Books
The Cover for the new novel!
It took a while and a bunch of different versions, but I finally finished the cover for the Reylian Orb manuscript, which is now titled “Dark Captives”.
This cover is the result of some research on cover design and photography both by myself and Dave, who helped with the lighting and the suggestions on the subject matter for the cover. We both agreed on the final design, so even though it’s not the kind of cover you might traditionally see on erotica novels, it’s got a much more scifi feel to it and is still pretty sexy, (at least I think so). There’s a lot of history behind this particular piece of art, actually. It’s inspired by favorite covers from other novels we liked and thought had pretty terrific covers, such as Michael Whelan’s cover for Anne McCaffrey’s “Killashandra”, among others.
I suppose this cover meant more to me than even Peacekeeper, which meant a lot, because I really loved this novel and wanted to give it the treatment it deserves, with a beautiful cover I can be proud of as a writer and an artist.
Tell me what you think, I really want to hear from everyone. About this cover, about erotica covers (e-book, print, anything) and about science fiction cover art. What you guys think is important to me, because you’re the people we’re writing for and what you want in cover art is important as well. I can use any information you all give me to pass along to publishers and other authors.
Believe me, your other favorite authors also want to know what you think. I’ve talked to so many authors, famous and not so famous ones and something we all agree on is that we like to hear from our readers and we want their opinions heard by the publishers and the marketing departments that work for them. In some cases, like my publisher, I get a lot more control over what is on my cover, but not everyone does.
Unfortunately in the ebook business, I’ve seen some great books with lousy covers and some lucky authors who get some terrific covers for their books. It’s kind of hit and miss and I do have a tendency now, to select a potential publisher of my work by the quality of their covers (if they won’t let me do my own art).
I may just suggest this as a panel for the next convention I am invited to. I am going to Leprecon in Tempe in May (more on that soon).
Reylian Orb is done!
On the Tabitha Bradley website is a nice little post about the fact that the Reylian Orb is DONE! I just sent it off to the publisher this afternoon and hope to hear what she thinks soon.
Yay, yay!
Anyway, the Reylian Orb was one of the hardest books I’ve written and I really don’t know why. It sure took the longest to write (we don’t count the 2 year gap in the middle of Arcadia, you know). Work didn’t help and the knee surgery definitely didn’t, but even those aside, I don’t know what it was about this story that was so hard to tell.
I sure didn’t think it was going to be much of an effort when I started it. It was supposed to be short and easy. Just explain what happened when Jeron captured Alex and Gaston rescued her, fitting in some object called “The Reylian Orb”. In Peacekeeper, it was a ‘cool idea’, based on an older idea I’d had years ago.
Once I got into it though, it became very involved.
It became: Alex meets Jeron for the first time and What happened to make Alex so frightened of Taggart in Arcadia and what happened between Alex and Gaston after the rescue?
Other surprises came out of it, solving questions I didn’t know I had and creating ideas for other things that happened later.
It became this amazing thing that nearly ended up in the ‘unfinished’ file in December but came back even stronger when I finally got a chance to get serious with it in February, after the move.
But it’s good. I know it’s good.
I love it and I think you will too. I can only hope it comes out soon so everyone who has been patiently waiting for a new story will finally get their wish, esp Tanilen, Dena and Layne. 
HUGS!
…It begins…
I don’t know where else to turn. I understand that you have been able to find things no one else has been able to and although I and my colleagues have been dismissive of your profession in the past, we find ourselves desperate and humbly ask for your help.
My deplorable pride has gotten the better of me and allowed me to fall for the false promises of a truly unscrupulous and evil man. He hired us to find a particular Artifact, one that had been rumored a myth, impossible to find. However, I, in my blind pride, assured him that my team could find anything, even this Reylian Orb of which he was so desirous.
I was wrong.
Now, half of my team is dead. The other half are so exhausted they may welcome death if they are pushed any further. And our employer gives us no respite. If we do not produce the Reylian Orb by the time he arrives, he will feed us to the Rysusi, of that I am certain.
Please, Miss T’Kayn, I ask–no, I beg of you–please help us. If not for me, for my team, who never deserved this.
Professor Darran Cass
Blogging and websites
I have been thinking about blogging lately, about what I use my sites for and why I don’t blog more.
I’ve had a presence on the Internet, in one way or another, since 1995. Most of that time, it’s been some iteration of Diranda, beginning with the DIC (Dirandan Information Centre) up to Diranda.com/Diranda Studios and on to the present incarnation as this blog, Diranda Studios.
