Congratulations to Natalie Smillie on her second stunning fiction cover in collaboration with Pushkin Press and award-winning author Darren Simpson!
Following last year's spine-chilling folk horror hit THIRST, the dream team are reunited for LYKEWISE, a deliciously dark new tale of cursed mirrors and doppelgängers, published in time for All Hallows' Eve!
Dunn Caulkner has grown up surrounded by scary stories. His village of Harrowmere is no stranger to the unexplained, with its misty boglands, ghostly wraithlights and the dreaded legend of Grasping Jack. So when a travelling salesman rolls into town practically giving his mirrors away, nobody thinks twice. And what harm could there be in Dunn and his friends trying out a little ritual said to reveal your true self? But when the attacks and disappearances begin, Dunn realises the darkest danger of all may be staring right back at him…
Once again Natalie has perfectly captured the eerie, atmospheric world of Darren's storytelling, creating a cover that is both beautiful and wonderfully unsettling. It's a real treat to see her build on the haunting visual language she established for Thirst, giving the two books a gorgeous sense of belonging together on the shelf. Darren himself is a huge fan, describing the artwork as beautiful, eerie and very atmospheric, and we couldn't agree more!
And here's Natalie's beautiful chapter head illustration for the book.
A huge well done to Natalie, Darren Simpson and the whole team at Pushkin Press. We can't wait for readers to get their hands on this one, if they dare!
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View Natalie's updated portfolio here, you can also find her on Instagram.
For more information regarding collaborating with Natalie please email info@arenaillustration.com
