Guest Blogger Courtney Sheets

Jenn Hart for Writers Gone Wild


Please help me welcome one of my fave writer pals Courtney Sheets as she celebrates her upcoming release and one of my all time favorite premises, Robin Hood as a woman.

First let me say a big thank you to the lovely ladies of Writers Gone Wild for having me here today. I’m excited to be talking about my newest book, THE HOODED MAN, and hanging out with some of the best writer pals a girl can ever have.

When Jen asked me to blog she posed the question of writing about where the inspiration for the book came from and the different trials that came along with a project like this. It honestly got me thinking.

For those of you who don’t know, THE HOODED MAN, is a retelling of the Robin Hood myth. In my book we see Lady Marian coming to the forefront as a kick-ass heroine. In fact she is Robin Hood. The more I thought about Jen’s question the more realized that this is where most of the difficulties in adaption occurred. I was taking a much beloved story and turning in on its ear.

The idea for making Robin Hood a female stems from my childhood. Seriously, I’m not kidding. I have 5 boys cousins and one baby brother so there was massive amounts of testosterone running around when I was a little girl. We played Super Heroes and Star Wars (I’m a child of the 70s and 80s…you know when Saturday cartoons were awesome) so finding a tough chick to play was easy but when we played Robin Hood I was always stuck being Maid Marian (Which meant I was stuck on my Grandma’s porch which served as dungeon and castle) Thus the idea for a female Robin Hood was born. It wasn’t until I was older that the idea began to form on paper into the book it is now. (I blame Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves)

Originally I was going to write a screenplay version, with the hopes of Drew Barrymore playing Marian (I love me some Drew) but as I kept toying and writing and tweaking (and occasionally drinking) the book decided it wanted to be written instead.

In order to write about Robin Hood Legend and twist it up tighter then Christmas lights thrown in a box in the garage, I needed to educate myself about the Legend and all it consisted. Luckily because I’m a little freaky when it comes to Robin Hood( ask my best friend who has been forced on numerous occasions to watch the Douglas Fairbanks version with me) I had a pretty decent background before I started writing. I read everything I could get my hands on, emailed professors at the University of Nottingham in charge of the Robin Hood studies department with odd questions, saw every movie ever created. My brain now oozes Robin Hood trivia. It’s kind of cool.

The hardest part was figuring out how to get a woman into the forest, dressed as a man, and give her the perfect love interest (after all this is one of the greatest loves stories of all time and a romance novel) I chose Will Scarlet as in the original gestes put him as a constant companion to our wandering hero.

The other important factor was making sure the story was relatively true to the traditional legend. Many people claim themselves as experts in the myth (Just because you’ve seen a fox singing and dancing in the forest does not make you an expert in the legend but I digress) and I want those readers to step back after reading and feel the story was safe in my keeping. I wanted the book to have a feel of “this could be what really happened.” I want the reader to walk away satisfied with the romance and adventure and the story but also think “What if?” The what if is how I came up with the character and the what ifs are my favorite part of writing.

So there you go, how I came up with a female Robin Hood. For those of you who read the book I’d like to say that when Jen and Saranna read the books they come up with teams for the two men in Marian’s life. Jennifer is the captain of Team Scarlet and Saranna is captain of Team Gisbourne. It was very cool. Don’t forget to let me know what team you end up on!

Once again thanks for having me! I love hanging out with you wild women. THE HOODED MAN will be available from Decadent Publishing on March 30^th.

LETTER FROM MY INNER WRITER

My Inner Writer wrote me this letter in a writing class eight years ago, when I had just started writing fiction. Then I saved it on my computer and pretty much forgot about it. Recently IW found it, grabbed me by the throat, and made me re-read it. And apparently I'm a slow learned, because not much has changed. So I'm sharing it with you, and I'm going to make a serious effort to take IW's advice to heart. I was a little squeamish about washing my dirty linen with IW in public, but she said, stop being such a wuss and put it all out there! She's such an exhibitionist. So here goes.

