Hello and thanks for visiting today on the blog tour for The Bow of Destiny and An Arrow Against the Wind which are the first two editions of The Bow of Hart Saga.

One the more frequent comments I receive concerns the covers of both books. I’m very pleased with these covers and I’m often asked if I created them myself to which I answer that I did not. That distinction goes to my cover artist, Christopher Rawlins out of the UK, from whom I commissioned the covers.

Many self-publishing authors rely on a service to create a mock-up of a stock photo since their books are set in the real-world. However, science fiction and fantasy books often require more than this kind of cover. Fantasy readers especially like to see original artwork since the books in this genre are often in alternate worlds. As such, original artwork is a premium on which I chose to spend money.

I’m often asked how to choose an artist by other authors and my answer is, “I don’t know.” I found my artist quite by chance based on the image I needed. Since the series is based on archery, I knew I needed a cover with an archer. I happened to find one such image entitled, “Robin of Loxley”, on the internet. It’s a very good rendering of Robin Hood by Christopher Rawlins and it immediately caught my attention as something like what I needed for my cover.

I contacted Christopher and asked about doing a cover based on that picture of Robin Hood and he agreed to take on the project. I sent Christopher some descriptions and ideas and he nailed it on the first try. From there we made a few minor additions and changes to end up with the cover of the Bow of Destiny.

For An Arrow Against the Wind, I went back to Christopher with a few ideas and more characters to add. Christopher then let me know which idea fit best based on the other cover and sent me a mock-up. There were several changes needed to the characters but the basic image was spot on, especially with all the fore-ground and background details. It’s a different setting than the first book but just as eye-catching.

I’m extremely pleased and thankful to be working with such a good artist as Christopher Rawlins. He’s even designed my print cover for The Bow of Destiny which I hope to use in the coming months as I look to release a print version of the series. I still need a print cover for An Arrow Against the Wind but that isn’t a major issue. However, over the next few months, I’ll need to come up with ideas for the last book of the series, The White Arrow, and I’ll be working with Christopher again when the time comes.

Thanks for visiting on this stop of the tour and for your interest in The Bow of Hart Saga books, The Bow of Destiny and An Arrow Against the Wind. Please see the buy links or my contact links for more information about the books. Have any thoughts on fantasy cover art? Leave your thoughts in the comments section and I’ll reply.