At long last, here is the latest cover illustration for The Maelstrom. Cory Godbey has done a wonderful job once again and I think the drawing hints at some intriguing developments in the story. The central figure (and indeed this book's central threat) is our old friend, Prusias. The latest I've heard is that the book will be released in October 2012. I hope you're excited as I am!

The text for The Maelstrom is finished, so these days I'm spending my time on the final artwork. I've completed all the sketches, so the trick now is to recreate them with pen and ink so that they'll reproduce crisply. To do this, I'll place the pencil sketch on a light box, lightly trace the lines, and then work with an old-fashioned dip pen, India ink, and brushes to produce the final piece. I can typically do three every two days or so. I'm hoping to have the whole lot finished by early January at which time I'll start writing Book 5.

This particular drawing shows the formidable Yuga in the background and a mysterious (and highly menacing) figure in the foreground. We'll be learning much more about each in the upcoming book.