Jack of Harts

I’m a very visual writer. I like to have pictures of my designs and characters that I can refer to when writing stories. That is why I’ve drawn out most of the designs in Jack of Harts in pencil. And the quality of those sketches for public consumption is why I have worked with far more capable artists to bring those designs to life. 😉

The F-12 Avenger was originally modeled by Kirk Alderfer way back in 2011. This was back when I was still writing my first published novel. He would go on to bring several other designs into (digital) reality for me and I highly suggest you check out his Galactic game universe and miniatures as he really is an imaginative artist. I own many of his miniatures and have used them in games. I love them.

The final version of the Avenger shown here was created by Stephen Huda. I wanted a higher definition version of the design for my covers, so I contacted him and he came up with the following design. It actually incorporates all three major design and refit phases of the Avenger depicted in Forge of War, from the original Earthbuilt prototype used at the beginning of the book to the final Peloran rebuild featured in the book’s final battle.

At least one example of this fighter has been seen on the covers of all but two stories I’ve published to this day. I think I can safely say as a New Years Resolution that I intend to use this design more times this year.