New cover for The Last Motley

Today, I have a most special announcement. I had not expected to update the cover for  at all when this year started. The original cover was amazing and created by a very accomplished designer. The Last Motley has also been my most successful book. So why would it need a new cover?

I’ll give you the answer to that question in a moment. But first, take a gander at the new cover in all its splendor.

Pretty stunning, wouldn’t you say? This painting really showcases the colors of Jacob’s skin and makes him look much younger. The model for the original cover was actually a boy, but somehow the lighting made him look a bit older than he was. This version also makes Jacob look more innocent, I think.

But none of those factors contributed to the decision to redesign the cover. The original was already my favorite cover of all of my books. So, again, why the change?

Of magical children

The reason is quite simple. It’s because the artist who created the painting for this new cover is my daughter, who surprised me with this painting as a birthday gift.

She’s only fifteen, but is the most dedicated artist I know. She’s already filled dozens of sketchbooks. She usually does one a month, in addition to her digital art. We no longer have anywhere to put all the sketchbooks and art supplies. But that’s a good problem to have.

Yes, she’s quite a prodigy. In her own way, she’s just as magical as Jacob, if not more.

You can get up off the floor now. I hope you didn’t land too hard.

Other beautifications

In addition to the new cover, if you’re a regular visitor to the site, you might have noticed it got a slight facelift in the wee hours of the night. I hope you enjoy the fresher, brighter, more airy aesthetic. It may not seem all that different, but a lot of work went in behind the scenes to make this happen and I’m pleased as punch with how it turned out. I’m particularly fond of the new books page.

The Last Motley isn’t the only new cover that’s gone into the wild. cover has also been tweaked. This little genre-bending short story is quite different from anything else I’ve written. And it’s free, so if you have not checked it out, be sure to do so.

Finally, the digital version of The Last Motley has been reformatted to include drop caps and special chapter intros. The map has also been slightly updated to reflect a name change of one of the countries. And the print edition was also re-typeset to a smaller font and now has fewer pages.

So much newness! I think I’ll have to rename this month Newvember.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed all the fireworks and confetti. If you have not snagged your copy of , there’s no better time to do so. I can only hope you find the story inside as whimsical, colorful, and enchanting as my daughter’s painting.