by admin | Sep 24, 2020 | Uncategorized
Check out Chloe Gross’ art for Simmi and Aurora =D <3 It’s adorable!!!!
It is also available IN PAPERBACK WOOO! You’ve been asking and here it is!
If you follow Ruby Dixon ( if you haven’t been introduced to Ruby’s books yet, check ’em out HERE =D) you’ve probably seen Chloe’s beautiful work featuring many of Ruby’s heroes and heroines and their babies. But have you seen her needle work (JUST WOW, CHLOE!) or her fan art? LOOK AT HER BRESLIN & SANNA! (And Kota and Meesahrah, AWWW! <3) (And LOLOL on the arm munching scene XD)
WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT CHLOE? So did I! READ ON!
Have you always been artistically inclined?
Definitely! I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawing. I’m pretty sure my mom put a crayon in my pudgy little baby hand and that was it for me. My mom is an artist too, so it runs in the family!
What artists inspire you?
There are so many artists I love, I couldn’t possibly name them all!
-Arthur Rackham’s fairytale illustrations were a huge influence on me when I was young. I was given a coloring book of his work when I was little and I would try to copy his style (with mixed success). It’s so intricate and detailed, with an almost dreamlike quality to them.
-Petra Norland is an artist who makes me want to make a comic! Her comic is called Tiger Tiger, it’s about a lady who disguises herself as her brother and steals his ship to research sponges and ends up getting more than she bargained for. Her art is so pretty and her writing is so clever and funny, every page is great.
-Donato Giancola does beautiful paintings of sci-fi and fantasy scenes! I am in love with his mermaid paintings.
-Kyoko Hikawa’s art style is so lovely and expressive! She’s a Japanese artist who made mangas from the 1980s-2000s. She has a soft classic style that I just want to live in, and her characters are so sweet and heartfelt! I could go on about her for ages! Seriously, I need an “Ask me about Kyoko Hikawa” t-shirt.
What is your favorite medium to work in?
Clip Studio Paint is my go-to for digital art! It’s like Photoshop if Photoshop was affordable.
When making your commissioned pieces, on average, how long does it take you to create the artwork? Because you work from descriptions alone (because no one has yet created concept art for the creature) it must take you quite a bit. And goodness you’ve got a great talent of transferring words into images!
Commissions generally take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on what the commissioner wants and if I already have a good idea of what the character looks like.
Imagining what a character looks like in a story is just fun! I love piecing together all the descriptions the author gives into a complete picture. (Though sometimes it leads to weird questions, especially with aliens lol)
Of the pieces you’ve created, which ones are your favorites?
That’s hard to say, partly because it depends on my mood, and partly because I have a hard time describing my own work!
I’m still ridiculously fond of my first Ice Planet Barbarian babies from a couple of years back.
That one shiny naga guy I drew that one time. I still like how those colors turned out.
Orc Dad is a classic combo of Big Scary Parent and Adorable Child that I will never grow tired of.
I did a repaint of one of my old Ruby Dixon dragons last December and I still like his pouty face.
I also was really happy with how that Rakhii reference turned out!
Now onto the BIG question: Are you open for commissions?
Yes!
Find Chloe Gross’ artwork at:
by admin | Aug 22, 2020 | Uncategorized
Cover artists do not get enough credit.
Creating a book’s cover ain’t easy. And that’s just the design itself! On the business side, I’ve heard terrible stories from cover artists who struggle to meet authors’ visions, who revise, revise, revise–and then they have to beg, plead, and hope they get paid. Is it any wonder why artists are gunshy about working with new clients?
And before you send me all the notes–oh yes. I’ve heard some truly sad stories about authors who have bad experiences with artists too. Everything from quality to delivery.
So really, it can be rough all around.
When you find a great artist, you could HUG them.
Or you could pester them for an interview so you can share them with the world.
World, Meet Kevin Leiss. Professional from start to finish, it’s an absolute pleasure to work with him. Goodness is he talented!
This is the cover he created for me from scratch. That means he essentially ‘hand’-sculpted the character, digitally speaking. Warning: it will spoil you. It’s ruined me for all cover-creating methods. I never ever want to go back to photo-bashed art. Kevin, YOU ROCK!!!
So who is Kevin Leiss? He’s a top-notch creator living in Germany, and he was kind enough to sit down and answer some questions for those who are curious about him and his process.
I absolutely love your work. Have you always been artistically inclined?
Thank you! Yes. In kindergarten, I was already known as the “kid who likes to draw”. I can still remember how I drew endless pages with imaginary stories.
Aww! How neat that art has always been with you! Did you begin with traditional media, or with digital?
As you can imagine, I started on traditional media, haha. I even switched fairly late to the digital medium. I think I got my first graphic tablet when I was 17 or 18. Since then, I switched almost entirely to digital media. Photoshop and ZBrush being my main software to use.
The fact that you started ‘late’ in your digital journey & mastered it in such a short time–that’s impressive! What artists inspire you?
Way too many. There are so many awesome artists out there who all obtained such a tremendous amount of skill. But the most influential in the past years were Rafael Grassetti. His skill and work ethic is absolutely insane and I am not sure that I will ever get close to him.
OH MY LAND Grassetti is a favorite of mine too–and don’t sell yourself short!! =O Your skill is phenomenal. What is your favorite medium to work in?
It depends on my mood. I am a trained 2D artist and I really enjoy drawing and painting but since 2019 I really fell in love with 3D. So I can’t really tell. But I guess 3D will win in the long run.
From what I’ve seen, digital sculpting is a very involved, intensive process, much like physical sculpting is. On average, how long does it take you to create a digital artwork?
Yes, it can be a very long and demanding process. It all depends on what the final result should be like. I can sculpt a simple project in about one or two hours–but a project like your cover is a bit more complicated. I need to model the Character, then I have to create various maps (in 3D maps are used to give the object various information like color or specularity). After I’ve done this I have to pose the character and make an interesting light setup. This one took me about 20-30 Hours. But I get faster with every project I do.
Of the pieces you’ve created, can you show us your favorites?
That’s a tough question. The latest piece is always my favorite. This lasts for about a day or until I start a new piece. I think I am more in love with the process than the final product. If I had to decide, I would say that my current project is my favorite so far. I am painting friends of mine in a specific art style of a game we are playing together and it has been a blast.
Being that you have to spend a great length of time on the process, it’s actually a benefit that you love this part the most :). (And your current project sounds neat as heck!) Now onto the BIG question: Are you open for commissions?
Yes, I am. If you are in need of my service you can use the contact form on my website or write to me on my social media account. But please remember that this is a job and even an artist needs to make a living.
Absolutely. I look forward to stalking your work and seeing (and commissioning!) future projects! Thank you so much, Kevin! Your work is fabulous!! <3
Find Kevin Leiss’ artwork at:
Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/kevinleiss
Instagram
Website: https://kevinleiss.com/
by admin | Jul 25, 2020 | Uncategorized
Please Share!
If you’ve seen the Marc Antony Looney Tunes cartoon, you might remember that Antony saw his kitten land in the batter bowl and get baked into cookies. It was horrifying for him to witness. (Thankfully, his kitten made it out safely, and he finds that out, much to his effervescent relief!) Boy, I thought of this cartoon when I saw these reviews–Guys, I’m SO sorry!!!
😱I want to make it very clear that I’m not calling these reviewers out–on the contrary! These are long time fans of the series (I LOVE YOU!!!♥) and they took the time to leave reviews (Thank You!!)–I’m trying to *find* them! If you are Tiff or Cat you know who they are, please tell them to try re-downloading The Quarry Master. The dinner scene and the hand-holding/pulling away scenes are *less* than halfway through the story–these readers totally got screwed! 😲😲🥺 If you can’t get yours to download the full book, CONTACT ME–I’ll make it right! ♥🦉♥ My email is AmandaMiloBooks@gmail.com.
(And THANK YOU AGAIN to Tiff & Cat7788! I hope you get a chance to read the full story with no trouble and have a wonderful time!!)
P.S.–if it helps anyone else, reader Danielle shared that this happens on her device sometimes, and she’s found that the following might work to fix it: “I have to go into my library instead of home on kindle, select and download from there.” Thank you, Danielle, for this tip!
by admin | Jul 24, 2020 | Uncategorized
Looking for the perfect Grouch-to-Lover Romance?
Just Look at this Alien Fine-ness…
Isn’t this cover BEAUTIFUL? Credit to Kevin Leiss for this scrumptious artwork!
And it’s LIVE! You can find it at US: https://amzn.to/2WTIGB8 , I hope you love–
“Who is Bash?”
“Is he the son of Callie, the baby alien adopted by Zadeon in Rescued—?”
GREAT QUESTION.
If you were wondering this, you are not alone! Too many years and too many B-names have caused slight confusion, so here’s the scoop: Bash was mentioned at the end of Craved by an Alien (Dohrein and Gracie’s story) and was memorable for his brusque and curmudgeonly manner.
(He’s had some life happen to him to make him this way.)
(He was really, really fun to write.)
Want a Sneak Peak?
Bash drags his fangs over his bottom lip and faces forward almost determinedly, adjusting his grip on the reins, making the leather creak a little, which makes me wonder if he’s thinking of holding my neck in his hands instead of leather straps. “I had no idea you would talk this much.”
“It’s just a few simple questions.”
“Try to ask less.”
