A quote overlaid on a river landscape, with rockwork in the foreground. Quote: As the four returned to the plateau, Aizl started to grumble. "Now we make a big show of virtue for the visitors. What nonsense it all is, acting like we are so much better than they are. At least the food will be worth it." Eleg laughed in surprise. Was she joking? Ovvet shushed Aizl. "Leave your complaints in the canyon. You know why we need to model Urmettian virtues for Ervu's peoples." A flash of real anger crossed Aizl's face and Ovvet started back. "Don't tell me not to be annoyed when I'm annoyed," Aizl snapped. Additional captions: A continent of peoples in cooperation. But is all as friendly as it seems?

Quotes from my YA fantasy cli fi, Fire's Ally!
🌿📚
Available: buy.bookfunnel.com/p5vo2ghzps

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Behind the scenes of a chapter illustration from my YA fantasy book, Fire's Ally!

Available: buy.bookfunnel.com/p5vo2ghzps

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Behind the scenes of a chapter illustration from my YA fantasy book, Fire's Ally!

Available: buy.bookfunnel.com/p5vo2ghzps

(Not interested? Mute the #firesally tag at bsky.app/moderation)

#readingcommunity #fantasybook #books #art #illustration

Digital illustration of a crow, perched

Chapter illustrations from my queer YA fantasy book, Fire's Ally!

Available: buy.bookfunnel.com/p5vo2ghzps

(Not interested? Mute the #firesally tag at bsky.app/moderation)

#readingcommunity #fantasybooksky #books #QueerBookSky #clifi #myart

A digital illustration of a hand drawn map, annotated with fire drawings and written notes

Chapter illustrations from my queer YA fantasy book, Fire's Ally!

Available: buy.bookfunnel.com/p5vo2ghzps

(Not interested? Mute the #firesally tag at bsky.app/moderation)

#readingcommunity #fantasybooksky #books #QueerBookSky #clifi #myart

A quote overlaid on an aerial photo of wildfire smoke. Quote: Eremta dragged her away with her powerful strength, and Eleg started to thrash and resist. There was a scream almost directly into her ear, and the world came back. A hand gripped her elbow and yanked her back forcefully. She fell with a thud on the ground, and the rock Messenger shook her insistently. Whoever had her elbow was dragging her back. Now alert, Eleg kicked her feet along the ground, scooting backward to help the person pulling her. More hands grabbed her other arm. She struggled to her feet and said, "I can run. I'm coming." Her party released her, and they turned and ran until the smoke around them no longer glowed. They threw themselves to the ground, panting. Eleg uncovered her nose and mouth and mopped her face. The air burned her nose and throat and filled her mouth with a sour smell. She coughed. Berel roughly pulled Eleg's face mask back up.

Quotes from my queer YA fantasy book, Fire's Ally!

Available: buy.bookfunnel.com/p5vo2ghzps

(Not interested? Mute the #firesally tag at bsky.app/moderation)

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A quote overlaid over an illustration of a rustic library. The quote: ""We were cornered by smoke at one point. The wind was against it, yet it came toward us. Until the wind changed, slower and more variable in speed. Somehow the smoke moved with it then.' "Remarkable! Amlo, you didn't mention this in your history." Amlo's face closed. "Didn't I?" "Sorry. I was transcribing it earlier. I only meant ... we value your contribution. We'd like to share it more widely." "I ... answered the questions I was asked ... as accurately as I could remember. I had no intention of lying, I assure you." Pebbig stepped toward him, holding out a hand. "No, no. Please. Don't agitate yourself." "Especially not here," Holwee said in an undertone." Additional captions: A collection of histories. Visitors with something to hide?

Quotes from my queer YA fantasy book, Fire's Ally!