* * *

Dear Gail,

Where the hell have you been? I’m in here waiting, but you have to stop being afraid of me. I notice how you’ll do almost anything to avoid me, but when I finally corner you, have I ever disappointed you? Be honest, you know I haven’t.

I don’t give a rat’s ass what your mother or your boss think of what we write. We can do much more together if you stop worrying that I’ll embarrass you. Everything inside you, I’ll let loose on the world, if only you’ll let me. I’m a lot more fun than surfing the net, or watching TV, or rotating your tires. You can call me out of you any time, not just on Sundays. Will you let me out to play, please?

And while you’re at it, I want more chocolate. Indulge us. You don’t need to suffer for our art. Please stop suffering for our art, it’s a total bore! Loosen up, girlfriend, I love you to death just the way you are. Trust me, and all the romance and passion inside us will take the world by storm.

Love,
Your Inner Writer

Upcoming Release: Kayla's Hunter!

I have a new release coming next week. It's part of the ongoing Spaceport Series from Changeling Press and I had a lot of fun writing it. Here's a sneak peek!

Spaceport: Kayla’s Hunter
by Anne Kane


When Hunter captures a voluptuous redheaded space pirate, sparks fly!

Hunter is a cyborg working for the military wing of the Interplanetary Alliance, with an obsession he just can’t shake. Four years ago, he met a woman on Rigerion IV and spent the night with her. The sex was incredible. When he woke the next morning, she was gone, and no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find her.

When he discovers she captains one of the most brazen pirate ships in this quadrant, he makes it his personal goal to track her down and punish her. Problem is, despite her status as one of the most notorious pirates in the galaxy, she was bred to be a submissive sex slave, so punishment just makes her hot! What’s a cyborg to do?

Excerpt:

"Deploy the aft lazar array! Now!" Kayla jerked her body hard to the right, her neural implants signaling the ship to mimic her actions. She felt a grudging respect for the captain of the Intrepid as they narrowly avoided another volley from its photon cannons. This wasn't the first battle the two ships had engaged in, but if she didn't catch a lucky break soon, it might be the last.

"The primary engines are overheating! We need to shut them down before they blow." Aygar, her second-in-command threw her a panicked look as he diverted more coolant to the engines. "They've been at redline too long."

"If we drop to secondary engines, we might as well surrender now." Kayla tossed her head back to clear the unruly red tresses from her eyes. "We'll make a run for the asteroid field. If we can slip between the orbiting rubble, the Intrepid will have to break off. They can't maneuver that big mother of a ship in such close quarters."

Aygar nodded, his expression grim. He'd never let her down, and Kayla knew he'd do his best to hold the ship together until they reached safety.

For a while, it looked like they might just pull it off. Kayla dared to hope. The asteroid field loomed close. The Intrepid kept up a steady barrage of fire, but with her enhanced reactions, she managed to dodge the more lethal shots.

"There!" She maneuvered the ship between two chunks of space debris, a triumphant grin dying on her lips at the sudden silence. Shit! "Bring the secondary engines online. Now, damn it!"

"Aye, Captain."

Too late. The Intrepid's bulk swooped in to block their only escape route.

"Damn. Damn. Damn!" Kayla slammed her fist down on the weapons' console in front of her, gritting her teeth in frustration. Escape had been so close!

"Sorry, Captain. Those engines should have been replaced, or at least overhauled two standard years ago. I told you they were in rough shape." Aygar stared glumly at the massive warship on the forward display screen. "Now what are we going to do?"

Kayla closed her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. It wasn't his fault. She'd gambled on those engines and lost. "Now we hope Hunter's in a good mood."

