Greek Heroes narrate their tales with academic insights and over 130 full-page images by award winning illustrator Tyler Miles Lockett
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Kickstarter Book update and New "Trojan War Cycle" Art!
22 days ago
â Mon, Mar 09, 2026 at 02:02:18 AM
Hi everyone,
Tyler here. Iâve had a few people ask about the book timeline, so I wanted to share a quick update.
Good news: everything is still on schedule. Weâre currently waiting for the printer to begin the 3,500-book print run (1,750 copies for Kickstarter backers and 1,750 retail copies for my shop).
We were ready to begin printing a few weeks ago, but Chinese New Year happened to land right at that moment and the factory was closed for a few weeks for the holiday. Theyâre now back and beginning the printing process, and it will take a few weeks to print everything and get final approvals.
In early April Iâll be flying to China to sign the books, which Iâm really excited about. Iâll share photos from the trip in next monthâs newsletter.
If you havenât seen the full mockup yet, hereâs how the Mockup turned out. Iâm really proud of it and canât wait to get these into everyoneâs hands.
NEW ILLUSTRATION: I'd like to share with you my second image from my next book project: The Trojan war Cycle. This image is called PARIS, THE CURSED PRINCE. (2 down, 98 to go! ha!) You'll notice that all my images for this new book will be in a widescreen format. This book will have a more cinematic style and layout, and some action scenes will even be done in Illlustrated storyboard form. Fun stuff, stay tuned!
As I continue developing The Trojan War Cycle, Iâll be sharing early sketches, layouts, character designs, and worldbuilding experiments On patreon, and posting the final art pieces and text descriptions on Lockettopia.com each FRIDAY. So please check my site, Lockettopia.com, each FRIDAY for a new finished illustration. Ill be posting teaser images to social media each week leading up to Friday art reveals.Â
PROCESS VIDEOS: If you enjoy seeing how a book like this comes together, you can follow the process more closely through Discord and Patreon, where I post all my sketch stages and work in progress videos, such as this one: https://www.patreon.com/c/lockettopia
PRINTS: Weve also got the first Prints up on Lockettopia.com for the Trojan War Cycle. I decided to put text onto the prints to make them more educational, so anytime someone new sees the art up on a wall, they can read the storyline info and get context for the imagery. What do you think about this design? its different, but i like it. Its more of an extension of the book as well, which is kind of cool. But the book will have deeper text entries, as I decided to go with Layout A (text on left page, art on right page). Thanks again to everyone who voted between the layouts. :D
And finally, if you missed it in the last update, I offer a hi-res image of my first completed illustration for the Trojan War Cycle:Â "Heracles and the Roots of Troy":
As we move into this year at Lockettopia, thank you for continuing this incredible journey with me, bringing ancient myths to life through art, story, and imagination. So many exciting chapters lie ahead, and Iâm thrilled to share whatâs coming next with you. Hereâs to a 2026 filled with creativity, growth, and more Homeric adventures.
In Myth and Magic,
Tyler Miles Lockett
Kickstarter Update & Help Shape my next book: The Trojan War Cycle
about 2 months ago
â Thu, Feb 05, 2026 at 08:24:17 PM
Hi everyone!
Tyler here. This month, I'll give a quick update on my kickstarter book progress, and also ask you to help me plan out my next book: The Trojan War Cycle. Let's dive in!
GREEK GODS AND HEROES UPDATE
Everything is going great! After many months of editing, reviewing the mock-up, and making small refinements with the printer (my first time doing this, so thank you so much for your patience), we are officially beginning the full and final print run. Woohoo!
Iâll be traveling to China after Chinese New Year in mid-March to personally sign the book copies for Olympian Tier and Titan Tier supporters, and weâre planning to freight ship the books to the U.S. and UK around mid-April. In next monthâs newsletter, Iâll share behind-the-scenes photos from the printer while Iâm signing your books!
If you havenât seen the book yet, check out the mock-up in action here:
Your Vote Shapes the Book
Iâm opening up part of the Trojan War Cycle process and inviting you to help shape the look and feel of the book. From layout decisions to early worldbuilding, this is one of those moments where your feedback genuinely matters.
Between A and B, which layout best fits the Trojan War Cycle?
Layout A: Annotated Chronicle
Similar to my previous book, Greek Gods and Heroes, this is a traditional book layout with one page of text and small supporting illustrations, paired with a full-page artwork opposite.
This approach allows for more text content, deeper educational context, annotations, and mythological detail. It may be especially appealing to students, educators, and readers interested in a more in-depth exploration of the material.
Layout B: Art-Forward Edition
A more visual layout featuring a single, immersive illustration on each spread, with concise text placed beneath the artwork.
This approach emphasizes color, atmosphere, and visual impact, resulting in a shorter, lighter, and more art-forward reading experience. It may be especially appealing to readers looking for a more immediate, visually led way into the myth.
Cast Your Vote
Which layout do you think best fits The Trojan War Cycle?
