All posts by NewEngland_Muse

I'm a traditionally and self published author. I write in the genre of children and YA at the moment but working my way up to adults. I'm a sports loving, photo taking gal who loves to sing/dance to my own enjoyment. I love to laugh even at myself. I am also owned by 8 birds and 2 hamsters, and yes they know it. :)
Amazon Parrot, Book Cover, Contract

The Final Say: Book Cover

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I am fortunate that I have the final say when it comes to my book. It means the buck stops with me. AWESOME!

However that doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing. It just means I get the last word whether that be right or wrong. Case in point my book cover for “Jasper, Amazon Parrot: A Rainforest Adventure”. Last Friday the illustrator sent me four images for me to choose from. I knew which one I liked but yet I took the time to have people look at the pictures to give me their ideas. This was a good thing. For with some slight changes to the images the illustrator was able to come up with two images for me to decide from.

I knew immediately which one I wanted and loved. Granted both were amazing. Did I go with my gut? Nope. I asked people to see what they thought. Heck when I was making copies at Staples I asked the man who made the copies and the lady next to me. I was covering all angles just to make sure I was picking the right one.

It is not always easy having the last say. If I mess up it could determine if my book stays on the shelves and collect dust or is picked up to be looked over. I have to be frustrating the publisher and her illustrator. I know if I was in that situation I might be as well. I just need to make sure I do it right. The book comes out in August which is within viewing distance

Sunday I wrote the illustrator with my decision. It is time to move on. What I am waiting for is to view illustrations inside the book. While this is all fun and exciting it is a big stressful. But I do have a case of Pepsi to ingest, my version of alcohol.

This is an amazing ride.

Book Covers, Illustration, Jasper Amazon Parrot

My Book and Images

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This past Friday, the illustrator sent me four images for my book Jasper, Amazon Parrot: A Rainforest Adventure. They were primarily to see if she was on the right track in conveying the image I wanted for him. Opening up the email I was blown away. I knew immediately which one was my favorite. Granted I am going to ask her to make some changes here and there but she is in the direction I had anticipated. Like most anything I asked for people’s advice on which one they liked and didn’t like and why. Just because I have final say on the covers doesn’t mean I know what I am doing here.

So a variety of people looked at them. I had other writers, my family, people at the store where I was making copies of the images to kids who had read the actual book. What I was hearing was that I seemed to be the only one who liked the one image that had stood out to me.

Crap.

This is an important decision, the book cover for your book. It has to be amazing for people to even want to pick up just to read the back cover. If it is not appealing it will gather dust on the shelves. I must have emailed my poor editor at least 20 times, if not more, as we went over each one carefully.

Among the various suggestions a light bulb finally lit over my head. The reason people were not liking the image I liked was due to positioning of Jasper. They loved the side profile he had in the other three images. So I tried this out. I started asking people if image 1 would work if it was a side profile. People liked, they really liked that idea.

I mailed Kim, the illustrator, and asked her if she could make some slight changes to two of the images to see which one really pop. She is awesome and is so willing to work with me in creating something that even Jasper would be proud off. I don’t have the image here for it is going to be work on but when it is ready I will release it. This was a little stressful these last few days as I tried to figure out what worked. We shouldn’t always ignore our gut feelings, it may know something that we don’t already know. Even if that means it has to be tweaked a little bit.

Library, Stephen King

Stephen King and I

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My home town, a population a little over 800, got their first library a few years ago. It is just one room. But that one room represents a whole new world to the children of my town. I got to visited it this past trip to Maine in June and fell in love with it. It is run by a retired nun. After finishing using their computer we talked for hours about how the library got established.

There is so much to say but the one that shout at me was this. They wrote Maine’s famous son, Stephen King. With no fanfare, calls or letters he soon sent a check for 50k to start-up the library. He is the reason my library in my home town got off the ground. I tweet and status on FB my adoration for this man. He is the reason I love reading horror and watching horror. But this is the epitome of why I love him so.

It turns out a lot of small libraries in my home state have gotten started by King and we are all grateful. I will be writing him soon to share my thanks for what he has done for my small town. Will it get read I do not know but I will still send off a letter.  Yes 50K is chump change to him but too us it is a library that has open the minds of children and adults in a region that is starving for it.

They are already looking to expand as grants are sent off in hopes of finding the money to do so. But we got our foot in the door, we got our one room. Soon it will be something to boast about. Heck it is something to boast about right now.

But it all got started by my favorite author and home town boy Stephen King. He has sealed the deal for me. Mr. King thank you so very much.