Maps! and MISTWOOD

 We had a post over on The Enchanted Inkpot awhile ago about maps in fantasy books and I'm one of those who love maps.  I love to ponder the landscape and look for clues, imagine the characters traveling from point A to B and then wondering what all the other places mean, if they haven't been introduced in the story yet.

The fantastic map above was drawn by Virginia Allyn, who not only drew the header for The Enchanted Inkpot site, but also drew the map for my friend and critique partner, Ellen Oh's fabulous book, SEVEN KINGDOMS.   I asked Virginia to draw a map for my book, THE FAERIE RING, set in London 1871 and she came up with this beautiful piece. I absolutely LOVE it and hope we get to use it in the book.  If you look close, you'll see that the icons for the buildings are actually what they look like in real life - even back in 1871!  Thank you Gin!!  (She's working on a map for a different book of mine right now, so I'll share that when she's done. :D)

What about you?  What are your thoughts on maps?  Do you like them in books or does it matter? Do you have a favorite map?

Also, just finished reading MISTWOOD by fellow Inkie Leah Cypress and loved it! The setting is mystical and sets just the right tone for the book.  There are enough twists and turns in the plot that you can't wait to turn the page and see what's going to happen next and Leah doesn't disappoint!  So yay! for her debut novel.