Auden Johnson's Blog, page 10

World-Building Inspiration: Macro Nature Photography

She didn’t know how she got small enough to use a mushroom as a house. The answer sat on the edge of her memory but no matter how hard she concentrated, it wouldn’t move within reach. It has been years, maybe centuries. She watched the tall people grow up and grow old. She never changed.

She screamed for their attention but her small voice never touched them. She climbed a tree but something stopped them from hearing her cries for help.

But, that was years ago. It wasn’t supposed to matter anymore. Maybe the stories were true. Maybe the people underground did make you remember unpleasant things. She was close then.

If you’re a writer and you find yourself stuck, looking at a photo and writing a story about it could be a good exercise for you. I wrote this short just by thinking of a series of images I took while hiking and experimenting.

The Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens is beginning to be my favorite lens. I’d keep it attached to my camera all the time if it wasn’t so heavy. Hiking with that thing for several miles gets real tiring. But hailing it around has been worth it. I’m finally able to capture my dream nature macros.

Recently, I started watching hiking documentaries on YouTube. They often show close-up photos of the types of plants they find on the trail, especially mushrooms. So, when I hiked the Hudson Highlands recently, I kept my eyes on the ground.

I’ll be setting aside these photos to use in a story. Maybe a character comes across a rare mushroom known for its distinctive bright red top. Cooking it releases its ability to heal almost any wound or sickness.

Or, the Meadow Slayer. It hides in a field of similar looking plants and absorbs the life-force of anyone that gets too close

Visit my Behance profile to see more photos. Maybe they will inspire your story.

Fantasy World building: Making an Abandoned Island Map

You can only deny inspiration for so long  While updating The Unburned Island,  a voice whispered in my ear to add a map. In Making a Fantasy Town Map: Behind the Scenes, I wrote about making a  map for book 2, The Wailing Town. But, I had no intention of doing the same thing for book 1. As always, the voice would not be silenced. At this point, I honestly didn’t try to hard to shut it up. I’ve fought this battle before and I never win.  Looks like I’m making a map for Book 1.

Recently, I discovered that Shutterstock has a lot of map vectors. I decided to do something a little different this time.  I usually draw the island in Photoshop but what if I found a landmass image in Shutterstock and built on that?



I liked this shape. But, it’s a map of France. I like creating fantasy lands instead of using actual places because I don’t want to be bogged down with being realistic to the setting.  The land’s shape in almost perfect but I need to change it a bit so it doesn’t look like France. You can find the image on Shutterstock.

This is the Unburned Island.



Since I began mapmaking, I’ve been researching geography to make my landmasses realistic. I generally don’t work with magic systems that change the natural formation of things like mountains and rivers. But, I clearly didn’t do enough research. This below video showed me the rivers in my other maps need to be fixed.



The Unburned Island is uninhabited, has been for years. People have tried building on it but bad things kept happening. Which means, the few building on the island are rundown or in complete ruins.

I chose this map icon vector set because I needed ruins.



To find more map vectors, visit my Shutterstock Collection.

The mountains and trees on this sheet are also pretty nice. I wanted to do something different with the forest. You see in The Wailing Town’s map that the trees are pretty spread out.




I copy and pasted different tree images. It’s time-consuming which is why the forest is not as thick. But, for the Unburned Island, I wanted to figure out how to create a thick forest.  I copied and pasted trees in a separate document to create this forest cluster.



I copy and pasted this cluster all over the map.



I changed the map shape a bit more because I wanted the island to be smaller. Although those lines shooting out of the compass like sun rays are cool, the map looks cleaner without them in the background. I also don’t like the border.

In the book, Kiran and her team are supposed to be exorcising the schoolhouse. It’s standing but it’s rundown. My stories don’t take place in medieval times. The buildings are more modern. Most fantasy map icon set assumes your setting takes place during medieval times. Mine does not so I needed to get creative.

I found this:



Using these images, I created the schoolhouse.


That distressed look came from a brush set I found on DeviantArt.

