Magpie’s Ladder

Fall to Winter

Books, Drawings, Fiction, Illustration, Uncategorized, writing

Following a very busy autumn, I’m now finally sitting down to plan creative work for 2017.

My new novel Necessary Monsters is scheduled to be published by Resurrection House/ Arche Press in May. I thought I’d share the description from the distributor’s website.

 Lumsden Moss is an escaped thief and an unrepentant bibliophile with a long-suffering desire to foist some karmic retribution on those who have wronged him. But when the opportunity to steal a rare book from the man who sentenced him to prison puts him on the wrong side of the wrong people, Moss finds himself on the run. And it’s not just the book he stole that these people want, it’s also the secrets of a long-forgotten location on Nightjar Island, a place cursed and abandoned since the Purge.

When Moss falls in with Imogen, a nimble-fingered thief who has taken a traveling bookcase filled with many secrets, he starts to realize how much of his unsavory past is indelibly tied to a frightening witch-child and her nightmarish pet monster.

In a fantastic world, still recovering from a war where magic and technology were fused together, Moss and Imogen must decipher the mystery of their mutual pasts in order to illuminate the dark heart that still lurks on Nightjar Island.

Bookending 2017, fall will see the publication of my illustrated short story collection Magpie’s Ladder. I just signed the contract for this project last week and will have more details when I am able to share them. Needless to say I’m very excited about both of these projects.

In late November I turned in 8 illustrations for Centipede Press’s edition of Caitlin R. Kiernan’s Houses Under the Sea – Mythos Tales. This title will be published sometime in 2017.

Also on the art front, I’m working on some new personal work, which I plan to share here as the winter progresses. Sometime in the next few months I’ll be participating in a show with the Shadowood Collective. Shadowood shows are always incredible and this one will be no exception.
– Richard.

The Dark Bead – Work in Progress #4

Books, Drawings, Illustration, Process, Work in Progress, Works for Sale
dark_bead_wip4_web

The Dark Seed – Work in Progress

I thought I’d share my progress to date on The Dark Seed. It took a bit of a back seat to Bells Call Others, but it’s not unusual for me to have several drawing on the go at once. This strategy is necessary as pointillism is by its nature a slow technique. Having a few drawings in play allows me to keep my interest high, and my eyes rested.

As time permits I’m also working on getting 2 books ready for printing, a novel (Necessary Monsters) and a collection of 5 short stories (Magpie’s Ladder). I’m working toward having them both out for 2016 under the Radiolaria Studios imprint. Time is needed to produce the illustrations and as anxious as I am to have them out in the world, I want to make sure the illustrations are perfect. I will no doubt be posting samples in the months to come.

On the subject of books, a little bit of poking around on the internet revealed that Tome II: Melancholia has been received by the publisher 44Flood. If you are not aware, Tome is a sumptuous art book featuring many artists, and interviews where the artists talk about their work. My work is included and I was fortunate enough to be interviewed by the author Clive Barker. As soon as I get a copy in hand I’ll post some images. In the meantime, follow the links for more information.

That’s it for now.
– Richard.