Haru Ichiban's Blog, page 3
August 5, 2022
Accidental Kiss?! (Re:Life Days Illustration)
Illustration from the second chapter of my new novel Re: Life Days
Dazed after falling from a tree she had climbed to while being chased by the new Law Academy student Soren, Sween hears some words:
“Sween. Sween.”
Who… is calling me? It is a deep male voice… It’s not Lei… Then who…?
I can’t… I can’t stay awake.
“You’re more trouble than you’re worth. Don’t go to sleep again.”
That harsh tone… Those evil words… Could it be…?
Wiping the daze from my countenance, I look up.
Stopping just one fraction of millimeter before my lips would contact with Soren’s.
Like I did with the third Soren design try, here I tried a manner of painting with lots of light, but here it's done right. I toned down the yellow A LOT for it to look good. I am not entirely happy with this pic, I think I should have gone with a background instead of the psychedelic pink, but that's the way Sween is perceiving the world after having fainted. If you ever fainted, you know what I'm talking about.
Dazed after falling from a tree she had climbed to while being chased by the new Law Academy student Soren, Sween hears some words:
“Sween. Sween.”
Who… is calling me? It is a deep male voice… It’s not Lei… Then who…?
I can’t… I can’t stay awake.
“You’re more trouble than you’re worth. Don’t go to sleep again.”
That harsh tone… Those evil words… Could it be…?
Wiping the daze from my countenance, I look up.
Stopping just one fraction of millimeter before my lips would contact with Soren’s.
Like I did with the third Soren design try, here I tried a manner of painting with lots of light, but here it's done right. I toned down the yellow A LOT for it to look good. I am not entirely happy with this pic, I think I should have gone with a background instead of the psychedelic pink, but that's the way Sween is perceiving the world after having fainted. If you ever fainted, you know what I'm talking about.
August 3, 2022
Let me introduce you a new hot guy...
Today it's my new book release,
and we have a main character to introduce.
Haru: Ladies and gentlemen, the new Forbidden hero, Soren Ellsworth, sees the light today. Say hello to your future fans, Soren!
Soren: ... *moves slightly to warm up, back to Haru*
Haru: Never mind, he's always like that. At least I'm looking at his very nice back.
My first attempt at drawing him:
I'll be drawing and painting him for quite a while, so I began designing his looks with this picture. He kind of could be the younger and cuter brother of Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star, and that was quite the look I was going for. Only that... I look at him and see a girl, I don't know why. Unlike the spunky and temperamental Lei, who has a baby face, Soren is supposed to be much more handsome (manly) than cute, so I had to find a way to fix him.
On a side note, I've been told his eyes look alive in this picture, like they were actually looking at you. I've also been told he looks 20 here, and that's about the age I was aiming for too.
Second try:
Here I made some adjustments. Longer face, smaller eyes, and also a hairdo with less strands. I'm not fully satisfied with this result either, so I kept trying.
Soren often keeps an inscrutable face, and his intentions are just as mysterious. Don't expect big expressions from him.
PS If you think the blending is horrible, I did this with scholastic pencils (yes, the ones for kids to make doodles) and photocopy paper.
Third try:
Actually, I was not only trying to design him but also trying different shading techniques at this time, and I went for one full of light in this pic. It came out fantastically! In person, that is. For some reason, what in person is a slight yellow tone gets blown out of all proportion when scanned. Taking note of that "quirk" to not repeat it again and go for another kind of yellow tone in the next. I wish I could take a photo with a high end camera to show how this looks in real life. Ah well.
Soren looks pretty dark, but his features are transparent, just like Sween. During the day he has dark brown hair that reflects all kinds of colors in its highlights, and dark gray eyes with silver flashes. At night his eyes and hair are pure black.
Here he does look like a guy, but I found another problem: he also appears younger than what I was going for. I've been told he seems 17 in this picture, and like I said, he needs to look like he's in his twenties. More attempts needed then.
Fourth try:
I didn't bother much with this one (you can tell, lack of background and all), because all I made for was to try drawing him like in last pic but without the yellow lighting that made him look so juvenile. Here I went for pomegranate clothing I was sure he could pull off (and I was right) and a fiercer look on his face.
This will not be revealed in the new book but much later, but I'll spoil it now: Soren is a Cancerian, so no fireworks for him in the emotional department. He IS quite emotional like the typical Cancerian, but he won't show it like the feisty Leo hero we're used to in the Forbidden books. Soren is normally VERY calm and lets almost everything slide--but beware if you happen to see him with a scowl like in this picture. It's a bad thing. Trust me, it is a REALLY bad thing.
