Welcome to a new cover reveal!

Today we have the pleasure of helping reveal the cover of Fire in the Heart, second book in the Scars of Magic series, written by Steven Raaymakers.

Let's take a look at the blurb:

Volume II in the chronological short stories of Esterra Stake. Tractwalker. Mercenary. Exile.

From the ashes of despair, an ember awakens.

Esterra’s journey through the fractured lands of Verpace leads her into even stranger and deadlier tracts. In a caustic wasteland, she crosses paths with a naïve steelhunter and a zealous priest who is bent on resurrecting a long-dead cult. As ancient shadows stir and corrupted beasts stalk her every step, Esterra must join with old friends to face a broken world.

But as the licht’s call grows stronger, a new hunger festers within her, a hunger which threatens to unravel the fragile threads of her humanity.

The darkness hunts her, but so does the light. Can Esterra hold her ground against the violence of Verpace, or will it smother the fire in the hearth?

With hints of grimdark and Lovecraftian horror, this second volume expands on the world of Verpace, introduces new characters, and brings back a few favourites. This page-turner has visceral action, wild monsters, mutant abominations, and more.  

Fire in the Heart will be published the February 2nd, 2026.

You can already pre-order it at this link.

The cover has been designed by the own author.

In this post:

Steven Raaymakers

Steven Raaymakers is a fantasy author from New Zealand. He writes character-driven stories with unique magic systems.

A lawyer by trade, Steven reads and writes all day. In his spare time, he plays story-driven games, listens to melodic death metal, and reads a ton of books from every genre.