Art & Writing of Katy L. Wood

@thatdisasterauthor.bsky.social

1263 Followers 381 Following

Queer author+illustrator from Colorado. Wildland Fire Dispatcher. 🎃🏳️‍🌈🏔️ Art+Writing: www.AspenAndCopper.com Disaster Blogging: www.Katy-L-Wood.com Tumblr: @ThatDisasterAuthor

A poster that looks like a game board with 49 numbered squares. On the squares is an isometric forested neighborhood. There are a variety of houses along several streets, surrounded by various trees. Some of the houses are connected by yellow fences that go across multiple squares. There are also wind gusts that go across multiple squares. The game is half played with four pieces that look like little fires having left a blackened trail across the board. At the top of the poster and above the board is the heading, "Don't play games with mitigation." Below the board is the game title "Winds & Embers" along with the rules of the game, which are the same rules as "Chutes & Ladders." Below that is a short blurb about wildland fire mitigation and why it is important. There is also an illustration of a game spinner on the bottom right of the poster. Everything is in a flat, simple style.

A mockup of a box of Novel Navigation Notecards on a desk. The cards are coming out of the brown box to show each of the card types, all in pastel colors. To the right are the words "Novel Navigation Notecards." Below that is a box with the words "A writing tool by a neurodiverse author for neurodiverse authors."

A mockup of a sticker featuring a vintage scientific style illustration of key pieces of wildland fire gear including gloves, a drip torch, a pulaski, a hardhat, and a wildland fire pack. Below the illustration are the words "GEAR UP".

A mockup of a sticker design which is an infinity symbol along which you can see the cycle of wildfire in a pine forest.

A graphic featuring a mockup of the paperback of the novel "Camp Daze" on the left side, and text about the novel on the right side, with three queer pride flags below the text. The first flag is the queer pride flag, the second is half the aromantic flag and half the asexual flag, and the third is the lesbian flag. The text reads as follows:
Camp Daze
Adult | Survival | Summer Camp
A helpful take on the apocalypse.
Conifer was raised to survive the end of the world, any end of the world. Except this one.
When the bombs drop, she finds herself stranded in the mountains with over a hundred young campers and only a handful of other young counselors to help her.

Video of a moose calf angrily squaring off with a decorative yellow wishing well in front of a cabin in the forest. He dances around it huffing and puffing and kicking and tossing his head.

A digital illustration of three wildland firefighters watching a distant wildfire in the mountains at sunset. The fire is burning in a forest and putting up a thick, dark column of smoke. Everything is lit in warm, orange sunset light. The person in the foreground is sitting next to a chainsaw and among wildflowers. The other two figures are in the midground.

An informational poster titled "Evacuation Prep" which breaks down different levels of evacuation preparedness in case of an emergency, depending upon how much time you have.

A graphic for comparable media to my new book, Lie Down in the Ashes. The top part says "Do you like these?" with three covers beneath it, the cover of Neal and Jarrod Shusterman's novel "Dry," the cover for the podcast "Disaster Area," and the cover for the tsunami arc on ABC's 911 show.
Below that it says "Try this:" with a loopy arrow pointing to the cover of "Lie Down in the Ashes" below it. To the right of the cover are the bullet points:
-A realistic look at how people behave during a disaster.
-Lots of queer characters.
-A focus on the helpers.
-Characters pushing themselves to their limits for those they love, and others they don't even know.
-Written by a disaster researcher.

The fire galloped beside us, veering away down the mountain a little at a time, and I was struck by the inexplicable thought of riding Fiddle through the flames like some heroine in an overly CGIed movie. Fire would lick at our legs, Fiddle’s nostrils would be blown wide, I’d be bent low in the saddle. Barely there horses would fade in and out around us, formed in the flames. I’d find Dante somewhere, haul him up behind me, and get us both out of there, with a very romantic kiss at the end, of course.
A delirious laugh escaped my lips. It felt a bit like choking. Maybe it was.

A digital pen and ink style illustration of a cave full of giant, glowing crystals that are all tangled together as they criss-cross the cavern. In the foreground, their backs to the viewer, stand four people on a stone ledge, looking out at the crystals (that dwarf them) with awe.

A digital pen and ink style illustration of two women rappelling down a cliff with just ropes and no modern equipment. The viewer is looking down at them from above as one falls, the snapped rope visible at the top of the image. The other woman is reaching out to try and catch her. There are small, trinket items scattered all over the cliff face, including a necklace with a heart charm.

A pen and ink style digital illustration of a coyote sitting with its mouth wide open and eyes glowing. A starscape swirls out of its open mouth.