With the renewal of tabithabradley.com (which was squatted for 2 years by some company in southern AZ) I have a dedicated official author site where I can write anything having to do with the work published under the pen-name Tabitha Bradley. Of course, this leaves Diranda Studios kind of up in the air as to what I want to do with it.
I have always liked the idea of using this site as a clearing house for Dirandan Chronicles information, if interested people wanted to see it, as well as using it to host my gallery, since I have complete control over what is in it (as opposed to places like Deviant Art and Renderosity, which are both great art communities but are limited in various ways).
I never have been able to collect enough interesting Dirandan material to make an “Info Center” site (ala 1995) and my art tends to be done in sporadic bursts of creativity or deadlines to create a better looking cover than most e-publishers seem willing to offer.
I’m turning this blog into a personal journal-type blog, with Diranda information and publishing and art-type stuff as I see fit, saving the “pro” stuff for the Tabitha Bradley location (since I bought the thing, I should use it!).
So expect to see a lot more World of Warcraft stuff, opinions and rants on this site, because if I’m in a mood to write, who knows what kind of stuff will come up! And yeah, a lot more opinions about the e-publishing industry in general, particularly when I’m ticked off at it (like I have been for a couple of months now).
I’ll keep the professionalism, but on Tabitha Bradley, not here, which is pretty much where my heart lives anyway.
-JK
New Tabitha Bradley website
I am working on building my author website at http://www.tabithabradley.com so that this site can concentrate on the Dirandan Chronicles and my art Gallery.
Some new and interesting things have come up in the several weeks since the convention. I should be finishing up The Reylian Orb soon and will let you know as soon as it’s out and available for sale. This book will be available in print as well as ebook formats and I’m sure Dirandan Chronicles fans will find it intriguing.
I am going to be participating in NaNoWriMo 2010, so if you’re also doing it, drop me a NaNoMail (username: Diranda. Click the image to the left or the link in the blogroll) and I’ll add you to my buddy list.
More news and updates on the website, the book and on the new project I am planning will be posted soon.
Updates and more art
After two weeks of fun with my knee, I’m out of the brace and back to work, it seems. I’ve gotten some significant progress on the Reylian Orb this weekend and am definitely looking at finishing it up shortly. While doing that, I have done two more quick character sketches. One is Kazi Gerik, Samuel’s second and House Commander of VonTesmar, and the other is Joshua Wetfire, the mysterious Head of Security 
from Vendalli’s. Both of these are pretty basic pictures, since I am looking at characterization rather than personality overmuch, but I thought they might be nice to put up anyway.
More very, very soon!
Good Risings,
Tabbi
New art in the gallery
Being laid up over the weekend with knee surgery, I did some editing on the Reylian Orb and, being in the mood, went ahead and did some art with my shiny
new Dell!
So the new pic in the gallery is inspired by the last scenes in Reylian Orb, with Alex and Gaston working together <gasp!>, to escape Jeron Silstrun’s ship, the Zenon. (Warning: A little Alex nudity (long hair works wonders))
As usual, any comments are welcome. 
The Misadventures of Alex T’Kayn, Treasure Hunter is available!
The Misadventures collection is now available at Renaissance. If you haven’t read the series, then this is a great way to pick it up, with the new cover art.
This edition does have some minor changes, primarily with the way Alex and Gaston meet (this IS the first time they meet), and most of the story has been returned to the original editions which were first for sale from Buy Best Ebooks as a subscription. Anyone who was on that subscription and never picked up the Black Rose of Janassi when the series was acquired by Renaissance, please let me know.
I’m still working on the Reylian Orb, which (barring any further house floods–got home last night and the house had an inch of water sitting on top of the carpet!!) should be done within a few weeks at the most, a week, hopefully. You should be seeing that one not too long after I get it over to my editor, as I already have the sketch for the cover mostly figured out (I think it will be better than this one!).
So if you haven’t read this particular series of stories, want to see what’s different/read the introduction, or are a collector of Dirandan Chronicles, please pick up a copy of the book: The Misadventures of Alex T’Kayn, Treasure Hunter.
Good Risings to everyone!
Tabbi
The cover of the Misadventures Complete ebook
After an intense weekend working on it, along with writing more in the Reylian Orb (fun stuff!), I have finished the cover for the Complete Misadventures of Alex T’Kayn ebook which is coming out this Friday.
This is the official book cover, however, there’s a more revealing one that we love but aren’t able to use on sites like Amazon and B&N. Click here for the “uncensored” version. (wink!)
Comments are always welcome, of course.
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