ART: Samesies

Countdown. We’re one month away from the release of Pimiko and the Uncharted Island, so I’m doing a character reveal. Here’s a teaser. Full illustration is under a cut in case you DON’T want to know anything more before you get to read the book. ::twinkle::

Pim Moonprowl, the titular character for Book 6, is an American actress. But you knew that already. Or did you? Pim has been around for a while. In fact, she was first mentioned in Bk3: 

A commercial was running for some new drama in the fall line-up. The old man kept it muted, but his gaze never left the screen. He was long and lean like the other Armstrongs she knew, but his hair was pure white, and his blue eyes were partially obscured by reading glasses.
“You see that?” he asked.
She shook her head in confusion, then realized he wasn’t looking. “No, sir?”
He pointed with the remote. “Pim Moonprowl. First openly Amaranthine actress on primetime. Get this … she plays a wolf.”
Melissa stared blankly at the clip. The actress was clearly meant to be part of a team of investigators. A tracker with bare feet and baubles at her throat and ankles, clad in a form-fitting corset and a furry miniskirt the same color as her tail.
“Ever seen the like?” he demanded.
“She’s very beautiful,” Melissa managed as she watched that tail flick and curl.
The old man gave her a disappointed look, then harrumphed. “She’s very feline.”
Uncle Abel asked, “Does it really matter? Rivven all look the same to me.”
“Next time you ask for a puppy, you’re getting a kitten,” groused the senior Mr. Reaverson.

Tamiko and the Two Janitors
Amaranthine Saga, #3

. . .

Pim is next mentioned (admittedly in passing) in Bk5: Fumiko and the Finicky Nestmate, since she’s a part of American pop culture: 

Openly Amaranthine actors and actresses, models and musicians—they created a buzz the Amaranthine Council couldn’t duplicate. Clannish, a tabloid that stalked the Amaranthine elite, recently asked the average American citizen to rank the Rivven they admired most. Hisoka Twineshaft barely scraped into the top twenty, usurped by media darlings like Ash Skyfletch, Pim Moonprowl, and Eloquence Starmark.

Pim was slated to be one of our “mikos” even before those mentions, and she has a role to play in the ongoing plot of the Amaranthine Saga. As per the summary for Bk 6: 

After the finale of her dazzlingly successful television drama, Pim Moonprowl packs her bags and books passage to a secretive resort that makes alluring claims. She’ll pay anything, promise anything, do anything to find out if they’re true. On an island that’s not on maps, Pim encounters a silver-tongued doctor, a kindred soul, a caged star, and a clever monkey. This is her big chance to put into practice the skills she gained from eight seasons on an elite taskforce.

But before I reveal the art, I want to draw your attention to the second half of the story summary:

Boon can almost taste his prey, he’s that close. If only he hadn’t run up against a barrier in the middle of the ocean. He puts out a call and calls in a favor. There’s a plan in place, and reinforcements are en route, but Boon is restless to run the Rogue to ground. Taking a risk—definitely his style—lands him with a couple of responsibilities he really didn’t need, and both of them are female.

Poor Boon. You may recall from Bk2: Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal, that this Elderbough tracker has an ongoing refrain: “No females!” Meet the two complications that await him, Pim & Elara:

Samesies | art by FoxOfTwilight

. . .

Pimiko and the Uncharted Island releases in one month!
October 22, 2022

Pre-order the digital edition everywhere!
Watch for pre-orders on Audible!
Pre-orders for signed author copies: October 1