@JackrabbitNightmare
Up on my buddy’s roof watching the smoke plume. Gettin’ scary. More the light falls more you can see the bottom glowin’. #LostHenFire
R2 | L1

@AidenAidenAiden
You’re not too close, are you? Mom’ll have a fit if she finds out you’re just standing around watching.
R0 | L0

@JackrabbitNightmare
Nah, I’m miles off. Still don’t tell Mom…
R0 | L0

A pen and ink style digital illustration of three women against a starry backdrop. The women on the right and left are nude save for a thin veil that covers them from head to toe, tied around their necks and waists to hold it in place. The woman in the center is nude, save for a strange mass of swirling, ink like substance roiling around her body. All of them have no irises or pupils, just scleras, but they all still look directly at the viewer.

A snaptshot of a digital page of a book. There is a small handheld radio illustrated in black and white at the top of the page. Below it, the text reads:

Captain Henderson: Where’s my spot weather report?

Troublesome Dispatch: Just got it. Spot weather for the Lost Hen campground area. Winds out of the west gusting up to fifty-two miles-per-hour, no major shifts currently predicted. 42% humidity decreasing overnight. Current

A digital pen and ink style illustration of four people eating a meal while sitting on a patch of dirt on the prairie, short grasses surrounding them and thin clouds hanging overhead. The woman on the right is a Ute (Native American) woman and is using sign language to tell a story. To her right is a young white woman, also dicussing the story. Her clothing has some dried blood stains on it. To her right is another person looking vaguely contemplative of what's being discussed. The fourth person, a white man, is listening to the other three.

A digital illustration done in a pen and ink style. A group of people are sitting in a dusty, run down corner of a bar, everything a bit scuffed and faded. On the left are two people cut off by the edge of the frame, only their legs visible as they sit on a couch. To their right is a man on a different couch, one foot up on a coffee table covered in an abandoned poker game and some bottles and glasses. He is talking with a woman sat at a nearby table with another man. On the right side is another woman, sitting alone.

A digital illustration of a wolf-like creature on a plain white background. It has four regular legs, and four more legs on its back that point upwards.

When I was a kid, I ran through the forest like nothing mattered. Fallen trees were things to spring off of, sage bushes objects to weave and dodge, woodchuck holes something to jump. So what if I tripped? I could roll and keep on going.
I hadn’t run like that in years, and I couldn’t make my brain remember how to do it now that everything mattered. The logs were insurmountable; how had I ever jumped them? The sage was thick and wild, grabbing at my clothes and pulling me back; how had I ever dodged it? The woodchuck holes appeared out of nowhere, attempting to swallow my feet and break my ankles; where did my ability to spot them go?
The fire was following us downhill, sticking mostly to the trees but spreading out among the sage as well. It was slower than us, for now, but the wind was pushing it ever closer.

A digital pen & ink illustration featuring a portrait of a young white woman running and looking behind herself in fear, her eyes wide. Her hair is braided, the braid trailing behind her. The background is a simple gray watercolor wash.

“We have water trucks,” I said desperately. “They’re full. We know these roads. We drive them way more than the department ever does, and the fire is right there.”
He didn’t answer.
“Elliot, with this wind, by the time they get here that fire will have destroyed half the county.”
“My brother’s the captain of those firefighters,” Elliot said. “He knows the roads.”
“And can you guarantee he’ll be on whatever engine they send out?” I asked. “We can’t just stand here and watch!”
Elliot’s jaw clenched. “Adam, I can’t order y’all to go out there! You’re not firefighters! You’ll be in the way! Look how much that damn thing has grown already! You feel that wind? It’s going to push this hard.”
“That’s my point!”
“No. Drop it.”
Clenching my fists, I turned back to the trees, knowing I wasn’t going to get anywhere. Elliot was right. We weren’t professionals. We’d be in the way. Have to get rescued. Waste resources. That knowledge did nothing to chase away the helpless feeling clawing up my throat

A digital illustration of a group of dead (or dying, it is unclear) people all piled together and clinging to a woman who is the only one clearly awake. The people, except for the woman, are mostly dressed in brown, simple clothing with touches of blue. There is a mix of men and women. The woman at the center is in all blue, kneeling with her arms stretched out to the side for the people piled on the ground around her to hang onto. She is in a blue tunic with a fancy blue and silver disk headdress. She is paler than all those around her and is staring directly at the viewer, her eyes a strange purple that matches the chunky crystal necklace she is wearing. Out of the bodies of those around her, similar purple crystals are growing, and glowing softly. The background is nothing but darkness.

