The Morning Realms Dispatch No. 3
Behind-the-scenes of Zhara's cover
ICYMI, I offered an early sneak peak at the cover for Guardians of Dawn: Zhara last Friday. As the official reveal goes out today, I’ve decided to peel the curtains back a bit on the process of how we got to the gorgeous, final product.
“I want my books to feel like magical girl manga from the 90s,” I said to my agent over a bowl of steaming hot noodles. It was March, and I was back in New York City, having lunch with my agent face-to-face for the first time. Despite the fact that we were both working publishing around the same time (and at points, in the same building), our paths never actually crossed.
Guardians of Dawn was the first thing I ever wrote that I intended to be part of a series (four books), and that did change my conception of things while I was drafting. (And a part of the reason why it took so long between books ㅠㅠ) I’m not a particularly visual writer, but I was definitely influenced by manga and anime for Guardians of Dawn. And while Sailor Moon is certainly a major influence, perhaps greater, less well-known influence on me is:
Magic Knights Rayearth.
Magic Knights Rayearth was a series written by the manga group CLAMP about three teenage girls from Tokyo who get transported to a fantasy land. Each girl has a particular elemental magic she must learn to wield, as well as a fantasy animal companion associated with her element.
Based on some of my inspo images, I’m guessing you can probably tell which element comes first in Guardians of Dawn.
I sent in all these (and more) to my publisher. They also found Sija Hong, an amazing artist whose body of work was perfect for the vibes of the series. Sija sent in some sketches based on notes I gave, and I also sent in sketches of my own so she could get a sense of Zhara’s silhouette.
We also went back on forth on Zhara’s pose and placement on the cover, not wanting the cover to look too close to other illustrated covers on the market, but also not too young/middle grade. I sent Sija a pose, which ended up being used for the final version.
It was an incredible honor to be part of the creation process in a small way, and to see my ideas and sketches turned into such a work of art! Tomorrow my 절친 will getting a little bit more about the behind-the-scenes, including some preliminary drafts from Sija as well as some alternate color versions!
Until next time, 사랑해,
JJ