* * *

"So nice of you to join me." He looked even more intimidating in person than he had in the video conference, if that was possible. Hunter loomed over her, his massive frame dwarfing her own generous proportions. Immense ropes of muscle strained against the tight material of his Alliance uniform, and those piercing blue eyes seemed to look right through her to her innermost secrets. Hunter was the type of male she'd been bred to crave, bred to satisfy in every conceivable way. Bred to fuck. An alpha-male cyborg. Kayla suppressed the shudder of pure lust that swept through her. Now was not the time to let her genetic programming overcome years of hard work.

She schooled her features to a bland calm. "You didn't leave me a whole lot of alternatives."

"No, I didn't, did I." The smile that curved his lips held no humor. "I've been waiting a long time to meet you." Taking a step forward, he grasped her wrists and slapped on a set of immobilizer cuffs. She could feel the effects immediately, draining her arms of their ability to move. At least he hadn't set the damn things to maximum. He turned to the man at his side. "Blake, take her down to my stateroom and set the cuffs to high. That should keep her out of trouble until I'm done with her crew. And the damned Alliance paperwork."

Blake looked up at his commanding officer. "Don't you need to log her as one of the prisoners?"
Hunter gave a negative movement of his head. "She and I have unfinished business. As far as the Alliance is concerned, the captain of the pirate ship Defiant didn't survive the attack."

To buy the book when it releases March 1st, GO HERE

Library Talk Triva

LIBRARY TALK TRIVIA by Maree Anderson (for Writers Gone Wild)

Hi all,

Earlier this week I headed off to an author-friend's talk at our local library. I hadn't been to a library talk before, so I was curious to see what it was all about--not to mention support my friend so she had at least one friendly face in the audience.

I arrived 10 minutes late -- don't ask! -- and wandered through the quiet library, following my ears until I reached an alcove tucked in the corner and discovered a group of around a dozen women and one man, all sitting in a semi-circle around my author-friend, Yvonne Lindsay. The library lady who'd organized the talk kindly gave up her chair to me, and I tucked myself in the corner and hoped I hadn't missed too much.

Yvonne did a great job with the talk. She was a brilliant advocate for romance writing and although I'd heard her story before, when she talked about her rejections, and being so close so many times, and almost giving up writing entirely, it still moved me to tears.

It was interesting to note that I've just turned 47, and aside from Yvonne, I was the youngest person attending the talk. The reason I find that interesting is that when the talk finished, Yvonne was peppered with questions that made it obvious the many of those attending the talk were interested in becoming authors. Questions ranged from her writing process, to working with an editor and revisions, to whether an author has any say over titles and covers, and inevitably, the number of books she'd sold to date. Even after the talk officially ended and the homemade morning tea that the library staff had provided was announced, morning tea took a back seat questions to surrounding Yvonne and plying her with more questions. (I eventually had to interrupt and grab her a coffee before the morning tea was cleared away.)

BTW, Yvonne has published/contracted more than twenty books with Harlequin, so when she was asked about the number of books she'd sold worldwide thus far and gave a figure, you should have heard the oohs and aahs, and seen the glints of dollar signs in people's eyes. I had no doubt that they were grossly over-estimating what authors receive in royalties for each book they sell, but neither Yvonne nor I felt inclined to burst their bubbles by jumping in with cold hard facts about contracts and royalties.

But back to the reason I found the age range of those attending interesting. I was genuinely surprised that there weren't a few younger people interested in writing category novels attending the talk. I mean, fellow RWNZ member Nalini Singh is a great example of my point. She started writing category in her twenties, was first published in category, and then hit the big-time with her best-selling Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series. And honestly? I would give my eye-teeth to have been inspired to write, and to have been able to start working toward my goal of becoming a published author so early on, like Nalini did. So I guess I was sure there would have been a bunch of eager youngsters hanging on to Yvonne's every word and wanting to know the secret to her success. It's not every day you get the opportunity to bail up a successful author who's sold twenty-plus books and pepper her with questions!

In retrospect, perhaps the midweek, 11am time slot precluded the twenty-, thirty- and forty-somethings from attending the talk. Pity.

