"I met him at a movie theater and he told me he was an artist and would send me some of his work," Lansdale said. "When I saw it I said 'Damn, this is the real deal.' So I contacted the publisher and said 'You gotta look at this guy's stuff,' and they loved it too.

"I think he has really clean, sharp lines. A lot of artwork of people I deal with has a little muddle to it. When you look at Alex's, you know what you're getting. It has a nostalgic feel of the old young-adult novels.

"It's been a great experience working with him. He's on his way. He's a real pro."

First off, what is your background? Where you're from, inspirations, art training (if any), etc.

I moved around a lot when I was growing up, but most places I've lived have either been in the Houston area or behind the "Pine Curtain."

Growing up, I found inspiration in comic books, horror movies, westerns and Sunday-afternoon kung fu features. I latched onto artists like John Severin, Bernie Wrightson, Norman Rockwell, Andrew Wyeth, Gustave Dore, Frank Frazetta and Aubrey Beardsley early on, but I never became much of a historian. Most of my inspiration comes from observation and imagination.

I was never in a position to receive formal training until I went to college. Then I found I was too busy or too broke at the time to pursue it anyway.

How'd you get into doing book illustrations? What was your first?

When I first decided to jump into full-time freelance illustration, I didn't even have enough information to know how to go about it. I didn't know anyone that was doing what I wanted to do, and I didn't know any writers, let alone publishers.

I was first published in "Cemetery Dance Magazine" and "Weird Tales." After that, I worked back and forth, between role-playing game and magazine illustration, all the while, trying to build up a reputation as someone who turns in good work on time. I took assignments for ad work, architectural renderings, portraiture, you name it. I took what I could get and tried to do it well. I had a family to think about.

After a year or two of that, publishers started hiring me to do covers and interior art for books.

What media do you use?

Anything I'm asked to use, usually. For black and white illustrations, I almost always use pen and ink, because it retains the contrast I like, when reproduced.

When I was a kid, the easiest thing for me was to grab a pencil and draw on the back of a sheet of homework. I know by now how to work when I'm not in the mood, but I don't like to spend a whole lot of time stretching a canvas, boiling bones or looking for rabbit skin glue.

How many books have you illustrated?

Books? About 20.

Is the image entirely up to you, or is there input from writers/publishers/editors?

I usually have free reign in what I do for magazines and almost never have it with game companies. With novels though, if it's not already brought up, I'll at least attempt to get an author's thoughts on what they imagine or would like to see. I like discussing ideas with an author and/or editor when they're as interested as I am in the final product.

Who's your favorite writer to do illustrations for?

This is the kind of question a politician would despise. I haven't had many bad experiences with writers. Since authors aren't usually the ones in charge of getting me paid on time, that eliminates about 90% of what's ever caused a problem.

What's your favorite piece you've created?

If I had to name a favorite, maybe the cover I did for the anthology, "New Blood, Old Souls" would be it. Maybe.

What types of work have you done for Steve Jackson games?

Futuristic science-fiction illustrations for their role-playing game books.

What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

"Dark Forces" will be coming out from Lonely Road Books sometime soon, and it has my illustrations for stories by Stephen King, Ramsey Cambpell, and Gahan Wilson. I did all of the art (and a lot of it) for one called "Looking Glass," which will be the first in a new "Signature Series" line of heavily illustrated books from Cemetery Dance Publications. "The Snowman's Children" from Earthling Publications. Lots of RPG stuff, some Harley-Davidson poster art, a graphic novel adaptation and fewer magazine illustrations. My schedule for 2006 is full, so check out the news section of my website (www.alexmcvey.com) to keep informed about things forthcoming.