Because I'm saddened by the relative lack of original art in our house, I've taken advantage of a couple of great online artists -- Ape Lad and Len Peralta -- who made offers on their websites to draw pictures of hobos and monsters, respectively, in exchange for a name and a surprisingly small amount of money. I decided to get drawings of two characters from my Marla Mason novels (though the artists didn't know that; they just got the names) -- first, a minor character, a homeless alley sorcerer named "Tom O'Bedbug". You can see Ape Lad's drawing here. Second, as featured in my novel Dead Reign (out in, oh, April 2009), I asked for a picture of the revivified mummy of John Wilkes Booth. You can see Len Peralta's drawing here. Mmm. Brains.

Ape Lad's website is here. (At the moment he's drawing any monkey you care to name for $10.) Len Peralta's website is here. (He's presently drawing any zombie you name for $20.) Both work fast and do great work. Try 'em out!