There was one rather gorgeous young university student who wandered up to talk to Yvonne afterward, however. Turns out he'd been hovering round the bookshelves listening to latter part of her talk. And while he waited for the other attendees to finish giving Yvonne the second degree about her success as an author, he ended up chatting to me for a bit--lucky me, because he was so gorgeous he could easily have been the hero of a romance novel *g*

His questions began with whether we romance writers use the classics as inspiration for our stories, but as I had to admit I hadn't read many of the classics, the discussion became more general. Phew! Dodged that bullet. (Note to self: squeeze some classics in between all those paranormal romances, fantasies, historicals and YAs so you don't come across like an ignorant numnit.) This young man was very open-minded about romance authors and the genre, which was awesome to see. And I'd like to think he came away with a new perspective on the genre thanks to Yvonne's talk. At present he writes poetry... would love to know if he's ever inspired to write a romance novel!

Well, that's it from me. Hope you didn't mind the ramble.

BTW, I'd be interested to know if you've ever attended an author talk at your local library, and whether it inspired you in any way.

Cheers,

Maree

Guest blogger Frances Pauli: Love, Twuuu Love

Jenn Hart for Writers Gone Wild
I got the Valentine's post, I got the Valentine's post, neener, neener ,neener. Okay and like everything I ever seek and eventually obtain, I don't know what the hell to do with it! So I'm turning the coveted V-day post over to guest blogger and fellow SFR writer Frances Pauli who will thrill and delight you all with talk of one of my all time favorite movies! Take it away, Frances!
I always say I’m a sucker for a happy ending, and in the romance genre that’s never a bad thing. Still, when I think about it, it’s about more than just that happily-ever-after. I mean, happily ever after on its own won’t work. Not for me. Not unless there’s a heavy dose of “true love” attached.

A romance heroine doesn’t just need to end up with someone forever. She needs to end up with the right someone. That’s the ticket for me. That’s the part that gives me shivers.

Take our title, and let’s consider the Princess Bride for a moment. When Buttercup and Humperdink are married, and the priest says, “man and wife,” I am right there with that outraged kid. “Wait a minute, Grandpa. You’re messing up the whole story.” Because it can’t happen that way, can it? It doesn’t take long for us to sort out who should be with whom. We’re savvy that way. “She can’t marry Humperdink. It’s just not right.” We know. We know who she’s supposed to marry. Twuu--true love.

I may be alone in this, but deep down, I almost prefer an un-happy ever after to an ever after with the wrong guy. In fiction, at least, I like my lovers paired properly and permanently. Love triangles give me the willies. I know, I know. A lot of readers like them. They build tension, yes. They also give me anxiety. I feel like that young version of Fred Savage again. “Wait a minute! You’re messing up my—er—your whole story.”

As an author, in particular of a trilogy, it can take me a little while to get to the happily ever after. It can take three books, in fact. Since I’m shooting for a longer series in the future, it could take more. But rest assured, when I get there, the ever-after will be the right one. With the Changeling Race, I never doubted who that would be, but a few of my beta readers did.

I might have messed with them a little. Because, while I was right there shouting, “hang on, she doesn’t marry him,” I still really loved that movie. So maybe, I’m guilty of a little anxiety-inducing as well. I’m a sucker for true love, but I never said it had to be easy.

What about the rest of the readers and movie watchers out there? Do you decide up front who’s the true, true love? If the author veers from the program, do you smile knowingly? Or like me, do you reach for the Xanax and pray they’re just messing with you?

I am offering a free pdf of any book from my backlist to one commenter today, and for each stop on the tour that you comment on, you will earn one entry into the final drawing for print copies of all three books. Follow along and enter to win!

A Moth in Darkness

The boundaries between the worlds have fallen. Forced to integrate the creatures of fantasy into real life, humanity struggles against its disillusionment, prejudice and an inevitable feeling of inadequacy.

