As I mentioned in this post last month, I’m gearing up to release eight novels this year (#8books8months)!

While I’m still cranking out words like mad to complete the last two novels, that’s just a piece of the entire effort.  It’s one of my favorite parts, but writing alone doesn’t make a book.

Mastering everything else is another adventure entirely.  Sometimes I feel like I’m trying to cook soup in a dishwasher.  I’ve got all the ingredients and plenty of hot water, but the results could just as easily end up creating unidentifiable brown stains that leave a lingering bad taste.  (Good thing we have a new dishwasher coming this week).

So I’m going to launch a series of blog posts discussing the process of building a novel, highlighting the challenges and the fun, celebrating the victories and trying to avoid pulling out the last of my hair.  It should prove an interesting journey.

I’ll review the actual process of creating a first draft in a future post.  I’m in the middle of brainstorming and planning book three of the Facetaker trilogy right now, which leaves me alternating between typing so fast I’ve burned the stickers off several of the letters on my keyboard, and wandering around the house like a zombie, mumbling under my breath, eyes unfocused, followed by my dog who watches me with growing concern.

Today, we celebrate one of the best visual aspect of the process:  Illustrations.  In particular, MAPS!

Here’s the first map associated with Set in Stone.  It shows Obrion, the nation where Connor and his friends live and where their crazy adventure begins.  Their town of Alasdair is located at the northern edge of the map.  I’ll post a close-up map of Alasdair in the next blog.

Like I said – Awesome!

With this map, the story’s one step closer to adulthood.  But when this one leaves home, I won’t face the very real risk of openly crying like when my daughter heads to college in the fall.

I write fantasy – all types of fantasy – and fantasy without maps is like a theme park without a roller-coaster.

I love maps, but my stick-figure drawings and chicken-scratch sketches are self-inflicted pencil torture.  I even tried one of those map-making software products.  It fired me.

You need great maps.  That means great illustrators, and I found one in Jared Blando.  He did a fantastic job with the maps for Set in Stone.

The book page for the novel (http://www.frankmorin.org/books/set-in-stone/)  is newly developed.  It’s still under construction, with additional maps, cover, and other illustrations to be added over the next few weeks.  Be sure to check it out.  That’s central station for the novel.  It already includes a synopsis of the story and this map.  I’ll also post a sample chapter soon.  Please consider registering since I’m preparing the first newsletter, filled with tons of additional information about the novels.

Next post – Alasdair.