The Bad Guy

Book Three in the Belt Loop saga is nearly finished and headed to the editor. In Book Two I introduced the Colonial Navy to the head of the Varson Defense Forces, Bale Phatie. A militaristic madman that almost single-handedly resurrected the Varson Empire from the ash heap of defeat and launched the Orion-Cygnus arm of the Milky Way into another battle of supremacy.

Just what does this madman look like? He struts around the Malguur Domain with his cape and sword, has a propensity to remove heads at even the smallest of infractions, wears a chestful of medals and baubles, and his decorative chains rattle like the sound of breaking glass when he walks.

Given this discription, my cover artist Christopher Jones (my son) developed a visual for me. I was so mesmerized with his depiction of my Book Two baddie I wanted him incorporated into the cover illustration for Book Three.

Here is the first look at the Malguurian Madman, Bale Phatie:

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Bale Phatie illustration courtesy Christopher A. Jones, November 2011

Look for this image to grace the cover of The Belt Loop (Book Three) - End of an Empire sometime during the first week of December. Next post: excerpts from Book Three.