Welcome to the cover reveal for Red Litten World by K.M. Alexander! This is an adult Lovecraftian urban fantasy with dystopian and science fiction elements and is the third book in The Bell Forging Cycle series. The author wrote up a post about the cover and there’s a great giveaway at the end of this post!
About the Book:
I’m always a bit of a nonconformist. When I set out to create a theme for The Bell Forging Cycle I wanted to create a series covers that not only looked great on a shelf but also stood out among the other books within urban fantasy. I intentionally set out to avoid the tropes. The idea was to create a style, where similar elements change but the reader can find familiarity between each book.As with the previous covers, Jon Contino (joncontino.com) created the lettering for Red Litten World. I’ve always been a huge fan of Jon’s work and there is something with his art and craft approach that captures the feel of the series. He nails that looming sense of unease but adds that combination of approachability, which I really like. Honored to have his help yet again.
The background image comes once again from the artist, Gustav Doré. I love Dore’s work, in particular, his woodcuts. I spend a lot of time picking a woodcut that highlight certain themes within the novel. This time the engraving was selected from Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. There Minos stands, centers on the lounging former king, Minos, now judge of the damned in the underworld. It was the perfect image for Red Litten World.
As with Book one, The Stars Were Right, I am referencing Lovecraft’s work within the title. I deviated from this pattern with Book two, Old Broken Road, but it has always been my intent on alluding to the influence of the Lovecraft Mythos on the work. The title Red Litten World comes from a line from H. P. Lovecraft and Zelia Bishop’s short story The Mound:
“…legend said that it had come from a
mysterious inner realm beneath the red-litten
world—a black realm of peculiar-sensed beings
which had no light at all, but which had
great civilisations and mighty gods…”
Each of these little details add to the overall cover and hint at what will lay within its pages. I like scattering little Easter Eggs through stuff like this, from the choice of the background to the little symbols I place along the spine.
I hope this gives you some insight into my process. I’m excited to reveal the cover for Red Litten World. It fits perfectly within the series but brings its own unique look. I can’t wait to get this into the hands of readers.
About The Bell Forging Cycle series:
Previous titles:
About the Author:
K. M. Alexander is a Pacific Northwest native and novelist living and working in Seattle with his wife and two dogs. His work explores non-traditional settings within speculative fiction, bending and blending genres to create rich worlds and unique approachable characters.
Thank you so much for sharing!
[…] Cover Reveal + Giveaway ~ Red Litten World […]
Thanks for linking up with Booknificent Thursday last week. Unfortunately, my site is down so there won’t be a link-up this week. I hope to be back up and running next week and hope to see you there!
Tina
Oh, no! I hope all’s going well and it’s up and running soon!
[…] Cover Reveal + Giveaway ~ Red Litten World […]