No big deal, just screaming...

...about this COVER!

Hi friends!!!

Creating a fictional universe is a very private but also comforting thing. I know why I love my characters. Why this world has the trauma and pain, joys and light that it does. It really is all fun and games…until I have to create a cover brief.

For me, the process of having a cover made is terrifying, exhilarating, and also incredibly vulnerable. For years I’ve lived with characters, tweaked their journeys, and tried to make their stories satisfying so that other people might love them as much as I do. Before the cover is made, I rely on inspiration boards to keep me anchored in what I think the character looks like, what their personality feels like, and the overall themes and tone of the book.

Working with My Illustrator

When I work with my cover illustrator, I send him a detailed document that includes a very early draft of the book’s blurb, title, and vibes. I include pictures of the people who have inspired the characters for me, and offer suggestions about the position the character (or characters, if it’s a couple) could be in. Normally, I offer the illustrator a lot of information and let him choose what composition and design he feels most inspired to execute.

Dishonor’s Cover

For my first book, Dishonor Among Thieves, I absolutely fell in love with the early sketch. The couple’s pose, the quiet angst, the simmering magic of them. When I saw it colored, there were a few things the artist did that I knew couldn’t work. (Neo’s original hair color was gray!) So I requested a few minor color changes, and the final version is what’s on the book today. The artist I hire to pain the cover image is not the same person who designs the cover itself. After the final image was approved, I had my cover artist take the art and format the cover with a font, design the spine, and the back and interior, including the chapter pages.

Broken Bloodlines

If you’ve read Wraith or seen the cover on social media, you know that I tried something a little different with that series cover. Instead of a couple, I decided to try just one of the characters placed front and center. I love all types of covers—object, font, illustrated, even some photorealistic covers—but I know that for as long as my artist is willing to work with me, I wanted to have him paint my covers with beautifully depicted characters.

Broken Bloodlines is going to be the first in the series. There are twelve sisters, two royal families, and a vampire. The cover of the first book has to set the tone for the series and also create a character who can carry the story. I wanted the image of Prince Leo to draw the reader in, but also to not be too perfect. He’s a bit of an Edward Cullen in that way… He’s not perfect, a little anti-hero—the hero who has a long way to go if he’s going to earn his HEA.

Prince Leo is inspired physically by Lee Pace’s Thranduil (IYKYK!!!) and Zayn Malik. His father, the king of Drammen, is under attack from within, but everyone in the royal family has a secret that could bring down their bloodline. Leo was separated from the only woman he ever loved by a tragedy and he’s arrogant, angry, and fiercely protective of the things he cares about…even if he does fall first and hard.

The Cover!!

And here he is:

The scars, the eyes, the crown… The wear and tear on the throne that represents the battle in the palace… I hope you love Prince Leo as much as I do! I’ll have the pre-order up very very soon, and lots more teasers and quotes.

(Cover art by the uh-may-zing Matt Hubel and cover design/fonts by Book Genie!)

For now, thank you so much for sharing this cover reveal with me. It’s always a journey to see how the artist renders what’s lived in my heart and head, and I hope you give this flawed prince a chance to get under your skin the way he’s lived under mine! More to come, and as always, thank you for reading!!