The Lost Journal by Susie Cornfield

You haven't seen anything like it until you open the new iPad app The Lost Journal, written by Susie Cornfield specifically for the iPad and created for Garret Books by the digital magicians at Conjure.

The Lost Journal is the prequel to the satirical thriller series of Susie Cornfield's Dekaydence novels. The new iPad app contains stunning new artwork by Jamel Akib and his inimitable, dark, edgy style matches Cornfield's paradoxical, dysfunctional world. The screen shifts, the world stumbles, wild haggoids growl, a blueprint farts and high-flying Eye-Spys screech across the skies.

The Author

Conjure have created wonderfully fresh, different websites for my books so when they suggested putting an extract from the Dekaydence novels Black Light and Green Fire on an iPad app…! Then I thought: How about doing a prequel, as an introduction to the series? Good idea, said Conjure. Except there wasn't a prequel, except in my head. But, as you know, every character has a history and a mystery, and most likely, a shoe size. Young Tommo, the prince and undercover eco-warrior, is no exception. So The Lost Journal is a prequel; it's also Tommo's story.

The Illustrator

I first got a call from Susie in 2005. She'd seen my work on-line and recognised immediately that it's strangely dark and darkly humorous, with an off-kilter perspective much like her novels Black Light and Green Fire. I don't read, don't have time, but my wife is hooked on the Dekaydence series and tells me about the characters and what's going on. I like to think the range of my illustrations in The Lost Journal reflects the sinister as well as the fun in the books, and mirrors the amazingly wide age range of Dekaydence readers, from 12 to 83.

The Creators

We couldn't wait to work with Susie on another part to the Dekaydence series and the interactive iPad book felt like the perfect addition. Susie's darkly whacky short story The Lost Journal inspired us to mix illustrations, animated elements, sounds and interactivity to create a wonderfully immersive experience for the reader. Bringing Conjure's creativity to such an original project has been great fun and we're really proud of what we've all created, not just for the iPad, but for the Dekaydence series as well.

www.susiecornfield.com

www.jamelakib.com

www.conjuredigital.com