Nerding Out: Character Sketch of Dakota del Toro

I've always loved to draw my characters. Last night I nerded out starting a portrait of my leading lady Dakota del Toro with graphite and gouache paint. Read her story starting with Cazadora!

 

So the release of my second book The Fiercest Star is just around the corner, (November 3rd!) and I had a bit of an OH MY GOD moment when I saw the page count on Amazon came to a whopping 670. I’m not sure how accurate that is in relation to a paper book, but I assume it must have some root in reality.

I had a little panic, thinking no one's going to read this because of its length alone. I had a sell-out moment contemplating what scenes I could cut. And quickly realized the story would not be complete without, well…all of it. Then I remembered that my favorite books are all quite long, and I always wish the *300-page-pared-down-for-quick-consumption* urban fantasy novels I love were longer, had more detail, more character development, on top of being fun and sexy book candy. 

If Larry McMurtry had stopped at page three hundred the herd never would have reached Montana. If Anne Rice stopped at page three hundred Lestat never would have made it to New Orleans…And so I humbly hope that this is one of those books that leaves your literary appetites feeling delightfully satiated, rather than half-starved and *oh I hope you don’t mind waiting another WHOLE year for the next paltry installment*... Bon appétite!

The Fiercest Star (Dakota del Toro #2)

Now available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle!

The Fiercest Star (Dakota del Toro #2) by Julia DeBarrioz. 

Dakota del Toro, painter turned bounty hunter of creatures of the night, hopes for a peaceful holiday season in Santa Fe. Maybe she’ll even have time for that first date with the handsome vampire revolutionary don Diego de Gama. However, investigating a missing lycanthrope who left home without his medication leads Dakota into the dangerous world of an underground fighting ring, and a head on collision with the state of New Mexico’s nastiest vampires.

Worse yet in her eyes, her ex-significant other Henrik Heyerdahl returns from the jungles of Guatemala, and winning her back is his least mysterious mission. Meanwhile, there’s an art thief on the loose, a millennium-old Indian daemon sending Dakota questionable dreams, and a diplomatic vampire emissary has arrived with professional duelist in tow to politely ask Diego for control of his newly won territory. After fighting so hard for their city, Dakota intends to send them all packing. After all, she is la Cazadora, and she’s stronger than ever. Hunting that which goes bump in the night might not just be a career choice, but her very birthright.

The Making of a Cover

It's coming, it's coming! Dakota del Toro # 2 will be here soon, scheduled for release for Kindle early November. (Just in time for the holiday season, as this action packed installment centers around Christmas time in Santa Fe).  

Being an artist as well as a writer, I've always thought it would be great fun to design my own covers for my books. As in all things, it’s harder than it looks! What catches people's attention? What would be both visually pleasing and true to the content of the book? 

Planning the design, there were a few places I knew didn't want to go with my cover. It seems the cover of every other urban fantasy featuring a strong female lead illustrates said lead in jeans and a leather jacket, or perhaps scantily clad or in an outfit consisting of leather straps and heels (utterly ridiculous battle gear, if you ask me) in a shadowy setting, usually an alley or graveyard. The other popular alternative for urban fantasy books with a romantic spin is placing a half dressed muscled male on the front, staring out with a steamy come-hither stare. Well, ok, he may be yum, but frankly I would be embarrassed to take that book out into public, or have it sit out on the table in my living room, and that seems counterproductive to me. 

I’ve always been drawn to covers with a handmade touch, and recently I’ve realized bright graphic images inevitably catch my eye too. I’m a sucker for black outline. Stubborn purist that I am, I went the old school route, drawing it out with graphite, then ink, on [gasp!] actual paper.

 I began filling in the color with water soluble Prismacolor pencils.

I added the final touches with gouache and acrylic paint.

The finished product to be revealed soon!