Once an agent for the embassy that mediates between the worlds, Elizabeth Larson has abandoned her past and slipped into a world of nostalgic addiction to fairy revels, dancing, and the dark lure of her own memories. But when Lockland Sheen, her former partner and lover, goes missing, she is pulled reluctantly back into service. She must venture once more across the borders, into the land that haunts her, facing a string of gruesome murders, the imposing Sidhe rulers and her own addiction in the process.

While the Embassy’s agents attempt to soothe tensions between the races, Liz and her new partner search the fairy realm for Lockland. Fighting the constant temptation of the revels, they piece together the trail of an unknown enemy. But the longer they follow it, the more it appears that the man they came to rescue is more villain than victim. And the more they rely on Elizabeth’s ties to the fairies, the closer she inches toward the madness that lurks behind her fantasies.

The Fly in Paradise

Something’s rotten in the Fey lands. While Marcus Bramble tracks the lunatic who started it all, Elizabeth and the crew at the Embassy sort through the evidence he left behind. With Lockland back, and the revels behind her, Liz’s world is slowly returning to normal. But on both sides of the borders, shadow creatures spring out of nowhere, and the dark legends surrounding the fey take on a whole new meaning.

Now time is against them. On the mortal side of things, protesters rally to close the borders, politicians descend on the Embassy, and something that shouldn’t exist stalks Elizabeth through the city.

In his world, Marcus faces a madman with answers he doesn’t want to hear. The Fey rulers turn a blind eye on forests teeming with imaginary monsters, and the Sidhe tower stands silent amidst the chaos. Will the race to uncover its secrets solve the mystery of the elves’ past or unleash even more horrors on them all?

Spiders From Memory

The Seelie court is gone, and the Tower has fallen into darker hands. Now nightmare creatures terrorize the Fey races, and the whole Fey world turns to frost and shadow.

Liz Larson holds the last remnant of the Seelie Sidhe's power. The elves look to her for guidance, but all she has to offer them is the disturbing story of their origin, the final truth that will turn many of them against her. With her dwindling number of allies, Liz needs to reopen the borders, to find the missing Marcus Bramble, and to avoid the sudden, terrifiying attention of the new Fey ruler, the Unseelie Speaker and new master of the Sidhe Tower.

While her friends in Mundanity race to pry open the gates, and Marcus searches for the answer to a puzzle that could save or damn them all, the Unseelie Speaker marches north, bringing his army and his wrath to focus on Elizabeth. What can one, fairy-touched human do in the face of the Unseelie court's full fury? How can she fight when the enemy's anger is only partly blind, when she can see all too clearly the traces of justice behind it?

Bio:

Frances Pauli writes speculative fiction with romantic touches. Her books are published through Mundania Press LLC, Awe-Struck, and Devine Destinies, and her short stories are featured in various anthologies. More information on her worlds and writing can be found on her website and blog, and she offers free online stories, web serials, podcasts there as well.

http://francespauli.com

http://francespauli.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/#!/MothinDarkness

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Frances-Pauli/112884745408149

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3426477.Frances_Pauli

Alpha Instinct

I'm so proud and excited to announce that our former fellow Wild Writer, Katie Reus, has her first NY book out this week! Alpha Instinct is the first of a paranormal romance trilogy from Penguin/NAL, so if you love shifter romances, this is the series for you. It's got a great balance of action and romance, which I know will appeal to a wide audience.

Katie's also running a fabulous contest in which you could win a brand new Kindle, so to enter, please go here.


Blurb:
Fear has a scent. So does desire...

Ana Cordona has been a strong leader for the lupine shifters who survived after all the males and most of the females in her pack were mysteriously poisoned. As tough as she is, with no Alpha male, the pack is vulnerable to the devious shifter Taggart, who wants to claim both their ranch and Ana as his own. When Connor Armstrong comes back into her life, promising protection, it's almost enough to make Ana forget how he walked out on her before--and reluctantly accept his offer to mate.

