Show Me the Cover!

One of the most fun—and most nerve-wracking, hair-pulling—parts of publishing is designing the book’s cover. In one glance, the cover must convey the essence of the story, attract a reader and offer a hint of the story’s genre and nature.

Asking much?

My latest book releases next month, so today I decided to share the process from the first ideas all the way through to a cover reveal.

So About the Money is a fun, amateur sleuth, more traditional mystery than cozy. The cover needs to be light rather than dark and suspenseful—although, of course, there’s an element of suspense in Holly and JC’s story—and it must focus on Holly, the heroine, rather than a clenched couple, since the romance is an element, a subplot rather than the central story.

No pressure.

I started scrolling through online retailers, studying other people’s covers. I liked a few of the newer amateur sleuth and light women’s fiction books. They had a muted background, a featured story element rather than a more typical “scene” or couple.  Hmm, something new, I considered. 

I searched the image sites, looking for stock photos that could bring the story elements to life. Hundreds, thousands, of photo images later, I found possibilities: a business woman (Holly) and a cash-filled briefcase (remember my tag line? Mystery with a Financial Twist; Trust Issues, Family Bonds). I included assorted hands reaching out to “lift’ some of that cash and then went to town with possible combinations of those elements.

Let me be the first to admit my Photoshop skills are very, very limited.

After arranging my chosen elements into a mock-up, I turned to the fonts.

So About the Money

So About the Money

So About the Money

Too heavy, too thin, too frivolous, too hard to read…

Finally I had some ideas. I imposed on a few trusted friends and sent them this:

They didn’t say they hated it, but they politely suggested that I keep thinking about the cover.

I took another hard look. The cover was cluttered and simply didn’t “work.” 

I removed the cash-filled case and added few “currency” rectangles fluttering from her briefcase and packed the result off to my cover designer.

She hated it.

She found the background “dated” and the cover “flat.”

She suggested this:

I hated it. 

It didn’t pop to my uneducated eyes and the “cash” was distracting. The title was too hard to read. 

We went back and forth, adding and subtracting.

What if we change the briefcase? Make it red? I suggested.

What if I take out the bank note under your name, she said?  Make the font black?

Collaboration is the name of the game. :)

So without further ado (that is, without boring you with the intervening versions),  I give you the cover reveal: 

What do you think? 

So About the Money releases in November. Additional vendors are "to come", but the book is currently available for preorder from Amazon.

Branding

For me, the word branding brings to mind the West - not of the Kanye variation - but of the herding and roping steers kind. (I am from Texas after all.) But Branding in our business isn't quite as painful. At least hopefully it isn't.

But how do we brand ourselves? Many of us get started with Publishers who brand us from the start which may (or may not - depending on your covers) give us a leg up in that department. (I'll admit I'm one of those people. Carina Press did a great job with my first 4 covers and I was very happy with them.) Branding is something I learned about as I got deeper into the process of writing. What's the tone of a book? What do the colors and covers tell you about the books or the author? There's so much that goes into the process of building a brand.

Now, why am I talking about branding? Because I wonder about the success of authors who RE-brand themselves. Do they do better or worse? