by Original Artwork by Demelsa Haughton
I’m thrilled to reveal a piece of original artwork by the super-talented artist Demelsa Haughton inspired by the opening chapter of my Destiny’s Rebel.
This is the first time – apart from the wonderful cover artwork by the brilliant Emma Graham Illustrations – that I’ve seen images inspired by my words.
So without further delay, here it is, entitled “Kat’s Escape”:
Wow! I love Demelsa’s style and the atmosphere evoked here. It is both humbling and awe-inspiring when a scene from my imagination takes flight and lands in another mind, to set off the creativity of another artist. Please go and have a look at the rest of her artwork here at Demelsa Haughton Illustrations, and once you’ve had a look, please place an order for your favourites!
At the start of Destiny’s Rebel, Kat is seventeen and dreading becoming Queen. She runs away, escaping from the Castle and boarding a ship in Anestra Bay. The image shows Kat in the rowing boat in Anestra harbour on her way to board the Caldunate galleon, the Oyster Shell. Although in the book Kat is being rowed by the ship’s first mate, Jersull, I like it here that she’s alone. It underlines her feelings of isolation and loneliness, and that she’s facing the terrible weight of her destiny on her own.
But why is Kat running away? Her story is about the things we can and can’t choose about our lives. For example, we can’t choose when or where we’re born, who our parents are, who else is in our family, or the sort of upbringing we get. What we can choose is what we do after the start in life we’ve been given.
So when Kat is ten days away from becoming Queen she realises: “I didn’t ask to be born a Princess. What if I don’t want to be Queen? Why can’t I choose something else for my life? Is there some fate or will of the gods that determines what I will do, or am I allowed to carve out my own destiny? Can I escape who I’m meant to be?”
Kat’s questions reflect the dilemma I was facing in my own life at the time I wrote the book, about a possible new direction in my career. If you want to know how Kat’s future turned out, then here’s the Amazon link to buy Destiny’s Rebel, and her adventures continue in the second book of the trilogy, Destiny’s Revenge.
If you want to know how my choices led me into becoming an author, then here’s the link to About Me.
But above all, a huge thank you to Demelsa, and please support her by viewing and purchasing her wonderful artwork at Demelsa Haughton Illustrations! 🙂