Scythe and Pen Character Art
My debut dark fantasy novel SCYTHE AND PEN released this winter from Counterpoise Press, an independently-owned traditional publishing house. Counterpoise Press specializes in cross-genre fantasy titles and underrepresented authors.
Currently, I am sitting in my house in Upstate South Carolina, waiting on Hurricane Helene to churn our way. A steady rain drums the window panes, and already water sloshes on the roads. I’m not sure what the next twenty-four hours will bring, but the local weather service has warned of record flooding, downed trees, and power outages. I figured, what better time to post a little Scythe and Pen update?
Meet the cast of villains populating the dark metropolis of Scythe and Pen.Scythe and Pen is a dark fantasy thriller set in a magical Jazz Age. A vampire prince strikes a deal with a cursed gangster to catch a murderer stalking their city. But the gangster is running his own vengeful con. Innocent lives get caught between them, including a beautiful and ambitious journalist who threatens to expose their partnership.
Without further ado, let’s meet the main characters… using only out-of-context quotes from the book.
Meet Hades Cronus.A gangster with a mysterious past and grim powers.
“A broad, tall man melted from the black. his appearance was like the slow drawing of a knife: glittering and lethal. A snap-brim fedora obscured his features. A cigarette slid to the corner of his mouth.”
“Covered in ash and blood, Hades looked like a demon spat from Hell; Gabriella a fallen angel.”
“Those who knew him wondered why-in-God’s-name he was here. Others wondered who he was and saints, were his eyes red? In a jet tuxedo, Hades looked as sharp as a shard of glass. Silver pinstripes shimmered on his vest. The golden chain of his pocketwatch glittered. With his ruthless scowl, he weas a man of edges and angles: a knife amongst soft bellied sheep.”
Meet Gabriella Rose.An ambitious journalist who may have just lost it all.
“Gabriella had always possessed a knack for growing things, the ability to coax green from brown stalks, to find life in things death had touched.”
“Gabriella turned, words weak and insufficent dying upon her lips. Hades tossed her a box of bullets. Startled, she caught it midair. Their eyes locked. Reflected in his crimson eyes, Gabriella beheld pools of hate unfathomable Deeper, older, and meaner than her own. An age-old pain that had been caged and starved until it grew fangs and a gnawing belly. Gabriella realized then, that words were uncessary. She didn’t need to explain her revelation of pain. Hades understood.”
“Snowflakes dotted Gabriella’s ebony stole. Shivering, she tugged the fur over her bare shoulders. Scarlet satin clung to her stomach; beads sparkled on her hips. Gabriella had never possessed fashion plate waif-thinness; and now her curves saluted the night. Her sumptuous red gown was designed for display.”
Meet Demetrius Raske.A vampire with a heart of gold… but can a monster ever be trusted?
“Even vampires shivered peering into morgues.”
“Although born to the fierce mountains and seven-month winters of Northern Europa, [Demetrius] had adored this raucous city from the moment he’d arrived, sixteen and gangly, gawking at the steel-flanked buildings , the multicolored multitudes, the rank smells, the ceaseless sounds. With one inhale of smog, he had fallen in love with the Capital. Now, eleven years later, he belonged to it the way one always belonged to one’s first love: the first heart-racing touch, the first heart-breaking scorn.”
Don’t forget to add Scythe and Pen to your GoodReads Want to Read list. Character art by chicklen.doodle
