Showing posts with label cover. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cover. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

The 13th Floor Complete Collection Gets A Makeover!


Ah, the old cover. The one where I took an image of some stairs and photoshopped a silhouetted couple in it. Not horrible, but not that great either. I wouldn't call this an eye-catching cover any longer.

I've been wanting to change it for a while now, but I could not decide what I wanted to be on the cover. It had to scream paranormal romance. Researching covers, looking at hundreds of them, I came up with a list of what I should have on it.

1) Setting. Dark background. Don't let it overwhelm anything else on the cover. It can just be a faded partial bit.
2) Title/author. It should be easy to read in thumbnail form. Font is important. I had complaints about the font I used on the original cover. The style of it makes the letters uneven. I liked it, but some people thought it was just bad design.
3) Hunky man or dynamic couple. It's tough to find an image or images of a couple that work together for what you want. It's easier to go the hunky man route. But having a person or people on the cover is key. (Sidenote: usually having just a woman on the cover is more representative of urban fantasy than paranormal romance.)
4) Something paranormal. Lots of magical swirls or mist is popular.

Even with these guidelines, it was tough to figure out what to do. The book consists of six different novellas with various characters. I spent hours searching through image sites.

I finally decided I would feature either Marc (The Marquis) or Xan (The Dragonslayer). They are my two most popular heroes. And it was easier to find a dark haired muscle man than a blond one. Marc gets to represent the collection!

I don't know how pleased Marc was with the decision, especially when I knew immediately how I wanted to present him. I imagine some grump going on, but Mae would convince him to be a good sport about it.

I found the background at Pixabay and the model at Unsplash. These two are my favorite free image sites. Lots of variety and beautiful shots.

As I've leveled up my Photoshop skills, I've learned to layer, but I've also learned that if you can get away with a few layers, all the better. Simple and clean without so many things to distract the eyes.

Behold! The new cover!


Thursday, November 15, 2018

Of Death and Sorrow cover reveal

The final book in the dark and thrilling Of Blood and Sorrow trilogy...


There are things worse than Death...

Isn't it awesome? This magnificent cover will spur me on to get the novel finished and polish it up for spring 2019. And while that looks like it could be a different woman on the cover, that's still Erin. Oh what a tale she has to tell!

I did not design this cover. I wanted to save myself some stress this time around. One of my fabulous author friends (Patricia Lynne) recently had a couple of new covers designed by a talented woman on Fiverr. To top off the beautiful look of the covers, the pricing was WOW! So incredibly affordable. I looked up Olivia on Fiverr and sent her a request. She was eager to take the project and ta-da! Talented, fast, and professional. Authors, I highly recommend Olivia.


What a gorgeous looking trio of covers! Just a reminder that Of Gods and Sorrow is now available and Of Blood and Sorrow is free for a few more days. Both books are free to read with Kindle Unlimited.

Friday, May 15, 2015

Friday Five for May 15, 2015


1. Prepare for another dose of sexy geeks! Things are moving along with Ellora's Cave at a fast pace. I have a cover for Layers of Lace (Dice & Debauchery #2) and a release date for the third book, Masked Kiss. It's due out on June 26th.


2. I thought about doing a tour when the third book was released, but it's at the most inconvenient time of the year for me. So will it be bad to wait to do a tour until August? I don't know, but if I want to properly devote my time to it, that's what I'll have to do.

3. I'm also re-evaluating my writing goals for this year. I hoped to revise and publish my superhero novel, Super Famous, by October, but it doesn't look like I'll have the time to get to it until the fall. My new WIP is a great and slow beast. I'd hoped to finish the first draft by next week, but it is just beginning. Maybe I'll have it done in September.

4. One more week until school is out for the summer. Are there any other parents counting down and prepping themselves? I've got a visit with my family in Canada, day trips, YMCA day camp, and weekly park meet-ups with school friends all planned. Here's to an awesome summer!

5. Finally I wanted to give a huge thank you to Alex J. Cavanaugh for the You Rock Award. I love blogging because of our great community and Alex is a big part of it. Cheers to Alex and to all of you! Have a marvelous weekend.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Unveiling the cover for Of Blood and Sorrow

She feeds on sorrow.
They want to consume her.


Erin Driscol works the perfect job consoling fellow demons by feeding off their grief at Putzkammer & Sons Funeral Home.

When fledgling vampire Nicolas Reese comes to Erin for help, she learns the truth behind the legends and hides him from his sire and the vampire hunters who seek him. But when the Putzkammers begin to die one by one, Erin is caught between her act of kindness and the need to save her adopted family. Only by facing her own personal demons can she stop the slaughter and still rescue Nicolas from his dark fate.

