Official Author Website
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Night Of The Chalk

Working with designers and artists to develop books covers is hands-down my favorite part of the job. When I first began hunting for artists on sites like deviantart.com and artstation.com, I was blown away by the level of talent and creativity out there in the world. And I wanted to capture it. I wanted to own it.

The first original illustration I commissioned was for The Night Of The Chalk, and it drove the book to making Fantasy Book Critic’s list for SPFBO Top 3 Covers. I worked with Tomasz Chistowski for all three of the books in the Spies of Dragon and Chalk series, each one featuring a different fantasy city. When Tomasz ditched freelancing for a full-time gig, I had the pleasure/pain of again looking for an artist that floored me in their fantasy landscapes, cityscapes, and character renditions.

Dominik Mayer stepped in and blew me away. I chose him for his ability to render skies via vivid paint strokes. I wanted the sky to be central to The Fire Eye Refugee’s cover as the story revolves around a celestial event which adds mystery to the quest of Kay the fetch to recover a missing child. Dominik’s talent for architecture and long, flowing banners helped add character and mysticism to the scene. The sequel The Fire Eye Chosen is now available for preorder. For this cover, I sought to bring the reader a little closer to our main character and the peril she navigates. And here is is.

I don’t have much more to say before I’ll hit you with the blurb and bow out of here. I’m very happy with another of Dominik’s illustrations (and the always excellent typography from Humble Nations). What I like most about this cover is it launches you straight into the heart of the story, Kay chasing down leads, uncovering evidence of an evil that would prefer to remain in the shadows. It plays at two themes which run through the Fire Eye books: that even the most stable-seeming of societies live on a razor’s edge and that everything comes at a price. In a world where all knowledge comes with enemies, justice requires diligence and strength. Luckily Kay’s got that kickass baton to put to work.

Here’s the blurb. My thanks to the always amazing Fantasy Book Critic crew for letting me do this and you for reading.

The Fire Eye Chosen (available for preorder, scheduled for release on July 15, 2018)

OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: She needs to find the spark within more than ever. Can this fierce spy ignite the fire inside her and fulfill her destiny?

Kay the fetch returns in The Fire Eye Chosen. The city's children are missing and her struggle to bring them home has led to nothing but dead ends. A force, awakened deep below the city streets, threatens the peace Kay has worked tirelessly for. As the Fire Eye shines down upon her, Kay must hope her magic will finally awaken, her only hope in lighting the way through the approaching wave of blood and smoke.

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Official Author Website
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Night Of The Chalk
Pre-order The Fire Eye Chosen over HERE
Read "How Guitar Magazines Prepared Me for the Traditional vs. Self-Publishing Debate" by Samuel Gately (Guest Post)

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Samuel Gately is a fantasy writer. His Spies of Dragon and Chalk series imagines a world where James Bond carries a sword and works for a dragon army.