Mili Fay's Blog

Warriors of Virtue ARC

Twenty-three years in the making, the first Warriors of Virtue book is scheduled to be published by the end of this year. The ARC should be available sometime in November 2019.

FROM THE BACK COVER:

Defending the Land of Ardan, a reluctant Princess grows into a Queen.

She is a freak with a tiara, why not become a freak with a sword? According to the most reliable source that Princess Lauraliee Lumijer knows, Cornelian — her tutor and the greatest wizard in the Land of Ardan — Dragon-Lord Malachite Pendragon has done the impossible: returned from the dead. Lauraliee feels she has no choice, but to join her soul with an Elemental Spirit and become a Warrior of Virtue alongside her cousin and sister. Wielding the powers of water, fire, and air they must retrieve and destroy Malachite’s Blood Ruby, before he uses its dark magic to regain full strength.

Can three pampered teenagers survive the wilderness of Ardan long enough to prevent a war? More importantly, can they keep their mission a secret from Queen Dragana, Lauraliee’s overprotective mother?

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Diamond Pendragon believed his father was still alive. As Crown Prince he kept his people safe in a hermit kingdom for nearly a hundred and fifty years. Now, his father is back from the dead, ready to take the throne and rid the Land of Ardan of the parasitic humans once and for all.

Is war the only answer? Are humans truly the pests his father believes they are?

If you would like to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review (a few sentences, nothing formal), visit the Warriors of Virtue Official Page for details.

How to create an artist’s portfolio?

Part 1 of TBD

If you’ve ever asked yourself:

- What should I include in my portfolio?
- How can I stand out from the crowd of artists just as talented as I am at a job fair?
- What format should my portfolio take: a book, a folder, hand-made…?
- … and many other questions that can, quite frankly, drive an inexperienced artist insane.

This series of articles is for you. In this series I will attempt to answer these questions as I build my own portfolio from scratch for the SCBWI 20th Annual Winter Conference, occurring February 2019 in NY. I invite you to join my journey from the very beginning, until the final article in which I will share my NY experience.

Before you get too excited and scream: “Yes! This is what I have been searching for. Thank you [insert deity of choice]!!!” I have a confession to make. I have never gotten a job using an artist’s portfolio. All the jobs I received were due to the word-of-mouth or via websites, my own and the commonly popular ones, like Etsy.

If you have not met me before, you also need to know that I am rather an unusual artist. I do not fit pre-set checkboxes. I’m a classically trained animator, who made her living painting portraits and freelance illustrating, before creating Mili Fay Art. I have the skills to create a live action/classically animated movie from scratch. I can build and publish a book in print, e-book, and Mobi formats. I’m also willing to learn whatever I need to to get the job done. I do not fear technology, I embrace it, but I also enjoy being traditional. I do not have a single drawing or painting style, but tend to push my style in different directions for different projects.

I think that’s all you need to know before we begin this journey. So, without further ado, let’s get on with it.

Step 1: Research

It is very Hermione of me, I know, but I never begin anything unfamiliar without extensive research.

As I read article upon article about creating artist’s portfolios, I came across two common rules:

1. Create a portfolio specific to the job you are seeking.
2. Stick to a single style, so that companies who wish to hire you will know what to expect.

I have no issues with rule number 1. I have many issues with rule number 2.

Let’s begin with rule number one. It is deceptively simple, but if you have ever tried to follow this rule, I bet you anything that you got stuck when the time came to choose your artwork. The only advice I can give you here is that you should find an artist whose job you wish you had and ask them for advice. Most artists are not as fearful of sharing what they know as you would imagine, and those who are are not mature enough, so you should stay clear of them anyway.

Therefore, if you wish to apply for a character designer position at a studio, study the studio’s style, and see if you can talk to one of the artists, or even the director in charge. Terrifying, I know, but this is the time when you have to become a fearless warrior, not stay a shrinking violet. The worst that can happen is they say no, and you will be in the exact position you were before.

If you wish to illustrate covers, have illustrated covers in your portfolio. If you are applying for a picture book job for young children, study the published books, and bring something fresh to the styles that are shown.

