My Covers

When I read a book, I love discovering how the cover ties into the book - where does the cover fit during the story.  When I design my covers it has everything to do with the story.  Each of my covers has a lot of thought behind it, it is never just thrown on there.  The cover is pulled from the story itself.   I decided that I would use this blog to talk through my covers.  My choices.  

Taken's covers were done by Tammy Boneburg, a very talented graphic artist.  We worked together on that cover.  It was a long process, because I partially knew what I wanted but didn't know how to translate, I didn't know what could be done.  She obviously worked with me (with lots of patience) until we found something that I loved.  I only really knew that the marks of the Satrii had to be on the cover.  She did her best to give it to me.  When she showed me the picture of the eye with the lines layered over it, I knew we had something to work with.  She had given me four other pictures, but the eye was perfect.  Especially since I knew that book 2 was going to be following right behind.  I knew I wanted to keep the eye on both so that the reader would know they were together.  I think she did a magnificent job understanding where I wanted the focus.  Not only did she keep focus on the eye for both books, but she also allowed for the focus to be on the blue lines for the first book and on the second book were the blades that contained a power of their own.

Solace was a bit more difficult because I knew exactly what I wanted, which wasn't the cover it has now.  I probably could go back and try again (and be more successful), but I love the new cover because it allows me to keep book 2 (and hopefully future books for this story) similar to the original book.  The swirling shades of grey, black, and white is actually a scene in the first book.  It also defines the title of Uncharted Territory.  A story where what has always been as clear as black and white to Karissa now becomes blurred into dizzying shades of grey.   Book 2's cover also has significance.  The purple swirl is a scene where Karissa is looking into swirling mist where large flashes of bright red bubble up just like Omatha's rage.  She is reminded of the times she saw the red enter Omatha's eyes and she knows that she does not want that for Jack.  The swirl once again symbolizing Karissa's confusion, how lost she has become.

The Shadow Dragon covers are also significant.  Even if I had the ability to manipulate the cover better than I can, I would still only put the orbs of fire on the black background.   The cover is pretty much self explanatory and at the same time mysterious.  I had asked Mike Kirsten to make the cover for book 2 because he is an extraordinary artist and I was in awe of what he could do.  I knew he could draw the dragon I wanted.  I wish the wings were bigger, but other than that it is perfect.  It shows the strength, the destructive ability, and that he is a dragon of death.  We kept the orbs of fire in the dragon, tying the two covers together.

Not Human came to me in my sleep.  My hope was that when the reader read the book they would comprehend the cover.  They would think, "Oh!  I get it."  They'd understand why the lines are not smooth, why she has silver circles on her skin, how she ended up with two gashes, why her hair was short.  They would also know that Rose's journey was not an easy road.