Map of 12th Century England for a Historical Novel

Many of the maps I create are for historical fiction books. I work with a lot of authors, some first-time authors and some who have written several books.

Amy Mantravadi has written a historical fiction trilogy about her ancestor who lived in England in the 12th century. She contacted me to design a map to show the main locations in The Eternal Queen, the final book in the trilogy.

Amy provided a list of castles, abbeys, and major rivers to include, and wanted a simple black and white map. We weren’t sure which layout would work best, so I sent two options. Even though the horizontal layout would need to be printed sideways in the book, it allowed me to zoom in a bit closer to make labelling less cluttered.

Amy wanted an artistic look to the map, with symbols that looked hand-sketched. I found some public domain symbols of trees, mountains, and castles, and worked up two design drafts. The only difference was the symbols used for the castles and abbeys.

With a few minor tweaks to labels and the addition of some hills, the map was ready for print.

For more information, keep an eye on Amy’s website to pre-order The Eternal Queen – coming soon.

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