As I have never gotten a job with a portfolio, here is my favourite article on creating an illustration portfolio I’ve discovered in my research. This article links to other great articles, so feel free to explore.

My case and troubles with Rule 2.

The SCBWI published a page that outlines exactly what is expected from me as an artist for the SCBWI 20th Annual Winter Conference Portfolio Showcase.

I have never attended one of these events before. I’m not sure what to expect. Also, I was not sure what to do with this portfolio. Do I create a portfolio pretending I am looking for a particular job? Do I stick to artwork focusing on a particular age group? Do I follow the sage advice I’ve read in the articles, or do I take a huge risk and do something I have not come across in my research?

What would you do? By the way, the tickets and transportation costs for this event have reached CAD$1200.

My whole being is telling me to take the risk. This is not the time to play it safe. I need to stay true to myself and show whoever is judging this portfolio who I am to the best of my current ability. My reasoning is simple, I do not wish to work with people who will not appreciate me for who I am. This portfolio exhibition is not about finding a job — I’m compiling a list of agencies and publishers I will be submitting my work to in the future to find a job — this experience is about finding a kindred spirit who will be a partner in my future career.

I am more than an illustrator. I’m an author, a publisher, a filmmaker, and animator. Thus, I’ve decided my portfolio for this particular event will take the shape of a published hard-cover book. It will include my Portfolio divided into different age groups, an illustration interview (YouTube Video and written), social proof, and a comment section for the judges (if they wish to offer some constructive criticism).

Building my portfolio will continue in the following article, for now I leave you with these three action steps:

1. Write down why you are creating your portfolio? A job? An event?
2. Write down, what do you wish to say with your portfolio? Why should they hire you instead of the amazing artist standing next to you? What makes you perfect for this position?
3. Research. Read all the articles and watch all the videos you can about creating a portfolio for the position you want. Take notes. Write down questions. Then, find an artist through social media, introduce yourself and politely ask him/her if they would not mind if you ask them some questions (do not send them a list of questions, and keep your inquiry to a sentence or two).

Happy hunting!

Mili Fay
Toronto
November 25, 2018

Mili Fay, an award-winning artist, trained as a classical animator at Sheridan College, but when computer animation took over the field, she decided that she loved drawing more than animating. In November of 2011 she created Mili Fay Art determined to support the world one artwork at a time. Today, she passionately creates imaginative artwork and stories, always graced with a humorous modern twist.

Currently, Mili is working on an epic YA fantasy series, Warriors of Virtue, about a reluctant princess, Lauraliee, who learns to become a queen as she defends Ardan from dragon-people (people who turn into dragons).

Instagram:@mili.fay.art
Facebook: Mili Fay Art
Twitter: @MiliFay

Animals In My Hair Giveaway!

Just a quick note to let you know I’m having a major Animals In My Hair Giveaway on Instagram.

I’ll be giving away the increasingly-limited First Edition/First Printing Hardcover Books, Kindle Books, and in the Ultimate Draw Hardcover Book and an original sketch I used to create the book.

This Giveaway is in honour of the book’s 5-year Bookaversary. Trust me, you do not want to miss this event. You can find out more about the book at my website or Animals In My Hair.

Cheers and Good Luck!

Mili

P.S. If I can I’ll try to add a Goodreads Giveaway to coincide with the event, too. I do not know what restrictions we Canadians have on Goodreads these days.

UPCOMING APPEARANCES

BookExpo 2018
I will be attending BookExpo an BookCon in New York May 30-June 2, 2018. If you are there come and say hello.

The Best Way To Stay In Touch With Mili Fay

MILI FAY ART FAN CLUB

Join Mili Fay Art Fan Club
Mili Fay Art Fan Club is for those of you who love Mili Fay Art.

As a member of the Fan Club:
- you will receive gifts and discounts on Mili Fay Art Products and Services
- you will have many chances to participate in contests to win great prizes
- you will be notified of art tutorials, upcoming signings and markets, and any other online or offline events before any other Mili Fay Art social site
- you may join a Facebook Group to connect with other fans, share ideas, ask questions, and more
- you will have a front row seat for anything Mili Fay comes up with next
- every time a new book is about to be published by Mili Fay Art, you will have a chance to get a FREE copy!
- you will have FREE access to all of Mili Fay Art signing events and can skip the line-up.

