Son Of The First (Lord Of Shadows Book 1) Pre Order, Excerpt and Art

 I'm super excited to share with you all today the information about the debut novel from N.S. Armstrong. Some of you may already recognize the name, as N.S. Armstrong was the incredibly talented artist I commissioned to draw Maddie and Kalas from The Starlight Prince.

Well, not only is N.S. Armstrong an amazing artist, he's also a wonderful author too, and his debut novel SON OF THE FIRST comes out on 14th February 2025.

Read on for the blurb, some character art, and an excerpt from this coming-of-age fantasy.

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Man Finding Himself... in Hell

Alyx Archer never planned to go to Hell—he was more of a "fashion degree and fabulous dresses" kind of guy.

All Alyx wanted was to ace his classes and design outfits with his best friend, Brie. Instead, his life is upturned by a demon attack on campus, and by Brie effortlessly ripping said demon to shreds. Turns out, Brie isn’t your average BFF, she’s the Queen of the Hounds of Hell.

To top it all off, the woman who raised him isn’t his real mum. His actual mother? The legendary Lilith. Cue identity crisis.

Now, instead of worrying about grades and fabric swatches, Alyx is getting dragged down to Hell (literally) by someone Lilith would rather smite than see on her doorstep.

PRE ORDER NOW

And to really whet your appetite, N.S. Armstrong created this stunning art of Lilith, Queen of Demons, and has shared this excerpt of Alyx's first meeting with a demon.

Excerpt from Chapter 3 of Son of the First, by N.S Armstrong

Context: Alyx has been hunted by a demon, sent by one of the high dukes of hell, masquerading as a blonde woman to steal powers he has no knowledge of.
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Alyx was hunched over the sink in the men’s toilets. The remnants of the cold water still dripped from his chin into the basin below. It was quiet. The lunch rush was a few hours away and most other students were deep into ongoing lectures.

Taking a breath, he closed his eyes. His nerves were shot. He simply couldn’t get the blonde woman from the metro out of his head. Her face haunted him. In his dreams, her face would become more pointed, often start to twist and deform, transforming more and more inhuman as the nights passed.
A clink in the room sounded. He opened his eyes and looked around. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Stray pieces of toilet paper littered the speckled tiled floor, its grey flecks jarring against the sun-bleached cream of the walls. 

With a click of the tongue, he turned back to look at himself in the mirror. Blinking, he noticed a slight blur to the surface. Like condensation, it caused his reflection to become buried in a fog, until he was just a silhouette.

“What?” he queried, his eyebrows knitting together in bewilderment.

Scanning the row of sinks, the other mirrors above were crystal clear. Not a hint of condensation tarnished the reflected cubicles. He checked that he hadn’t accidentally turned the hot water on by mistake and the lights above blinked. It was quick, but it was enough to cause his shoulders to calcify with tension.

Looking in the mirror, through the misty surface he’d noticed his reflection had changed. There was something above his right shoulder. Glancing behind him there was nothing. He eyed the sinks, but he could still see the shape there.

With his eyebrows pulling tighter above the bridge of his nose, he lifted his shaking right hand to the mirror; the left keeping him sturdy against the sink. He cleared the condensation away. Expecting dampness, what he received was like ash. It flaked down from his hand and into the basin below. Looking back up to where he’d swiped, his breath hitched. His heart felt like it was hammering out of his chest.
Staring back at him, behind his shoulder, she grinned. Her lips splitting further up her cheeks, her eyes sinking deep into her skull, resembling jet-black pools gouged into a smooth marble wall.

Her reflection moved forward, taking over his own form. She mirrored him.

Then, she lunged.

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I've already pre-ordered my copy and as as I've read it, I'll be sharing my review here. Be sure to pre-order your copy, too!

Until next time, take care & stay creative!

T.T.F.N

 

Memorable Monday - Interview with Artist Lainey T

 

Greetings readers!

