Bringing an Imaginary Language to Life!

I've been busy working on something special for my young adult book The Language Thieves, and I wanted to share a little behind-the-scenes look at how it's coming together!

The book tells the story of a mysterious tribe in Scotland that can steal languages straight out of people's minds. To bring this strange world to life beyond the pages, I decided to create my very own imaginary script.

I sculpted a tablet from clay, carefully carved the mysterious symbols into its surface, and then painted it to resemble an ancient artifact. The finishing touch is a display with changing colored lights, transforming the tablet and book into an atmospheric little scene.

The photos show the process from the first carved symbols to the finished illuminated display.

I'm preparing everything for my exhibition at BUCHBERLIN in late October 2026, where visitors will be able to see the creation in person.

It's been a lot of work, but also tremendous fun watching a fictional language become something real.

What do you think these mysterious symbols might mean?