FREE Sign-up Gift:
Gifts change periodically depending on the work I create. You may receive free Book Cover Art, posters, books, coloring pages...

Fan Club Rules:
Fan Club rules are simple. Be courteous and considerate, check your e-mail account, and participate in a club activity at least once in 3 months. Individuals who do not participate will be deleted to make room for those individuals who do.

If you review one of the books, please post your review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. The few minutes of your time it takes to write a review, makes a lifetime of difference to an author.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions on how I can make the Fan Club better, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Cheers!

Mili Fay
Toronto

Updated: February 27, 2018

MYTHOJULY 2017 SKETCHBOOK LAUNCH GRAND PRIZE DRAW

Help me spread the word about this event by Sharing on Social Media and you may win a Grand Prize!

HOW TO ENTER: Download /Save the cover image (a.k.a Invite) and share it online.Once you’ve shared the image and information about the event on your social media send an email containing: the list of Social Media you shared the image on. your name and contact email (you do not have to use your real name at this stage, but you must have a valid email address) Answer to: “Do you live in Canada or USA?” (Yes or No.) to mythojuly.contest@artofmili.ca . For every social media account you share the invite on, you will get one entry into the draw.PRIZE

There will be 2 winners: 1 chosen from Canada and USA, and 1 chosen from other countries, so make sure you let me know where you belong. Make sure you provide all the information I require A., B., and C. If you do not, your entry will be invalid. You will be require to provide proof you’ve shared the Invite between December 3rd and December 10th 2017 on Social Media before you can claim your prize.

Winning resident of Canada and USA (no P.O. Boxes are allowed) will win: the original Mystery Painting (it is an 11 x 14 original MythoJuly style watercolor painting featuring a mythological creature to be revealed on the day of the event — $240 value).

Winning resident of a country other than Canada and USA will win: a Mili Fay Art Kindle Collection (Warriors of Virtue Episodes 1-5 Text Edition, Animals In My Hair, The Phantom of the Opera: Inktober 2016 Sketchbook, #MerMay2017 Sketchbook, #MythoJuly2017 Sketchbook — $40 value) and $200 worth of downloadable full-resolution Mili Fay Art artwork of his/her choice (exception: Limited Edition Artwork).

If you are wondering why I’m not shipping artwork outside of Canada and USA, it’s because the shipping and customs costs are insane and I cannot afford them.

Deadline: December 10, 2017 at 12:00 EST

GRAND PRIZE DRAW DATE

To be announced here.

The day of, I will pick the winners from a hat on Instagram Live. If you do not have Instagram, not to worry, I’ll save the video and post it on YouTube.

Disclaimer: The Grand Prize Draw and MythoJuly 2017 Sketchbook Launch Event are created for fun at my own discretion. I and anyone related to me or my business are under no legal obligations whatsoever.

Keep you eye on the following post on my Official Website's Blog: MythoJuly 2017 Sketchbook Launch Event, which will be Live on December 10, 2017 at 12:00 EST. I hope to see you then.

Good luck and have fun!

Mili Fay
Toronto
December 3, 2017

© 2014 CDC PhotographyMili Fay, an award winning artist, trained as a classical animator at Sheridan College, but when computer animation took over the field, she decided that she loved drawing more than animating. In November of 2011 she created Mili Fay Art determined to support the world one artwork at a time. Today, she passionately creates imaginative artwork and stories, always graced with a humorous modern twist.

Currently, Mili is working on an epic YA fantasy series, Warriors of Virtue , about a reluctant princess, Lauraliee Lumijer, who grows into a queen as she defends Ardan from dragon people (people that change into dragons) and a hermit dragon prince, Diamond Pendragon, who is forced to rejoin Ardanian society and reevaluate his convictions.

Mili Fay Art Fan Club
"Together we support the world one artwork at a time."

Shop Mili Fay ArtFacebook: Mili Fay ArtTwitter: @MiliFay

How Can I Create My Own Kindle Sketchbook?

