World Building a Library - Library Floor Plan

Shipsfeather Public Library

 
When I began writing The Shapeshifters’ Library series I realized that like any fantasy universe, my world I needed maps and drawings to keep my imaginary town consistent. 

I could visualize the library and the town, but as characters moved around  Shipsfeather, Ohio readers might also want a map. And I needed to keep my descriptions consistent.
 

Town of Shipsfeather, Ohio

I drew sketches of the town and then began to make the library more real, So much of both Released and Retrieved take place in the former shapeshifter academy turned into public library. The lovely old domed building is remodeled into a high tech modern library without losing the charm of the original building. 
 

Library First Floor

In Released, the town library burns and instead of rebuilding, the town buys a cursed academy on the river considered haunted by the local residents. As Liberty Cutter explores the building, she meets Chronus an Old English Sheepdog who begins to talk to her. As he tells her about the dog-shifters she learns hundreds of dog-shifters still live and work in levels below the library, unable to leave due to a curse by book burning werewolves. She accepts his stories of shifter magic reluctantly as she is brought into their world.

Library - Lower Office Level

My talented friend Beth Bass, who loves fantasy, offered to turn my sketches into real drawings, forcing me to be even more specific about the town and the public library and the “basement” office level. 

What isn’t included is the deeper levels. Below the library are more levels where the shifters live.They have a research library, gyms, spas, cafeterias, medical facilities, living quarters, and everyone’s favorite – the Starbarks café. The details of these levels I’ve left to the readers’ imaginations.

Hope you all enjoy visiting Shipsfeather.

Thanks again to Beth for the wonderful drawings.

To see any of the drawing in more detail see my website.

Creating a New Dog Friendly Logo

I love the covers for TheShapeshifters’ Library series. Released and Retrieved both have gorgeous covers I am so proud of.  

Originally I used a version of the top of the book cover design as a logo for the series and my Facebook Fan Page banner:

Facebook Banner

As I created more promotional materials (book bags, coffee cups for Starbarks and post cards) I wanted a version of the logo that showed off the dog more clearly.

I asked the creative, talented and beautiful Connie Lee Marie Fisher to give the log a white background that would emphasize the dog. After all, the book is about dog-shifters and everyone knows dog lovers love dogs on book covers.

Connie created a couple of versions I liked:

And then one with a red dog that was perfect:

 

And then the trouble began... 

Never one to let perfection alone, Connie sent me another. Apparently late one night she was bewitched by her cat Harry and one of them added a cat to my logo. And more cats...                          

And more cats... And more cats...

Retrieved has several cat chapters where readers will learn that some cats have ancient shifter blood which gives them the ability to speak, but they can’t be bothered. 

Retrieved also features a cat infestation in the library when book-burning werewolves put not one, but many, many cats in the library’s book drop. (Apologies to Dewey whose library life began when he was dumped into a bookdrop.)

So despite Connie and Harry, The Shapeshifters’ Library series is really about 

DOGS!