“I don’t know if you know this, but you’re sort of grumpy. And… no offense? But you’re also a little bossy.”
A surprised sound breaks from the big alien’s mouth. “You’re… still… talking.”
“You told me to ask less questions. I didn’t ask anythi—” I stop moving my mouth on account of the way he cuts a look at me that holds a distinct warning vibe, if I’m not mistaken. I hold up my hand in surrender. To really illustrate how I feel about being dragged along only to be forced not to say anything, I let out a very speaking sigh.
Bash’s teeth meet, gritting together (his lips are drawn up high enough all his teeth are clearly visible) and his eyelids lower so that he’s either giving the path to the kiln house some serious bedroom eyes, or he’s irked and he’s going to dash my body against the canyon wall here in about two-point-five seconds.
“I’m being quiet,” I inform him.
“The hells you are,” Bash declares before clucking to the Nawari, who pick up their legs faster, increasing our speed.
Despite what he thinks, I do really good at not saying anything—specifically when I don’t say anything back to that.
If you’re all “BRING ON THE FIRE-BREATHING BOSS!”, then Yay! =D
(That’s an owl trying to pick up popcorn. Gah, they’re totally charming + grumpy-lookin’ = adorable.)
Ready for the Blurb?
BASH:
I dislike people.
I *despise* humans.
A cruel mandate from one of my region’s rulers has saddled me with a slew of little alien humans: I’m to put them to work.
One problem?
I run a rock quarry, where humans’ thin skin is a detriment to productivity.
Overseeing these humans is like trying to herd yanaks. If I don’t burn, beat, or strangle them to death by the day’s end, it will be a miracle.
ISLA:
I can tell the boss likes me, because I’m not dead. Bash is abrasive and acerbic, like an alien love child of Michael Caine and Miss Hannigan. And maybe Ebenezer Scrooge. Bash is a little… anti-human race.
But he’s not all bad. Sure, he’s a little growly and he sets things on fire when he gets mad, but even villains need a friend. And here? Bash is everybody’s villain.
Everybody’s but mine.
Warning: This book is the slowest of slow burns. It’s a 127K story with the personal puzzle parts not snapping together until the last stretch of the book. If you want to sink your teeth into a romance that hits the fireworks level fast, skip on this one. But if you want a sweet slow burn, then this one might be the book for you.
…(Especially if you love super grouchy heroes with big horns and bigger attitudes.)
Buy Links:
US: https://amzn.to/3f6cUat
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quarry-Master-Grumpy-Romantic-Comedy-ebook/dp/B08DCLPMVP
CAN: https://www.amazon.ca/Quarry-Master-Grumpy-Romantic-Comedy-ebook/dp/B08DCLPMVP
Happy Reading!!!! =D <3
by admin | Oct 8, 2018 | Uncategorized
I’ll start you right off with linkage:
Stolen Audiobook
Rescued Audiobook
But I will warn you that we could only afford to produce one more book and I chose book 4, Craved, because I’m a sucker for Scottish accents and it was my pet project to see this one done. Someday, if sales take off, I’d love to have book 3 produced too but for now the audio of the series will be skipping a story. For those that are able to follow along by audio-only, I’m sorry! A lot of events in Callie and Zadeon’s story flow nicely into Dohrein and Gracie’s, so although you’ll miss a chunk of them in Won by an Alien, I can tell you it’s not crucial and I hope if you continue on that you still have a good listen! Thank you SO much for reviewing on Audible and telling others you liked what you heard—-guys, it was AWESOME to see that. A dream come true! ♥
Fun Trivia: The narrator, Nick Cracknell, is a wizard at accents. Readers had asked for Dohrein to have a Scottish accent so I mentioned that to him, but told him no pressure.
I said have fun, and pick whatever he wanted for the characters.
In Stolen, he gave Dohrein a gorgeous Scottish accent.
…And then he gave Gracie an English accent. WHOA. It rocked! As he was reading Stolen, I was writing Craved by an Alien, Dohrein & Gracie’s story, and that made for some fun tweaks. I reached out to Jo at https://bubblesthebookpimp.com/ and asked if she’d read it over and let me know if the phrases and words I wanted Gracie to say would work. Some words, like ‘pissed’ have very different meanings across the pond.
But because Gracie has spent a few years in the USA, it left juuust a little wiggle room. 😉
by admin | Jul 26, 2018 | Uncategorized
Craved by an Alien is LIVE!
And for my readers who cheer me on with each story I write, for a limited time, Craved is $.99 — THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING ME!!!! ♥
https://amzn.to/2NLVFh5
Dohrein and Gracie were a riot to write. I hope you have fun in their world =D
Also news! Stolen by an Alien is now available in AUDIO! Get it here:
https://amzn.to/2mKM9zk
