A couple of weeks ago, I spent quite a few hours getting the covers of the test sample of These Hours of Bones and Ash just right. It was hard work, and took a little longer than expected, but I finally finished the covers and created a printable version of the text. 

The first rendition of the cover couldn't be exactly as I envisioned it due to the fact that I needed the words of the title to be visible against the background, but I finally decided on a two part image with the Caladani calendar on the top section and the gallows on the bottom. 

It did not take long for the sample copy to be sent to me for proofing. I identified a couple of mistakes in the book: most involving my failure to put blank pages in the printable copy so the individual books that make up Volume I would appear on the correct pages. There were very few typos (extra periods, etc.) that I found in the text which is a good thing. 

The back cover had more italics than it was supposed to, a problem I can easily solve. I had a devil of a time trying to come up with the text for the back cover. It has to be detailed enough to give the reader some idea of the text's plot, but concise enough to be encapsulated in just a small amount of text. It has to excite the reader and make the book worth reading, without giving too much away or being too complex. What a task! But I do think I achieved my goal. What remains now is to fix the errors so the final copy is ready to go. 

I have to decide, though, whether or not to publish a "director's cut" so to speak. That is, a book with the footnotes, just like I originally wrote them, as well as the series of maps, the glossary, and the background documents like the Adhirantal and the Lins en Halathi Anyalles. My hope is to either have a director's cut, showing the text as I meant it to be delivered (word porn) or an atlas showing the geography as well as the background information for the text. I have yet to decide. Feel free to weigh in though! 

I have been so fortunate in my life to know several great artists, whose commitment to the Arqiyyon's story has nearly paralleled my own. One of those people, Dallas Ward, spent several months designing the cover you see here. If not for his hard work, this cover would not look as awesome as it does. This is only one of four collectible covers I will be doing for the Arqiyyon's first volume. Two of those covers will be Dallas' work (whose photography website you can view here). The other two will be designed by the artist Holly Boston. I will post those covers as they become available. For now, enjoy this preview!

            Her hair was a scarlet banner atop an alabaster tower, catching the wind as it thundered down from the jagged iron mountains. Atop his white steed, Venas Livic, handsome in his purple velvet surcoat, reached his hand down toward her. They were a lord’s hands, delicate and smooth, having never seen the plow. The hands of a musician, nimble at the djimanni or the lute. His lips were full and pink, sensual they would be against the mouthpiece of a flute.

            “Mekara,” he whispered softly, “I’ve been watching you. Take my hand. I’m taking you away from here!” Mekara looked up into his face, the sun erupting behind his head, a halo made of glare. “Take it!” Mekara reached up to grasp his soft fingers.

            “Take this bucket, Mekara! If you don’t get that water and get back, the matron will whip you!” a jagged voice tore the sun-washed dream from her mind. “Take it!” Kana, her gap-toothed grimace marring a pocked face, thrust the splintered, oaken bucket toward Mekara’s chest. “I did the wet work last time, and I ain’t doing it this un. Get to!” Mekara crossed her arms, a frown settling on her face.

“I mean it,” Kana threatened, holding the bucket with one hand and cuffing Mekara’s face with the other. “I’ll tell if you don’t! You know what happens then!”

“You didn’t even do it last time!” Mekara argued, pushing the bucket away. “You made Corina do it, and you told her you’d tell Mrs. Hell’s Piss about the kittens she’s been sneaking off to play with in the barn after bedtime!” Kana’s eyes narrowed.

“So what of it?” Kana sneered. “I’m biggern you and what I say goes!” Mekara rose up to her full height and leaned forward a little, but Kana just snickered. “Do it!” she said, “Or else!” lifting her fist again. Defeated, Mekara snatched the bucket from Kana’s outstretched hand.

“’Sides,” Kana muttered under her breath, “Ain’t no kitten she’s playin’ with after dark. It’s the butcher’s boy.She's playin' with his kitten alright.” Mekara turned to Kana, fixing her clouded gaze on the bully.

Quietly, she whispered, “She did what you said, but you killed the kittens anyway. We found 'em strung up in the barn. Hung up like laundry, by their necks with their guts tore out!”

“So what if I did?” Kana laughed. “I’ll do that to you, too, if you don’t get busy!” Kana was a full foot taller than Mekara and twice as big. Her fist was as large as an apple, and her knuckles just as red.  Mekara sighed.

“One of these days, I’ll kill you,” she muttered.

“What’s that you say?” hissed Kana, her eyes glittering evilly.

“Nothing,” Mekara mumbled, hiking up her skirts and tucking them into her waistband. Gingerly, she waded into the chill waters of the Runa Dart, at the place where the water was lowest. Here, it eddied around moss-covered rocks, separated from its banks by tall reeds. As she waded in, she could hear the splashes of frogs launching themselves into the water at her arrival. She was barefoot, and she could feel the river sediment squishing up between her toes. Her lips curled in disgust. The bucket made a sucking and burping sound as it filled with water. Pulling it out was heavy, and Mekara’s small muscles strained with the weight of it. Still, Kana did not help. She stood upon the bank, her arms crossed against her chest, a self-satisfied smirk on her face. It took twice as long for Mekara to battle the bucket all the way back to the manor, but Kana just sauntered beside her, chewing lazily on the stem of a reed, slapping the back of Mekara’s head while she struggled. 

        An hour had passed since Kana and Mekara had left the manor to gather water at the Runa Dart. Now, the sun was beginning to wane and the Trippan House rose dark before them, silhouetted against the dying light. As they approached, the mere sight of its towers and barricades filled Mekara with dread. As the two girls came closer, Mekara began to remember the first time she had ever seen its walls. That was five years ago. 

Everything must have a beginning and an end. Except for circles. They don't. And they're mysterious. And mysterious is sexy. The Arqiyyon could also be considered mysterious. Plenty of my friends have been wondering what the hell it's all about. When I tell people I'm writing a novel, I still feel kind of silly saying it's a fantasy novel. I mean really...who isn't writing a fantasy novel these days? But, throughout the years, the stories embodied in The Arqiyyon have been my passion. I've spent a majority of my life working on it, creating the languages, maps, religions and characters that populate it. But good stories aren't worth anything if you can't share them. Over the years, I have struggled to find a way to share my work with the public. It's difficult to talk complicated plot lines, independent characters and individual cultures in just a matter of minutes with people who may be curious about what the Arqiyyon is all about. So, in my desire to create a more interactive means for my readers to connect with the characters and their struggles-- details that make up the core of the Arqiyyon-- I decided to try my hand at interactive blogging. I've asked a couple of my friends to help me bring these people to life for you. The characters and plots that make up the Arqiyyon are expansive and detailed, so obviously, not all the backstories and subplots can be added to the final published version. But that doesn't mean these stories didn't happen. Even though they may not be in the final version, I still  want you to know who the characters are, where they came from and as much of their history as possible. So, that's what I'm going to attempt to do. Feel free to give your feedback. I'm happy to know what you think might make this shared experience even better! Enjoy!