My upcoming novel of the Crusade of 1101, Beloved Pilgrim, which should be available in a matter of a few months in paperback and on Kindle, has a stunning new cover! When I hired Dave Graham to do the cover, I knew he would do a great job, but he exceeded my wildest expectations. He so perfectly achieved my vision for the two characters and the setting and gives such a succinct artitsic rendering of the theme of the novel, I simply could not be happier. I will share his contact information with you soon.
Beloved Pilgrim is the story of Elisabeth von Winterkirche, a young noblewoman in Bavaria who rejects the role her time and class have set for her of passivity and homely skills. After her twin brother's death, she dons his armor and weapons and, with his former squire who was also his lover, heads for Constantinople for a crusade led by Raymond de St. Gilles, Count of Toulouse. She learns early on that she can pass for a young man as, "People see what they expect." What she herself did not suspect was what she would learn once embarked on this doomed pilgrimage, that honor is not always where you expect it and that love can come in the person of another woman.
Pictured is, mounted on Gauner, Elisabeth aka the Ritter Elias, and the half Turkish, half Greek Maliha with the walls of her home city, Constantinople, in the background.
The book is dedicated to the cover artist's own father, Jack, who has provided so much quality advice to me on battle and related matters in both my novels.
This is my second novel, after An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England
, which came out in 2008. It is in paperback, on Kindle and at Smashwords.com, and you can find reviews on this blog.
, which came out in 2008. It is in paperback, on Kindle and at Smashwords.com, and you can find reviews on this blog.My first book was published by Delphi Press in 1992 and is a nonfiction book on women, body image and sexuality, Loving the Goddess Within
. I am in the process of arranging for it to be reprinted.
. I am in the process of arranging for it to be reprinted.I am excited to see Beloved Pilgrim nearing release by Shieldwall Books. It is a novel about honor and friendship and a gentle love story.
Thank you Nan, Augustina and Gregory for your comments!
ReplyDeleteI used digital techniques to give a painted look for this cover. I have also illustrated using other mediums as well- oil paint, chalk, and pencil.
One of the things that really thrilled me is Maliha's costume... I had found it online as a Byzantine era costume, and David rendered it faithfully but managed to do so with the woman in it... just amazing. And I look at the faces of Elisabeth and Maliha parting and it makes me weepy. I do dearly love those two.
ReplyDeleteNan