FANTASY/SCI-FI AUTHOR
JUDE AUSTIN
Behind the Scenes
I'll let you in on a secret: I'm crazy about map-making.
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Seriously, I am. I can spend ages drawing fantasy maps, sci-fi maps, city maps; you name it. In the case of my books, these became planetary maps that I first doodled out in my paint program before reworking it with Inkarnate.
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Since you're presumably here because you're an awesome person who bought and read my books, I thought I'd share some of the behind-the-scenes maps with you guys! There's more behind-the-scenes stuff to come, but if you can't wait, subscribers to my newsletter get Behind The Scenes content well in advance of site visitors, along with some special, subscriber-only benefits such as cover previews, chapter previews and (occasionally) cut scenes.
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In the meantime, here are maps of the three main planets from the Five Worlds series (Akkhen, Trandellia and Atthiras) and a world map from my fantasy MS, "Two Guys In A Tower," for you to enjoy!
Akkhen
My favorite planet, both to draw and write about. Akkhen is roughly five times the size of Earth, with planetary rings to rival Saturn's and several moons. Khunat (the town just above Latu) is Alan's hometown. I plan to add more markers as the series and world develops.
Trandellia
A much younger planet, still hot and steamy and in the process of forming. Trandellia is a little larger than Earth but only has one moon. It has satellite images, but the planet itself is still relatively unmapped and unsettled; it's estimated that around 70-75% is unclaimed.
Atthiras
Atthiras is the one planet that could tip the balance of power between Trandellia and Akkhen, whose diplomatic relations can best be described as "careful courtesy." Because of this, both planets agreed that neither would formally claim it and so there's virtually nothing in the way of settlements apart from one or two abandoned mining towns. Since it's roughly equidistant from both planets, Trandellia's Core Central and Akkhen's High Command agreed that Akkhen could set up a field hospital there to cater to emergencies, on the condition that any Trandellians who needed urgent medical treatment could receive it free of charge.
Elbia
The world of my new fantasy MS, "Two Guys In A Tower," featuring MCs Avens and Jarvis. Fun fact: I actually drew this around twenty years ago, and it only survived thanks to my old deviantart account. I plucked it out and colored it, reworked one or two names and added others, and this was the result. A long time ago, I wrote some short stories set in the town of Adutho, Penathra, that got some pretty nice reviews online. Avens and Jarvis's story, however, mostly takes place in the desert city of Shasa. I've always been a desert girl at heart!
Looking at this, I've just realized how detailed it is compared to the maps of the Five Worlds. Justified in the case of Atthiras, since it's uninhabited, but still, I'll definitely need to do something about that in the future.
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Anyway, hope you enjoyed it and thanks for checking it out!