Le Fay Series - Research Travel: To England

The Le Fay Series is set in the UK. As an Arthurian tale, I definitely wanted to set it in an authentic location. Problem: I've never been to the UK! A few years ago, I knew I had to go to Britain in order to properly write this series. Googling information isn't quite the same as experience. 

Before planning my trip, I wrote the first draft of the entire series. This way, I had a solid understanding of each location my characters would travel to. Choosing each setting was not a light process. I did heavy research on Arthurian locations and there's a lot of places to choose from! In the end I'm super excited about my choices.

On the plane, I brought my Le Fay Series notebook! I jotted down everything: food I ate, the type of plants I saw, notes on the weather, the smell of certain places, and every sort of minor detail that crossed my mind! 

Me opening the book to review my itinerary... which was very very carefully planned:

Landing in London! So excited. It looks so... so... England-y!

I am not posting my itinerary and map notes yet since I don't want to spoil anything for you guys!

I have already posted some travel photos relevant to Henge, the first book in the series. If you missed them here are the links:

Stonehenge (can't create Henge without seeing most famouse henge of all!)

Avebury (not associated with the Arthurian legends... this was my own take on Henge inspiration!)

Tintagel: seaside (Morgan le Fay's hometown!)

Tintagel: town

Tintagel: Merlin's Cave (got a scene inspired by this place!)

As I move onto SWORD, the second book, I'll start posting other photos! Stay tuned.

--Realm

Le Fay Series - Chapter Art

I am currently working on the cover art for SWORD! In the meantime, I wanted to show you the chapter number art I created for HENGE (and will be used for SWORD, too). Although the Le Fay Series is set in modern time, I like to salute to the medieval period (not really the Arthurian time period but the period popular culture associates it with) as often as I can. It's undeniable that the old style is iconic to the legends. I'm a huge fan of Beardsley's illustrations for the legends and took inspiration from his work for the chapter numbers. (I'm posting a video of his work at the bottom of this post!) I created these pretty organically with a simple pen and a pad of papers whenever I felt like drawing while watching TV or lounging around. I didn't use a ruler or anything so the lines aren't straight but I like the organic look. I also drew whatever came to my mind so it was purely exploration-based and all created on the first try. 

You can see the numbers used below:

Check out Beardsley's amazing work:

I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about my art process and muse!

--Realm

Le Fay Series - Book 2 Title Reveal!

Here's the title reveal for the Henge sequel!

*drum roll*

Ta-dah! 

The second book features another Arthurian relic--certainly one of the most recognizable ones and most famous sword in all of fiction. There's more of an aggressive vibe to this title which I think will suit the sequel's storyline very well. I hope you'll look forward to SWORD and the cover reveal for it!



--Realm

Le Fay Series - Book 2 Hint

I've been asked a lot of questions about Book 2 in the Le Fay Series. Most frequent question being... when it's coming out!

Here's the release schedule:

Yes, it's coming out this year! I hope you'll finish reading HENGE prior to the sequel release!

Book 2 hints...

-Darker

-More dangerous...

-Higher stakes 

-You will continue to see more of Merlin

-More Lancelot

-Prince Arthur!

-It will feature another Arthurian relic...

-There will be a lot of "Yikes" 

-I recommend to Keep Calm and Keep Reading 

Want an ARC of book 2 before the release? Please be sure to check out my review policy and if you're interested, you can contact me for a copy. If you haven't read Henge yet, you can request a review copy as well to prepare for the next book.

So, what's the title? The title will be revealed on Thursday! Stay tuned and I hope you'll look forward to the sequel to Henge!

--Realm

HENGE - Art: Only One Will Be Named Maven

The second book in the Le Fay Series is going very well so far! As I prepare more info for you guys next week, here is a fun poster I made for Henge:

I hope you've read Henge and are caught up on Morgan and Merlin's adventure... it's only just begun!

--Realm

News Week - 04/06/15

The digital version of Cascadia Subduction Zone is now available and can be read for free online. It features a lot of great content on the videogame industry and contains a short story by my colleague Marc Laidlaw, a writer for Half Life. The issue also features my artwork and if you're curious, you can read about my background and how I got into the industry.

Read now!

Things I accomplished the weekend: submitted a shorty story and begun my brand and web revamp. I'm preparing for an exciting summer!



--Realm

Le Fay Series - Happy Easter!

Hope you guys have a happy Easter weekend! Here's an illustration of Morgan le Fay in her hometown Tintagel:

A rare drawing of her smiling nicely. (Don't get used to it though...)


--Realm