Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Cover art - "Rolling in the Deep" by Mira Grant

I had the pleasure to interview Julie Dillon back in 2009 and since then, if not earlier, I watched her artist career with great interest. Not only I welcomed with delight each of her new artworks, but I also was thrilled to see Julie Dillon gathering appreciation and recognition in forms of nominations for World Fantasy Award (2012) and Hugo Award (2013) and winnings of two Chesley Awards (2010, 2011) and a Hugo Award (2014). I’ll add to these a successful crowd-funding campaign for an art book, “Imagined Realms: Book 1”, signaling that Julie Dillon does an excellent job with her art. The lively colors and vivid creativeness of each of her new art pieces open a door to other worlds, every single one of them allows me to explore infinite possibilities, depending on the subject and the confines of my own imagination. I can return easily to Julie Dillon’s art pieces and imagine something different based on them, I can take each time another route, uncharted before. In this sense I believe her artworks have no limits. It happened to me again with Julie Dillon’s book cover for Mira Grant’s novella, “Rolling in the Deep”, due to be released by Subterranean Press. I have discovered another wonderful composition, complex and delightful. It is true that my first viewing of the cover artwork is influenced by the connection with the synopsis of the novella as well, but I consider that only the starting point. Because commencing from here this beautiful art piece allows countless possibilities, with all the whys, whats, wheres and ifs left on the hands of our imagination.

When the Imagine Network commissioned a documentary on mermaids, to be filmed from the cruise ship Atargatis, they expected what they had always received before: an assortment of eyewitness reports that proved nothing, some footage that proved even less, and the kind of ratings that only came from peddling imaginary creatures to the masses.
They didn't expect actual mermaids.  They certainly didn't expect those mermaids to have teeth.
This is the story of the Atargatis, lost at sea with all hands.  Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy.  Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the bathypelagic zone in the Mariana Trench…and the depths are very good at keeping secrets.

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