Kiran begins the story by mentioning a long ride. I need a road to show how they got from the ferry station to the school. This map got me using the Pen tool in Photoshop.  I tried drawing it freeform but it did not come out right. The Pen tool is not easy to use. But, it made me a nice road from the ferry station.



I changed the colors a bit and added more details and a border.



In the end, I didn’t use the ruins in that map vectors set I shared above. They look nice but they’re stone. The school is not made out of stone. This map pushed my computer to the limit. Getting the mountain color right was probably the hardest part. That and using the Pen tool to create the road. Now, I’ll be going back to The Wailing Town’s map and redoing the forest to make it look thicker. I’ll also need to fix the rivers in some of my other maps. This was a fun workout. If you have any questions about map making, comment below.

…
Check out The Unburned Island available now.

Fantasy World building: Making an Abandoned Island Map

You can only deny inspiration for so long  While updating The Unburned Island,  a voice whispered in my ear to add a map. In Making a Fantasy Town Map: Behind the Scenes, I wrote about making a  map for book 2, The Wailing Town. But, I had no intention of doing the same thing for book 1. As always, the voice would not be silenced. At this point, I honestly didn't try to hard to shut it up. I've fought this battle before and I never win.  Looks like I'm making a map for Book 1. 
Recently, I discovered that Shutterstock has a lot of map vectors. I decided to do something a little different this time.  I usually draw the island in Photoshop but what if I found a landmass image in Shutterstock and built on that?

I liked this shape. But, it's a map of France. I like creating fantasy lands instead of using actual places because I don't want to be bogged down with being realistic to the setting.  The land's shape in almost perfect but I need to change it a bit so it doesn't look like France. You can find the image on Shutterstock. 
This is the Unburned Island. 

Since I began mapmaking, I've been researching geography to make my landmasses realistic. I generally don't work with magic systems that change the natural formation of things like mountains and rivers. But, I clearly didn't do enough research. This below video showed me the rivers in my other maps need to be fixed.

The Unburned Island is uninhabited, has been for years. People have tried building on it but bad things kept happening. Which means, the few building on the island are rundown or in complete ruins.
I chose this map icon vector set because I needed ruins.

To find more map vectors, visit my Shutterstock Collection. 
The mountains and trees on this sheet are also pretty nice. I wanted to do something different with the forest. You see in The Wailing Town's map that the trees are pretty spread out.

I copy and pasted different tree images. It's time-consuming which is why the forest is not as thick. But, for the Unburned Island, I wanted to figure out how to create a thick forest.  I copied and pasted trees in a separate document to create this forest cluster.
I copy and pasted this cluster all over the map.

I changed the map shape a bit more because I wanted the island to be smaller. Although those lines shooting out of the compass like sun rays are cool, the map looks cleaner without them in the background. I also don't like the border. 
In the book, Kiran and her team are supposed to be exorcising the schoolhouse. It's standing but it's rundown. My stories don't take place in medieval times. The buildings are more modern. Most fantasy map icon set assumes your setting takes place during medieval times. Mine does not so I needed to get creative. 
I found this:

Using these images, I created the schoolhouse.
That distressed look came from a brush set I found on DeviantArt. 
Kiran begins the story by mentioning a long ride. I need a road to show how they got from the ferry station to the school. This map got me using the Pen tool in Photoshop.  I tried drawing it freeform but it did not come out right. The Pen tool is not easy to use. But, it made me a nice road from the ferry station.

I changed the colors a bit and added more details and a border.

In the end, I didn't use the ruins in that map vectors set I shared above. They look nice but they're stone. The school is not made out of stone. This map pushed my computer to the limit. Getting the mountain color right was probably the hardest part. That and using the Pen tool to create the road. Now, I'll be going back to The Wailing Town's map and redoing the forest to make it look thicker. I'll also need to fix the rivers in some of my other maps. This was a fun workout. If you have any questions about map making, comment below.
...Check out The Unburned Island available now.
 

Nature Photography: Chasing the View

I am just going to open with this video. Sorry about the camera shake. I’d suggest watching it with the volume on. You’ll hear how tired I was before reaching this view.