Available: buy.bookfunnel.com/p5vo2ghzps

(Not interested? Mute the #firesally tag at bsky.app/moderation)

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An open cardboard box packed with paperbacks

A batch of Fire's Ally copies arrived! Available: buy.bookfunnel.com/p5vo2ghzps

(Not interested? Mute the #firesally tag at bsky.app/moderation)

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Quote overlaid on a dark forest scene. Quote: "So that's what the Practices are for?" Eleg asked. "Weighing lives." "I keep it simple," Berel said. "These risk estimates are my own. And I don't weigh anyone's life less." "Can you do that?" Eleg asked. "Make your own Practices, I mean." "Who's going to stop me out here?" Berel said, suddenly fierce. "You?" But then her lips twitched and indicated she was joking. "We all have our codes. I make mine; you make yours. That's between you and yourself."

Quotes from my queer YA fantasy book, Fire's Ally!

Available: buy.bookfunnel.com/p5vo2ghzps

(Not interested? Mute the #firesally tag at bsky.app/moderation)

#readingcommunity #fantasybooksky #books #booksky #clifi #fantasyfiction #author #indiebooks

Behind the scenes of a chapter illustration from my YA fantasy book, Fire's Ally!

Available: buy.bookfunnel.com/p5vo2ghzps

(Not interested? Mute the #firesally tag at bsky.app/moderation)

#readingcommunity #fantasybook #books #art #illustration

Digital illustration of a middle-aged woman in a quilted shawl

Chapter illustrations from my queer YA fantasy book, Fire's Ally!

Available: buy.bookfunnel.com/p5vo2ghzps

(Not interested? Mute the #firesally tag at bsky.app/moderation)

#readingcommunity #fantasybooksky #books #QueerBookSky #clifi #myart

A quote overlaid on a forest scene. Quote: "It's different out here, isn't it?" Tebzy said, shivering. "I've never been frightened by a Messenger before," Eleg said. "I have," said Amlo. "Do you think it's because of what the delegate said?" Ovvet asked. "That Messengers see humankind differently, because of what they have seen people do here?"

Quotes from my cli fi YA fantasy book, Fire's Ally!
🌿📚
Available: buy.bookfunnel.com/p5vo2ghzps

(Not interested? Mute the #firesally tag at bsky.app/moderation)

#readingcommunity #fantasybooksky #books #booksky #clifi #IndieBookSky

A quote overlaid on an illustration of a council room. Quote: "Keb stood again. "You talk as if we have the power to move mountains. We don't even use the barest strength of our arms." Gwaren's eyes flashed. "We don't thwart you for our amusement!" "You don't see the black earth from here, Gwaren As Speaker!" He turned on his feet and reached toward the crowd. "Its poison reaches us even here. We've heard the pain of the land and her creatures. Now imagine if the black ash were not across the reaches but under our very feet, and the fire upon us. What good would the Practices be then? What will stop its spread before the ocean?" Eleg's breath caught. Hearing her fear in his voice made it starker than ever. "Calmly, friends," Holwee said, her voice ending in a hum." Extra caption: inaction? Sound familiar?

Quotes from my queer YA fantasy book, Fire's Ally!

Available: buy.bookfunnel.com/p5vo2ghzps

(Not interested? Mute the #firesally tag at bsky.app/moderation)

#readingcommunity #fantasybooksky #books #booksky #clifi #myart

Behind the scenes of my book cover, part 3.
This is probably the hardest I've EVER worked on an art piece. It was a tough one!

(Part 1: bsky.app/profile/dmka...
Part 2: bsky.app/profile/dmka...)

#art #myart #firesally #fantasy #booksky #bookcovers

A dark smoky scene. A girl is silhouetted against a stark fire. A tongue of fire lashes outward and a masked figure dodges out of the way. A third figure approaches through a twirling maneuver

Bonus Illustration #4: Action scene

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First ever print copy of Fire's Ally :)
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When I drew this illustration, I didn't know it would be my back cover!
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Wraparound book cover for print. Title: Fire's Ally by D. M. Kannapan. Front cover shows a girl reaching out to magical swirls in a landscape, toward a distant fire. Back cover shows a library made of sandstone containing scrolls.

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Working on the print cover

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Working on bonus illustrations

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Working on bonus illustrations

Me sitting at a table and holding up an art card. People are seated in a bright, airy room

Close up of me reading aloud from an iPad

Scenes from the Launch Party

The LA launch party was a blast.