I'm back from my staycation. I had a wonderful time disconnecting from the internet and spending some quality time with my family.

Regularly scheduled posts will now resume, and to start things off, I have a Memorable Monday post where I interview artist Lainey T, who did the stunning illustration for THE ADVENTURES OF JOSAIN JOVENNE.

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What initially sparked your interest in becoming an artist, and how has your passion evolved over the years?

I've been drawing ever since I can remember. The doodles and drawings I did as a kid never stopped and have yet to do so. My passion in art has evolved by seeing other artists and striving to be better at my own art. Another inspiration for me is wanting to draw and make fanart of the things I like.

How has Jojo's Bizarre Adventure influenced your art style and creative process?

Jojo's bizarre adventure has definitely changed my artstyle and helped me improve overall in drawing more realistically. I’ve learned better facial and body anatomy through the show, and It really helped me with muscle anatomy of course. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure has really helped me change my artstyle from more cartoonish to more realistic and I don’t regret watching it one bit.

What elements from horror games like Five Nights at Freddy's inspire your work, and how do you incorporate them into your art?

Five nights at Freddy's has been a staple of my life ever since I was around seven. Some of my original characters have definitely been inspired by FNAF and its designs. I’ve been drawing fanart of the games since I’ve liked it and still love to watch videos about it on YouTube. I love its character/robot designs and I love all the games. 

Can you walk us through your process of designing a new character, and do any of your characters draw inspiration from your interests?

The process of designing a character always comes from an idea in my head, whether it be from another artist, music, a game or something else. I’ve had lots of my original characters originally be fan ocs for the franchises I like. If I’m making my own character I usually don’t need much of a design process. I’m always set on a certain vision in my head that I usually like when I first draw it out. If I’m designing a character for someone else, then I like to have a big designing process so I can make sure that the character looks exactly like how the person envisioned it. 

How do you balance visual storytelling in your artwork?

My art pieces never really have much of a big meaning. However, one can really tell a lot about a piece based on many factors. Facial expressions and clothes can really tell a lot about an art work and the character/person in it. The background tells the setting and often more about the character too. Colours are also a big part of telling the mood or tone of a piece. 

What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent artist, and how have you overcome them?

I would say that the biggest challenge for me is being self taught, which isn’t too much of an issue for me. Pinterest has definitely been my art teacher and biggest inspiration. I have a board full of art references and tutorials that I keep adding things to and that I keep in mind when working on a drawing.

How does feedback from your fans and the broader art community influence your work?

My followers definitely are an important inspiration for me to keep drawing. Their support, comments, and reposts are very special to me and I think I’d be a lot further behind on my art growth if it wasn’t for them.

Have you considered expanding your art into other forms of media, such as animation or game design? If so, what would you like to explore first?

My major that I want to go to college for is actually animation, character design, game design, and 3D modelling. While I have much experience in character design I would love to learn the other things I mentioned. I’ve dabbled in a little bit of animation for fun but I would love to improve on it. 

Can you share any upcoming projects or collaborations that you're excited about?
I’m definitely excited about working with Clare more! I don’t have much else in mind besides college which is obviously a big step for me, in my art journey and life in general.

What advice would you give to young artists who are just starting out?

Practice! Practice! Practice! I know it’s what every artist says but it’s the complete truth. If you draw every day, even if it’s just a doodle, you are bound to improve! Another piece of advice is to use lots of references. Some people say it’s cheating, but I say that it’s the most important thing an artist can do to hone their skills.

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Thank you for answering my questions, Lainey, and thank you for the amazing art of Josain and Savrion. I cannot wait to commission more from you.

If you're interested in commissioning art from Lainey, they can be contacted at their Instagram profile. @___lain__

Thanks for reading, and please be sure to check back this Writing Wednesday, where I'll be discussing how the internal stories we tell ourselves, and the language we use, can affect how we see ourselves and influence our behaviour.

Until then. Take care and stay creative,

T.T.F.N.