I was just at Barnes & Noble.

I was browsing around the fantasy section, and I spotted a binding that had an oddly familiar font. I tilted my head, read the title–“Lucifer’s Crown”–and thought “Hey, wait, that’s–”

That’s my first cover in a major bookchain, is what it is. I’ve had interior art in big stores before (once), I’ve had covers in small specialty game stores, but never a cover in a big store. I was floored. (I didn’t expect to see it there at all–I thought it was just library editions. Not that I’m complaining!)

For my next milestone, I’ll shoot for a cover that’s actually “me”–this one was a pretty straightforward illustration-to-spec job. They provided all the reference material and while it’s a solid, marketable cover job, it’s not the kind of art you sell prints of or anything. I’m arguably the only person likely to get excited by the fact it’s on the shelf (with the possible exception of the author.) But I still nearly squealed. (I didn’t, however. My gravitas is unshakeable. Also, I’d forgotten to breathe, so I didn’t have anything to squeal with.)

Today has been such a damn good day that I cannot fathom it, do not deserve it, and am a little baffled by it. Lot of work done, sold an original, got another off-the-cuff piece done, and now this. Life is going so well right now, despite my horrendous busyness, that I’m half-convinced a herd of rampaging wildebeest is THIS close to running over my drawing hand…