Cover Magic

One of the hardest things to get right in the book publishing process, at least from an author's point of view, is the cover. (I'd wager many readers would agree.) As an author, it can be hard to articulate on those cover art sheets just what you have in your head. Often, the best you can hope for is that the cover artist assigned to your book is a professional, even if they don't share your vision. Because when it goes wrong, it can go really, really wrong. But when it goes right? It gives you goosebumps to see that perfect cover show up in your email.

My new release, Idol of Bone, has one of those covers:

Idol of Bone is a book that's been with me for a long time. I know just how Ra looks. I actually drew her myself many years ago while working on the first draft. My cover artist at Samhain, Kanaxa, hasn't seen that drawing, but when I saw the final cover she'd designed, I was amazed at how close to my drawing it actually is. I love the little flourishes and ethereal colors, and I couldn't be happier with this representation of my book.

As we started working on Book 2 in the Looking Glass Gods series, Idol of Blood, I figured I couldn't get that lucky a second time, but I knew Kanaxa would give me something good. The first draft of the cover was great—I loved the shot of the model, loved the brooding color and the flourishes—but the model was holding an object that didn't really relate to the book, so I tried to come up with some suggestions for things that could be Photoshopped in, but nothing really worked.

And then Kanaxa said, "Well, she does magic, right? Conjures things? What if I have her conjuring something in her hands?"

"Sounds good," I said. "Go for it."

I just about died of awesome when she sent back this:

And now I can't wait to see the cover for Book 3. :)

One stranger seeks to claim her heart…another is destined to destroy her.

Ra. Just two letters. Barely a breath. When she stumbles into the frozen Haethfalt highlands, her name is all she has—the last remnant of a past she’s managed to keep hidden, even from herself. Her magic, however, isn’t so easy to conceal—magic that’s the province of the Meer, an illicit race to which she can’t possibly belong.

The eccentric carpenter who takes her in provides a welcome distraction from the puzzle of herself. Though Jak refuses to identify as either male or female, the unmistakable spark of desire between them leaves Ra determined to find out what lies beneath the enigmatic exterior.

But more dangerous secrets are brewing underneath the wintry moors. Jak’s closest friend, Ahr, is haunted by his own unspeakable past. Bounty hunters seeking fugitive Meer refuse to leave him in peace.

Harboring feelings for both Ra and Ahr, Jak nonetheless struggles to keep them apart. Because like the sun and the moon coming together, their inevitable reunion has the potential to destroy Jak’s whole world.

Read an excerpt from Idol of Bone

Available now in trade paperback and ebook:

Amazon | All Romance eBooks | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Samhain Publishing

Pre-order Idol of Blood, coming in June:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo