Today I received the final version of the map for my novel. Designed by me and rendered by Matt Ward it is now ready to go when the novel is.
![](https://marktimmony.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/athmaysm2.jpg)
This is the broken continent of Athmay – so called as it was a single continent 4000 years ago, before the War of the Summoners and the Sundering that saw that wars end.
I know some readers can take or leave maps, but for me they are a must in a fantasy novel. I love reading a about a location in the text and then turning to the map at the front of the book to get a better idea of where that place is,and what’s around it. It always gave me a thrill, made the world that bit bigger, more real, and I knew I had to have a map for my own work.
In fact, after coming up with the concept of the story, the map – the world in which my story was set – was the next thing I had to clarify in my head.
Many, many years have past, and the map has gone through a few drafts from its hand drawn origins to bring you (and me) this.
I am rather picky when it comes to design choices, so by arranging this map myself, to my own specifications, if I am picked up by a traditional publisher I have a map (that I like) ready to go. And if not, then I have one ready to go when I self-publish.