Oh You Pretty Things

retty things!


I was about to say that it had been a while since I'd blogged about my characters' faces, but apparently it was only last year! The full set of character images are here.

I wish now that I hadn't looked at that post, as I see it's taken me a year and a half to accomplish the goals I'd set for myself in January 2015, and two or three (involving being published) haven't even happened yet. Oh dear. On the other hand, those were simply the writing-related goals, and didn't include hobbies or life projects or anything else. So there is a positive side!

In keeping with all that, and going back to character faces, I thought I'd share some pretty things today, one of which is a set of drawings by the talented illustrator and current UK Children's Laureate, Chris Riddell. He sketches all the time, and shares a lot of his work on social media. Sometimes he sketches real people, and I find it interesting to compare the expression of the person in the photo with the expression he gives them in his sketch.

One of his recent illustrations for Literary Review featured a couple that straightaway reminded me of Rosa and Baha from Out of the Water (which I'm supposed to be submitting to agents, as part of my ongoing goals).

Out of the Water (historical romance, set in 1492)
Book One of the Middle Sea series
After she becomes separated from her family as they flee their Spanish homeland - and the Inquisition - the last thing eighteen-year-old Rosa expects to find is love.
Her one hope of reaching Constantinople and finding her family lies with a stranger, Baha, a Muslim artist from the Ottoman Empire. Rosa's drive to find her loved ones is matched by a deepening desire for the man at her side. Yet despite all his help in reuniting them, her family rejects this man of a different faith, forcing her to choose between them.
Constantinople was meant to be her family's refuge, but when janissaries arrest her father and brother, Rosa and Baha risk their lives on a daring rescue. Together they will prove that their love can withstand their differences... if the Sultan's Grand Vizier doesn't throw them both in the dungeons first.

Riddell shared images of the sketch as it developed:

Original on instagram

Original on instagram

Original on instagram

Original on instagram

Original on instagram

Also pretty is the cover of Theresa Milstein's forthcoming book!

And then there's Milushka's pretty jewellery. I discovered her through Caramella's blog, and can't wait to get one of her creations for myself -- I've already bought a few as gifts!

Aren't they sweet?

As I used his song title for my blog title, I thought I'd better share a Bowie clip:

What pretty things have you come across recently?