Last week I finished edits on Buried by the Sound. When I waded back into editing the manuscript, I wasn’t sure what condition it was in because it had been a few years since I touched it (sidetracked by kids!).

The editing process was largely an affirmation of what I’d written and also an opportunity to polish a few rough edges. Now that its a wrap, I can say that it’s a book—and a damn good book that I hope you’ll read.

I should have finished edits in early December but I got a little distracted. That’s not a bad thing.

Making a New Art Connection

As I mentioned on the bio page, I’m turning down the lights on my web design business to focus on my writing. That means I’m not taking on new clients, only working with the roster of clients I already serve. That’s meant to keep my workload manageable.

Well a funny thing happened during the holidays. I decide to treat myself to a remarqued copy of The Name of the Wind 10th anniversary edition. I love the book and Dan dos Santos did a bang up job on the illustrations. I could tell it was a labor of love for him so I couldn’t resist the opportunity to pick up a copy with his original art inside.

During checkout, I was confused about the shipping cost so I decided to reach out to Dan to make sure I was paying enough to ship the book—I wasn’t, he was undercharging!

Re-designing Muddy Colors

We started talking about websites because I know what a pain it can be to get shipping right when combined with artwork.  Dan mentioned that he had been trying to update Muddy Colors, a fantastic resource for illustrators of science fiction and fantasy. Coincidentally he was looking for a web designer and knew my work on Michael Whelan’s website. I recalled that he’d published a nice review back at the time of our relaunch (c. 2012).

Long story short, I couldn’t say no when he asked if I was available.

The project went on a little longer than expected due to the holidays, travel for a friend’s wedding, and last minute changes to the design. I love the way it turned out both in style and functionality.  It’s really a showpiece of a site with tons of customization to make it easier for Dan and crew to keep posting great articles everyday.

We launched back in January. If you haven’t seen the site yet, take a gander. Muddy Colors is a fascinating blog even if you’re not an artist looking for advice.