Gallery - Tinker’s Prism
Welcome to this gallery of sketches showing moments from the first Prism Saga novel - Tinker’s Prism.
First up, though, some early cover concepts.
The covers on the published books are less ‘busy’ than these, designed that way to ensure they look clear and eye-catching when viewed as tiny thumbnails on an Amazon page and on a mobile phone.
Tinker’s story begins with him test-driving an invention with his sister, Ruby.
It’s the “Formula 4000 Faster-than-lightspeeder” - a rocket-powered skateboard.
They end up in BIG trouble for using their Grandpa’s fireworks.
Fires are dangerous!
How to get out of trouble? Invent a time machine to change history so that the skateboard ride never happened!
Tinker uses a telescope lens, a silver spoon and -most importantly - a very special prism to construct his “spacetime array”.
Incredibly, it works! But Tinker accidentally skips back much further than he meant to.
He finds himself in 1666, in a wood that feels scary and unfamiliar.
He seems peculiar to the 17th century squirrels who live there - but they seem peculiar to him, too.
They’re neither bright red squirrels nor dull grey ones. They’re orange squirrels! (Though they prefer to be called ginger.)
Later that night, Tinker wakes to the sound of screaming. Every ginger squirrel in the wood has inexplicably turned grey and mindless, apart from those who happened to be near his prism.
His hosts are terrified. They blame Tinker’s mysterious prism and try to destroy it. Tinker has to protect his time machine - it’s his only way home - and in doing so…
…he is killed!
Tinker’s death is only the beginning. The 17th century squirrels are sure they can save him.
355 years later, five ginger squirrels arrive at Tinker’s house in the middle of the night. They’re the descendants of the squirrels he met in 1666 and they bring a terrible warning: Tinker must go back to 1666, but this time take his story with him so that the 17th century squirrels will be forewarned, will not panic, and this time will not murder Tinker in that terrible accident.
So, five brave adventurers head back to 1666:
Wing, the commander of the ginger squirrels.
Cashew, their navigator.
Hazel, their medic.
Tinker, the time machine expert…
…and Ruby, his sister. She wasn’t invited but comes along anyway. She doesn’t trust anybody else to protect her annoying but brilliant little brother!
The ginger squirrels’ plan to save Tinker works.
But that doesn’t solve the bigger mystery: Who stole the colour from the ginger squirrels that fateful night, and why?
They saved Tinker, so now he is determined to save them.
Maybe the time travellers will be able to stop the terrifying event before it even happens?
To find out whether they succeed, you’ll have to read Tinker’s Prism.
Suffice to say, along the way…
…they’ll befriend an extremely posh cat.
…they’ll face an army of horrible rats.
…they’ll travel to London and discover the shocking truth of how - and why - the Rat Army is spreading the plague across England.
…and finally, they’ll learn who really leads those murderous rats.
If you know your history of London, and can remember what happened on September 2nd, 1666, you may be able to guess how their adventure ends.
But don’t be too sure you know exactly what happened on Pudding lane that night.
You may find you have to think again!