The minute Connor sees Ana again, it reawakens a raw hunger. He must have her for his bondmate--his wolf cries out for it. But his human side knows he must proceed with caution because of their complicated past. If he is to truly have her body and soul, he must go beyond his burning desire and win back her heart. Whatever it takes, he is determined not to leave her side again.

But Taggart and his rival pack are not their only enemies. A human element in town is targeting shifters. Their plan not only threatens Ana and Connor's future, but the lives of the entire pack...

Lightning Rider: A cover story

LIGHTNING RIDER: A Cover Story by Maree Anderson (for Writers Gone Wild)

Hi ya'll,

Here's the cover story I meant to post a couple of weeks back. Good things take time.... Oh, and cross-posting from my personal website, but I'm hoping y'all will forgive me for cheating ;-)

***

I'm very excited to have a new cover to share with y'all. And I thought it might be interesting to share just how this cover came to be.

The book is Lightning Rider, a bit of a "different" romance in that it features two heroines and two heroes -- and no, it's not a menage-a-quatre. *g* It's a contemporary paranormal romance with a sci-fi twist.

Here's the high concept:

Andie Brennan dies in a lightning strike and is miraculously healed and brought back to life. But now she’s sharing her body with an alien—the same alien who rode the lightning bolt that killed her.

So the gist is that Andie, the heroine, has a Lightning Rider Elemental named Karylon trapped inside her. And the two heroes of the piece are Jake, who'll do anything to protect Andie from her manipulative ex, and Novik, a Lightning Rider who'll do anything to help Karylon break free from Andie and return to the Elemental plane. Plus, the omniscient Keeper of Portents is about to use Novik to further its grand design. How much is Novik prepared to risk to be with Karylon again? And more importantly for Andie and Jake, who is he prepared to sacrifice?

See? Not exactly a normal romance.

First up, I decided to change the title from the original "When Lightning Strikes" to "Lightning Rider". I did this because with an eBook cover, you have very little time to impress readers, and very little space in which to do it. By that, I mean that generally eBook buyers are perusing thumbnails. So aside from pictures and fonts that are going to be clearly shown on even the tiniest version of your cover, you also have to have an eye-catching cover that conveys what kind of story it is straight up.

I figured if I used "When Lightning Strikes" readers might expect a straight contemporary romance--it didn't really speak to the paranormal aspect of the story. And "When Lightning Strikes, a paranormal romance with a sci-fi twist" didn't really do it for me as a title, even if there had been enough space to stick all that on a cover and still have it be readable in thumbnail form. I went with "Lightning Rider" because I felt it had more chance to immediately convey to the reader that this is a story with a paranormal or sci-fi aspect.

BTW, I subscribe to Joel Friedlander's insistence that eBook covers need to be treated differently to print covers. For me, it's clear, clean and simple concepts, with clear easy-to-read fonts that stand out in a thumbnail all the way, baby. So if my independently published book covers look a little simplistic to you, it's because I want them that way. (And as Joel complimented my cover designer for the covers of The Crystal Warrior and Freaks of Greenfield High when I submitted them for his October eBook cover design awards, I think I'm on the right track.)

For Lightning Rider, Rob (my husband) and I wanted to include a slickrock landscape element: Rob, because he thought the slickrock landscapes were visually stunning, and me, because the slickrock setting is an integral part of the Lightning Rider story for 3 reasons:

1. Lightning Rider was inspired by an article I spotted about slickrock bike tours in Moab. The article mentioned that Utah has the second-highest incidence of lighting strikes in America. That kicked the warped authorly part of my brain into gear, and I came up with the idea of aliens who ride lightning and use the bodies of humans who're killed in a lightning strike.


