WiP-It Wednesday for March 31, 2021

 PG Forte: I'm back with more new covers! These are for upcoming short stories set in my Children of Night world. I'm hoping to have at least one of these books finished by the end of the year.

Book Cover Design Options for Authors

 As I'm sure you know, getting just the right book cover can be a challenge. Unless you can arrange for photos shoots for your book (or the design is being done by your publisher) it can be a chore.

Usually by the time I have an idea in mind, I'm well into my book writing process. On a few occasions I've had the covers designed for me, with varying success. One person who I hired early on created nice covers, but she wasn't always available. Or she'd start working, then some life event would come up and she'd have to put everything on hold. Another did really good work, but he had to be booked several months in advance.

So eventually I started to create my own covers. Sure, there were times I could find ready-made covers that fit my needs. But usually, they weren't quite what I was looking for. It just seemed best to see what I could do for myself, instead of spending so much time searching.

Originally I tried using GIMP, which is free software that is similar to Photoshop. It has a lot of documentation which is always helpful. As with Photoshop it can be used for manipulating photos and for creating artwork.

After a while I decide to give Photoshop another try. I had the opportunity to take some training classes and I started to pick up on the features. Even better, I found a discount code to get the Adobe Creative Cloud apps at a reduced price. That's when I decided to take a few more classes and see if I could become more proficient.

The thing with Photoshop, as with any software, the more you use it the more you'll become comfortable with it. Yes, it has a lot of features that you might never use, but you never know what might come in handy.

So, I experimented without putting pressure on myself to create anything perfect. I also continued to take classes on Lynda.com (now LinkedIn Learning) and Skillshare. (Even if you don’t use the software for covers, you can use it for photo restoration and for designing various projects).

My latest release cover 

When I needed royalty-free images I went to Shutterstock and iStockphoto. When I wanted to experiment, I used images from sites like Unsplash and Pexels. If nothing else, working on an art project can be very relaxing – especially if you're doing it just for fun.

That's why when I work on a cover, I give myself time to do it. I also don't put pressure on myself to make a perfect one on my first try. Instead, I give it time to become something that looks good enough to be published. That way it's fun and not stressful. And after writing a book, there's no need for additional stress!

If Photoshop (and similar software options) is still too much to think about, there are also platforms like Canva. They have a host of templates – including book covers – and you can sign up for free.  

There are certainly times when I don’t want to add book cover design to my to-do list. But for those times when I want to create my own, it's great to have more choices when it comes to software and images.

If you want to check out the Once Upon A Princess Trio, featuring three paranormal romance novellas, it's available on most online booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/4Dg5xA

Do You Judge a Book by the Cover?

By Maureen Bonatch 

          Scruff considering working on his novel                                           

I admit it. I don’t like to think of my fiction books as a business. Like many authors, I often refer to my stories as my ‘book babies’. I talk about my characters like they’re real people in my life. I cherish my covers like a priceless painting. 

My most recent release, Till Death, a short psychological thriller, was my first attempt at self-publishing so I’ve been busy learning all the things, including getting to a gorgeous cover. Author and cover artist, Alison Hendrickson, made a wonderful cover. I thought it represented the story well, here’s the cover and blurb: 

      Click here to get your copy now for .99cents

 Honor, obey...or slay. To protect an innocent man, a dutiful wife challenges her vengeful husband…with disastrous results. 

 Gina believes that mirrors hold bits of the soul, a rabbit's foot brings good luck, and that marriage vows are until death. But most of all, she’s blindly followed her husband Rick’s philosophy. Nasty men get one chance to convert from their abusive ways —or suffer the consequences they bring upon themselves. 

 But when she meets George, Gina begins to question everything Rick has led her to believe about men. Now Rick has George lined up to be the next man to be redeemed. Will black widow Gina honor and obey and weave her web around George, or will she become the next victim? 

I felt that the heart on the cover was symbolic to my protagonist’s struggle with desiring a healthy loving relationship even though she didn't quite understanding what that means, as well as her role in luring the what she considers a nasty man. 

 But as I continued to learn all the things (between writing, and self-publishing, I think I will always be learning all the things) I started to play with creating Amazon Ads. I quickly learned that advertising through Amazon wasn’t going to happen with this cover. 

 It was felt that my beautiful cover had ‘excessive gore or violence’ and therefore I couldn’t create ads for Amazon with this cover. 

Keep in mind that this story is one of 13 other authors featuring murder, mystery and mayhem and revolving around Friday the 13th. A date considered ominous or unlucky by many, and also known for some frightful films. 

So despite adoring my first cover, my books had to be more than just what I loved, but also what readers expected and loved. That meant it was back to the drawing board for a new cover for Till Death that would still capture the ‘heart’ of the story but wouldn’t be tagged for appearing too violent. 

My cover artist came through once again, and here’s the updated cover for Till Death. 

           Click here to get your copy now for .99cents

 But like both my babies at home, it’s hard for me not to love both covers. 

 Do You Judge a Book By Its Cover?

Author Bio: Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. 

Find Maureen on her website, Facebook & Twitter Be the first to know about Maureen’s book sales and new releases by following her on BookBub, Amazon and/or signing up for her newsletter

HERE BE NEWS for August 12, 2019

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Monday, August 5 - 
"HERE BE NEWS" - All the latest from the gang at Here Be Magic.

Thursday, August 8 -
“ANNWYN REVISITED” – Author Shona Husk has re-released her Annwyn series with shiny new covers!  

Saturday, August 10 -
This week's Bring It Back(list) feature is “DEEP”, a sensuous sci-fi romance by Linda Mooney - and it's on sale! Scroll below for all the details...

Sunday, August 11 -

“ROAD TRIP!!” – Author Ruth Casie reminisces about her favorite family travels and compares them to present day adventures. 

DEEP
a sensuous 
sci-fi romance
by Linda Mooney

Word Count: 38.9K

$0.99 ebook this month only 
$9.99 paperback

As one of Earth’s Galactic Enforcers, Lawn Bascomb is assigned to Area R6Y6 for the duration of one year. Her only companion in this desolate section of space is Deep, her sentient Vogt ship.

The Vogt line is an experimental breed of unique vessels, each with its own artificially enhanced intelligence, created specifically for use at the deep space guard posts. Able to project himself in holographic form, Deep is not only Lawn’s sole fellow crew member, but he is also her confidant and friend. It isn't long before he becomes her lover.

But their tenuous arrangement is suddenly and fatally shattered when their post is threatened by an unknown and perhaps alien force. Lawn and Deep soon face the realization that, in order to save Earth, one—or both of them—must die.


Warning:  Contains ship sex, governmental cover-ups, an orgasmic indoctrination, temperamental buoys, self-sacrifice, alien invasion, and doing the 9-to-5 in the buff.

EXCERPT & BUY LINKS: https://lindamooney.com/Deep.htm 

Until August 31st, you can get the ebook for just 99 cents! (Available at this price only on Amazon and Linda's website. Note: Click BUY EBOOK to get the Nook or PDF version.)

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