This post is coming to you a week later than I had planned. I blame it on the shifting sands of my freelance illustration career. No, I must grow to be more consistent. At least my website now has a domain name: cblansdell.com .
The manuscript for the two books in my duology is finished, but there is still work to be done before part 1 is ready to be released into the world. I have to get the MS to my editor by mid-November, free of any glaring continuity issues and preferably with names instead of _. Whenever I can’t think of a side character or place name, I use underscores as placeholders. They’re easy to track with find/change. In August and September, I edited the first half of the book. Now I am onto the second half, but there is quite a bit more to juggle in October.
In late September, I was able to take a week’s holiday. I visited my delightfully witty school friend, who stays in a peaceful seaside town. When I can rest, I like to do some concept art for my WIP. I hope to later compile these journal entries into an art book. Who better to start with than a character who knows the value of presentation?
Look at O standing there, arms outspread, like The Greatest Showman. I often refer to him as “the rakish inventor” or “the philanthropist”. He has a lot going for him, but as an author, I must complicate things. I will continue to refer to my characters by their initials for the next while. I want to save the reveals until next year, closer to the book’s release (mid-2023).
If you are wondering about the blue hue of O’s skin, he is from another world. Essentially, he’s a humanoid alien, though his species also has ties to creatures from existing mythologies. I want to write more outlandish aliens, but conveying emotion is easier when you can describe body language people recognise. Watercolours always come out a bit pale, and he is standing in a spotlight, but I describe his skin as dark “slate grey” or “blue-grey”. Maybe I can learn how to stage these sketches the way book bloggers do? I have no natural taste.
That is all for now. Hope you have a fantastic October. My friends up north are experiencing a magical season.
C B Lansdell 