Every so often we write about images that inspired aspects of our individual stories, and if we can, we share those pictures with you. This is one of those times.
Robin Lythgoe
Author of As the Crow Flies
This recurring theme is one of my favorites! I love sharing with you the images that have inspired my stories (or the images I’ve had to hunt for, trying to match a description!).
I’ve come back to Sherakai’s story—I figure it makes sense since his first book, Blood and Shadow, is currently part of the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off (SPFBO). Hosted by Mark Lawrence, author of The Broken Empire series and other books, a total of 300 books are judged by 10 bloggers. Am I nervous? (Gulp!) Mostly, I try not to think about it. There is some serious competition in the running!
Since we already caught a glimpse of things in my previous post about him, I thought I’d share some images from the second book of The Mage’s Gift. In Flesh and Bone, Sherakai receives…
Patricia Reding
Author of Oathtaker
This month we Quills are sharing one or more pictures that help to illustrate something from our stories. I’ve chosen to sprinkle a few pics throughout my post, all relating to the same part of the storyline from Oathtaker, The Oathtaker Series Volume One.
Before sharing any pics, let me open by saying that while perhaps a bit odd, I’ve always been fascinated by the words we give to groups of animals. Here are just a few great ones:
Animals: Group Name
Apes: A shrewdness
Buffalo: A gang or obstinacy
Wild cats: A destruction
Otters: A raft
Cobras: A quiver
Crocodiles: A bask
Eagles: A convocation
Ferrets: A business
Hyenas: A cackle
Owls: A parliament
Porcupines: A prickle
To the above, I would add a couple I’ve made good use of in my stories, including the words used for a group of vultures, namely, a kettle, committee, or wake, depending on what they are up to at the time. Then there is my favorite, which is the word used for a group of crows: a murder…
Parker Broaddus
Author of A Hero’s Curse & Nightrage Rising
I love illustration and I think it works well for the young reader genre and age. One of my favorite things to do as a kid was to flip through a book looking for the pictures, and things haven’t changed.
I’m a particular fan of simple sketches. I have a collection of them, some commissioned, some that were done by readers. I think that’s something I wish I could do as well, but my sketch art is little more 
than a series of stick figures.
This sketch of Essie and Tig, on the edge of the Valley of Fire, looking over the Gray Wasteland evokes a feeling – perhaps of a long journey still to be taken.
This sketch of mercenaries chasing Essie and Tig into the Valley of Fire is great – the looming character in the front is foreboding, and Danny captured the spiky, crusty lava flow with all of its fascinating colors and implied dangers.
Here’s a character exploration of Essie Brightsday. This feels like a good representation of her in Nightrage Rising – you can feel her confidence and ability, and her outfit is just unusual enough to be interesting.
And then there’s Tig. I don’t know that I’ve found a rendering of Tig that really captures him in all of his snark and sass. I like these simple drawings, because they seem to capture both his confidence and his connection to Essie.
What about you? What story sketches do you find interesting? I’m reading through The Edge Chronicles right now by Chris Riddell and Paul Stewart. The illustration, on almost every page, is interesting, fascinating, and sometimes downright frightening. What do you think, or what are you reading that has interesting pictures or a cool cover that inspires the imagination? Comment below or send me an email!
Love seeing these sketches from your books. What a great thing to have!
Oh yes, the colors in the Valley of Fire pic do, indeed, imply danger. Also, I like Essie’s outfit. Very interesting! Thank you, Parker.