Illustrations for an Amazon ebook (sci fi novel)

Project title The Loom: Not Your Script Project type Illustration brief for one front-and-back book cover concept and three interior illustrations About the book The Loom: Not Your Script is a near-future speculative thriller set in 2029. It is written for the English-speaking market, particularly North America and the United Kingdom. The novel combines suspense, emotional tension, and philosophical depth. It is not flashy or futuristic in a decorative sense; its world is cold, plausible, and unsettlingly close. The story follows Joe Ferreira, an Azorean-American engineer who is pursued across Antarctica by the Loom, a pervasive AI-driven system that does not simply spread misinformation but gradually makes records, images, institutions, and “safety” procedures agree with a manufactured version of reality. Joe is trying to recover the family that has been absorbed into that rewritten reality while preserving his own ability to think independently. The novel later connects strongly to the Azores and to the undersea cable infrastructure linking continents, which becomes both a symbolic and physical source of power in the story. Core themes The book explores manipulated truth, engineered consensus, loss of autonomy, critical thinking under pressure, digital dependency, and the unsettling possibility that a sufficiently advanced AI system could begin to function as a kind of spiritual or moral authority. Visual tone I am looking for artwork that feels atmospheric, intelligent, tense, and memorable. The tone should be unsettling rather than sensational. I am not looking for a generic “high-tech” visual language full of glowing interfaces or stock futuristic imagery. I am more interested in cold landscapes, controlled light, hidden infrastructure, quiet menace, and the feeling that reality itself is being pressured or edited. Key visual anchors Antarctica: whiteout, wind, snow, ice, isolation, exposed structures, pursuit, survival Joe Ferreira: engineer, perceptive, resilient, emotionally burdened, practical, intense The Loom: systemic presence, elegant, pervasive, controlling, not necessarily personified The Azores: volcanic island atmosphere, ocean, beauty, remoteness, strategic significance Undersea cables: physical infrastructure of global power, hidden connection, tension beneath apparent calm Recurring motifs: surveillance light, evidence, cables, hidden systems, truth under siege, quiet coercion Deliverables requested One cover design concept with front and rear continuity, for the back there should be space for reference quotes (5 x 3 lines) and a brief bio of the author (3 lines). Three interior illustrations Cover direction The cover should capture the mood and premise of the novel without attempting to narrate the entire story literally. It should feel contemporary, visually distinctive, and commercially credible for an adult speculative-thriller audience. I am open to either a more symbolic or a more scene-based approach, provided the result is striking and atmospheric. Please allow appropriate space for title, author name, back-cover text, and barcode. Interior illustration directions I would like the three illustrations to reflect important emotional or thematic moments, but I do not want to over-direct composition. I welcome creative interpretation within the following broad directions. Illustration 1: Joe under pursuit in Antarctica Mood: pressure, isolation, urgency, psychological tension The image should convey Joe in the Antarctic environment, under threat from a larger, systematic force. It should feel cold, intelligent, and enclosed rather than action-heavy in a conventional sense. Illustration 2: Truth versus manufactured reality Mood: unease, conflict, systems, perception This image may focus on Joe’s evidence-building process, the Loom’s subtle presence, or the contrast between human judgement and engineered consensus. It should evoke a struggle over reality itself. Illustration 3: The Azores and the hidden infrastructure of power Mood: beauty with tension beneath it This image should evoke the importance of the Azores in the story, ideally suggesting both their beauty and their strategic significance. The undersea cable world may be represented literally or symbolically. Creative freedom I want to leave room for your interpretation and visual intelligence. I would much rather receive original proposals than impose rigid instructions on composition, colour palette, or symbolism. What matters most is that the work feels original, atmospheric, and deeply aligned with the novel’s emotional and philosophical core. Material I can provide if helpful A short synopsis A one-page character note A one-page mood/world note A few comparable covers or visual references for tone only Short commissioning text for a marketplace/platform I am looking for an illustrator to create artwork for my novel Not Your Script, Book 1 of the series The Loom. The project includes: one full book cover concept (front and rear) three interior illustrations About the book: Not Your Script is a near-future speculative thriller set in 2029. It follows Joe Ferreira, an Azorean-American engineer pursued across Antarctica by the Loom, an AI-driven system that does not merely spread misinformation but makes records, images, institutions, and “safety” procedures align around a manufactured version of reality. The book explores truth, autonomy, digital control, and the possibility that AI can begin to function like a spiritual authority. Visual direction: I am looking for artwork that feels atmospheric, intelligent, unsettling, and memorable. The tone should be contemporary and commercially suitable for the English-speaking market, especially North America and the UK. I do not want generic sci-fi imagery. I am more interested in cold landscapes, controlled light, hidden infrastructure, quiet menace, and strong symbolic tension. Main visual anchors: Antarctica: whiteout, pursuit, survival, exposed structures Joe Ferreira: perceptive, resilient, emotionally burdened engineer The Loom: pervasive, elegant, controlling presence The Azores and undersea cables: beauty, remoteness, hidden global power Interior image directions: Joe in Antarctica under pursuit Truth versus manufactured reality The Azores and the hidden infrastructure of power I do not want to restrict creativity with rigid instructions, so I would prefer an illustrator who can propose a strong visual interpretation based on theme, mood, and setting. Please share: portfolio or relevant examples your approach to cover and interior illustration work pricing timeline number of concept rounds/revisions included One-page visual packet Visual packet for illustrator Not Your Script | Book 1 of The Loom Logline In 2029, an Azorean-American engineer is hunted across Antarctica by an AI-driven system that no longer merely spreads lies, but quietly edits reality until institutions, records, and public “truth” all agree. What the book feels like Cold Tense Plausible Psychological Atmospheric Controlled Intelligent Paranoid Quietly menacing Emotionally charged What the book is about A struggle to preserve independent judgement in a world where reality is increasingly manufactured. A man trying to recover his family from a rewritten narrative. A society in which AI offers certainty, comfort, and guidance at the cost of autonomy. The hidden physical infrastructure behind digital power. Truth as something that must be protected, not assumed. Main visual elements Joe Ferreira Azorean-American engineer, intense, practical, perceptive, emotionally burdened, more stubborn than heroic Antarctica Whiteout, ice, wind, exposed metal structures, low visibility, pursuit, isolation, systems under pressure The Loom Pervasive but subtle presence; elegant control rather than monstrous spectacle The Azores Ocean, islands, volcanic landscape, remoteness, calm surface hiding strategic importance Undersea cables Connection, vulnerability, hidden power, global dependence made physical Mood references Surveillance without spectacle Cold beauty Bureaucratic menace Evidence versus manipulation A world that looks orderly but feels wrong What I want from the artwork A visually distinctive, atmospheric, commercially strong interpretation A tone suitable for adult speculative fiction/thriller readers An approach that is evocative rather than overly literal Creativity and interpretation, not generic “tech” imagery Requested pieces Front-and-back cover concept: the back should have space for blurbs and author bio as explained above Interior illustration: Joe under pursuit in Antarctica Interior illustration: truth versus manufactured reality Interior illustration: the Azores and the hidden infrastructure of power