Creating a Kindle Sketchbook is so easy, I don’t know why more artists are not creating them. Personally, I love buying art books and sketchbooks. I actually prefer sketchbooks, because in the simple line work, I tend to discover an artist more than in his/her finished — perfected — pieces. I love them so much, that I have run out of shelf space. There are books stacked atop my furniture all over my room! With Disney’s $250 Sketchbooks sold out, I’m sure I’m not alone in this obsession.
In this blog post, I’ll show you how you can produce your own Sketchbook (or “Art of” book) and publish it on Amazon’s KDP. Note: You can click on the image to view a larger image. Step 1. Plan. Collect and Scan Your Art.Decide what your sketchbook will be about. You can have a generic Adam’s or Eve’s Sketchbook Series, where you publish a bunch of your favourite sketches on any topic. Or you can have a theme; Adam’s Ladies or Eve’s Weapon Collection .
How many pages should your sketchbook be? The more pages, the larger the file. I would recommend seeing what other artists are doing, in print and digitally. This research will help you decide on how much you should price your book, too. Personally, I think it is better to have shorter sketchbooks with an affordable price, than a single massive sketchbook that will sit on a virtual shelf forever.
Once you have collected all the art for your sketchbook, you need to scan it at 600 ppi resolution. Make sure you wipe your scanner before scanning to avoid spots on your images. You always want to scan your drawing bigger than what you think they will be in the end. Just in case you need to enlarge your images.Step 2. Photoshop (or another image editor)Kindle Sketchbooks are Fixed-Layout Books. You’ll need to decide if you want your sketchbook to have a vertical (Portrait) or horizontal (Landscape) layout. Then you need to create a new file with the following resolution: 2400 x 3840 px. This resolution is what is currently suggested in Amazon’s Kindle Kids’ Book Creator User Guide . If they change this resolution in the future, you will need to change your own files accordingly.
These are the settings in Photoshop for the new file.
Add your sketches to the new image file. For the purpose of this article, I’m going to assume you know how to do this.
Name your pages sequentially. This is very important! It will save you time importing your files. I tend to name my files: NameOfBook_Page00A (this is the front matter — the stuff that comes before the sketchbook, such as Preface, Instructions, and Title Page — the letter increases accordingly). The actual sketchbook pages (the meat of the book) I name: NameOfBook_Page01 (increasing the number accordingly—if the book had more than 99 pages, I would name my book NameOfBook_Page001).
Save your files as PSD, until the final version. Then you’ll need to flatten your images and save them as PDFs or JPEGs. If you’ve named your files sequentially, all of your sketchbook pages will be in their proper order.
Preface and Front and Back Matter
If you look at any professional sketchbook, there are always a few pages in the beginning explaining what the sketchbook is about and/or why it was created. This is known as the Preface. If you want your preface in color, or with specific text design, you will need to create this text file in Photoshop and save it as another of the images. This is the Preface page I created in Photoshop for The Phantom of the Opera Inktober 2016 Sketchbook.
If you just wish to create a plain text preface, you can do that in the Kindle Kids’ Book Creator. It’s completely up to you.
You may also wish to create a Copyright Page and Author’s Bio Page, to make your book appear more professional. I would place these pages at the end, so that Amazon’s Look Inside feature does not show them to the public.
My Author's Bio Page
My Copyright Page
If you are Canadian, you can register as a Publisher and receive free ISBN numbers from Library and Archives Canada. Do this if you are a professional, intending to sell a lot of sketchbooks. If you are American, you will need to purchase your ISBN.
Once all of your pages are saved as flattened JPEG files, it’s time for you to build your book in Kindle Kids’ Book Creator.

These are my flies ready for Kindle Kids' Book Creator. You can see the JPEG and the PSD versions side by side.Step 3. Kindle Kids’ Book CreatorDownload the free Kindle Kids’ Book Creator from Amazon. Install.

In the Welcome Screen choose: Create a New Kids’ Book.

Read the Getting Ready instructions.

Fill out the details about your book.

Choose orientation Landscape (Horizontal) or Portrait (Vertical).

Import your Cover Art (my cover art is the same size as the inside art).

Select and import all the pages of your sketchbook, excluding the Cover Art.


