Art and escapism

My petals, I start writing sometimes and then stop and stare, because I can’t believe that I truly have a book of my very own coming out after all this time. It’s strange and wonderful to have your dream come true. It’s difficult to have the dream and lose it, see it slipping from your fingers. And it’s wonderful and terrifying to have the dream given back to you.

And yet it is true, and the day approaches!

I thought a gentle way to slide back into talking about my art is to show someone else’s. Venessa Vida Kelley’s art of my LONG LIVE EVIL characters, in fact.

I love how this Art Reveal picture underlines that there are two worlds, and that they look and feel different, as my heroine… well, protagonist… walks into the world of an epic fantasy and changes it by her presence—and her wicked plans.

You’ve already met Key, the gutter assassin turned bodyguard…

This is Lady Lia, the Pearl of the World, the heroine of the story. I wanted her to fit the storybook heroine criteria - golden hair, you can tell she’s good because she’s dressed in white, but also to have a Pre-Raphaelite look — to promise sorrow, as well.

Octavian, the Eighth King in Waiting, who has just been informed he will become the prophesied Emperor the world has been waiting for. A few years ago he was a charming young prince, and he’s still in that liminal space, waiting to see who he’ll become—I wanted him on the throne, but not entirely kingly yet!

Lord Marius Valerius, the white knight, the Last Hope, the scholarly and incorruptible. I sent Venessa so many pictures about his jawline. I needed him to be so imposing, an ivory tower of a person.

Emer, the future Iron Maid. Currently a humble ladies’ maid who is very good with hair… and treachery. I wanted her to code like Lizzie Borden the famous axe murderer to us. Because only people who have read the book know that in future, she will whack her way up into being more than just a maid…

The Golden Cobra, the wicked Marquis of Popenjoy. Playboy, playwright, spymaster. Someone who hears a lot of stories and tells a lot of stories - since this book is about going into a story, I wanted a storyteller among the cast so I could have someone talk about stories—and who has fun with stories, the way I want this to be fun for you. This is actually him dressed down…

Lady Rahela, now Rae, the Beauty Dipped In Blood, notorious harlot and evil schemer. Rae has woken up in the story, accused of terrible crimes—and she’s going to solve this through more crime. And bringing together her band of villains. The wicked temptress is always exceedingly pneumatic…

I wanted a sedate tableau, suggesting a classic fantasy tale, evoking some Once and Future King and his knight and his lady…

… so I could descend into vivid chaos when my villains come in to literally rock everybody’s world.

Here’s a special piece of art that hasn’t been shown anywhere else.

A leeetle close-up of our white knight and our wicked marquis. They have a complicated relationship. (He’s taking him to the king to face his justice.)

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my intentions behind this art, and the beautiful art itself. Long Live Evil is about escaping into art when life is hard, and how that’s a necessary and beautiful and complicated thing.

And the story is coming to you, August 1 in the UK, August 27 in the US (it’s delayed for a secret reason I will tell you guys first), in ten languages to come… and in Dutch, I believe, tomorrow!

I’ll tell you another secret now. I shall be doing a tour in the UK and the US. With the most exciting special guests imaginable.

If you’re free in Dublin on July 31, come visit me at Hodges Figgis on Dawson Street at 6pm… as it says on my handsome new website here (do you like it?) with special guest, brilliant cultural influencer Fionnuala Jay.

And if you’re free in Glasgow on August 7, what would you think about coming to Waterstones Sauciehall Street to see me and… *faerie drum roll* beautiful genius queen, writer Holly Black?

As for just a couple more hours, you can get 25% off at Barnes & Noble, I drop a lil buy link here… buy LONG LIVE EVIL

I hope you enjoyed all the art, thoughts and secret news. I’ll come tell you more wicked secrets soon.