I think I got him quite right in this picture, though. I still want one more try.
I think I quite got him this time. Still, I think I'll go with the spiky hair for the definitive look. Here I was also trying new shading techniques, since I want my semirealistic art a bit more 3D than it is now, and I gave it this "celestial" theme. He looks a bit lighter than he is here, but once again, it's because of this technique and theme. His skin is depicted in the novel as "light beige that could never be called milky". But despite this pallor, this is pretty much how he's supposed to look.
Look forward to more art about this beauty!
and we have a main character to introduce.Haru: Ladies and gentlemen, the new Forbidden hero, Soren Ellsworth, sees the light today. Say hello to your future fans, Soren!
Soren: ... *moves slightly to warm up, back to Haru*
Haru: Never mind, he's always like that. At least I'm looking at his very nice back.
My first attempt at drawing him:
I'll be drawing and painting him for quite a while, so I began designing his looks with this picture. He kind of could be the younger and cuter brother of Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star, and that was quite the look I was going for. Only that... I look at him and see a girl, I don't know why. Unlike the spunky and temperamental Lei, who has a baby face, Soren is supposed to be much more handsome (manly) than cute, so I had to find a way to fix him.
On a side note, I've been told his eyes look alive in this picture, like they were actually looking at you. I've also been told he looks 20 here, and that's about the age I was aiming for too.
Second try:
Here I made some adjustments. Longer face, smaller eyes, and also a hairdo with less strands. I'm not fully satisfied with this result either, so I kept trying.
Soren often keeps an inscrutable face, and his intentions are just as mysterious. Don't expect big expressions from him.
PS If you think the blending is horrible, I did this with scholastic pencils (yes, the ones for kids to make doodles) and photocopy paper.
Third try:
Actually, I was not only trying to design him but also trying different shading techniques at this time, and I went for one full of light in this pic. It came out fantastically! In person, that is. For some reason, what in person is a slight yellow tone gets blown out of all proportion when scanned. Taking note of that "quirk" to not repeat it again and go for another kind of yellow tone in the next. I wish I could take a photo with a high end camera to show how this looks in real life. Ah well.
Soren looks pretty dark, but his features are transparent, just like Sween. During the day he has dark brown hair that reflects all kinds of colors in its highlights, and dark gray eyes with silver flashes. At night his eyes and hair are pure black.
Here he does look like a guy, but I found another problem: he also appears younger than what I was going for. I've been told he seems 17 in this picture, and like I said, he needs to look like he's in his twenties. More attempts needed then.
Fourth try:
I didn't bother much with this one (you can tell, lack of background and all), because all I made for was to try drawing him like in last pic but without the yellow lighting that made him look so juvenile. Here I went for pomegranate clothing I was sure he could pull off (and I was right) and a fiercer look on his face.
This will not be revealed in the new book but much later, but I'll spoil it now: Soren is a Cancerian, so no fireworks for him in the emotional department. He IS quite emotional like the typical Cancerian, but he won't show it like the feisty Leo hero we're used to in the Forbidden books. Soren is normally VERY calm and lets almost everything slide--but beware if you happen to see him with a scowl like in this picture. It's a bad thing. Trust me, it is a REALLY bad thing.
I think I got him quite right in this picture, though. I still want one more try.
I think I quite got him this time. Still, I think I'll go with the spiky hair for the definitive look. Here I was also trying new shading techniques, since I want my semirealistic art a bit more 3D than it is now, and I gave it this "celestial" theme. He looks a bit lighter than he is here, but once again, it's because of this technique and theme. His skin is depicted in the novel as "light beige that could never be called milky". But despite this pallor, this is pretty much how he's supposed to look.
Look forward to more art about this beauty!
July 28, 2022
Forbidden: Re:Life Days Cover Reveal
My definitive cover for my latest novel, Forbidden: Re:Life Days.
>
This follows the theme I originally thought of, but I think I got it much better this time. The expressions are subtle, the focus of the picture is on both Lei and Sween, and I worked hard for the snowy trees to not steal it. Sween's coloring gives the picture a warm touch that goes well with the romance theme, otherwise the whole would end up too gelid.
I like how this came out, but I'm still nowhere close to where I want to be as an artist. I need to work hard for next cover to be better than this one!
