Over the past few months I’ve had the pleasure of working with The August Derleth Society to illustrate the cover and interior of the brand-new edition of the book The Ghost of Black Hawk Island by author August Derleth. Originally published in 1961, this is a mystery novel perfect for older children and teens, set in rural Wisconsin in the 1920s. The main characters, Steve and Sim, are best friends and amateur detectives that get caught up in a hair-raising case that has them running for their lives!
“Trouble always seems to find Steve Grendon and Sim Jones. This time, they are far from home on an island right smack in the middle of the Wisconsin Dells they thought was deserted. They just wanted to get away for some camping and fishing, to do something besides let their summer vacation slip away from them. But they didn’t expect to encounter the ghost of an Indian chief who made it very clear he did not want them on his island! Undeterred, the boys quickly find themselves on the trail of the ghost and, before they know it, discover they are the ones being hunted.”
This book is part of a 10-book series about Steve and Sim called “The Adventures of the Mill Creek Irregulars.” As Robert Hood with the New York Times described when they were first published, “Steve and Sim, the major characters, are twentieth-century cousins of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer; Derleth’s minor characters, little gems of comic drawing.” I like to think of these books as Huck Finn meets the Hardy Boys.
August Derleth is the author of over 100 books spanning a wide array of genres, including detective & mystery fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, biography, and non-fiction. He was well-known as a leading regional writer of his day and even Stephen King has mentioned him as one of the authors that influenced him. Derleth passed away in 1971, and today the August Derleth Society continues to draw attention to him and his work and to keep it available in print.
While working on this project, I had the opportunity to visit the Sauk Prairie and Dells area of Wisconsin to get a feel for the setting of the book. Sauk Prairie is also the area Derleth called home. As an illustrator, I wanted to be able to authentically capture the essence of the locales referred to in his books and to experience, as much as possible, what Derleth himself and the characters in his books experienced. I could think of no better way than to immerse myself in the rich settings of this pleasant part of the country.
It was a pleasure creating the artwork for this book. The first step was coming up with a concept for the cover we hoped would draw the readers in to discover the mystery and adventure awaiting them on the pages inside. After I sketched some ideas out, we chose a direction and I painted the final artwork in acrylic. I also created engaging illustrations for each of the chapter headings depicting the various settings and situations throughout the book. These were rendered as pencil sketches, which I feel appropriately reflects the rustic charm of the characters, setting, and story.
The Ghost of Black Hawk Island is now re-released in time for the Walden West Fest going on in Sauk City, Wisconsin this weekend. This is an annual event held by the August Derleth Society to celebrate Derleth and his work, with a nod to his influences including Thoreau. You can order the book through your local bookstore, through online retailers, or by contacting the August Derleth Society at www.derleth.org.
I am honored to contribute my talents to such a wonderful collection of work by this celebrated author and to be part of the great community that surrounds it.
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