As I prepare to hunker down this weekend with my family, I wanted to share something positive.  My artist friend Sambaran Chatterjee has done another lovely illustration for me!  This time he’s drawn Mario Reyes from my story “Exchange” / “A Coral Study.”

As I’ve said before, I’m not a visual artist in the least, so I’m in awe of both the overall picture and the striking details.  Thanks, Sambaran! You can check out more of his awesome work at his website.

I did once see an octopus, a very small one, while snorkeling in the Galápagos Islands, where my character Mario is from.  The biodiversity there, the endemic species, their lack of fear around humans, made it one of the most magical places I’ve ever been.