In need of an illustrator

My name is Marc Franco. I'm an author in need an illustrator for my middle grade urban fantasy titled Catching Santa. It's a dark and edgy reinvention of the Santa universe -- think Santa meets Halo or GI Joe then throw in a real bad guy named Krampus, who is after Santa and there you have it...Catching Santa. Any way, the book is going to press this August so I'm looking for an illustrator who can capture my imagination and create a full color illustration for the front cover and maybe a silhouette (black ink) sketch of something interesting from each chapter for above the chapter headings. So as to not waste each others time please note that I'm not looking for cartoon style art. If you are interested in the project please draw me two quick sketches. The first is of the book described in the excerpt below. Oh and after you've sketched the book include a pair of dog tags hanging off the book-- with Santa's name, blood type and maybe a serial number. Then, leaning against one side of the book is a green and white striped candy-cane and a red and white one on the other side of the book. Also, please sketch Prancer. Her description is in the second paragraph. Email the sketches to mf@marcfranco.com We can proceed from there if I like your style. Remember that this is a for a novel that is going to print in August of this year so if you are selected we will talk royalties! I need someone vested in the project. Peace. Marc marcfranco.com



Book...

Inside the enclosure was giant book. Again, I asked myself what kind of book required a case. I looked closer. The book was massively oversized, maybe three feet by three feet, and it was closed … and familiar. It kind of resembled the book in Tiff’s kitchen. The cover art seemed raised, like an ice sculpture. I noticed the title, The Kringle Chronicles, like the Web site; and the gemstone image of a soldier in battle gear carrying a sack over his left shoulder and a blaster in his right hand. I examined the battle gear and uniform. A helmet, goggles, a flak jacket, gloves, pants, boots, and belts. Belts—he was wearing two belts. Wait a minute, I thought. Were those letters on the buckles? I moved closer to the enclosure. They were letters, maybe initials. The top belt had SC written on it. Hmmm ... SC, I thought, then looked down again, and what I saw on the second buckle sent chills through me. Was I seeing things? I moved back, rubbed my eyes, then moved in closer and again peered into the case. The second buckle read SR. Why the chills? Well, I wondered, was S.R. once Santa? I came closer to the case to study the soldier’s face. No good. The goggles and helmet covered most of the features except for his mouth. He was smiling. Just then, I heard footsteps running toward me.



Prancer:

“Let’s see,” I began, “you are all tall. You’re wearing the same tactical gear as Santa—and the same pants, knee and elbow pads, gloves, boots, and jackets. Oh and the helmet,” I said really geeky like. “You guys are wearing half-head ballistic helmets, and those cool-looking black goggles.”



I got closer to Prancer, looked back at Dasher, and caught him nodding to Vixen and Dancer. I continued. “If you look really close at the goggles you can see the heads-up display. Prancer, your skin is brown like Logan’s, and there’s like rubber skin, like a wetsuit or something around your neck. Your jacket pockets are bulging, and your white and green striped blaster shrinks and expands in midair and seems to be magnetized or—” http://bit.ly/9WXAKK