I knew this hike was going to be difficult but I hadn’t expected stretches of trails that could scarcely be called walkable paths.

At one point, I lost the next trail marker. I followed a path that looked like a path but I couldn’t see the next marker. I found it a few minutes later, up the side of a mountain.



It’s technically a trail but it’s difficult to spot from below. This is the kind of trail a newbie looks at just goes, seriously?! You’d think going down would be easier. I was more likely to slip on a rock going down than up.

The question remains, why do this? When you’re alone in nature, away from cars, people, you rejuvenated, while you’re trying not to curse the trail. I don’t have to tackle this kind of terrain to be among nature, though. Central Park and Prospect Park both have paths that are off the main route. But there’s a special kind of calm that comes with the variety you find while hiking deep in the woods.


In The Ruins of Hudson Highlands, I mentioned I went hiking over the weekend. I shared this map of my route.




I chose this route because I wanted to see the ruins and get a nice view while avoiding most of the Breakneck Ridge trail. It’s the white line labeled as BR. I couldn’t avoid it completely, the overlook is on Breakneck Ridge.

The tail end of my route was a struggle.



My body was like, nope, nope, nope. But, this path was close to the end. I pushed myself as far and I could and rested when my body wasn’t having any of it.

But, the route wasn’t entirely like that.


My favorite area. Flat and surrounded by trees. The slightly overgrown grass added to the isolated feel. I had just escaped a noisy group hiking behind me. This part was so quiet. This road reminded me why I love these kinds of hikes. The various terrains make you feel like you’re truly in the woods. When I’m walking through a park, I’m always aware I’m in the middle of a city even when alone and surrounded by trees. It’s difficult to truly be relaxed. But, on a trail like this, it’s as if nature absorbs all the bad thoughts and emotions. I don’t feel as heavy when I leave.

These hikes lead to some awesome views.



I’m chasing these shots. To drop down on a rock and have lunch in what feels like the top of the world is a nice reward. To break open a journal and start writing in front of this view is like living the dream.

To see more photos like this one, visit my Behance project.

Most writers are good at writing in general but, they gravitate towards certain topics/genres. It’s the same with photography. I like taking pictures, in general, but I prefer nature photography. Unfortunately, that topic is heavily saturated. So, I try to go to places few people visit and even fewer think to photograph.

Like this:


This is a trail. (I wish the shot came out better. I’m still learning.) It’s not a beautiful view. No one was photographing it but it still tells a story. I could’ve walked by this nonsense with a head shake. But…



That’s not how you get interesting shots.
….

The below photo is available as a print on DeviantArt.

Nature Photography: Chasing the View

I am just going to open with this video. Sorry about the camera shake. I'd suggest watching it with the volume on. You'll hear how tired I was before reaching this view.

I knew this hike was going to be difficult but I hadn't expected stretches of trails that could scarcely be called walkable paths. 
At one point, I lost the next trail marker. I followed a path that looked like a path but I couldn't see the next marker. I found it a few minutes later, up the side of a mountain. 

It's technically a trail but it's difficult to spot from below. This is the kind of trail a newbie looks at just goes, seriously?! You'd think going down would be easier. I was more likely to slip on a rock going down than up. 
The question remains, why do this? When you're alone in nature, away from cars, people, you rejuvenated, while you're trying not to curse the trail. I don't have to tackle this kind of terrain to be among nature, though. Central Park and Prospect Park both have paths that are off the main route. But there's a special kind of calm that comes with the variety you find while hiking deep in the woods.     
In The Ruins of Hudson Highlands, I mentioned I went hiking over the weekend. I shared this map of my route. 

I chose this route because I wanted to see the ruins and get a nice view while avoiding most of the Breakneck Ridge trail. It's the white line labeled as BR. I couldn't avoid it completely, the overlook is on Breacknect ridge.
The tail end of my route was a struggle.

