- Courtney Rosaleen
- Apr 10
- 3 min read
Happy Monday, friends!
Today I am so excited to reveal the third brand-new illustration from the Silver Blood ultra-limited deluxe special edition, and one of my top 3 personal favorites from Uwe Jarling. I've also included a sneak peek of the revamped Gilded Blood end pages, if we're able to hit our $200k stretch goal! (Caution: Minor Spoilers Ahead!)
Illustration #3 Reveal! (Scroll Down)
Illustration #1: A Golden Opportunity
A young human woman stumbled into the store, clutching a massive portfolio against her chest, the case bulging at the seams. She was paler than most of the overly-tanned women who ventured into my studio, indicating she was either a new Miami transplant or a tourist. Unlike the inexhaustible number of bottled blondes I’d become accustomed to, she had long, dark brown hair, though her bangs and the pieces of hair framing her face had been dyed a striking shade of cerulean blue – the exact same color of my home planet’s star. Clad in cut-off jean shorts – exposing a lime-green bandage haphazardly slapped across her knee – hand-dyed rainbow Converse sneakers, and a wrinkled, low-cut t-shirt, the girl was chaos incarnate: beautiful, turbulent, and wholly unnerving.
Illustration #2: Magic Beans
“Hibiscus!” I hissed. “Quit it! You’re going to wake—” My sentence broke off as the castærum pod I was grasping between my fingers twitched in agitation. "Ohhh, sh*t."
The ground began to vibrate.
Both animals stopped in their tracks, but it was too late. Growing tremors shook the earth, the surrounding Zaffrenpines swaying and shuddering from the force of them.
Exchanging wide-eyed glances, the squirrel darted up the nearest tree while Hibiscus launched herself off the ground to join him, leaving me in the literal dirt. Before I even had time to leap to my feet, dozens of castærum vines shot out of the ground like fictitious beansprouts, ensnaring my calves and forearms with burly fibers as strong as nylon rope.
And now...
Illustration #3: A Full-Scale Attack
I turned to my new friend, who was still gliding alongside the boat. “I thank you for your company,” I told her, putting my hand to my chest. “But your pod is treading too close to the island, and dragons are known to snatch calves from these wat—”
A shadow crossed in front of the sun, the only warning I had before a searing jet of crimson fire exploded right in front of me. The sail of the boat burst into flames, along with the helm, as a massive black dragon tore out of the sky.
“Go!” I shouted at the whales.
Snatching my bag and sword, I leapt into the water a split second before another fireball slammed into the boat, sending smoldering fragments of wood flying in every direction.
[No whales are harmed in Silver Blood! 🐳❤️]
I could not be happier with how these new illustrations turned out (especially #3, OMG 😍) and cannot wait to see the 4th illustration that YOU all unlocked!!! Any guesses as to which scene it'll feature??
Revamped End Pages
After unlocking our last stretch goal, and as we sail toward our next one, some of you have asked me what exactly "end pages" are. I'm happy to explain! These are end pages
Right now, the Gilded Blood 4-book omnibus currently has the map in the back and the front. HOWEVER, if we hit our next ($200k) stretch goal, I'm going to revamp the front end pages to have this stunning illustration, made by my dedicated cover designer, Lana:
I am hoping with all my heart that we hit this next stretch goal, so if you have any fantasy-loving friends, please share this Kickstarter with them! I cannot wait to see all of the beautiful add-ons we continue to unlock!!
Cheers!❤️
Itching for MORE snark, shenanigans, and signed bananas? Come join my brand-new reader group, Rachel's Renergades! 🍌 🍌 🍌
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