‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’

Almost everybody knows the saying, and I am guilty of using it more than once when it comes to a cover reveal. For me, it’s especially true with a debut. Which is why from the moment I saw the cover for the upcoming Blood of Heirs by Alicia Wanstall-Burke, I was ready to dive right into the pages immediately:

I’m a big fan of the cover artist Pen Astridge, who is also responsible for the stunning covers for J.P. Ashman’s Black Powder Wars series, and Graham Austin King’s Faithless. You can find more of her artwork on her facebook page and twitter as @peastri or Instragram as @mightythepen

Here’s what Alicia had to say about the cover:

I met my cover artist, Pen Astridge, by chance through the SFF community online. She’s a fellow Aussie and we caught up in Sydney before she did the cover for Faithless by Graham Austin King. Once I saw that cover, I knew she was the artist for me!

Both the ARC and final covers for Blood of Heirs blew me away. They capture the darkness that is descending over my characters, and hint at the Australian inspiration behind the South Lands.

Everything from the knives to the tattoos, through to the hints of vegetation all draw heavily from the book, and I cannot wait to see the covers for the sequels!

And here’s what Pen had to say on working on Blood of Heirs:

When I first started hanging around fantasy communities on social media this particular WIP kept catching my attention because I thought the title was so bloodydamn good! I became so familiar with the progress of Blood of Heirs that it became as much a part of the community for me as the people in it. When I was approached to do the cover – well there was absolutely no way I was going to say no.

For the design I wanted to do more than just have a person standing there. I wanted that person to tell a story, I wanted to portray the story of a young, mysterious and determined woman emerging from her past to become a symbol of strength. I drew influence from the great Tommy Arnold, I’m a big fan of his art, and from Indigenous Australia. The bluey greens of the background pay homage to the hues of our blue gums and add a subtle mystery to the world behind her.

I’m very happy with how it turned out I just hope now it can do the story justice.’

Now, seeing as I’ve used one well known saying, I might as well use another. They say a picture can paint a thousand words, and this cover does exactly that, but I also want to share with you the all-important words from the blurb for Blood of Heirs:

Lidan Tolak is the fiercest of her father’s daughters; more than capable of one day leading her clan. But caught between her warring parents, Lidan’s world begins to unravel when another of her father’s wives falls pregnant. Before she has time to consider the threat of a brother, a bloody swathe is cut through the heart of the clan and Lidan must fight, not only to prove her worth, but simply to survive.

Ranoth Olseta wants nothing more than to be a worthy successor to his father’s throne. When his home is threatened by the aggressive Woaden Empire, Ran becomes his city’s saviour, but powers within him are revealed by the enemy and he is condemned to death. Confused and betrayed, Ran is forced to flee his homeland, vowing to reclaim what he has lost, even if it kills him.

Facing an unknown future, and battling forces both familiar and foreign, can Lidan and Ran overcome the odds threatening to drag them into inescapable darkness?

Blood of Heirs will be available from October 27^th 2018.