On the other hand, this was my first attempt at making a cover.
>
As you can see, I didn't really finish. There was something I felt couldn't be fixed: Sween's eyes are too big and seem teary (she's supposed to be overcome with emotion, but not teary) and for some reason Lei just can't be seen, my eyes return to Sween again and again on their own. Also, it can barely be seen but I tried an intricate work with the leaves, but that light blue barely shows. All in all, it wasn't coming out like I wanted to so I chose the same theme but in another picture for the cover.
>This follows the theme I originally thought of, but I think I got it much better this time. The expressions are subtle, the focus of the picture is on both Lei and Sween, and I worked hard for the snowy trees to not steal it. Sween's coloring gives the picture a warm touch that goes well with the romance theme, otherwise the whole would end up too gelid.
I like how this came out, but I'm still nowhere close to where I want to be as an artist. I need to work hard for next cover to be better than this one!
On the other hand, this was my first attempt at making a cover.
>As you can see, I didn't really finish. There was something I felt couldn't be fixed: Sween's eyes are too big and seem teary (she's supposed to be overcome with emotion, but not teary) and for some reason Lei just can't be seen, my eyes return to Sween again and again on their own. Also, it can barely be seen but I tried an intricate work with the leaves, but that light blue barely shows. All in all, it wasn't coming out like I wanted to so I chose the same theme but in another picture for the cover.
July 24, 2022
AWESOME GIVEAWAY! Win a Kindle or a $100 Gift Card!
It's been an almost exact full year since I last appeared in public. Reason is, I've been busy at work with the last half of Lei and Sween's tale, the Forbidden series' first story. There are so many intricate plot lines that I felt the need to write all three books together (yes, it's gonna be three books... Otherwise book 5 would be a gigantic tome ;_;)
The good news is that now the three remaining installments will come out in a short amount of time (hopefully before this year ends! Yay!)
To get stuff in gear again, I've prepared a few things. Let's start by an AWESOME GIVEAWAY!
A KINDLE PAPERWHITE, A USD 100 AMAZON GIFT CARD, OR A USD 100 PAYPAL DEPOSIT, whichever you prefer!
To participate, click in this link. (Youtube because I will use its sweepstakes software to determine the winner)
The good news is that now the three remaining installments will come out in a short amount of time (hopefully before this year ends! Yay!)
To get stuff in gear again, I've prepared a few things. Let's start by an AWESOME GIVEAWAY!
A KINDLE PAPERWHITE, A USD 100 AMAZON GIFT CARD, OR A USD 100 PAYPAL DEPOSIT, whichever you prefer!
To participate, click in this link. (Youtube because I will use its sweepstakes software to determine the winner)
July 28, 2021
My next Forbidden book
My Next Book: Forbidden: Re:Life Days
Oh, this book! If you ever read my profile, I usually say I write with the heart, not the mind. That's why Evil Days was a little traumatic for me to write. I became heartbroken with my own story! To compensate for that, Re:Life Days, the fourth book in the five tomes Lei and Sween saga, is a bit like the first Forbidden: A Steamy Paranormal Romance: lots of romance and lots of fun! It also looks like it's going to be my longest novel for now. I would say it's 85% done at the moment, but I keep adding interesting stuff. I never "sign" the manuscript until I'm 100% satisfied with it.
Want a little, very early peek inside of it? Very well.
After the disastrous happenings of Evil Days, everyone is feeling like shit. A peeved Sween hears Lei propose a trip to South Peaks, not romantic travel but a hilarious field trip with some of his students and her. But South Peaks, as much as it is a beautiful place in contact with nature, offers its own perils. If Sween survives the killers awaiting her there, Law Academy has become a gateway to Hell rigged with deadly traps waiting for her to come back. There's no way to escape the contest's spider net anymore. It's time to fight back!
Re:Life Days is the debut novel of another of the Forbidden heroes... I will name him "S" for now. He joins Lei's class as one of his students, a handsome, smart, manly and very popular with everyone guy... except that he seems to know Sween and heavily dislikes her. He's quite open about expressing his feelings too:
(Work in progress; has not been edited. Narrated by Sween)
A presence startles me. I turn to something that feels like a wall behind me. "S" stares down at me, his icy eyes expressionless. But despite that, I can clearly feel some kind of negative emotion in him. His arms are crossed as he opens his mouth:
“You’re the most disgusting trash I’ve ever had the chance of meeting.”
