Beginning writers often ask me for advice, and the best and most basic advice I can give is: write every day. Even if you’re busy, uninspired, or feeling under-the-weather: write. Do not wait for inspiration. Perfect writing conditions happen rarely. It’s far better to put an imperfect sentence down on paper than no sentence at all. At least tomorrow you can go back and revise imperfect. Revising zero gets you zero.

Professional writers know writing is work. That means, just as with most other jobs, you have to do it every day. Some days are better than others. There’ll be times when it’s painful to write a sentence and you can’t seem to get it just right, and spend far too long tinkering with “It was a dark and sultry night”. Occasionally, the words will come with ease and the right metaphors will presents themselves on the page. These are the times all writers write for: those moments when the story seems to write itself. You have to put in the time to achieve these hallowed moments, though. Writing every day increases your chances. And in the meantime, while you’re waiting for them, you just might write a book.

Cover art is commissioned by a publisher’s art department, which works closely with the book’s editor. Often the manuscript hasn’t been finished so the artist must work from a brief description or rough draft. When J.P. Targete painted the cover to Cavern of Black Ice the book was already done. Here’s J.P's original sketch side-by-side with the finished book cover. The scene depicted (where Ash is being chased by Marafice Eye and his men) falls midway through the story. It was chosen for the cover because it’s a dramatic moment where Ash’s horse, who has been trained to “read” ice, pulls away from the other horses on the frozen lake. The clothing and weaponry come straight from J.P's imagination, with the exception of Marafice Eye’s birdhelm which is depicted in striking silhouette. The finished cover also offers a brief glimpse of the city of Ille Glaive which is not featured in the original sketch. (Images copyright J.P.Targete)

I've been very lucky to have wonderful artists illustrate my books. Both the UK and US editions of Sword From Red Ice have fantastic covers. In France, The Book Of Words series has recently been illustrated by artist and graphic designer Aleksi Briclot. In addition to illustrating books, Aleksi works on computer games and comic books. He's worked on Splinter Cell, Magic: The Gathering, and World of Warcraft. His artwork is dramatic and dynamic and all three covers for the Words series are wonderful.

Some of you may know that my brother Paul helps me out with this website. He’s in Liverpool, England. I email him files and photos and he makes them look good and posts them online. He’s responsible for the look and feel of the website--so if you have any complaints send them to him! Seriously, he’s worked on this site for many years and I couldn’t do it without him. Thanks, Paul.