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Royal Crush Cover Revealed

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

It is time to give you a full look at the cover for the next Jason Cosmo novel, Royal Crush, which launches December 5. And here it is!

Royal Crush Amazon v3

Illustration by Mighty Mark Helwig and titling by the Ace of Awesome, Aaron Acevedo.

I’ll let the cover speak for itself, except to say again this is Mark’s interpretation of a key early scene in the book. It’s not a literal portrayal of what the text describes – that’s the interpretation part! – but definitely conveys the essence of the action. This will not end well for someone.

Thanks to Mark and Aaron for a great cover!

Now it is down to Your Humble Author to finish the words. I am working carefully through the copyedit and proofreading stage, trying to track down those devious typos that somehow manage to sneak in when I’m not looking. Overall, the manuscript is in good shape – and it should be! This is about my 40th time through it! But you know what? I’m still enjoying this story and I know you will too!

Best regards,

Dan McGirt

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Royal Crush Cover Art is Here!

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

Detail from Royal Crush cover artAs we countdown to the release of Jason Cosmo: Royal  Crush on December 5, I am assembling the pieces of the book, including a critical component — the cover!

Yesterday I received the cover art image. I’m not going to reveal it in full until the title has been added to make it a proper cover, but I want to share this sneak peek, a close-up of our fearless wizard, Mercury Boltblaster!

I also want to introduce the newest Jason Cosmo cover artist: award-winning illustrator and sculptor Mighty Mark Helwig. Mark joins the ranks of Richard Hescox, Josh Kirby, and Den Beauvais in providing covers for the Jason Cosmo saga. Mark give us his interpretation of a pivotal scene in Royal Crush, which I will share in all its glory when the final cover is ready.

Mark displays a quirky, sly, and slightly demented sense of humor in his work (and has a disturbing affinity for Cthulhu). I thought it would be fun to get Mark’s take on Jason Cosmo and company.  Stay tuned for the full cover soon!

Best regards,

Dan McGirt

PS:  You can see more of Mark Helwig’s work at his website: Mark Helwig Art and Sculpture and on his Facebook Page: The Art of Mark A. Helwig – Facebook Page. Check it out!

 

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Throwing Darts at Jason Cosmo Cover

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

The wits at the blog Good Show Sir recently had a bit of fun at the expense of the cover art for my first novel, Jason Cosmo

A sample of their good-natured ribbing:

In slaying the beardy blue giant, Jason accidentally stabs a huge butterfly, skewering it to the side of a giant reptile. With a checkerboard pattern. On. His. Underside? WTF?

Meanwhile, the cheery wizard pretends to dance with castinets, two lovely ladies pose for the artist, and everything, but EVERYTHING turns out to be smaller than a can of fizzy pop.

If I had been drinking a beverage while reading this, said beverage would have come out my nose at a high rate of speed! The remaining comments had me laughing so hard I may have sprained something.

Certainly as valid an interpretation of the scene as any. I’ve often conceptualized the Jason Cosmo cover as a goofy post-book cast photo, with all the characters merely playing dead.  Otherwise, it’s a bit gruesome…posing on a stack of bodies.

The stated mission of Good Show Sir is “sharing those Sci-fi and Fantasy book covers that elicit a response of both fear and wonder, for together we can create something truly great and show the world what sins have been committed by Sci-fi & Fantasy the world over. Because sometimes, a book cover is so bad that all you can do is step back in wonder and say “Good show, sir, good show”. “

Good Show Sir is a sort of Mystery Science Theater 3000 for book covers. Offering outstandingly hilarious commentary on odd and inexplicable SF/F covers,  Good Show Sir is a site worth checking out for a good laugh!

Best regards,
Dan McGirt

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Jason Cosmo: Noble Cause Progress Report

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

A quick progress report on the next Jason Cosmo title, Noble Cause.  I am still banging away at the manuscript. Ace artist Richard Hescox is sketching ideas for the cover that I hope to see soon. I expect he’ll finish painting the cover by end of June.  Shortly thereafter, I’ll debut the cover here at the Jason Cosmo Update. In the meantime, the text will go through editing.  I haven’t set a release date yet.  August would be the very soonest, but it may be later, depending how the pieces come together.

I also have on my to-do list recording a “bookcast” audio version of Hero Wanted. I hope to get in the studio soon for that!

Yes, as usual, I’m making it all up as I go along!

Best regards,

Dan McGirt

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Jason Cosmo Hero Wanted Cover Artist Richard Hescox

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

I’ve already mentioned that the artist (or illustrator — not sure if it makes a difference) is already hard at work on the brand new cover art (or illustration, if you prefer) for the first volume of the new Jason Cosmo Series, Hero Wanted.

But I neglected to tell you who he is! If you read the title of this post, you already know it’s Continue reading →

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Jason Cosmo Update: Now What?

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

What do you want to know?

My basic goal with the Jason Cosmo Update is to keep you, well, updated on all important developments pertaining to the Jason Cosmo series. The newest news is that I am close to signing a contract with the cover artist for Hero Wanted, after which I announce just who the artist is. I’ve seen and signed off on the pencil sketch for the cover and I think it will be pretty cool. Hope you like it.

I’ve also been updating you on my editing progress. Which, I admit, is not the most exciting topic. So in between actual updates, my question is — what do you want to read here? For instance, I could write about: Continue reading →

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Jason Cosmo Cover Story, Part 2

Greetings, Loyal Reader! Time to take another look at the original edition of Jason Cosmo. Run grab your copy from its treasured place in your safety deposit box, personal vault, or climate-controlled glass display case. I’ll wait.

Got it? Great! Previously, we considered the cover art by Richard Hescox. This time we’re going to focus on the words. Continue reading →