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Friday, May 3, 2013

Celebrating - A Task Finished

SMALL CELEBRATIONS

It's good to be able to open your eyes to the things around you that are worth celebrating, even if they are as small (relatively speaking) as a smile from a stranger that you know would easily become a friend.  Stepping into a brisk May breeze, watching the flowers push their way through the soil, even though you know jolly well you're a terrible gardener.

Today, though, I'm celebrating completing a task I'd been thinking of for a long time.


I'm writing a series of historical fiction set in Egypt and centered around the city of Memphis.  It is known as 'The Memphis Cycle', and that city, and the families that lived and ruled there, provide the thread that ties the stories together.  Three are published, one is  coming out the end of May, another should be coming out in November, and four others are in varying stages of development.  
 
Here are covers 1 & 2.  #2 is scheduled to be published May 31:
 
 
The covers fell into a sort of theme - statuary or sculptures against a background that referred to something in the story.  As the series developed, I began to want them to be visible as a related group.  So I redesigned them, keeping the original 'art' work, but putting that into a framework specific to the stories..  These are covers #3 and 4.  #3 is projected to be published November.
 

The line under the image is a hieroglyphic text with the name and attributes of the king ruling at the time of the story.  It seems to be working out.  Here are covers 5 and 6.  #5 is in the works, but it is an involved story and will need another year (maybe two) to complete properly.  #7 is out. 


 
 
What really tickles me is that my entire family is artistic and I guess maybe I can pretend to be. (Pretend is the word, too.) For example, while I work with photographic images for my covers, the figure crouching in the corner of Lord of the Two Lands is my own work and is a silhouette drawing. But I'm celebrating, for certain. It's something I've wanted to do in a long time, and it's coming on the heels of a new release and a reissue.

So join me in a cup of cyber tea, a glass of cyber wine, a stoup of cyber ale, or maybe some cyber lemonade. I'm celebrating!

 

9 comments:

  1. Love the covers. I struggle with anything artistic, and I'm envious of anyone who has a flare for colour and design. Have a great weekend.

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    1. Thank you for visiting and for the kind words. I visited your blog - now I have a yen for (homegrown) cucumber sandwiches...

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  2. Very artistic! You have good things to celebrate, and hey, November is coming faster than we expect it too the way time flies these days. So cheers! Cyber coffee at the moment :D

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    1. Thank you so much for the compliment and the coffee. Yes, I'm cringing at the thought of November.

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  3. Wonderful covers! I'm jealous--I don't have that kind of artistic ability :)

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    1. Thank you! Have some coffee. It being after 8pm, I think perhaps a dram of brandy in there...

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  4. Congratulations! Seems like a lot of research must have gone into getting these done. I'm hoping to be able to complete my current project by a particular time. Gotta kick up the discipline.

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  5. Ah, Discipline. Somehow, the exercise of the virtues is often painful. Best of luck to you!

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  6. Lovely covers! I'll join you in a glass of cyber champers!

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