Hiya!

So as an aspiring author, it came to my attention recently that, to have a bestselling book, a key element is a stunning book cover.

Unfortunately, art is not my thing. I can draw a mean stick figure, but aside from some basic shapes and maybe a lopsided face or two, my skills in that area are kaput.

That's where you, lovely artists of theO, come in.

For NaNoWriMo, I tackled a project I've set aside for terribly long—a story called "Starlight"—and having finished this first draft, I've found that I'm actually very proud of the plot and characters. My idea (not that I'm artistic at all) was something along the lines of the main character as mostly a silhouette against a backdrop of the universe. Wow lame. Your ideas will be better.

Here's a link to the my page on the NaNoWriMo site [click here]. If you have any questions about plot, characters, or maybe want to read some of what I've written, just message me! I don't bite (often).

So, if interested, I'd love to see your ideas for a cover! The winner will receive credit as the illustrator, and if it ends up getting published and sells like 20 copies or more, I'll give you like 15 bucks or two dozen cookies or something.

Thanks so much for reading and participating! I'm really looking forward to seeing what you all come up with! I'll try to create some sort of token of my appreciation for all participants (maybe you can make a cameo in my next story... hah sorry).

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Here's a section of the first chapter, just to get a feel for the tone I guess xD And to meet Jade. ^-^

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Freedom was an abandoned dream.

The concept had been flung far into the eternal darkness of space to dance among the empty voids and the burning stars. No one bothered to humor the ideal, and even if they did, it would be futile.

No one escaped, and no one survived—not in the end.

Faith was pointless. Beliefs were more fragile than esteem in the Defense Unit for Supernatural Threats, otherwise known as DUST. There, anything and anyone categorized as “supernatural” and deemed a serious threat was contained, likely for life. And because of that, DUST had a certain hope-sucking quality about it; no matter how religious or passionate a person was, not one individual had ever managed to outwit its uncanny power. Because in DUST, no one could ever win.

Until the year 2025 rolled around, that is.

In the catacombs of DUST’s headquarters—where the world’s most prestigious prison was located—a single, flickering light bulb provided the sole source of light, casting wraith-like shadows across the steel bars. A few hands still gripped the immovable barriers, pleading with unpresent and uncaring guards for their release. Some continued to claim they were innocent. Other inhabitants had learned better.

And they had learned the hard way.

One in particular, a young woman of around 21 named simply Jade, sat on her cot, still and stoic. A stream of cascading silver followed the curve of her neck and down her back to meet the base of her shoulder blades. She stared at her hands, one the color of a creamer-drowned espresso and the other a mass of cogs, screws and gadgets. Strung around her metal index finger was the eyepatch she’d once relied so heavily upon. It was unique, a one-of-a-kind invention; it worked similarly to a high-tech one-way mirror. But the time when she needed it to remain anonymous was long past. She was just a single face among hundreds in this prison. Still she wore it outside of her cell, but it didn’t hold nearly as much importance as it once had.