I’m Stark, author of the Factus Sequence, the British Fantasy Award-nominated Triggernometry series, and Nunslinger. And I’m delighted to be back at Fantasy Hive today to reveal the cover for my newest novella, For the Road… 

In the desert is a railroad track made from iron and bone, and on the track is a station where the signal is broken and the train never comes…

Lost, wounded and alone, Jesse Bartos wanders the wilderness with no memory of how he came to be there. He only knows that he is in danger, and that the suitcase in his hand is worth more than his life.

At the point of death, he happens upon the abandoned railroad station of Dawn’s Holt, run by an enigmatic family who assure him – despite appearances – that the train will arrive any day. Jesse is desperate to escape, until he meets Reo, the family’s eldest son…

As the days pass, Jesse falls deeper under the spell of Dawn’s Holt, until he’s caught in a battle between past and future, memory and reckoning and fiercest of all, between his conscience and his own heart.

“For the Road is a yearning and hopeful Western acid-dream drawn with a deft hand. We are immersed in a vivid dreamscape Americana, and the dark weight of symbolism and destiny is lightened by the hope of unexpected love.” – Ian Green, author of Extremophile 

“Stark Holborn proves yet again why she’s the reigning queen of the weird west. Strange, soulful, and stylish, I dare you not to be hooked from page one. Sensational.” – Frasier Armitage, FanFiAddict 

Cover art is by Bristol-based Malaysian-British illustrator and artist, Ashni Wilson. 

Ashni says:

“While reading For the Road for the first time it really helped to have a sketchbook and notepad on hand so I could make quick thumbnail sketches and to highlight any significant words that sparked an idea. Reading the text also aided me in understanding the essence, theme and setting as this greatly influenced my design choices like colour and type. These words and sketches developed into combined visual symbols that hint at elements of the book. I found this part the most exciting as I could really start to see the cover coming together!”

Stark says:

“I first saw Ashni’s work at a maker’s fair in Bristol and was immediately struck by her use of texture, colour and tarot-esque symbolism. So when PS invited me to recommend an artist to design the cover of For the Road, I thought of her right away. Working with Ashni was an absolute dream; her process of drawing imagery from the text was fascinating, and I couldn’t be happier with the cover’s striking and vivid design.” 

For the Road will be published by PS Publishing in August in hardback format, and also as a signed, numbered edition. 

Pre-order here: PSPublishing

For a free short story, sign up to Stark’s newsletter at https://starkholborn.com/factus/ 

You can find Stark online at: 

https://bsky.app/profile/starkholborn.bsky.social 

www.instagram.com/starkholborn/ 

You can find Ashni at: https://www.instagram.com/ashni.wilson/