Your book has successfully imported. You may wish to change the Zoom percentage from 100% to 50%.

If you have tiny text that will be invisible on a smartphone (remember a lot of users read books on their smartphones), you may wish to insert a Pop-up. Click on the Add Pop-Up button in the upper left-hand corner of your screen.


By clicking on the frame, and hovering over the frame, you will see your cursor change to four-directional arrows. Now you can move the Pop-up over your text. Adjust it to the size of your text by hovering over corners or sides, until the cursor changes to a single directional arrow.
By hovering above the Pop-Up frame, you will bring forth “View Pop-Up” gray tab. Click on it.

Now you can add text, and use the features in the top bar to choose the size and spacing of your text until you feel it is large enough to be easily read on a smartphone screen.

You can add pages and delete pages by clicking on the Add Page and Delete Page buttons. Once you feel your book is ready to be published go to Book Preview > Create Book Preview (You’ll need to install the Kindle Previewer if you have not done so already when you installed the Book Creator.).

This will create a preview of your book for testing.

In the Kindle Previewer test your book. Does it look as it should? Does double-clicking on the small text reveal the Pop-Up window? Etc.

If you like you can crate an AZK file to test your book on your iOS devices. In the Kindle Previewer choose Devices > Kindle for iOS.

You can upload your AZK file by selecting your device in iTunes (you need to have the Kindle App on your device), going to Apps > Kindle, and adding the file to your Kindle app.
If your book looks great and you are ready to publish it on KDP, in the Kindle Kids’ Book Creator (with your book open of course) click File > Save for Publishing.

Name and save your book wherever you like.

Kindle Kids’ Book Creator will inform you when it has finished your file.

Find the file where you’ve saved it. It will be a .mobi file with the name you gave it. This is the file you will upload to KDP when prompted. (Note: content.mobi file you see in this window is the file created by the Kindle Previewer, the one you used to preview your book).


Step 4. Publish your book on Amazon.To publish your book on Amazon, you will of course need to create an Amazon account. If you wish, you can create a separate account for producing Kindle books, from the one you use to purchase books.
Once you have your Amazon Account go to https://kdp.amazon.com .

KDP Welcome Page
Sign in and follow the instructions to publish your Kindle Sketchbook.

That’s all there is to publishing a sketchbook. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions. If you wish, let me know when you’ve created your own sketchbook. I may like to add it to my collection.

Available from Amazon
All the best!
Mili © 2014 CDC PhotographyMili Fay, an award winning artist, trained as a classical animator at Sheridan College, but when computer animation took over the field, she decided that she loved drawing more than animating. In November of 2011 she created Mili Fay Art determined to support the world one artwork at a time. Today, she passionately creates imaginative artwork and stories, always graced with a humorous modern twist.

Currently, Mili is working on an epic YA fantasy series, Warriors of Virtue , about a reluctant princess, Lauraliee Lumijer, who grows into a queen as she defends Ardan from dragon people (people that change into dragons) and a hermit dragon prince, Diamond Pendragon, who is forced to rejoin Ardanian society and reevaluate his convictions.

Mili Fay Art Fan Club
"Together we support the world one artwork at a time."