My eyes open hugely. With all the calmness in the world, he leaves for class.
Wh-what! Where did that come from!
“What did you say, you scum?!” I scream at him. He’s already twenty yards or so away, so I wonder if he even heard me. If he did, he’s showing no signs.
Jeeze! That definitely ruined my afternoon. What’s his problem!
Our friend Sween doesn't take things like this quietly:
[...] Five minutes later, the students start to leave. Tall and proud, bag hanging from his shoulder, "S" leaves, his perennially stern face not giving a hint of what he’s feeling. I let him go, and then tail him to one of the school corridors.
He suddenly turns to me. “Why are you following me?”
I smile, a little innocently, a much more slyly. The last thing I’ll do is reply to that question.
“Here you go!” I toss the contents of a jar full of muddy water to his face. Alert as he seemed, he wasn’t fast enough to parry me.
Without as much as a shriek, he wipes his face and directs a feral look to me. Yikes!
I turn to run away, and he chases me. Go figures! The glint I saw in his eyes was really furious. I don’t want to know what would he do if he catches me.
Haha, this gives way to a "grand chase" all over Law Academy--all right, that's all for today.
Before it comes out, I will be sharing some cool stuff about it. Next time I will reveal "S"' full name and some bios and artwork of him. I made a prototype and looks pretty good, but I already decided I am changing his haircut, so more design. He's going to be a very important character from now on, so he's receiving my special attention.
Oh, this book! If you ever read my profile, I usually say I write with the heart, not the mind. That's why Evil Days was a little traumatic for me to write. I became heartbroken with my own story! To compensate for that, Re:Life Days, the fourth book in the five tomes Lei and Sween saga, is a bit like the first Forbidden: A Steamy Paranormal Romance: lots of romance and lots of fun! It also looks like it's going to be my longest novel for now. I would say it's 85% done at the moment, but I keep adding interesting stuff. I never "sign" the manuscript until I'm 100% satisfied with it.
Want a little, very early peek inside of it? Very well.
After the disastrous happenings of Evil Days, everyone is feeling like shit. A peeved Sween hears Lei propose a trip to South Peaks, not romantic travel but a hilarious field trip with some of his students and her. But South Peaks, as much as it is a beautiful place in contact with nature, offers its own perils. If Sween survives the killers awaiting her there, Law Academy has become a gateway to Hell rigged with deadly traps waiting for her to come back. There's no way to escape the contest's spider net anymore. It's time to fight back!
Re:Life Days is the debut novel of another of the Forbidden heroes... I will name him "S" for now. He joins Lei's class as one of his students, a handsome, smart, manly and very popular with everyone guy... except that he seems to know Sween and heavily dislikes her. He's quite open about expressing his feelings too:
(Work in progress; has not been edited. Narrated by Sween)
A presence startles me. I turn to something that feels like a wall behind me. "S" stares down at me, his icy eyes expressionless. But despite that, I can clearly feel some kind of negative emotion in him. His arms are crossed as he opens his mouth:
“You’re the most disgusting trash I’ve ever had the chance of meeting.”
My eyes open hugely. With all the calmness in the world, he leaves for class.
Wh-what! Where did that come from!
“What did you say, you scum?!” I scream at him. He’s already twenty yards or so away, so I wonder if he even heard me. If he did, he’s showing no signs.
Jeeze! That definitely ruined my afternoon. What’s his problem!
Our friend Sween doesn't take things like this quietly:
[...] Five minutes later, the students start to leave. Tall and proud, bag hanging from his shoulder, "S" leaves, his perennially stern face not giving a hint of what he’s feeling. I let him go, and then tail him to one of the school corridors.
He suddenly turns to me. “Why are you following me?”
I smile, a little innocently, a much more slyly. The last thing I’ll do is reply to that question.
“Here you go!” I toss the contents of a jar full of muddy water to his face. Alert as he seemed, he wasn’t fast enough to parry me.
Without as much as a shriek, he wipes his face and directs a feral look to me. Yikes!
I turn to run away, and he chases me. Go figures! The glint I saw in his eyes was really furious. I don’t want to know what would he do if he catches me.
Haha, this gives way to a "grand chase" all over Law Academy--all right, that's all for today.
Before it comes out, I will be sharing some cool stuff about it. Next time I will reveal "S"' full name and some bios and artwork of him. I made a prototype and looks pretty good, but I already decided I am changing his haircut, so more design. He's going to be a very important character from now on, so he's receiving my special attention.