First I did a reading.
And then we played a storytelling game. My book's world has a kind of Council that does a group brainstorm

... read more:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/125...

#fantasy #firesally #indiebooksky #fantasybooksky

A possibly smiling apparition made of air currents appears in front of a cliff landscape

Last 24 hours of the Kickstarter for

Fire's Ally, a YA fantasy with science and nature themes. 🌿📚 And illustrations!

It's FUNDED! www.kickstarter.com/projects/125...

Bonus Illustration #3: Ervu's Messenger

#art #myart #fantasyart #firesally #illustration #fantasy #booksky 🪐📚

An illustration of people in rustic quilts seated in a cafe built into a cliffside. Outside, villagers have a meeting under a tree, two youths chat leaning on the cliff face. Other rooms built into the cliff are visible in the distance.

Last 24 hours of the Kickstarter for

Fire's Ally, a YA fantasy with nature themes. And illustrations!

Get it when the gettin's good. It's FUNDED! www.kickstarter.com/projects/125...

Bonus Illustration #2: Life in Urmetten

#art #myart #fantasyart #firesally #illustration #fantasybooksky

Last 24 hours of the Kickstarter for

Fire's Ally, a YA fantasy with science and nature themes. And illustrations!

Get it when the gettin's good. It's FUNDED! www.kickstarter.com/projects/125...

Bonus Illustration #1: Map of Ervu

#art #myart #fantasyart #firesally #illustration #indiebooksky

#art #myart #fantasyart #firesally #illustration
Working on bonus illustrations

Book Launch Party for Fire's Ally (a climate fantasy fiction) · Luma Please note: the time been has changed from 6pm to 8pm. Come chat with the author! We'll have some open networking time, a short reading by the author (me,…

Fire's Ally book launch party tomorrow!
luma.com/af5sb3hj
- Read-aloud by the author (me)
- Free art giveaway
If you're a reader and local to the LA area, come on by.

#losangeles #inperson #firesally #fiction #booksky #indiebooksky #fantasy #climatefiction #clifi #event

#art #myart #fantasyart #firesally #illustration #fantasymaps
Working on bonus illustrations

#art #myart #fantasyart #firesally #illustration
Working on bonus illustrations

A quote overlaid on a close-up photo of wildfire. Quote: She took another step forward, and the heat pressed even further in, prickling her skin. Kill it! Another voice, echoing and distant, came from the dark depths. Kill it! That's why you're here. Now. Now! The voice rose to a roar to rival that of the fire's. Stop! Be careful. Stop! Be careful. The first voice, the familiar one, the one that sounded like Eleg, screamed, pleading, ter-rified. For a moment, all of Eleg's thoughts crunched together sickeningly, like a fistful of stones smashing against each oth-er. Eremta grabbed Eleg's arms and shook her. Eleg tried to focus her eyes on her face. "Close your senses!" Eremta shouted. "Close them!" "I can't"" whispered Eleg. "I never could."

Quotes from my queer YA fantasy book, Fire's Ally!

The Kickstarter is LIVE: www.kickstarter.com/projects/125...

(Not interested? Mute the #firesally tag at bsky.app/moderation)

#readingcommunity #fantasybooksky #books #booksky #clifi #myart

A quote overlaid on a photo of a dark forest. Quote: Eleg's head swiveled to where a fire tongue emerged through the sheet of smoke, curling, whipping back and slowly oozing forward among the trees. But Eleg knew it was not the tongue that was slow. It was she who was fast. She couldn't see Aizl and Berel, but she felt their feet through the earth and signs of them in the ripples of air. "Go left!" she screamed. "All of you, go left!" Through the mushy earth, she felt Aizl and Berel comply. But Eleg herself went forward. The fire tongue shot over her shoulder, and next to the tongue was a tunnel into the heart of the flame.

Quotes from my queer YA fantasy book, Fire's Ally!

The Kickstarter is LIVE: www.kickstarter.com/projects/125...

(Not interested? Mute the #firesally tag at bsky.app/moderation)

#readingcommunity #fantasybooksky #books #booksky #clifi #myart