I don’t normally share interior illustrations online, but considering the amount of work that went into the ones for Lucena in the House of Madgrin, and how well they came out, and that as the publisher I possess the rights to do so, and that we are living through a global crisis, I figured this is an excellent time to break that tradition.
A little context, for those new to the party. Lucena is my first novel. Yes, I’ve written dozens of short stories and novellas, some of which have already been published as novel-length books, and yes, I’ve written other novels before this one that shall never be published, but Lucena is the first real novel to really be published. I started writing it in 2009, and it took ten years to get the manuscript ready for publication.
And then there were the illustrations…
I had always envisioned Lucena as an illustrated book. Of course you can add illustrations to any story, and the narrative holds up perfectly well on its own, but illustrations add a dimension to the reading experience that is unique. It’s not just words. And it’s not words-and-pictures, like comics. It’s illustrated fiction.
I’ve done interior illustrations for other books, notably the Bouragner Felpz novellas, and I applied what I learned from them when I designed the format for Lucena’s. I knew I wanted pictures that supported the reading experience, rather than distracted from it. I knew I couldn’t reasonably do more than one per chapter. So during the final edits I selected a scene from each chapter, pulled the text, and then from that text selected a sentence or two to be the source of the illustration. Each interior fills an entire page of printed book, with the pull quote in italics at the bottom. They are evocative of the environment rather than strictly illustrative of the story—you won’t be able to follow the narrative from the illustrations alone—but my hope was to capture the soul of the book. So they are there mainly to broaden the scope of the story as the reader progresses through the narrative, but an impatient reader flipping through to look at the pictures will find a wonderful sense of the spirit of the book, without spoilers for any details of the story.
There are twenty-two interior illustrations, rendered in graphite pencil on Bristol board, completed in 2017, 2019, and 2020. They are presented here in the order that they appear in the book, along with their respective pull quotes.
Lucena in the House of Madgrin is published by Heliopause Productions, available in paperback and eBook through a variety of online retailers including Amazon, Kobo, and Apple Books. It is written and illustrated by me, Goldeen Ogawa, with heartfelt thanks to my family, friends and patrons who have supported me along the way.
Chapter 1: At the Munsmire School for Girls
It was Miss Smael’s turn to hold out the fateful broom like a spear.
Chapter 2: The Maker
…all she could do was stare raptly at the person sitting on the bench behind it, moving his hands fluidly up and down the keys.
Chapter 3: In the House of Madgrin
He curled up on some cushions and went to sleep in a very catlike fashion.
Chapter 4: The Groundsguard
She thought she could see ruined towers and castles, full of spires and battlements, with dark gaps for windows.
Chapter 5: Beruse and Willic Decide to Throw a Party
…she and Rhys had joined the cluster outside the door to the ballroom, and were listening with the rest.
Chapter 6: Orrus and Abneialaemh
He was still Orrus, Lucena could tell, but a younger, fiercer Orrus. His hair was much longer, and instead of glasses over his eyes he wore bandages.
Chapter 7: Keelback
…Isshin and the others were left behind momentarily, but soon caught up with her as she rose swiftly through the shadowy waters, the strange object still clutched to her chest.
Chapter 8: Going Hunting
“Cena, Cena!” he cried, now in a paroxysm of excitement. “I ate a boar!”
Chapter 9: A Parliament of Vampires
A smell came off it of mildew and grave dirt, but most of all it smelled of death.
Chapter 10: Midsummer Night
…so she did not see the King of Highstorm falter and, under his own momentum, fall on his face at the feet of the bear.
Chapter 11: Somna Ebulis
If a story was particularly to her liking she would come creeping out from her corner to crouch by Lucena’s chair, her many legs tucked in next to her body, and her eyes shining in the dim light.
Chapter 12: Mirror, Candle and Book
“Ah,” he said in a cultured voice. “Good evening to you, lady vampira, somna ebuli. Sorry to interrupt, but paths crossed—didn’t mean to. Good night.”
Chapter 13: Undergate
The horse looked around at her with its flaming eyes and twitched an ear.
Chapter 14: Amstrass
“You called me,” she said in a voice that reminded Lucena of frozen mountains and desolate peaks, her mouth a cruel curl. “I have come.”
Chapter 15: The Two Vampires
A strange tale began to circulate among the people of Thamber that spring.
Chapter 16: Beyond the Teeth of Dream
She thought she saw Intok as a tiny shadow, just before she disappeared into the trees. Keelback was following, and Urgolant just behind him.
Chapter 17: Through the Sea of Stories
When Lucena pointed at these and asked, Madgrin smiled. “Each island is a story,” he explained.
Chapter 18: Grimbald
Faster and faster they whirled together, until the world outside the inner circle was a blur of colors and sounds.
Chapter 19: Madgrin
Then exhaustion truly came on, her head fell back against the side of the mattress, and she slept.
Chapter 20: Dawn
“What are you doing just floating there?” Grimbald demanded, for indeed it was Grimbald.
Chapter 21: Badgrave
But most of Badgrave’s attention was focused in front of her, where Madgrin had come forward and taken her hands.
Afterword
The End
If you enjoyed these illustrations and would like to see their progression from thumbnails to sketches and hear more about the process, consider following me on Patreon! You can also support me by purchasing art from my online shop, and of course, buying the book they belong to.
All artwork and accompanying text is © Goldeen Ogawa, 2020. For licensing and commission rates, please email me at goldeenogawa [at] gmail [dot] com