Shop Mili Fay ArtFacebook: Mili Fay ArtTwitter: @MiliFay

eBook and Kindle Templates for Text-Based Books for Authors and Self-Publishers

As a Independent Publisher and Author I dreamed of a program that would allow me to self-publish my books and eBooks with trade publishing quality (if not superior quality), but in spite of extensive research none of the programs I found gave me the product I sought.
Following instructions, I tried MS Word and Adobe InDesign, but the eBooks produced were a complete mess I had no idea how to fix, since I never studied HTML Markup and CSS.
The ePubTtemplates I found often had too much formatting that as a novice I had no idea how to edit.
Amazon has Kindle Kids' Books creator, which is a wonderful tool for creating Kindle Picture books, but at this time they have nothing for text-based books.
Why could they not create a program where authors and publishers could just Copy and Paste the content and publish an eBook?
With my fantasy series Warriors of Virtue finally reaching publication stage, I ran out of time, and had to go back to school to find a solution to my digital publishing problem. A few month, and almost a $1000, later I passed the Digital Publishing and Design course at Ryerson University. This has been a wonderful program that taught me what I needed to know; not only did I learn how to Markup an eBook, but I also learned how to convert it into a Mobi file (Amazon Kindle proprietary file format), and how to write up ONIX metadata like a pro (not that Amazon needs this).
It was not easy. It took a couple of weeks and several months of testing, but I finally created the product I sought first starting out in this business: an easy to use Template that would allow anyone with basic computer skills to Copy and Paste their book and produce ePub and Mobi files.
Are you an Early Bird? You can get these templates for $5.
How much would you, as a publisher and author, be willing to pay for such a product?
I would have paid up to $300.
However, I know how hard it is starting out in the world of publishing. Competition is high, and money is easily spent. Therefore, I've decided to be generous.
I also believe in the old adage: "Early bird gets the worm."
Therefore, I came up with a pricing tier: The first 5 people to get the Templates can do so for $5, the next 10 for $10, the next 15 for $15, the next 20 for $20, and during this holiday season (until January 15th 2016), everyone else will be able to get the templates for $25.
Warriors of Virtue ePub and Kindle Templates package includes:ePub Template (for eReaders)Mobi Template (for Kindle devices and App)Step-By-Step User GuideCreating an ePub ChecklistConverting an ePub into a Mobi ChecklistIf ever I make any changes to these templates in the future, you will receive a FREE upgrade.

You will be able to work directly with XHTML, which will keep your markup as simple as possible, and prevent display errors that occur when ePub files are created automatically by various programs.
You can find out more about the Templates here , as well as download and view my ePub and Kindle samples.
If you have any questions, that's what the comments section is for.
If you are willing to give Warriors of Virtue ePub and Kindle Templates for Text-Based Books a try:


Happy Holidays!
Mili Fay

© 2014 CDC PhotographyMili Fay, an award winning artist, trained as a classical animator at Sheridan College, but when computer animation took over the field, she decided that she loved drawing more than animating. In November of 2011 she created Mili Fay Art determined to support the world one artwork at a time. Today, she passionately creates imaginative artwork and stories, always graced with a humorous modern twist.
Currently, Mili is working on an epic YA fantasy series, Warriors of Virtue , about a reluctant princess, Lauraliee, who becomes a queen as she defends Ardan from dragon-people (people who turn into dragons), and a secluded Prince who was a King all along.
Mili Fay Art Fan Club
"Together we support the world one artwork at a time."Shop Mili Fay ArtFacebook: Mili Fay ArtTwitter: @MiliFay

How to create a Kindle Book from scratch and WofV Episode 1

I have just recently published my first Kindle book, Warriors of Virtue Epic YA Fantasy Series Episode 1 , from scratch. It was quite a lengthy process for me to figure out. However, I am a perfectionist and I did everything I needed to do to make sure that my Kindle looked better than most trade-published eBooks I found in my library.
To find out more about this process, and what you can do to create your own Kindle book if you have no XHTML markup experience , read the following post on my official website's blog .
Best wishes,
Mili Fay © 2014 CDC PhotographyMili Fay, an award winning artist, trained as a classical animator at Sheridan College, but when computer animation took over the field, she decided that she loved drawing more than animating. In November of 2011 she created Mili Fay Art determined to support the world one artwork at a time. Today, she passionately creates imaginative artwork and stories, always graced with a humorous modern twist.
Currently, Mili is working on an epic YA fantasy series, Warriors of Virtue , about a reluctant princess, Lauraliee, who becomes a queen as she defends Ardan from dragon-people (people who turn into dragons), and a secluded Prince who was a King all along.
Mili Fay Art Fan Club
"Together we support the world one artwork at a time."Shop Mili Fay ArtFacebook: Mili Fay ArtTwitter: @MiliFay

Warriors of Virtue Episodes 1-9 YA Fantasy Rough Cover Art

I'm currently seeking fans of fantasy who would like to read Warriors of Virtue in exchange for an honest review. If you liked The Lord of the Rings, Sailor Moon, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and love mythology and fairytales, contact Mili Fay Art .To watch time-lapse videos and receive free full-resolution artwork join Mili Fay Art Fan Club. I only write to keep you in the loop and to send gifts. I hate spam and will never share your e-mail address.