Simply reply to this update with âAâ or âBâ in the subject line. If youâd like to share your reasoning, feel free; but thereâs no pressure. Â
CHARACTER DESIGNS
I'm also thrilled to announce that I've completed the Pre-production phase of the book with the major character designs. Check em out!
As I continue developing The Trojan War Cycle, Iâll be sharing early sketches, layouts, character designs, and worldbuilding experiments along the way.
If you enjoy seeing how a book like this comes together, you can follow the process more closely through Discord and Patreon, where I post regular updates and exclusive artwork. You can also follow the project on Kickstarter below to be notified when it goes live later in the year: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tylermileslockett/the-trojan-war-cyle
A FREE HI-RES ART PIECE
If you've made it this far into the Newsletter, then you have shall be rewarded for your journey! For you, dear reader, I offer a hi-res image of my first completed illustration for the Trojan War Cycle:Â "Heracles and the Roots of Troy":
One generation before the Trojan War, Zeus punishes Poseidon and Apollo by forcing them to serve King Laomedon, who makes Poseidon build Troyâs mighty walls and Apollo tend cattle, then refuses to pay them and threatens them with slavery. In revenge, Apollo sends plague and Poseidon unleashes a flood and sea-serpent, leading Laomedon to sacrifice his daughter Hesione. Heracles arrives, slays the monster in exchange for divine horses, but Laomedon betrays him as well. Enraged, Heracles later returns with an army, sacks Troy, kills Laomedon and his sons, and spares only young Priam, who will rule during the Trojan War.
As we step into a brand new year at Lockettopia, thank you for continuing this incredible journey with me, bringing ancient myths to life through art, story, and imagination. So many exciting chapters lie ahead, and Iâm thrilled to share whatâs coming next with you. Hereâs to a powerful start to 2026 filled with creativity, growth, and more Homeric adventures.
In Myth and Magic,
Tyler Miles Lockett
December update: New Trojan war cycle art, and updates on "Greek Gods and Heroes"
4 months ago
â Sun, Dec 07, 2025 at 01:44:44 AM
Hi Everyone,
Tyler here! I hope you are all having a bountiful harvest in your lives this winter season. Let's dive into the recent developments.Â
1.)Â I just finished a new image for my next book "The Trojan War Cycle,"- Hot off the Photoshop press! Check it out!
The city of ILIUM (Troy)
Poseidon and Athena support the seafaring, invading Greeks, while Aphrodite and Apollo support the defending Trojans.Â
Ive also created a interactive Parallax version of the illustration on my website. Check it out here. (best viewed on laptop or tablet -*it's not formatted for mobile) https://www.lockettopia.com/pages/the-trojan-war-cycle
2.) In the Spirit of the season, for the month of December all products (E-books, prints, Framed prints, and stickers) are 20% off on Lockettopia.com. DISCOUNT CODE: MYTH20
If you know someone who would like a Greek myth print or Ebook this is a great time to snag one for a friend or family member (or yourself!) . *Also Lockettopia offers free shipping on prints in the U.S./U.K./E.UÂ
3.) After receiving the mock up pf the Hardback book and confirming some changes and adjustments we are ready to begin the full print run. This will take a couple of months before we freight ship the books to the U.S. and U.K. I'm hoping to have them in your hands around March. I'm so happy with the quality of the final book product and I'm fully confident you're going to love it! Â
4.) my assistant James and I are hard at work on the "Interactive edition" of Greek Gods and Heroes Ebook, which will allow you to click on certain words in the text for deeper definitions, Ariadne's links will become clickable, and even the art pieces will have clickable elements with pop up definitions, making the book ever more immersive and educational. We hope to send this out to kickstarter backers through Backerkit sometime in January. Stay tuned for more on this!Â
As always, thank you so much for joining us at Lockettopia on this epic journey to bring these exquisite myths to life. The best is yet to come. Happy Holidays and Happy new year! May 2026 bring you closer to your goals with health and prosperity for you, your family, and friends. xoxo.Â
In Myth and Magic,Â
Tyler Miles Lockett
Â
â¨Mock-up Book has arrived, brand new Website reveal, and Ebooks sent out!đď¸đđ
5 months ago
â Thu, Nov 06, 2025 at 07:21:00 AM
Hey all! Hope everyone had a spooktacular Halloween!Â
We've got some super exciting updates. Let's get into it!Â
1. We have received the Mock up of the hardback book for Greek Gods and Heroes and it looks amazing! Everything from the quality of the materials, the deep colors, and the variety of items. Youre going to love it!! Im thrilled with it! So im hoping to get it printed out by January and into your hands in March 2026. Ill let you know if that date changes. Thank you for your patience. It will be worth the wait I promise!Â
đCheck out the video of me flipping through the pages.đ
My official LOCKETTOPIA website is now unleashed! Woohoo! I spent the last two months personally designing and building it on my own as a Shopify Ecommerce site, and I'm so thrilled with how it turned out!