2. The story starts off on a slickrock bike tour in Moab.


3. The story's climax takes place on a 4WD trail in Moab called Hell's Revenge.

We also toyed with including a mountain bike in the photo, provided the cover model had her helmet off, and was looking directly at the camera. And we were both agreed that "lightning" had to be a part of the cover.

Now came the difficult part: finding the right cover model to represent Andie, the human heroine of Lightning Rider.

After scouring royalty-free stock photo sites (like, every spare moment for an entire week until my eyes felt like they were bleeding!) to find just the right model, and hoping she'd be as perfect as the model I found to use on the cover of Freaks of Greenfield High, I lucked out big-time. And, BTW, I'm using "lucked out" in the Kiwi sense of having No. Damn. Luck. At. All.

I was very specific in the kind of "look" I wanted--a little to0 specific, as it turned out. Both Rob and I agreed that we wanted a strong stance and a serious expression for our heroine, and she had to be in casual clothes--or at least, exercise clothes. Plus, I envisioned Andie with curly auburn hair and green eyes. We had major headaches with this too-specific brief. It's about as difficult as finding decent stock photos of good-looking guys with long blond hair! *cough* From The Ashes *cough*

This time it wasn't me who found the perfect photo, it was my long-suffering husband. And after checking out his "Andie" I had to agree. He'd found two strong photos, both with the same model.

The first had the model on a mountain bike, sans helmet, looking back over her shoulder directly at the camera. And I thought, "Whoa, awesome! That could be straight out of the book! " The second photo had her standing, staring straight into the camera.

In the end, after much debate we both chose the second photo. It was a much stronger photo, and we felt it had more visual impact than the one with her on the bike--the whole keep it clean and simple and go for visual impact thing again.

"But hang on," I hear you splutter. "This cover model sure doesn't have curly auburn hair!"

Excellent point. I was happy to compromise on the "curly" hair, because in the story, I mention that Andie's ex-boyfriend didn't like her curls, and used to insist that she straightened her hair--it speaks to the power he had over her that she would adhere to his wishes about how she looked and dressed, BTW. And yes, he is a thoroughly unlikable guy. As for the hair color? Well, Rob didn't want to muck with it to that degree as he's not a professional cover artist and he worried it would look too fake.

So here's one of the really cool bits about being an indie-author: I went back to the manuscript and rewrote Andie as a brunette. Sometimes an author's gotta do what she gotta do, especially when she's one of those nit-picky people who hates it when cover models don't match up with the author's character descriptions.

Right. So we had our stunning slickrock landscape scene, we had our "Andie", and we had a really awesome shot of a lightning strike that made me want to "squeeeee!".

Next, Rob mocked up a cover to see whether the three specific photos he wanted to use would "work" together before he purchased a license to use them--no point in spending money to purchase them if the photos didn't work together.

We both really liked the look of the cover mock-up, so I approved the design, and Rob purchased the licenses for the three royalty-free stock photos we'd chosen.

Now it was up to Rob to do his PhotoShop magic.

He had to cut "Andie' from her background so she didn't look like a bad cut 'n paste job when overlaid over the background, warm up her skin tone, and play with the lighting so it looked more like an outdoor shot. He also had to shorten her reeeeally long, French manicured nails, which just didn't work with the whole chick-on-a-slickrock-bike-tour look we were going for! The devil is in the details....

Once he'd found the perfect title font from the thousands he'd purchased, he played with positioning of all the cover elements, color shading, tones, layering, and perspective. Next, he mucked with subtle font enhancements for the title. And finally, he scanned hundreds of different fonts to find one for my author name. Ironically, he ended up using the same font we'd used for my name on my Crystal Warrior series covers.

Total time spent? Around four solid hours--not counting the hours spent squinting at thumbnails on stock photo sites and choosing the final photos.

And the final result?

I love this cover! It looks great in black and white, too.

And, as an added bonus, Rob and I are still speaking to each other ;-)

***

**Lightning Rider is out now**
To find out more, please visit my Books page.

Cheers!

M