David Mattingly

 I worked with Jim Baen for over 25 years, and he was not just my favorite client, but also a friend. In spite of not being an artist, he gave me some of the best art direction of my career, and he loved to talk about art. I often use friends and family as models on my covers, (not to mention myself), and I managed to use Jim twice. Jim had a very distinctive look, part Satyr and part medieval warlord. “Heroes in Hell” by Janet and Chris Morris was one of his favorite series at Baen Books, and the concept was that famous historical figures died and went to hell, where they did battle with each other. “Rebels in Hell”, which was the 5th book in the series, involved Genghis Kahn, and Jim came instantly to mind to pose for that character. He was a reluctant model—I had to haul my camera equipment and lights into the midtown Manhattan office, and even then he was rather grumpy about posing for the piece. However, when I delivered the final painting (yes, I used to actually deliver physical paintings back then) he was delighted. He even used the portrait in a profile of him for a convention.