Here you can explore all the Greek Gods and Heroes art pieces with prints, framed prints, and stickers to purchase. You can see my world travels in the top header bar, and check out some new fiction projects under Lockettopia fiction in the header. tons of fun stuff to explore. â¨đđ
We've even got a really cool, interactive parallax art piece of the book cover on our homepage. you can see it in the video below, or better yet, go explore the site yourself!(*best viewed on desktop or tablet)
3.) The "Greek Gods and Heroes" Book cover hi-res art download + the Standard Edition EBook (pdf) links have been sent out to Kickstarter backers through Backerkit, so check your Backerkit and emails for those yummy goodies. đđ°đŹ
Your reviews can help new customers gauge whether this book is worth their time.Â
All right everyone, that's it for October. As always, thank you to everyone for your interest and support. We small, passionate start-ups can't do any of this without your involvement, so...THANK YOU! And, as always... the best is yet to come!Â
In Myth and Magic,Â
Tyler Miles Lockett
Â
âď¸đď¸đĽUpdate for September- "Greek Gods and Heroes" and "the Trojan war Cycle" character designsđĽđď¸âď¸
6 months ago
â Thu, Oct 02, 2025 at 03:13:33 AM
Hey all! Hope you are doing well in your little pocket of the planet! Let's get into it! In this update we will cover:
My pre-production Greek character designs for my next book, "The Trojan War cycle" for kickstarter 2026, covering Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.Â
Some sneak peaks of our brand new website with tons of art, a snazzy new shop, and episodic fiction projects.Â
More preview art from my dark fantasy fictional illustrated novel "Godhunters."Â
A sneak peak Video of our interactive E-book for "Greek Gods and Heroes," releasing in November.
A quick update on the "Greek Gods and Heroes" Kickstarter book. There have been a few slight delays with the print files, and the printer is taking a week off for national holiday, so we have been delayed, but the print files have now been approved for the full color mock up. With luck ill have photos and video of that in the next newsletter. If all looks good we can move into full production. We are currently looking at a ship date sometime in February of 2026, FYI. Thank you for your patience as we navigate these complex logistics!
1.)Â Meet the Greeks from my upcoming "Trojan War Cycle" book.Â
First, let me share my progress on my "Trojan War Cycle," illustrated book coming to Kickstarter in 2026. Before I begin illustrating the story scenes, I am designing all the major characters- so, here are the warriors on the Greek side. Ill let the images and notes speak for themselves. Hope you like the direction I'm taking them. If you have any suggestions come join my Discord to help me craft the project.Â
Over October I will be designing the city of Troy and the Trojan characters like Hector, Paris, Hecuba, Cassandra, etc. Then from November I will dive head first into the final book, illustrating 100 scenes over the next year. Ill do two full-page illustrations per week, one will be posted to social media, and other will be exclusive to Patreon followers. Stay tuned, LOTS of cool stuff to come on this book!
And to get more exclusive Art from this project in the coming year, please consider supporting me on Patreon. From November Patreon members will get an exclusive illustration every week from the Trojan War Cycle!
My assistant, James and I are hard at work building up the fully branded website with all my artwork from "Greek Gods and Heroes" and "the Trojan War cycle" with fully integrated E-commerce shop offering prints, framed prints and stickers- with Free shipping in the US/UK/ EU! Woohoo!Â
I'm really impressed with Shopify's template builder and am having a lot of fun building up this website from scratch. Another skill for my toolbox as a designer! Check out our progress:
We plan to go live by the end of October, so in the next monthly newsletter I hope to announce the official release. Wish us luck!
I'm also super excited to be able to share some of my fictional illustrated novella projects on the site when it goes live. There will be illustrated chapters you can access and read for free. Here is a sneak peak at one of the projects: THE LONG TRAIL.
3.)Â THE GODHUNTERS
Here are some more scrumptious sketches and color roughs from my dark fantasy illustrated novel "Godhunters". Lots more to announce on this in the future. Go follow it on Kickstarter and check out the plot synopsis there. This one's going to be EPIC-stay tuned!
4.)Â GREEK GODS AND HEROES INTERACTIVE EBOOK (for apple books/Kobo, etc)Â
Here is a short video showcasing the pop-up definitions within the text pages and the "Star Maps" which will make the art pieces fully interactive and offer a deeper dive into the characters, scenes, and culture of ancient Greece. Can't wait to share more in the coming months. We plan to have this out by November/December.Â
*The Kindle version will still have ariadnes links activated, but kindle can't handle all these other interactive features unfortunately, so we will create two versions of the Ebook. standard version (kindle) and Interactive version (Apple books, google books, Kobo android, etc)
Click below to see the demo in action. (*UI design is not final, but this is our proof of concept before we refine and polish.)Â
All right everyone, that's about it for September. As always, thank you to everyone for your interest and support. We small, passionate start-ups can't do it without your involvement, so...THANK YOU! And, as always... the best is yet to come!Â
UPDATE
please enjoy your hi-res version here. 
(It makes a great desktop background):Â 