My body was like, nope, nope, nope. But, this path was close to the end. I pushed myself as far and I could and rested when my body wasn't having any of it. 
But, the route wasn't entirely like that. 
My favorite area. Flat and surrounded by trees. The slightly overgrown grass added to the isolated feel. I had just escaped a noisy group hiking behind me. This part was so quiet. This road reminded me why I love these kinds of hikes. The various terrains make you feel like you're truly in the woods. When I'm walking through a park, I'm always aware I'm in the middle of a city even when alone and surrounded by trees. It's difficult to truly be relaxed. But, on a trail like this, it's as if nature absorbs all the bad thoughts and emotions. I don't feel as heavy when I leave. 
These hikes lead to some awesome views. 

I'm chasing these shots. To drop down on a rock and have lunch in what feels like the top of the world is a nice reward. To break open a journal and start writing in front of this view is like living the dream.
To see more photos like this one, visit my Behance project. 
Most writers are good at writing in general but, they gravitate towards certain topics/genres. It's the same with photography. I like taking pictures, in general, but I prefer nature photography. Unfortunately, that topic is heavily saturated. So, I try to go to places few people visit and even fewer think to photograph. 
Like this:
This is a trail. (I wish the shot came out better. I'm still learning.) It's not a beautiful view. No one was photographing it but it still tells a story. I could've walked by this nonsense with a head shake. But...

That's not how you get interesting shots.....
The below photo is available as a print on DeviantArt.

The Ruins of Hudson Highlands

She used to hunt for silence like you would burried treasure. Now, the forest was quiet. The ruins no longer spoke to her. She thought she’d miss the voices. She didn’t. She missed the stories. 
….
 

Even before COVID, I avoided heavily trafficked trails. I hike because I want to be away from people. And, it’s difficult to take good photos if a lot of people are in the way. Adobe Photoshop’s Content-Aware tool has gotten better at removing people from photos but I’d rather not rely on that.

I made an exception this weekend because I wanted to the ruins in Hudson Highlands State Park. Should’vet gone during the week. The trail was not Times Sqaure packed but it was still annoyingly crowded, especially around the ruins.

Even worse, more and more people have stopped wearing masks and social distancing. Did I miss the memo? COVID is still a thing. And it’s rising in states that thought they had it under control. Are we going to be trapped in a loop until COVID is cured? It’s NY so, we can’t social distance all the time but we all can at least wear masks or scarves around our nose and mouths.

Sorry, as you can tell, parts of the trail were a little irritating. It took me almost 3 hours to get there. Going home wasn’t an option. Fortunately, the farther in I hiked, the less crowded it got.

I want to tackle Breakneck Ridge one day but it’s a super popular trail. That may be a weekday hike. If you’re looking to hike the Hudson Highlands and you’re concerned about COVID, I’d suggest doing a weekday trip, if you can. Sunday’s is probably better. Maybe pick a less popular trail. Hiking to Bull Hill wasn’t this bad.

The trail was still pretty. Sunlight shone on certain places like they were treasures in a video game.

 

The trail leading to Cornish Estate’s ruins was easy compared to other terrains I’ve hiked. Most of it was paved and the inclines weren’t that steep.

The treasure at the end was worth it, even if people kept getting in my shot.

 

 

I always wanted to photograph abandoned buildings but that is not something done alone unless I have a weapon, know how to fight or both. At least, I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that alone. I was a bit wary of climbing through ruins I found on the trail. Didn’t want something falling on me.

 

 

I knew this was a heavily photographed spot. The night before, I did a Google search of the types of images people took here. I wanted to try and do something different.

 

 
 

 

Fortunately, the old building next to it, off the beaten path, wasn’t as crowded.

 

 
The doorway was huge.
 

 

Getting to the ruins was only a little over a mile’s walk. Before I left home, I mapped out a longer route to make the trip worth it. Father up the trail was supposed to be a beautiful view. That would be my endpoint. About 6 miles round trip.

 

 

I’m glad I decided to extend my route. I got a little surprise along the way.

 



 

Always fun to see handprints on an old abandoned building in the middle of the forest.

 

 

I knew about Cornish Estate’s ruins but I hadn’t expected more. I’ve been searching for the name of these ruins but I can’t even find photos of it. People had to take pictures of it.

