art first, business later
Ars Ad Astra, Through Art to the Stars
“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
- Mark Twain
Luckiest are the ones who manage to make a living by doing what they are born to do, so how lucky do I consider myself to get up each day and smile? Smile, because I’m going to enjoy another one of my days, doing what I love. The answer is A LOT.
My name is Ksenija Mijoković, but you might know me by my pen name, Xen Randell.
I was always an artist of some kind. My family likes to joke that I was born holding a brush, painting on whatever surface I could find. I started making money from my art when I was about 18. In 2020, 20-ish years of freelancing in the fields of art and design later, I founded Ars Ad Astra. I had finally put all the years of experience into one name: Through Art to the Stars. Only in Latin. 😉
What I was also, was a life-long avid reader, and then, already well into my thirties, I discovered that my talents didn’t stop at visual arts: I became a writer and published my first fiction book.
Four written books later, and all the aforementioned years of learning the arts of design and illustration, I combined the two of my biggest loves: I began designing book covers for other authors, as well as my own.
The special insight into the publishing world put me in a perfect position of being able to offer my fellow authors just what they need: professional book covers that speak to their – and their reader’s – hearts.
I offer my author friends a professional, yes, but more importantly, a friendly service.
I know what it takes to write a book, and I want to honor the effort by giving your book the best cover it can get.
So What Is It That I Do?
Besides designing book covers, that is. Take a look at my books, art, and assorted others 🙂
My Books

The Wave of Silence
As with most disasters, this one began as a potentially good idea. A breakthrough for humanity. After a science experiment gone awry which throws the world into chaos and destruction, Alex finds herself alone and on the fringe of surviving... Click the image to get more info!

Decidedly Human
The Wave of Silence #2. EVIL KILLED, BUT MISLED GOOD... IT COMMITTED GENOCIDES. After being thrown almost two decades into the future, Alex finds herself in a world far different than the one she came from. A world where people like her are being hunted, where food doesn't taste as it used to and where smiles on people's faces are mostly a facade... Click the image to get more info!

Face The War
The Wave of Silence #3. THE GREATEST ENEMY ISN’T THE EVIL AROUND US, BUT THE EVIL INSIDE. After surviving the battle with a dictator disguised in sweet promises of a better future, Alex becomes the public enemy no. 1. The reality she finds herself in wears many faces, most of which are masks, and she is adamant to tear them all down, along with the man enforcing them... Click the image to get more info!

Fury Within
Creators of Equilibrium #1. Armida Draghi is a retired Italian carabinieri detective making a living by catching runaway husbands and cheating real estate agents in the historically-rich city of Rome. Her days of mundane work are about to end when her ex-partner, Paolo, calls her in to assist in a case of especially gruesome murders with inconclusive evidence. Click the image to get more info!
Pet Portraits





Other Fine Art







A Designer That Can Put Herself
Into Author's Pants
Even if those pants are tight, I will squeeze in and get you what you were looking for.
That came out wrong, didn't it?
All bad humor aside, I WILL do whatever is possible to make you 100% happy. Except stop drinking coffee. That one is non-negotiable.