A.A. Warren's Blog

“I will fight with honor. That is all I have left to give. And if that is not enough…”
 Orex opened his eyes. He looked up at the burning sun that filled the horizon.
 “Then I shall see you in the depths of the Haunted Stars!”

NAME: Orex Griff

SPECIES: Minotaran

FIRST APPEARANCE: Talon the Gladiator

“This unit has observed many biological organisms,” Utu replied. “It is this unit’s conclusion that all living creatures are capable of violence.”


NAME: UTU-M1977

SPECIES: Mech

FIRST APPEARANCE: Talon the Hunter

Utu-M1977, or ‘Utu’ for short, is a repair mech Talon acquired from a salvage dealer in the Gyre, on the planet of Gesa. Like most mechs in the galaxy, Utu’s programing is designed to limit his sentience and free will, insuring he will never place his own existence above that of an organic lifeform.

This programing forbids Utu from referring to himself by by name, or even using organic pronouns, such as ‘he’ or ‘I’. However, the more time he spends with Talon, the more Utu seems to develop his own somewhat sarcastic personality, despite his programing to the contrary.

As a repair mech, Utu is equipped with a lifter field propulsion system that allows him to hover above the ground. His manipulator arms can configure themselves into a variety of tools, and his multiple optical senors are capable of scanning all known energy wavelengths. In addition, Talon has supplemented Utu’s skills with a piloting program, making him a capable co-pilot in emergency situations.

Despite their constant bickering, Talon has grown quite fond of his repair mech, and would be loath to replace Utu with a new unit.

Did you know there’s a Facebook group devoted to the Talon series, and other space fantasy adventures? Stop by and say hello…

We’re having a blast talking about Talon, sci-fi movies, books, and whatever else you like. And we have tons of contests… We’re giving away autographed books, Talon posters, and even Amazon gift cards!

Click the link below and join Talon’s Tribe!

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Mark your calendars… Next month, the galaxy’s deadliest gladiator returns! Tales of Talon Book 3: Talon the Hunter launches this September!

If
you’ve enjoyed Talon’s adventures so far… you haven’t seen anything
yet! Book 3 features more epic space battles, crazy alien powers, and of
course, more plasma axe action!

You won’t want to miss Talon’s next adventure… Talon the Hunter!

I’m a big believer in giving credit where credit is due. So I wanted to take a few minutes to sing the praises of my amazing cover artist for the first three books in the Tales of Talon series. I hope you enjoy a look into the imaginative mind of Justine Cruz

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When did you first know you were an artist?

I think when I was in elementary school. I remember the moment when my classmates were having trouble drawing our national hero, and one of them asked me to draw it for her. I ended up drawing for more than half or our class. That was the time I realized, ‘Hey I like to draw!’

What was your first sale or professional job?

I was an in-between artist at a Japanese animation studio here in the Philippines. I took part in some well known anime like One Piece, Dragonball and Digimon.

Are you self-taught or did you have a formal education in art?

I’m a Licensed Registered Nurse. So yup… I’m a self taught artist. I did the art thing seriously after I passed the board exams.

How would you best describe your style of art?

I lean towards a realistic style. But I can also do stylized art.

[image error]Talon the Slayer, Cover Art

What is your favorite medium to work in, and why?

Of course right now, it’s the digital medium. It makes the work faster and more practical. But once in a while I still use pencil and acrylic to practice and to do some personal stuff.

What drew you to the Talon covers?

I love the idea of the story. It’s like combining Thor Ragnarok and Conan. So cool!

[image error]Talon the Raider, Cover Art

How did you approach combining the science fiction and fantasy aspects of Talon’s world?

First of course is research. I looked for some inspirations from fantasy and sci fi movies I enjoyed.

What other things influence your work? Music, writing, etc?

Cool artwork, music, exposure to new things, and nature.

How did you conceive the color palettes and look of each Talon cover? Did you approach them in a different manner than your other work?

The palettes I’m working with here are totally new to me. When you compare this to my other work, this was way out of my comfort zone. That’s why I really liked it. I Learned new things on this project, so I’m thankful.

[image error]Talon the Hunter, Cover Art

What other projects are you working on now?

Right now I’m doing some illustrations for Artifact Dota 2 card game, Argent Saga card game and Malkyrs interactive card game.

Where can readers find more info about you and your work?

They can search for me on different websites like:

Artstation: justinecruz.artstation.com
Facebook: Justine Cruz art
Instagram: @justinecruzart
Twitter: @justinecruzart

Anything else you’d like to add?

I just want to say thanks to the author for this opportunity and for being nice and very cool. I hope that this project will reach many readers. I enjoyed working on it a lot!

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To celebrate the launch of my new website, and the coming of Talon the Slayer, I’ve set up a special giveaway for Space Fantasy fans.  Enter to win a Kindle Fire, and five top space fantasy ebooks!  You can also share the contest with friends, or visit my Facebook page, and get more chances to win. Click the link below to visit the giveaway site… It’s totally free, no purchase required!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE GIVEAWAY

 

Greetings from Southern California!

I’m about halfway through the manuscript of Talon the Slayer, the first book in an action-packed new series that I hope space fantasy readers will love.  But behind the scenes, there’s more work to be done.  While I write the book, I need to set the wheels of marketing in motion, so that readers will be able to discover it once it launches.  And that means I need cover art!

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A lot of people might be surprised to learn that book covers need to be planned so far in advance. But fantasy and science fiction covers like this one usually require original illustrated art to be created. And that takes time.  First, you need to let the artist know the general idea you’re looking for.  Then they produce a series of sketches.  Once you are in agreement on the rough layout, you need to choose a color palette, decide where the tile and other text will go, etc…

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As a rule, I like to get my cover artists involved somewhere around the halfway point on the manuscript.  However, since this was the first book in a new series, I contacted my artist early.  I figured if I changed my mind, or went with a different approach later, the original cover would still be useful as concept art, and for promotions.

So without further ado, please check out the first rough sketches for the cover of Talon the Slayer… I’ll show you the one we decided, and the first color draft, in the next post!

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What do you guys think?

AAW