LAURA PETERSON produced the amazing illustrations and covers for the four WOLF KINGDOM books. She talks about the process …

(Below, an early version for a picture in Book 4)

Where did your idea of how a wolf should look come from?
First I read the story then looked at a lot of different photographs of wolves and did a few pages of realistic studies. After that I read the story again and tried to visualize the characters in my mind and imagine what it would be like to be a wolf soldier: strength, limitations, movements and personality of the character. After a few rough concept  sketches I arrived to the final version of the wolf soldier. This process could take several days.

What gave you the idea for just that particular armour?
Again I did some research and looked at a lot of different armour. Movement and body structure dictated the general shape of the armour. Also I imagined that the wolves may not be too artistic so I kept the design relatively simple, practical but intimidating enough.

Do you get an instant flash of how things should look or do you need to mull it over?
In some cases the script captures my imagination instantly, other times I help my imagination with research. I love lengthy narration (you know the part that people like to skip over and jump to the dialog), they help to place me inside the story.

(General Krang discovers a piece of hidden jewellery in Book 2)