Sneak preview: Cover art for the next novel

As anyone who may’ve bothered reading previous entries here would p’raps have ascertained, I just finished writing novel #4 (Depth Charging Ice Planet Goth) and this is currently with the publishers to see when/if we have a green light to proceed.

The book needs some tight copy-editing since it’s mostly written in first person (easy) present tense (tricky) but I’m pretty happy with the final version of the manuscript… and now have finalized the front cover image.

This is by French artist Kmye Chan and titled ‘Dancing Puppet’.

The first time I saw it, there was this uncanny synchronicity since I was shaping the main character (Mina), who’s basically a nouveau-goth in 1986 Nede (standing in for Melbourne), with platinum blonde hair shades of Pippi Longstocking. And there were forces afoot in the subtext of the novel that indicate someone may be pulling strings, that she isn’t in control of her life — at all.

And then I saw Kmye’s painting on deviantART and it blew me away. This was exactly what I was exploring, but in a visual sense — a fusion of nouveau (contrasting the art deco of the last novel cover) with manga by the likes of Kazuo Umezu and ’60s comic book stuff by Steve Ditko and (design-wise at least) Barry Windsor-Smith.

So, pretty much everything I love, with the gothic slant included. Even the colours looked fine to me — perfect to match the tone of the content.

Honestly? I wouldn’t have been satisfied with anything else and I’m absolutely chuffed that she agreed to the idea!

Whew. More news soon.

Otherwise, getting back to the art deco-packaged Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa? we just scored a brilliant critique thanks to Sunday Smith @ A Book a Day Reviews.

And my first novel Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat (2011), which really started the ball rolling on all this, is being offered in paperback form as part of a giveaway at Goodreads just in time for the yuletide season. You can find out more here.