Isn't that cover incredible? I LOVE it. It fits the book perfectly. I still get all giddy when I look at it.

I haven't set a release date yet for OF BLOOD AND SORROW, but I'm hoping late winter. I've worked a long time on the revisions, and the story is shining. I'm so excited to share it with you.

A big thank you to Erin Dameron-Hill, the graphic artist who designed the cover. I will hire her again the next time I publish a book, and I highly recommend her to everyone.

Graphic Artist Erin Dameron-Hill


graphicsbadge

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Insecure Writer's Support Group for August 2013

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

No matter how much we like it or not, books are going to be judged by their covers. It's difficult finding that perfect cover for your book too. I know I've spent almost as much time on the 13th Floor covers as I did writing. It's that important. The cover represents the story.

I've been struggling for a while now searching for and designing a cover for the 13th Floor collection. I adore my covers for the individual novellas, and they have been well received, but I want the collection cover to be different. I also want to promote it in print, so it has to be front, spine, and back. No easy task.

I started a design that would include all the tenants, using the covers from the novellas. Yet it wasn't original. It didn't give the readers anything new. Plus, the barcode would've covered Xan's chest, and I didn't want to disappoint his fans with that! If only I could convince the tenants to stand together for a group photo in the hallway of the 13th floor. I need a camera to take pictures from inside my head.

I have a new concept I'm trying now. It's different from the clean portraits with the black backgrounds. Will readers like it? Does it represent the entire series? Does it say dark urban fantasy and paranormal romance? Is it too boring? Too subtle? I don't know! I've lost writing time and sleep to this.

I know all I can do is create the best cover I can and put it out there. I'm getting panicky even as I'm just typing this!

Do you judge a book by its cover?

Friday, July 26, 2013

Friday Five for July 26, 2013

1. Thank you so much again to all my awesome hosts and everyone who joined me for THE GHOST blog tour last week. It was so much fun, and the book has gotten a great reception. The winners for the tour's giveaway are at the bottom of this post.

2. Cecilia Robert and I announced the MORE THAN JUST A KISS blogfest! We're joined by two other lovely romance writers, Kyra Lennon and Laurelin Paige. We want to read your kissing scenes. Sweet, fiery, sizzling, awkward, and mind-blowing. We want to read them all. Not only will we be sharing some scenes, but we're offering prizes. We'll judge the posts and pick three winners to receive a critique. Plus, there are bonus prizes! Romance ebooks galore!

3. I was so excited to win a contest on FB from MG fantasy author Jessica Day George. She asked people to suggest names for her MC's new baby griffin in her next book, and she picked mine. Woot! I suggested Lorcan which means little and fierce. If that isn't awesome enough, she's sending me a surprise in the mail. If you're a Harry Potter fan, you'll love Jessica's books.

4. It's been a week of ups and downs with the boy. He had fun blueberry picking on the weekend, but now doesn't want anything to do with the berries. He did great the last few days of swim lessons last week, but he doesn't want to jump off little drops on land. As some of you heard on FB, we now have to start patch therapy with his turned eye. He has to wear a patch over his good eye for two hours every day. That's actually going quite well so far. He's been very cooperative, thankfully. Oh the multiple personalities of toddlers!

5. I've been working on the cover for the 13th Floor collection. Am I getting anywhere? Maybe. I don't know. I'm seeing how well my Photoshop skills can improve. I've already learned some new tricks. I'm designing some little graphics for the interior that I do like, though.

And now the winners of THE GHOST giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congratulations to the winners!
Emails have already been sent.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

1301 - The Marquis cover reveal

Title: 1301 - The Marquis
Author: Christine Rains
Genre: paranormal romance
Release date: December 13th (tentatively)

Life after Hell isn't more exciting than watching football and fixing a busted pipe. Once a powerful demon, Marc enjoys his quiet existence and a good cup of coffee. With big ambitions to gain his master's favor, a trickster demon named Vetis shatters Marc's peace and vows to deliver Marc's head to the fires of Hell. Not before he destroys everything Marc cares about, of course.

Marc's power has diminished over the years. Heaven will never grant him absolution, and he refuses to return to Hell. Running isn't an option. The city of Carmine is his territory. It's also home to his favorite cafe owner, Mae Hopkins. The dame has a lovely smile, but it's her heart and soul that shine bright.

While his city burns and his love is captured, Marc must decide to surrender or let hate and anger fuel him to become the fearsome beast he so loathes: The Marquis. If the Marquis rises, Vetis can be defeated and Mae saved, but Marc would be lost to his demon forever.

Isn't the cover awesome? My stomach still flip-flops when I look at it. Thank you to everyone who participated in the cover reveal. The response has been fantastic. You guys are the best!