Map for a book I've started writing, about an US military convict who wakes out of suspended animation into a far different world.
For this, I started off with a topographical map of the eastern US, showing major elevations, then raised the sea levels around 100 meters. Liberties were taken to take into account better artistry and plot points. After I had the tracery of my raised sea levels, I filled in land and sea textures (mountains and rivers done using Pasis' excellent method), then finished up with the final details - text, forest, etc. I wanted to keep this fairly simple, so I went for more of a generalized look for everything.
I'm working on a 'sequel' map right now, showing a closeup view of the region just north of the Jade Sea.