Ghost Tide was illustrated by Martha Vine. At the 2024 Chiswick Book Festival, she joined Jim for the ‘Ghosts and Graphics’ session in which they discussed their collaboration.

“I love a good map in a book,” Jim said, “and I knew I needed to find someone who could create the right sort of hand-drawn illustration that would make the locations in the story come alive.”

A chance conversation had put him in touch with Martha earlier in 2024. She began working from a rough sketch that one of Jim’s friends had helped him produce. After a few drafts, Martha submitted the map to the design team at Eye Lightning Books. They loved it so much that they invited her to do the interior illustrations and the front cover of the book as well.

Martha worked with cover designer Nell Wood on the project ahead of Ghost Tide’s publication in September 2024.