Whew, it’s been a while since I’ve posted one of these.

Various events and circumstances have conspired to make the Book 6 production ruinously slow. But at last, that has come to an end! My artist and I managed to get together and hash out the rest of the details of the cover, and the print version is now in its proofing stage. The e-book will be available shortly!

While we wait, though, it’s time to admire the cover and some of the process pictures!

As with many instances in this series, we started with a bird:

Specifically the ‘Risen Phoenix’ of the Empire of that name. In practice it’s more of an eagle (for reasons, one of those being ‘making the actual firehawk shriek in rage’), though it does have some elements of flame motif.

While the earlier covers had Tarot-type cards as their main figures, time and other personal issues made us switch tactics for 5 and now 6. This coin or medallion is what would (and does) show up on the spine of the book as a sort of thematic indicator, but like with Book 5, it will also take center stage in place of a new card. This is us figuring out the features of the coin, including the date of the Empire’s most recent year and the name of the most recent Emperor. Note the tail needing to be tweaked to fit the coin’s shape.

Progress image! Beginning to fill in the texture and details!

Looking very shiny!

More tweaks. Beginning to command the darkened field that is the cover background!

At this point, it was time for Phase 2. That shiny, perfect coin is what shows up on the spine, but it’s not the story of Book 6 — the finale for Our Heroes and the Empire. That would be this:

“So you want me to break it?”

YEAH BREAK THE HELL OUTTA IT!

As it deserves.

Detail work followed, specifically:

“How about some blood?”

BLOODY FINGERPRINTS YEAH!

“Hmm. I can do bloody fingerprints, sure. And some spatter…”

HAHA I LOVE IT!

Ahem.

That was pretty much that. All we needed to do was slap the text on where it belongs, and TADA!

I say “all we need to do” and “TADA” like it was some great easy feat of mine, but this is all D.D. Phillips’ work. As always I am indebted to her as a friend and an artist, and just glad she could complete this journey with me. There may be ‘finished’ versions of the B5+6 covers some day, with the cards I originally envisioned on them, but whether or not that happens, I’m happy to have done it.

E-book and print book coming soon!