Josh Addessi, the artist who did the cover for The Shadow at the Gate, is sending me sketches for the cover of The Wicked Day. He’s a great illustrator and I’m pretty excited to see where he’s going with the picture. Once he’s done, I’ll add in the text design, upload the book and cover to Amazon…and then I’ll be done with the Tormay Trilogy. Ten years plus in the making. That’s a long time to be working on a project. That’s a long time to be examining the shadows inside my mind for inspiration. Perhaps too long.
Why the shadows? Well, I believe, with creative endeavors, you can never truly escape who you are. In something as immediate as cooking, I suppose that manifests in the taste and style of the dish. In a book, however, regardless of genre, a certain amount of your philosophy, experiences, emotions, etc., are going to shine through. I’ve heard some authors say that they can divorce their writing from who they themselves are, but I view that claim with skepticism.
I believe those writers you speak about, but I would guess that what they write when they are ignoring who they are is not as ‘honest’ as what you write. Your spirit definitely comes through in your writing.
Thanks, Sue. I’ve tried escaping myself, I certainly have! Been around the world a time or two, but my shadow still keeps trudging along behind me…