A digital illustration in a concept art style. It features a full body view of a woman in front of a plain purple background. She is wearing an intricate red dress in a somewhat Victorian style, but her legs are both exposed to show off as much skin as possible. Her medium brown hair is swept over to one side and she is wearing various bits of jewelry meant to mimic bloody wounds. She is very pale, to the point you can see thin blue veins all over her body.

A digital painting done in a double exposure style. The main image is a portrait of a woman with medium brown hair in loose, messy waves, mostly swept to her right and covering the right side of her face. She's wearing a dark shirt with decorative shoulders and a wide neck, one side falling off her shoulder. The double exposure is of a forest with mountains in the background.

A digitally painted portrait of a character of indeterminate gender. Their black hair is pulled back from their face and they are wearing a high-collared duster along with a very dirty and tattered blue silk bandanna around their neck. The top half of their face is covered in dirt where it wasn't covered by the bandanna. Their cowboy hat is only curled up on one side and has a silver edge on the brim.

“Nope, not a chance. No campfires,” he said.
“Oh come ooooon,” Toby whined. “Who camps without a campfire?”
“No,” Dante said firmly. “There’s a full fire ban for a reason.”
Toby rolled his eyes. “That’s just for the dumb flatlanders who don’t know what they’re doing and come up to the mountains for the weekend to coo at a bunch of mangy mule deer. We live up here, we know how to have a campfire.”
“No,” Dante repeated. “It hasn’t even sprinkled in months, and we haven’t had a good soaking rain since back in spring. No. Campfire.”
“Just because you want to be some hotshot smokejumper doesn’t mean you’re a firefighter yet,” Toby said. “Get off your high horse. I want a campfire.”
“Hotshots and Smokejumpers are two different things,” Dante said, arms crossing. “And it doesn’t even matter, because we are not having a campfire.”

Flat color style digital illustration of a group of five teens taking a selfie while leaning against the front bumper of an old red truck. In the background are hazy mountains.

Banner for advertising the book, LIE DOWN IN THE ASHES. There is a mockup of the hardcover version of the book and an ebook version, both sitting on a plank of wood in front of a forest. On the left is the text "Lie Down in the Ashes, a standalone survival thriller." On the right are three queer pride flags, the lesbian flag, the trans flag, and the bisexual flag.

A flat color style illustration of two characters against a plain, light brown backdrop. The character on the left is of indeterminite gender and dressed like an outlaw with a black cowboy hat curled up on one side, a faded black duster, a blue silk bandanna around their neck, a belt of bullets, and black cowboy bots. The boots have a strange harness holding on spikes. The young woman on the right is much more put together with well styled chestnut hair, a light brown button-up top, an embroidered waist belt, and a pale blue dress.

Flat color style digital illustration of a group of five teens taking a selfie while leaning against the front bumper of an old red truck. In the background are hazy mountains.

I grinned at Dante in the rearview mirror. “Question, are you really volunteering because you want to join up, or just for the access to a lot of nice, muscled men?”
Dante grinned back. “There are many benefits to being a firefighter.”

A digital mockup of the special edition of "Lie Down in the Ashes" with arrows pointing out previews of all its special features. Features include: dust jacket with foiling on the flames, printed case with spot gloss, printed endpapers, printed edges, and a ribbon bookmark.

A digital illustration of Buck from ABC's 911. It is a full body illustration and he is staring directly at the viewer. The illustration is split down the middle, on the left Buck is in his full turnouts with an axe in his hand, on the right he is just a skeleton. A bolt of lightning arcs through both sides of the illustration.

A digital illustration of Buck from ABC's 911. It is a full body illustration and he is staring directly at the viewer. The illustration is split down the middle, on the left Buck is in his full turnouts with an axe in his hand, on the right he is in the outfit he wore during the tsunami.

A digital illustration of Buck from ABC's 911. It is a full body illustration and he is staring directly at the viewer. The illustration is split down the middle, on the left Buck is in his full turnouts with an axe in his hand, on the right he is in the outfit he wore during the failed roller coaster rescue.

A digital illustration of Buck from ABC's 911. It is a full body illustration and he is staring directly at the viewer. The illustration is split down the middle, on the left Buck is in his full turnouts with an axe in his hand, on the right he is in the outfit he wore when working as a bartender in South America.

A digital illustration of Buck from ABC's 911. It is a full body illustration and he is staring directly at the viewer. The illustration is split down the middle, on the left Buck is in his full turnouts with an axe in his hand, on the right he is in the outfit he wore when he learned about Daniel.