Unfortunately, a group of people were walking the trail behind me and they stopped here as well. I couldn’t take as many photos as I wanted. I was hoping to get more photos on the way back but another group of people had camped out here.

 

Visit my Behance profile to see more photos.

I did make it to the end of my mapped route. The view was totally worth the sometimes torture of a trail. Certain areas made me real mad at Hudson Highlands. Parts weren’t trails, they were mountains. I hadn’t expected to be climbing rocks. It got worse the closer I was to my destination. But that’s another post.

The Ruins of Hudson Highlands

She used to hunt for silence like you would burried treasure. Now, the forest was quiet. The ruins no longer spoke to her. She thought she'd miss the voices. She didn't. She missed the stories. ....

Even before COVID, I avoided heavily traffice trails. I hike because I want to be away from people. And, it's difficult to take good photos if a lot of people are in the way. Adobe Photoshop's Content-Aware tool has gotten better at removing people from photos but I'd rather not rely on that.
I made an exception this weekend because I wanted to the ruins in Hudson Highlands State Park. Should'vet gone during the week. The trail was not Times Sqaure packed but it was still annoyingly crowded, especially around the ruins. 
Even worse, more and more people have stopped wearing masks and social distancing. Did I miss the memo? COVID is still a thing. And it's rising in states that thought they had it under control. Are we going to be trapped in a loop until COVID is cured? It's NY so, we can't social distance all the time but we all can at least wear masks or scarves around our nose and mouths. 
Sorry, as you can tell, parts of the trail were a little irritating. It took me almost 3 hours to get there. Going home wasn't an option. Fortunately, the farther in I hiked, the less crowded it got. 
I want to tackle Breakneck Ridge one day but it's a super popular trail. That may be a weekday hike. If you're looking to hike the Hudson Highlands and you're concerned about COVID, I'd suggest doing a weekday trip, if you can. Sunday's is probably better. Maybe pick a less popular trail. Hiking to Bull Hill wasn't this bad.
The trail was still pretty. Sunlight shone on certain places like they were treasures in a video game. 

The trail leading to Cornish Estate's ruins was easy compared to other terrains I've hiked. Most of it was paved and the inclines weren't that steep.
The treasure at the end was worth it, even if people kept getting in my shot.

I always wanted to photograph abandoned buildings but that is not something done alone unless I have a weapon, know how to fight or both. At least, I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that alone. I was a bit weary of climbing through ruins I found on the trail. Didn't want something falling on me.

I knew this was a heavily photographed spot. The night before, I did a Google search of the types of images people took here. I wanted to try and do something different.  



Fortunatly, the old building next to it, off the beaten path, wasn't as crowded.

The doorway was huge.

Getting to the ruins was only a little over a mile's walk. Before I left home, I mapped out a longer route to make the trip worth it. Father up the trail was supposed to be a beautiful view. That would be my endpoint. About 6 miles round trip.

I'm glad I decided to extend my route. I got a little surprise along way.  
Always fun to see handprints on an old abandoned building in the middle of the forest.

I knew about Cornish Estate's ruins but I hadn't expected more. I've been searching for the name of these ruins but I can't even find photos of it. People had to take pictures of it.
Unfortunately, a group of people were walking the trail behind me and they stopped here as well. I couldn't take as many photos as I wanted. I was hoping to get more photos on the way back but another gorup of people had camped out here.

Visit my Behance profile to see more photos.
I did make it to the end of my mapped route. The view was totally worth the sometimes torture of a ttrail. Certain areas made me real mad at Hudson Highlands. Parts weren't trails, they were mountains. I hadn't expected to be climbing rocks. It got worse the closer I was to my destination. But that's another post. 

Making a Fantasy Town Map: Behind the Scenes

Funny how inspiration will hit you. I had planned to go hiking on Saturday to take my new telephoto lens out for a test. On Friday, I packed my bag, charged my camera battery and portable charger, printed a trail map and double-checked my path. I should’ve checked the weather first. Cold Spring was looking at an 80% chance of thunderstorms all afternoon. Clearly, Saturday was not the day to go outside.


