The process of writing and publishing a novel has a lot of
highs and lows on the highway to launch day. But one of the most exciting,
the one that makes the whole thing seem real, is the writer's first look at the
new cover. Good or bad, the cover is a jolt of excitement. We may mutter about
the colors or praise the choice of images, or wonder if the title is too large
or our name too small. But none of this matters, because it is always thrilling to see our book with a real cover.
I have been very fortunate in the covers designed for the
Anita Ray series. Five Star not only chose beautiful designs but also allowed me to make comments on the first one, Under the Eye of Kali. The cover was a perfect fit for the story.
The same was true for the mass market paperback edition from Harlequin
Worldwide.
Kathleen came up with a template that I can use for the entire series, making changes only in the main photographic image, color scheme, and titles. I've used this template for the first two Anita Ray novels, Under the Eye of Kali and The Wrath of Shiva, and liked the results for both. I'm now working on the third book in the series, For the Love of Parvati.
The challenge becomes choosing the best image to indicate
the story or setting. In the third Anita Ray, For the Love of Parvati, the story takes place in the foothills of
Kerala, in an old mansion, during the monsoon, and involves a new maidservant,
the family scion, who is in trouble with his employers, and a daughter visiting
her mother. Someone seems to be stalking the household, and the police have
been searching the area for a presumed terrorist. Secrets abound, of course. A
family servant has gone missing, and Anita finds the body of a man washed up by
the flooding river.
I don't have any photographs of the monsoon in the hills, but I have a few images of old mansions. I've narrowed the choice down to three. My final choice will depend in part on how well the image accommodates the title and author name.
I never thought about book covers when I was taking
photographs in Kerala, but I've since found myself reframing an image that
might serve later. I'll make a final choice in the next week or so, and then I
can move on to uploading text and cover for ebooks and paperbacks.
If the choice were up to you, which one would you pick?
http://www.amazon.com/Under-Kali-Anita-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B00BGH9CCS
http://www.amazon.com/Wrath-Shiva-Anita-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B00GBFISY8/
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Parvati-Five-Star-Mystery/dp/1432828568
Thanks for the mention. I enjoy working on your covers.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathleen. And I love the covers you do for me. I'm hoping one of the photos will work, but if not I'll go back to the files and keep looking.
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