A digital illustration of Buck from ABC's 911. It is a full body illustration and he is staring directly at the viewer. The illustration is split down the middle, on the left Buck is in his full turnouts with an axe in his hand, on the right he is a cowboy like when he worked in Montana.

A trope graphic with the cover for "Lie Down in the Ashes" in the center. The tropes around it are: Everyday heroes, epistolary story, multiple queer characters, trans character, sometimes a hero has to steal a truck, rapid pace, pre-established couples, will result in a good cathartic cry.

A flat color style digital illustration of some mysterious jungle ruins in a fantasy world. A stream carves through the center of an old open-air room, chewing away at the once fine tiles that made up its now moss-covered floor. Two trees with thick, tangled roots have taken over the room as well, draping themselves over the walls and pushing through the floor to reach the creek. A herd of strange deer crosses along the middle of the room, stalked by a tiger cub as its mother watches from above. Strange, huge birds observe from above as well.

A flat color style digital illustration of Evan "Buck" Buckley from ABC's 911 and his niece, Jee-Yun. Buck is on the right side of the image, sitting on an orange bench, leaning forward over his knees and holding out a phone with a timer on the screen. On the right Jee is jumping up and down happily, wearing a firefighter costume she has just put on while Buck timed her. A speech bubble pointing to Buck says, "That's a new record!" There is no background.

An illustration of two young men kissing in a dark cave full of treasure. The one on the left is a merman, shirtless with a red tail vanishing under the water as he braces himself on a shelf of rock. The other is in fine clothes, kneeling on that same shelf to lean in for the kiss, his hands on the merman's waist. Above them, a small magical flame hovers, illuminating the scene.

A digital illustration of a jack-o-lantern surrounded by purple, red, and orange flowers and greenery. A friendly bat hovers over and around the arrangement.

A top down view of a strange little greenhouse at night. A central water feature has a pond and waterfall, a path encircling both. Strange plants grow all around the edges, two-headed koi swim in the pond, and fireflies flit everywhere.

A flat color digital illustration of a cowgirl against a plain spring-green background. She's got long brown hair in a loose, thick braid hanging over one shoulder. Her green shirt is fully unbuttoned, held in place only by her suspenders and the fact that it is tucked in. A silver bolo-tie trails down her chest. She's got on embroidered brown chaps over lighter brown pants tucked into cowboy boots that match the chaps. Her hand is resting lightly on a gun on her hip. She has a brown cowboy hat.

A flat color style illustration of a messy workshop where a woman is painting a replica dragon skeleton. The lighting is warm orange and pinks. The woman has pink hair and is wearing a respirator and overalls, her sleeves rolled up as she works on the claws of a dog-sized dragon skeleton. Around her are various paints and reference materials on a central work table. The rest of the workshop is full of other tools and replicas.

A concept art style illustration of a man in front of a splotchy brown background. He is in dark brown leather clothing with boots up to his knees, a cut off coat, and bracers. He has two swords on his back with antlers for hilts along with various other knives. He is reaching up to draw one of the swords. His brown hair is in a bun at the crown of his head and he has a short brown beard. There is dripping brown paid around his eyes.

A flat color style digital illustration of a man sitting on a grassy hillside in the mountains. He is wearing somewhat tattered clothing in various shades of brown and aiming a rifle just off the edge of the image, a look of concentration on his face as he sites down the barrel.

A digital illustration of two characters in the mountains, tracking a faint trail of blood from an animal they hunted. The background is rendered in a painterly style. The characters in the foreground are in a flat color style. The male character is kneeling and examining the blood splatter. The woman is leaning over his shoulder, looking at it as well. The man has a rifle slung over his back and the woman has a bow in her hand.

A black and white pen and ink and watercolor illustration of two people dancing in an abandoned museum. They are framed by a crooked, battered doorway as the man dips the smiling woman, a tattered painting hanging behind them and moss growing up through the warped floor and along the walls.

A flat color style digital illustration of two people in a forest, crouching on a rock and looking at an explosion out of frame. Both wear strange, cobbled together outfits that look like the forest around them. The woman has darker skin and long black hair in a tight braid, along with two large knives with hilts made of antlers. The man has shorter brown hair up in a tight bun, and a short brown beard. Both have masks made of scraps of bark, but neither are wearing them. The lighting is dark, save for the warm orange of the explosion.

A digital illustration of a fossilized skull of a Pachycephalosaurus.

A watercolor illustration of a woman sitting on a log, a compound bow across her lap and an elk call held to her lips. Behind her are towering pines and, further in the distance, a steep mountain slope and just a touch of sky.