Cover Reveal: Lace and Blade 5

Lace and Blade 5, an anthology of elegant, witty, romantic fantasy, will be released on Valentine's Day 2019. The Table of Contents is here. And here is the gorgeous cover, trade papberback print version, designed by Dave Smeds:

THE HEIR OF KHORED cover

Sometimes, when you first see the cover image for a book you've labored long and hard over, you just want to dig a hole, climb in, and pull a heavy rock over the opening. Other times, it's so gorgeous, so true to the spirit of the book, you can hardly breathe for excitement. That was my joy in this cover. It's not accurate to the details of the story, but it so embodies the central conflict -- and oh my, yes, Shannivar is back!

The book comes out in June 2014, but you can pre-order it now. Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Powell's or your local bookstore.

SHANNIVAR cover!

Here's the cover for Shannivar, the second book of The Seven-Petaled Shield.  I am so pleased with the artwork by Matt Stawicki! It's available for pre-order at the usual places, for an early December release.

A Moment of Authorial Glee

Some moments are true high points in a writer's life. Holding a copy of your first book (or an anthology containing your first published short story). Your first fan mail. The first time a reader comes up to you at a convention and says how much they enjoyed your work (even if you secretly fear no one has read it!)

Some moments never become blase -- or shouldn't. Seeing the cover painting for an upcoming release is always fraught with uncertainty. Did the artist "get" it (did the artiste even have a copy of the manuscript to work from?) Did sales glitz triumph over good taste? Did the gender, age, or race of the main character get altered?

I just saw the final cover painting for Shannivar, the second volume of The Seven-Petaled Shield, and am so filled with delight that I'm practically bouncing up and down. Alas, I cannot show it to you because it's not a real cover yet. It needs title, etc., which should be coming along shortly. I just needed to tell someone how right the folks at DAW and my amazing cover artist, Matt Stawicki, got it.

Shannivar is an Azkhantian warrior, that people being based partly on the Scythians and the Mongols. She's Asian, not white, and she's seriously kick-ass. The cover shows her beautiful honey-dark skin, black hair, and slanted eyes. She's wearing warm, colorful clothing that she can actually ride and fight in (as the cover shows!) Matt even got some wonderful details, like the wings on her vest, symbolizing her Golden Eagle clan, and the red hue of the horse her cousin is riding in the background.

Stay tuned for a peek at the real thing!

Cover for The Children of Kings

Here it is (the painting is a wrap-around, so this is only the front).

Warning: the description on Amazon.com contains spoilers. Major spoilers. DAW is working to get that changed, but be warned. Just click on the pre-order button and ignore the text!