Savannah illustrator Kit Seaton travels into magical realism with new graphic novel, 'Coven'

The weather may not call for sweaters quite yet, but the urge to start celebrating Halloween is already here. You can start adding to your spooky reading collection with the new graphic novel, “Coven,” written by Jennifer Dugan and illustrated by Savannah artist Kit Seaton. You also have a few chances to get your own signed copy.

This young adult graphic novel follows a young witch named Emsy who simply wants to live her life in California by surfing and spending time with her girlfriend. When her family’s coven on the east coast falls prey to a murderer, she has to grow into her magical powers in order to stop the killer.

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Kit Seaton’s involvement came about when Stephanie Pitts, an executive editor affiliated with Penguin Young Readers Group sent her the script for “Coven.” Seaton said she was drawn to the themes in the script and was even more excited when she found out she had almost full creative control of the illustrations. The process of rough drafts to final drafts took her almost 19 months, but Seaton said it was truly a labor of love.

“It's a very rich story. I like that. It has depth. It's got that magical realism kind of thing where it's firmly set in reality, but you also kind of have this magical system that gets interwoven with that. So it's really fun to be able to try to represent a young teenage girl going through her everyday life and then also be able to incorporate all of these supernatural elements.”

“Coven” officially releases Sept. 6 but is available to preorder through E Shaver Booksellers. Anyone who preorders through the store gets a signed bookplate from Seaton and the author Jennifer Dugan as well as a custom enamel pin based on a butterfly with black wings and red skull markings seen in the graphic novel.

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Of course, copies of “Coven” will also be available on Sept, 7 at the book signing event at Foxy Loxy. Seaton will be there from 6 to 7 p.m. for a drawing demonstration and a conversation about her experience with the graphic novel. You will need to register ahead of time, but it is free. The online registration link can be found on E. Shaver Bookseller’s Facebook page.

If you like Seaton’s work on “Coven,” she has other graphic novels with supernatural themes to check out, including one she created with her sister Cat Seaton.

“I would definitely recommend the ‘Norroway’ series because it also a young adult fantasy novel, very diverse cast, queer characters, but it is much more in the fantasy realm. That one's based on a Scottish fairytale.”

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While the Sept. 7 signing event will be held at Foxy Loxy, it’s in partnership with E. Shaver Bookseller. Promoting the graphic novel through independent bookstores was important to both Seaton and author Jennifer Dugan. The pre-order gifts of the signed bookplate and enamel pin are only available through a select number of independent bookstores, and E. Shaver is one of them.

“Since I’m based in Savannah, I wanted to work with a local bookseller. When I used to work for SCAD, the building that I was in is just across the street from E. Shaver Bookseller. I got to know the two ladies who run the business pretty well.”

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA events: Coven by Jennifer Dugan, Kit Seaton book signing