Disappointed, I sat in front of my computer Saturday morning and started working on The Wailing Town. It’s book 2 of The Other Investigator series. The Unburned Island is Book 1. I’ve been writing this book in pieces but now, it’s time to connect all the sections. I also need to replaced placeholders like (town name) or (hospital name) with actual names.


While describing the setting, I suddenly wanted to draw it out and make a map in Photoshop. The idea came out of nowhere. I enjoy creating fantasy maps but I don’t usually make them for novellas.

I dug out my sketchbook and started drawing.

Creating this would be a bit different than making my other maps. I use the method in this video below to make my country and world maps.

But this time, I’m creating was a town map. In The Wailing Town, Kiran and co. are recovering in Shida when things go wrong.

In Shutterstock, I’ve been gathering map icons into a Fantasy Map Collection.  Now, it’s time to break them out.

But first, I need terrain. Even after creating several maps, this is still hard to get right. I usually start by searching “grass green HTML.” But, the green’s usually too dark or too bright. And, if you look at other maps, forest texture is rarely one solid color.

One thing I always do when designing, something I’ve mentions a lot of time, I search for inspiration on Pinterest. Fortunately, I already have a Map Making Board.

With Shutterstock, I get 10 downloads a month. Before I started grabbing images, I searched my folder to see if I had anything that would make a good forest floor.

I found this.

I didn’t like it at first. The dark was too dark for me. I experimented with different greens and different textures. I even tried this below image but it didn’t fit with the design.

I got this image for free from Pixabay. But, I ended up trying the green background again. I liked it.

Here’s how I left it Sunday morning.

I populated it with map icons like these:

Used up more than half of my monthly Shutterstock downloads in just a weekend. But, it renews the beginning of the month.

I worked with the blending. I love the map colors but, for me, it comes off a bit young, like it’s for a younger audience. The Wailing Town is for adults. I darkened the colors a bit. I also experimented in combining the rocky ground and the green background images above.

Here’s the “final” version. I don’t know yet if it’s complete, complete but for right now, I don’t see myself adding anything to it, just tweaking parts of it.

I might like the brighter map better. I’ll think about it. I did all this in Photoshop.

The darker one does look better in black and white, though.

Shida in the Otraya Crie was a haven for Others. It’s an isolated location made a perfect home for Others well before humans had “accepted” them. Others are magical beings. Even years after the town’s creation, it still sits on ancient and active wards. The protections prevent people from stumbling on the town. Those who aren’t welcome to never reach it, no matter how far they drive.

People interested in visiting or vacationing in this town must stop by an agent in the nearest city. There’s no real screening process. They get a ward placed on them and reserve a spot. The ward is time-based. It disappears when the visit is finished. If the person is still in town when the mark disappears, they will suddenly find themselves outside of town with all their stuff. They won’t be allowed back in. These precautions aren’t meant to keep people out or to be strict. The current landowners want to preserve the original wards as much as possible because they’re historic works of art.

Kiran and two others were injured during The Unburned Island incident. They’re still recovering in Book 2. They chose this place because of the wards.

Making a Fantasy Town Map: Behind the Scenes

Funny how inspiration will hit you. I had planned to go hiking on Saturday to take my new telephoto lens out for a test. On Friday, I packed my bag, charged my camera battery and portable charger, printed a trail map and double-checked my path. I should've checked the weather first. Cold Spring was looking at an 80% chance of thunderstorms all afternoon. Clearly, Saturday was not the day to go outside.
Disappointed, I sat in front of my computer Saturday morning and started working on The Wailing Town. It's book 2 of The Other Investigator series. The Unburned Island is Book 1. I've been writing this book in pieces but now, it's time to connect all the sections. I also need to replaced placeholders like (town name) or (hospital name) with actual names. 
While describing the setting, I suddenly wanted to draw it out and make a map in Photoshop. The idea came out of nowhere. I enjoy creating fantasy maps but I don't usually make them for novellas.  
I dug out my sketchbook and started drawing.
Creating this would be a bit different than making my other maps. I use the method in this video below to make my country and world maps. 

