Hello everyone. My name is Craig Aird and I am delighted to reveal the cover for my debut novel Truth or Darkness, a work of dark fantasy. Before we get to the story, let’s talk about the cover.

For me, the cover is an essential part of the final product. It should be a reflection of the mood, style, and tone of the novel. The reader should know the ride they’re on before they even read the first line. One style in particular has always fascinated me, it’s the character in the foreground, looking into the distance towards a grand landscape or feature. In fantasy, we have the power to let our imaginations run wild, so I wanted something epic for the characters to focus on. Cue the pinnacle. It’s a separate city built on top of a massive bridge that spans the length of Elrancia, separating the rich and powerful up above, from the poor below. It dominates the skyline in a city built within an ancient crater.

With an image in mind, I began the search for the artistic wizards who would make it a reality. My first choice was Felix Ortiz, whom I have admired ever since I saw his fan art for ‘kings of the wyld’. The dark and brooding mood he conveys in his work was perfect for my vision. With Felix on the team, we set about bringing the cover to life. The initial sketches were insane, not just in terms of the quality, but how quickly he was able to work. In no time, I had a vast selection of choices to go forward with.

After some discussion, we settled on a variation of the image above. Then…within a week… Felix produced this…

I was blown away. Not only did he capture the opening chapter of the novel with accuracy and precision, but the colours gave it a dark and claustrophobic feel, conveying the struggles of the inhabitants of the city below, as it clings to the base of a pier. In the background are the mountains of Elrancia that circle the rim of the crater in which the city is built. The two characters in the foreground… well… let’s just say it’s a meeting that neither of them will forget about.

The next step was to bring in another heavyweight (not actual bodyweight) to the team. I always knew that Shawn King would be the guy to make the final touches. His style of type art is eye catching and vivid. Shawn was a great professional, he smashed the ball out of the park in his first hit.

Here it is, the cover for Truth or Darkness…

Now that the cover has drawn you in. Let’s see what all the fuss is about in the novel. The main theme deals with the afterlife and people’s obsession to understand what lies beyond. Some of the characters even have first-hand experience…

It was the only truth the Gods feared…

Beyond the living world, a dark secret is kept from humanity. Demons guard the bridge to heaven, and cast the souls of everyone that dies to fire and ash. A group of immortal mages fight a shadow war to destroy the demons, but at a great cost to themselves and those around them.

Within the valley of an ancient crater, the city of Elrancia is built upon the greed of kings and the blood of its people. It is a cauldron of chaos embroiled in a vicious holy war enacted by vagabond high priest, Vladnar. He searches for the Necromanex, a powerful text written by the mages. 

Leoh is a young merchant struggling with his father’s disappearance and his own inner demons. When Vladnar accuses him of hiding the Necromanex, he is chased across Elrancia in search of the reason why. With religious zealots, assassins, and powerful mages after him, Leoh fights not just to save his life in this world, but his soul in the next.

Enjoy the story, and please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads so that others can experience it too. You can find me at www.craigaird.com.

Truth or Darkness is available now to pre order on Amazon. Release date is the 27^th April 2018.