…I draw.

I’ve worked with my book for two years, almost night and day. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed every moment. I love writing and am forever grateful that I got this chance of dedicating myself to it for such a long time without needing to do anything else, and hope from the bottom of my heart that I could keep doing so henceforth, too.

However, now that the book is out, I’ve taken some time to do other things. Marketing Runecursed is one of those things, obviously, but I’m glad that I’ve also found time to make art, as well. I’ve always loved drawing almost as much as I love writing. Back in the day, I dreamed about becoming an illustrator, but life doesn’t always go the way you’d wish. Be that as it may, I never gave up drawing and painting though unlike writing, making art requires a stroke of inspiration.

This week, I dug my pencils out of the drawer for the first time since very long, and made this picture of Aelrinder, a character in my book. He’s one of the gods that still dwell in the Torn Continent, the Antlered One who’s worshiped in the Green Halls at Aenerhjelm. It took me a few attempts to get him right. He kept coming out way too cheerful at first, and I was already giving up with him, until today I managed to make him look rather grumpy and sorrowful, as he should be, than kind and joyful as he seems in the first two or three sketches I made.

Though I’m already itching to resume writing the second book of The Gods’ Drum, I definitely try to take time to draw more often than I have during the past couple of years. It is, after all, immensely relaxing and even quite rewarding at times.