Light Thoughts about Dark Fantasy

🔮 Dark Romantasy is my JAM! 💖

Friends, I’m deep in revisions of Broken Bloodlines and the expansion of Wraith into a book series, and I have a draft of the cover for Wraith that I’d love your feedback on!

Most fantasy romance authors choose object covers or art covers, and I leaned heavily into that art camp. While I LOVE object covers (crowns, roses, snakes, weapons…give me ALL the fantasy objects!), for me, there is just something about SEEING the character. Even if the character looks different in mind, somehow seeing character art on the cover makes the book feel more human to me. NO SHADE to my object cover friends! When I decided to publish, I had a LOT of choices, and custom artwork for me was a “must have.”

Of course the amazing and brilliant artist I’m fortunate to work with does a great job bringing my characters to life, so when I gave him a creative brief for Wraith, it was a little…wonky…to be honest. (Check out the influencer who was the inspiration for Rue… I mean…😋 🥵)

Influencer Toni Mahfud (Inspiration for Rue!)

In fact, I am a Pinterest addict and create boards for everything I write. I sometimes put too much in them and I don’t like to promote AI art, so I start all my boards as private and then add more to my Callie account when I settle on images that really speak to me. Check out the character inspiration board for Rue and Kiya here!

The main male character in Wraith is Rurik Baynne, Rue for short. Rue is the oldest of three sons. His father, Baer Baynne, runs a massive criminal enterprise. In the opening scene of Wraith, Baer is observed in bed with Rue’s wife! Yes, his daughter-in-law! Later that same morning, a mysterious fire in Baynne manor strikes and tragedy befalls the family… If you haven’t read the Vella eps yet, you can read Episode One totally free on Amazon. I’ll link to it below if you want to see what happens!

Wraith on Vella

So this is a ton of romance despite the dark opening. I promise! All three of the Baynne brothers have wild adventures and get their HEAs, but the journeys are very twisty.

Here’s a brief introduction to the Baynne brothers:

Rue Baynne, the oldest: Rue’s wife Gala was promised to him in a marriage arranged by their families. Rue tried to love his wife, but as he learns, her love came with limitations… His true love is a woman his father purchased from an orphanage years ago after searching the realm for a child with special healing powers. That woman is Kiya, and she’s been forced to live her entire life under the Baynne’s control, serving Rue’s mother and watching the only man she’s ever loved marry someone else. Until now…

Weylin Baynne is straight-up bonkers. Inspired in my mind by Jason Momoa, (if Jason Momoa was a vicious criminal with an insatiable sexual appetite) Weylin never gets the respect Rue has. He’s the middle child, Rue’s half-brother whose mother (the offspring of one of his father’s many extramarital affairs) passed away in childbirth. He’s raised as one of Baer’s own, but only because Baer Baynne believes there is something about the Baynne blood that is tied to their fortune… So of course he has mommy issues galore. Wey has two children with a mistress who works on his father’s property, but that doesn’t stop him from from finding love wherever it’s available. Until a woman comes along who changes everything about how he sees himself…and his family…

Ender Baynne is the youngest. Also the product of an affair, Ender’s mother also works for Baer Baynne. But the identity of his true mother is known to many. She’s part of Lord Baynne’s special guard, charged with protecting the grove that is the source of the Baynne’s family’s incredible wealth. Ender has always wanted his father to love him, but he doesn’t believe in his father’s intense passion for their business. When he’s recalled home after his father is killed, Ender sees an opportunity to have a real impact on the family criminal enterprise…with help from some unlikely sources…

Wraith is book one of the Shadows of Sins series and I have a draft of the cover of book one to share!!! The art is complete, so I can’t change that, but I’m still having my cover artist play with the fonts and design. What do you think of this?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!!!

I’m going to put this one up for pre-order soon, and I’m planning a release later in 2024, like maybe early Fall. I want to have enough time to get Broken Bloodlines out and get some more character art ready. I need more time, LOL!!

Thanks for reading! I’d love your feedback on the cover for Wraith before the pre-order goes live, so feel free to drop a comment and let me know what you think!

Happy reading, friends!!!