Art! Short Story! Presents!

Happy Holidays, all! I have presents for you! I'm really excited to announce that I've uploaded the short story about Caleb & Talise's first meeting to smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and amazon. It should be live in the next 24-48 hours. It will take longer to distribute to iBooks, Sony, Diesel, and Kobo as always. I will keep you informed.

The story is called "The Luthier of Keman."

Synopsis: 

Caleb Murphy is coming to the end of his first circuit as an avowed Daniyelan, and it can't end soon enough. Arbitrating judgments for horse breeders in Isfaridesh can't compare to his journeymen circuit riding the disputed Nabosian border, and his partner, Gisa Protz, can't stand him. His thoughts are with his troubled sister Ella as he arrives in the small town of Keman, but what awaits him in a luthier's shop will change his life forever. 

"The Luthier of Keman" is a short story that takes place twenty years before Shatter (The Children of Man, #1).

The story takes place twenty years before the events of Shatter and Render, during the year before the Nabosian War began. Caleb and Talise are eighteen years old and quite different from the dynamic duo we know and love. I really hope you enjoy it! I had such a blast writing it. Seriously. So much fun. It was so nice to draft, edit, and publish a story in a matter of weeks.

That announcement is my first present to you. My second is a present to me that I'm passing on and sharing with you. My loverly and all around awesomesauce friend Anne Hromalik of cartographer fame is, as I've told you before, an artist, not just a brilliant mapmaker. She created a piece featuring Caleb and Talise, and I'M SO IN LOVE. This picture makes me salivate. Its dynamism is so appropriate for these two characters. It captures each of their personalities and their relationship perfectly. The use of color is so spot on. The yellow for Talise with the complimentary blue highlights is just so apropos. I love the arm bandolier on Caleb. I love the knives strapped to Talise's thighs, and her boots--great googly moogly her boots. I love that Caleb is firmly solid and stable and Talise is tumbling through the air. I love the expressions on their faces and how they're looking at each other. They look exactly as I picture Caleb & Talise. Simply put, it IS my Caleb and Talise. I could prattle on about this picture for far longer than you want to listen. Without further ranting and raving, here it is:

© 2011 Anne Hromalik

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS PICTURE. I mean LOOK AT IT. How can I not be giddy? It looks like the cover of a really awesome graphic novel. I am so blessed to have friends like Anne. I love seeing my characters brought to life, and this is simply stunning. Thank you so much, Anne, for this present. *squee*

See more of Anne's artwork here: http://www.teaofdreams.com