Monday, March 25, 2019

THE CHRONOSMITH CHRONICLES: Who Is Savalia?


As we continue to approach the first series of The Chronosmith Chronicles, we'll be popping in between book news and other business-y stuff to talk about the characters. Of course, the easiest way to meet them is by picking up one of the last few copies of Seasons of War: Gallifrey — but the book won't be required reading, as the new series will take the four leads off into a new universe.

Recently we talked about Mordicai, the engineer of the group. Today, we take a moment to talk about Savalia, the "soldier-poet."

Savalia is very much a mixed bag of characteristics. She values giving of what you have, thanks to her life in a poor village that focused heavily on hospitality. She's a lover of art, as well as a trained soldier. We knew when we created our team for Gallifrey that we wanted our soldier to be an artist of some sort, rather than having our muscle be an out-and-out brute.

As a character, Savalia was influenced somewhat by Lady Oscar from Rose of Versailles, a manga and anime series about the French Revolution. While Savalia never undergoes any confusion regarding her gender, we wanted her to have that same noble aesthetic, as well as a duty that is at odds with her love for Mordicai.

Poetry, Poetry Album, Old, Saying, School, Memory

So what does life in The Chronosmith Chronicles hold for Savalia? As before, she values love, hospitality, and protecting those she cares about above all else. Her relationship with Mordicai is a core aspect of the team, despite (perhaps slightly because of) their different philosophies when it comes to people and conflict.

She, and the rest of the Chronosmiths, will also be meeting new people who challenge their group structure. But you'll have to wait and see who they are. In the meantime, look forward to more about our heroes!

Monday, March 4, 2019

UNEARTHED Artists: Meet Ginger Hoesly


If you've read Seasons of War: Gallifrey, you're already familiar with the art and design work of Ginger Hoesly. She created the art for the front cover — plus she designed the Altrix logo! So we're excited to have her back again, this time contributing to Unearthed.

Fans of Doctor Who may have seen Ginger's work on Doctor's Notes, at the World Tour in 2014, or at San Diego Comic Con. Some of her art has also appeared on The Doctor Who Fan Show's YouTube channel, as part of Frances Barber's reading of the Eleventh Doctor story "The Gift."

She's also one half of the team behind Owl's Flower, the light novel series she co-created with our own Kara Dennison. The pair create every story line together, with Kara on words and Ginger on art.

Additionally, Ginger is in the process of heading her second charity fanzine, Moon Man, while also co-moderating the Digimon 20th anniversary fanzine Gokigen na Chou. Her first zine, The Hybrid, raised more than $2,000 for One to One Children's Fund.


Ginger will be handling the cover for Unearthed, as well as contributing art to Kara's story, "Kill the Cat" (which takes place in the Owl's Flower universe). You can look forward to seeing more from her via Altrix in future.

If you like her art, be sure to check out her Etsy shop for prints, accessories, and more. She can also be found on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.