But this time, I'm creating was a town map. In The Wailing Town, Kiran and co. are recovering in Shida when things go wrong. 
In Shutterstock, I've been gathering map icons into a Fantasy Map Collection.  Now, it's time to break them out.
But first, I need terrain. Even after creating several maps, this is still hard to get right. I usually start by searching "grass green HTML." But, the green's usually too dark or too bright. And, if you look at other maps, forest texture is rarely one solid color. 
One thing I always do when designing, something I've mentions a lot of time, I search for inspiration on Pinterest. Fortunately, I already have a Map Making Board. 


With Shutterstock, I get 10 downloads a month. Before I started grabbing images, I searched my folder to see if I had anything that would make a good forest floor.
I found this.
I didn't like it at first. The dark was too dark for me. I experimented with different greens and different textures. I even tried this below image but it didn't fit with the design.
I got this image for free from Pixabay. But, I ended up trying the green background again. I liked it.
Here's how I left it Sunday morning.
I populated it with map icons like these:

Used up more than half of my monthly Shutterstock downloads in just a weekend. But, it renews the beginning of the month. 
I worked with the blending. I love the map colors but, for me, it comes off a bit young, like it's for a younger audience. The Wailing Town is for adults. I darkened the colors a bit. I also experimented in combining the rocky ground and the green background images above.
Here's the "final" version. I don't know yet if it's complete, complete but for right now, I don't see myself adding anything to it, just tweaking parts of it. 
I might like the brighter map better. I'll think about it. I did all this in Photoshop.
The darker one does look better in black and white, though.
Shida in the Otraya Crie was a haven for Others. It's an isolated location made a perfect home for Others well before humans had "accepted" them. Others are magical beings. Even years after the town's creation, it still sits on ancient and active wards. The protections prevent people from stumbling on the town. Those who aren't welcome to never reach it, no matter how far they drive. 
People interested in visiting or vacationing in this town must stop by an agent in the nearest city. There’s no real screening process. They get a ward placed on them and reserve a spot. The ward is time-based. It disappears when the visit is finished. If the person is still in town when the mark disappears, they will suddenly find themselves outside of town with all their stuff. They won’t be allowed back in. These precautions aren’t meant to keep people out or to be strict. The current landowners want to preserve the original wards as much as possible because they’re historic works of art.
Kiran and two others were injured during The Unburned Island incident. They're still recovering in Book 2. They chose this place because of the wards. 

Preorder The Seeking, a Horror Novel by Marlena Frank

Author: Marlene Frank
Title: The Seeking
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
Publisher: The Parliament House Press
Release Date: October 27th, 2020

Each Seeking, the magic that protects the town of Carra must be renewed, which means the children of the Exalted Family must go into hiding. Whether it be through disguise or bribe, through trusted friends or perfect hiding places, every child of the Priest family must avoid capture for the full day.

When things go wrong with the renewal, it’s up to seventeen-year-old Dahlia, the middle child of the Priest family, and her girlfriend, Bisa, to escape Carra and find the magical beings responsible for the protection. They must learn who would require such a cruel game to be played every year and if the protection of the Gray People is really worth such a deadly cost. What they will discover is far worse.

Preorder Today

Goodreads | Amazon| The Parliament House Press 


For booksellers interested in purchasing copies 
The Parliament House Press 

Marlena Frank has always been fascinated with monsters, and now gets to write about them. She has been writing horror and fantasy short stories since 2010 and has had her work published in a number of anthologies, from Heroic Fantasy Quarterly to The Sirens Call.

Her YA Dark Fantasy novella, The She-Wolf of Kanta, was released in April 2018 from Aurelia Leo. Her debut novel, Stolen, came out January 2019 from The Parliament House Press, and on release day became an Amazon Bestseller in a YA category. When she isn’t thinking up strange tales, she’s an active member in the Atlanta cosplay community and the Atlanta chapter of the Horror Writers Association. Her novel Stolen hit Amazon’s bestseller status on release day, reaching #34 in the Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths for Children category on Amazon on release day.

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