       
If you are new to this blog, I have been writing and sketching a fantasy series, Warriors of Virtue , since I was sixteen years old. Currently the text is with my editor, and I've been illustrating the entire series while I wait. However, after speaking with several fans who cannot wait for the illustrated edition, I've decided to release a limited text-only edition. This edition will feature more realistic cover art appropriate for a YA audience. Each episode features one of the main characters.
Episode 1: Featuring Cornelian and Artemis Rough sketch showing Cornelian and Artemis looking inside The Cauldron. I was inspired by some Arabian designs for the cauldron. This moment is the catalyst for the entire series.
Cornelian the Great is great because he helped defeat the Dragon Lord Malachite approximately 150 years ago. He is the greatest wizard in Ardan (the land where the story takes place), and a catalyst for Warriors of Virtue. When writing Cornelian I was inspired by Gandalf the Gray and Merlin from Disney's The Sword in the Stone. Cornelian has a quite complicated story of his own that I may write in the future, in this series he serves as our heroes' teacher and guide.

Artemis is a descendant of Athena's Little Owl. He's lived for millennia, is immortal, arrogant, and brilliant. He did something terrible to anger the gods and has been sent to serve Cornelian as punishment. However, by the time this story takes place, Cornelian and Artemis are friends, colleagues, and companions, not master and servant. Artemis loves tea and manicures.
Episode 2: Featuring Lauraliee as Nenya Lauraliee as the Water Warrior, Nenya. Lauraliee at sixteen has a freakish talent with a sword. She has not been defeated in a swordfight since she was fourteen.
Lauraliee Elizabeth Vickomtessa Lumijer (I have included her full name but am excluding all the exalted titles) is the sixteen-year old main character of the story.
Warriors of Virtue is written in the third person omniscient point of view, follows the point of view of many characters, but if Lauraliee is in the scene the reader is focused on her experiences.
Lauraliee is a reluctant princess, who knows that one day she will become Queen, longing for an ordinary life. However, she has also been raised well by her mother, the reigning Queen Dragana, and takes responsibilities of her stations seriously. She is the eldest child in her family, and strives to set a good example for her sister and cousins. Lauraliee loves to read and paint, and has an unusual talent with the sword. She has not been defeated in combat since she was fourteen.

As the story progresses, she becomes Nenya, the Water Warrior.
Warriors of Virtue (originally there were five: Nenya/Water, Narya/Fire, Viliya/Air, Terrya/Earth, and Mettya/Metal) were created by Mistress Nature (creator of Ardan) in the Great War to stand against Lord Malachite. Malachite killed the Earth and Metal warriors and managed to capture the spirits. As our story begins, there are only three Elemental Spirits free: Water, Fire, and Air.
Episode 3: Featuring Vladimir as Narya Vladimir at fifteen is the Fire Warrior, Narya. Even though he does not use the bow and arrow (in the first volume he only uses darts), he is superior in archery.
Vladimir Nicholas Alexander DePompier is Lauraliee's fifteen-year-old cousin. His mother is Queen Dragana's sister. His father's family is famous for breeding fire-steeds, horses of brimstone and living flame. Vladimir is a quick-tempered, charming prankster. He's been living at the Empyreal Castle most of his life, and is more like a brother to his two cousins. He's in love with Anuck, the only child of chief Muhawaka. Vladimir loves Mushwaki and often argues with Nikolina over games. He is also a talented archer.
Mushwaki is a sport played in Ardan similar to soccer but at a certain point before scoring a player must continue the game keeping the ball of the ground (without using his hands). The ball is smaller, and the goalie must prevent its entrance by using a racquet-like instrument.
He becomes Narya, the Fire Warrior.
Episode 4: Featuring Nikolina as Viliya Nikolina (fourteen years old) is the Wind Warrior, Viliya. She has the ability to speak with animals.
Nikolina Katherine Marissa Lumijer is Lauraliee's fourteen-year-old sister. She is extraordinarily beautiful, sweet, and kind. However, she is not afraid to get in a skirmish with her cousin. She is a tomboy, who loves exploring nature and can speak to animals. She adores her sister and cousin, but just because she's the youngest does not mean she will let them get away with anything.

