--- title: About description: Meet Brittany McDonald, an author, illustrator, and storyteller creating characters, creatures, stories, and imaginative worlds. --- [Skip to content](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/about#main-content) ![](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ChatGPT%20Image%20Oct%202%2c%202026%2c%2007_35_47%20PM.png?width=400&height=400&name=ChatGPT%20Image%20Oct%202%2c%202026%2c%2007_35_47%20PM.png)Homepage - [Home](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com?hsLang=en) - [Illustration](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/illustration?hsLang=en) - [Books](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/books?hsLang=en) - [About](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/about) - [From the Realm](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/fromtherealm?hsLang=en) - [Contact](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/contact?hsLang=en) [Contact](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/contact?hsLang=en) - [Home](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com?hsLang=en) - [Illustration](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/illustration?hsLang=en) - [Books](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/books?hsLang=en) - [About](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/about) - [From the Realm](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/fromtherealm?hsLang=en) - [Contact](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/contact?hsLang=en) [Contact](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/contact?hsLang=en) # About Brittany McDonald # Author : Illustrator : Storyteller ![ChatGPT Image Oct 3, 2026, 08\_12\_33 PM](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/hubfs/ChatGPT%20Image%20Oct%203%2c%202026%2c%2008_12_33%20PM.png "ChatGPT Image Oct 3, 2026, 08_12_33 PM") ### *Where stories, art, and imagination meet.* Brittany McDonald is an author and illustrator with a lifelong fascination for the strange, the fantastical, and the worlds that exist just beyond the edge of reality. Her work blends storytelling and illustration to create characters, creatures, and worlds that feel both familiar and wonderfully unsettling. Brittany earned her **Bachelor’s Degree in Illustration in 2020**, building a foundation in character design, visual storytelling, traditional and digital illustration, and the many ways artwork can help tell a story. While illustration gave her the tools to bring imaginary worlds to life, storytelling has always been at the heart of her creative work. Long before she began writing her own novels, Brittany found a creative home around the tabletop. Her **love of Dungeons & Dragons** has been a constant source of inspiration, fueling her fascination with character-driven stories, strange creatures, ancient ruins, magical worlds, and the endless possibilities that come from asking, *“What happens next?”* Her love of **fantasy novels** grew alongside that passion. She has always been drawn to stories that allow readers to step through a doorway into somewhere completely different—to meet unforgettable characters, explore dangerous places, uncover hidden histories, and become part of a world larger than themselves. That same spirit eventually found its way into her own writing. ### **FROM THE TABLETOP TO THE PAGE** *The Horrors of Alchemy* began not as a novel, but as an **original Dungeons & Dragons campaign**. What started around a gaming table as characters, encounters, monsters, mysteries, and adventures gradually grew into something much larger. The campaign became a world with its own history and personality, and the stories created within it continued to evolve long after the dice stopped rolling. That world became the foundation for her book. The result is a story shaped by the collaborative spirit of D&D while standing on its own as a work of fiction. The characters were born from the kind of adventures that happen when imagination has no boundaries, while the world itself draws from Brittany's love of **dark fantasy, horror, folklore, monsters, magic, and gothic storytelling**. As an illustrator, Brittany also approaches her stories visually. Characters aren't simply names on a page—they are people she can see. Creatures have shapes, environments have atmosphere, and even the smallest details can become part of the story. Her artwork allows her to explore these worlds from another perspective, creating visual pieces that exist alongside the written narrative. ### **WELCOME TO THE REALM** #### *Where every idea has somewhere to go.* The Realm is a place for stories, artwork, strange ideas, and the things that exist somewhere between the familiar and the unknown. Not everything here needs to have an explanation. Some ideas begin as a single image. Others start with a character, a question, a creature, or a fleeting thought that refuses to disappear. Some become finished works, while others remain fragments waiting for the right story. The Realm is where those ideas can take shape. Some are stories, sketches, worlds, and some are simply waiting to become something more. --- ### **WHAT INSPIRES ME** #### *The stories hiding in the details.* I'm inspired by the places where imagination gets a little weird. Dark forests. Forgotten places. Strange creatures. Gothic architecture. Old folklore. Unfamiliar faces. Curious objects. Mysterious doorways. The feeling that something is watching from just beyond the edge of what you can see. What interests me most isn't always the obvious story—it's the one hiding underneath it. A crooked doorway makes you wonder what's behind it. A forgotten object makes you wonder who left it there. A creature makes you wonder where it came from. A character's expression makes you wonder what they aren't saying. I want my work to create that same sense of curiosity.     ### **THE CREATIVE PROCESS** #### *Nothing begins fully formed.* I enjoy the unexpected places an idea can lead. A project might begin with a loose sketch, a collection of notes, an interesting image, a character concept, or simply a thought that won't leave me alone. From there, I let the idea develop naturally. I don't believe every project needs to follow the same path. Sometimes a sketch becomes an illustration. Sometimes an illustration suggests a story. Sometimes a small detail becomes an entire world. **The process is part of the discovery.** Ideas change. Designs evolve. Characters surprise you. Stories take unexpected turns. And sometimes the best part of creating something is discovering what it was trying to become all along. --- ### **THE REALM** #### *A growing collection of stories, art, and strange things.* **McDonald's Book Realm** began as a home for my work and has grown into something broader—a place to collect the worlds, ideas, artwork, and stories that continue to develop over time. Some things have already found their final form. Others are still changing. And some haven't been created yet. That's what makes the Realm a living collection rather than simply an archive. There is always another idea waiting. Another page to fill, another image to draw, another mystery to explore, and another world waiting beyond the next door. # Come Explore #### *There's always something else waiting.* Whether you're here to discover a story, explore the artwork, learn more about a character, or simply wander through the Realm, there's no particular path you have to follow. Start with a book, follow an illustration, discover a creature, or read a story behind the story. **You never quite know where one idea will lead.** ### **WELCOME TO THE REALM.** #### *Stay awhile. There may be something here waiting for you.* [Explore My Art](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/illustration?hsLang=en)[Get In Touch](https://www.mcdonaldsbookrealm.com/contact?hsLang=en) Keep up to date on new artworks, books, and events on my social media! 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