July 5, 2021
ARCs out now: Who wants to be eaten by a (handsome) wolf?
Who wants to be eaten by a handsome wolf?
Red Hoodie: A Modern Day The Little Red Riding Hood Version is a hilarious erotic version of a childrens' tale set in modern times. Absolutely fed up with his "sweet" old lady neighbor, Wolf plans his revenge, which includes seducing her cute granddaughter. But what will happen when Granny realizes it and sends a hunter after him?
ARCs available NOW!
I have set the ARCs so people who don't have an Amazon account can still download them if they review on Smashwords and Goodreads. Smashwords is free, so go ahead!
Release date: 15th July
Available preorder at Smashwords and Amazon
Red Hoodie: A Modern Day The Little Red Riding Hood Version is a hilarious erotic version of a childrens' tale set in modern times. Absolutely fed up with his "sweet" old lady neighbor, Wolf plans his revenge, which includes seducing her cute granddaughter. But what will happen when Granny realizes it and sends a hunter after him?
ARCs available NOW!
I have set the ARCs so people who don't have an Amazon account can still download them if they review on Smashwords and Goodreads. Smashwords is free, so go ahead!
Release date: 15th July
Available preorder at Smashwords and Amazon
April 10, 2021
My new book's Cover Reveal!
I said my next book would be about an erotic twist of a children's tale. Can you tell which, from the cover? XD
December 1, 2020
November 16, 2020
Forbidden: Xmas Days Excerpt
Forbidden: Xmas Days ARCs are available! Claim your ARC here
Book Excerpt:
Narrated by Lei Synge-Sturmmond
"There’s one more guest you need to apologize to.” Joseph nods to a place at the foot of a smaller tree next to a window, by which an old bearded man dressed in red and white is surrounded by smiling people.
Oh… This will be embarrassing as fuck.
“You do need to do this.”
Yes, I do… Wishing Earth would swallow me, I walk to the old man, followed by Joseph. He turns to me as I approach him, without a shadow of resentment. It’s good he’s as kind as he’s reputed to.
“H-hi, Santa Claus,” I say, in a position as if all my muscles had a bit of a contracture.
He smiles. “Hoho, if it isn’t Master Lei.”
Well, it seems it might be easier than I thought. My eyebrows curve up.
“U-um, yeah. I’m sorry for clubbing you last year.” I hunch my shoulders. “But what did you expect when you went down my chimney at midnight! Can you blame me for thinking you were a thief!”
“Lei doesn’t have any social skills. And he hates festivities. Can you forgive him?” Joseph asks, as my right eyelid twitches.
“Hohoho, of course,” Santa Claus laughs, with that happy countenance that makes children love him.
“Still, I don’t like you! You always bring me nothing but a bag of coal! Every year!”
“Hohoho…” The man is visibly amused. “Well, this year you got excellent grades at Academy, but you’re always mean to your family, so…”
Who the hell told that to this guy?
“Since you’ve been getting good grades all along, I suppose I can grant you a wish this time. You’re not such a bad kid.”
I’m not a kid, good or bad! Argh, this is so frustrating!
“So sit on my lap and tell Santa what is your wish,” he says, curling his hand around his ear as he gets closer.
I grimace. “You want me to sit on your lap?”
He smiles. “Sure, all kids love to sit on my lap.”
Ugh, what’s with this guy? “What do you mean, kids? I’m well over twenty!”
“Lei, stop making a scene and do it,” Joseph says.
My cheeks heat up as I notice the couple dozens of faces fixed on mine. Dammit, this is so stupid! I rest the back of my thighs over his left one. No way this kinky old man will have the privilege of feeling my butt.
“So what will it be?” Santa asks.
“A bride…” I whisper.
November 13, 2020
Cover Reveal: Forbidden: Xmas Days
The cover for my new novella for Christmas: Forbidden: Xmas Days. It is set the year before the happenings of Forbidden: A Steamy Paranormal Romance, and features Lei in his family's crazy gathering. We'll get to see how and why he made the deal with the devil.
I kinda like how this turned out, but in my mind the pic was a lot darker. I kept fearing the lights would be too faint and the picture unclear, so I didn't dare adding more shadows. By the way, notice that Lei has a different hairdo... He doesn't have the usual horns! He was not possessed at the time, so I saw fit that he wouldn't sport them at the moment.
The novella will be out early December! And the ARCs... very soon!