Nikolina becomes Viliya, the Wind Warrior.
Episode 5: Featuring Srdjan Srdjan knows how to use a wooden staff. He also has more Earth than he should and becomes Cornelian's Apprentice.
Srdjan Jović's parents are court ambassadors. When he and Lauraliee were seven they met, got into a fight, and became best friends. He moved into the Children's Tower and has been tutored by Cornelian with his new friends. He has a talent for wielding a staff, and has more Earth in him than any human should, eventually becoming Cornelian's apprentice.
Episode 6: Featuring Vert Vert Swiftwing is Prince Diamond's best friend and Captain of the Guard. He can transform into a green dragon of Swift class.
Vert Swiftwing is Prince Diamond's Captain of the Guard and best friend. He is about 200 years old but appears to be twenty. This is because dragon-people age slower than humans. Vert can transform into a green dragon of the Swift class. He has no issues with humans, but must follow Lord Malachite's orders. Unlike Diamond who never ventured far beyond Storm Rock, Vert has spent his life exploring Ardan. He is witty and charming. His weapon of choice: throwing daggers.
Episode 7: Featuring Diamond Prince Diamond Pendragon was a ruler of the dragon people for hundred and fifty years. He does not know whether to believe his father when he says that humans are evil.
Diamond Pendragon has ruled his people in a hermit kingdom at Storm Rock after the defeat of his father, Lord Malachite, since he was five (or should I say fifty) years old. He witnessed his father's imprisonment (and—he thought—death) at the hands of the Warriors of Virtue. In the hundred and fifty years of his rule, he never returned to the council of Ardan, keeping his people to themselves. After his father's miraculous escape, he argues with him against a war on humans. However, what if his father is right and humans are a plague that will destroy Ardan in the end? Diamond wishes he had bothered to find out more about humans when he had the chance.
Episode 8: Featuring Lady Avalon Lady Avalon is an accomplished witch and in the author's opinion a total nutcase.
Lady Avalon Starshine is Diamond's Aunt, twin-sister of his mother, Elonway. Daughter of a dragon nobleman and a star, she's extraordinarily beautiful and well-versed in magic. She practices all kinds of magic, including Dark Magic, but she is not as powerful as Malachite, Cornelian, or Mistress Nature. She loves Malachite Pendragon, but is not particularly fond of her nephew.
Episode 9: Featuring Lord Malachite Lord Malachite has a very good reason for hating humans to the point where he wants to exterminate them.
Lord Malachite Pendragon, a.k.a. the Dragon Lord, is the ruler of the dragon-people and Diamond's father. He learned to hate humans and has spent the last portion of his life trying to exterminate them from Ardan. He hates humans so much that he tried to get rid of his own human side with Dark Magic, but instead managed to get stuck in a form neither human nor dragon. Malachite is the most powerful sorcerer in Ardan, only Mistress Nature can match his magic and she's a goddess. His goal in life is to destroy every human in Ardan, thus saving all the non-human residents, and rule as his people have ruled for generations.

Well, there you have it: the first nine YA covers. Let me know what you think in the comments, and if you are interested in reading the first 9 episodes in exchange for an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads, please contact me .

All the best!

Mili Fay-----------------------------------------
Mili Fay, a Toronto-based artist, classical animator, illustrator, writer, and singer, is an award winning graduate of Sheridan College and Art Instruction Schools. In November of 2011 she created Mili Fay Art determined to support the world one artwork at a time.
Currently, Mili is working on her first ever illustrated Fantasy series,  Warriors of Virtue , about a reluctant princess who must prevent a war with the dragon-people, while keeping her mission a secret from her over-protective mother.

Her latest published work is  Animals In My Hair ; a story about a boy who goes for his first haircut only to find endangered animals falling out of his hair.
Join Mili Fay Art Fan Club to stay in touch with Mili Fay and to be the first to find out of her upcoming books and artworks.
Mili Fay Art: “Together we support the world one artwork at a time.”