another cover for Black Halo, in the French edition. His gallery (as you can see) is full of great interpretations of fantasy art, characters from books and more. You should seriously consider checking him out.
You should also seriously consider donating money to crowdfund his book.
Coverama will be a feature of his best and brightest covers and favorite pieces. Not only is it a collection of amazing art, it’s a way to support an amazing artist without having to commission him to paint a portrait of you fighting a giant badger (not that I’ve ever done that). Marc’s amazing at what he does and he deserves to keep doing it. I wholeheartedly encourage you to check it out.
…and since I’m already extolling you to give up your money, how about we discuss Storium?
I’m really intrigued by this idea. Just as YA was great for introducing millions of people to reading, I feel like Storium is going to be hailed as a means for burgeoning writers to really get started. The way you teach anything to anyone is by making it into a game and I can’t help but feel like Storium is going to be at least partially responsible for a lot of the best books we’ll see in the next twenty years.
I could try to summarize it better, but why not check out their Kickstarter here?
They’re already well past their goal, but the stretch goals keep coming, including one that features yours truly.
When I was approached by Storium to create a world for them, I thought something along the lines of Middle-Earth: Ten Years Later would be fun. Not the fluffy “peace is everywhere and mankind rules benevolently” version, but the idea of a world where we now have to figure out what to do with a conquered people.
Where do the orcs go now that their homes have been destroyed and their armies crushed? What do the dwarves do now that they’ve run out of holes to hide in? What happens to the elves that don’t want to fade into the West? How can we trust men to rule wisely when they’ve seen so much war and hatred and where do the go?
The answer is Coldrock.
A city that hosts a diaspora of a conquered people, a dying race, a corrupt kingdom, Coldrock is where urban fantasy and high fantasy meet. It’s a tale of what happens when orcs want their civil rights and elves want to bring everyone else in line with their own kind of degenerative ailing. It’s got wickedness, grit and violence aplenty, but I’ll leave it to the storytellers to provide the hope.
Anyway, if you’ve got some dollars kicking around, I urge you wholeheartedly to contribute to these projects. They’re not only amazing, they’re a way to support artists you love and artists you will love in the future.
Do it.
Do it for Sam Sykes.