I got fanart! Look at me, I got fanart! · 5:45pm Apr 17th, 2020
Check out the original, full resolution art here.
The other day, a certain fan of mine, with whom I only very rarely communicate, messaged me out of the blue with the above piece, and I was floored.
This has to be the first time that someone actually made fanart of one of my original works. (Because I have original works, you know, actual original novels that I publish professionally, which keeps surprising people on this site for some reason even though I blog about it and get all of my friends to blog about it every time I release something -- but that's neither here nor there.)
This one depicts a certain Nikola Nowak from the book Seven-Point Star, child genius and magus with a debilitating condition that leaves her bones as fragile as glass. I adore the little details that went into it, the scars and braces on her leg, her magitech spine, and that little crystal ball she's playing with... it's obvious that the artist spent a long time going over the book's pages to nail all the tiny details that make Nikola, Nikola.
I don't think I've ever had a close relationship with my fans. Hell, it seems crazy to write it down, or to say it out loud, that I have fans. I usually don't acknowledge that there is indeed a small segment of people out there who eagerly anticipate what I'll produce next, people who've been coming back for years just to see what I've been up to. I don't like to acknowledge it because I still somehow can't believe it; I don't like to acknowledge it because I'm always afraid I'll somehow come off as pretentious or arrogant or something along those lines. (A certain episode of a certain TV show comes to mind.)
I don't say "thank you" enough. I really don't. I should say it a lot more. It's times like this when I'm reminded of it.
See, the thing is, I've received fanart before. Time and time again, someone would message me out of the blue and say, "hey, I did this really cool thing that took me hour and hours and hours of work just because I like one of your stories so much!" And time and time again, I'm at a loss for words.
There is a general rule of thumb that whenever a creator looks at any of his or her previous work, all they see if failure. I'm certainly like that, at least a bit. I could eviscerate every story I've ever written and tell you exactly why they suck. Yet even then, even if I try to play it cool and be humble and dismissive of my own work, as a sort of reflexive defence mechanism in the face of overwhelming praise -- even then, regardless of the actual quality of my works, or lack thereof, the fact that they could inspire somebody else to create something is the greatest compliment I can imagine. It's not about the art, see. It's about the work and effort that goes into it. When someone shows me fanart, I'm not looking at just the actual final product -- I'm looking at the time they spent out of love.
Thank you. I regret that to this day I haven't been able to come up with something better to say.
Thank you.
You can find my original works on Amazon, and some more information about what I've been up to lately on my website, where I've just recently posted a new blog talking about the connection and tension between ancient Greek philosophy and washing your hands. Yes, it was absolutely inspired by COVID-19. Check it out if you want your day ruined, it's super depressing.
If you like my works, consider subscribing to the website too (just drop an email address into the box at the bottom of every page so you get alerted to new posts) because I've got some good news coming in the next couple of weeks. Months? Look, I'm working on it, okay?
Those are some extremely neat bones!
5244310
i.imgur.com/wmfP0B6.png
5244349
Wait, am I the weirdo boyfriend in this analogy?
5244399
I'm going to delete this comment, just so your email isn't out there in the open. If you want to sub to the website, go there and scroll to the bottom of any page. You'll find a subscription box there where you can submit your email.
5244451
Skeletons are always neat. No bones about it.
That's just awesome. No, not just awesome, it's REALLY awesome!
5244451
I guess you are.
Weirdo.
In my defense, I did try to find one that just had the 'jealousy' quote in it, but couldn't find one that didn't include Pinkie's lines.
5244451
Lol I have my phone number listed in my author bio, but thanks.
Edit: went and subscribed. I just want to say that what a time to be Alice has a killer name and cover art combination. Is that referencing the usage of Alice in a lot of cryptography examples?
Neat!
Looks great! The design near the legs looks like really modern aerospace carbon fiber.
5244460
I've never heard of Alice used in cryptography, but I was aware of her use in science. It's not an intentional reference, but with how many references there are in the book, it might as well be.
5245195
Looks like it was originally used in cryptography and then spread to other fields.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_and_Bob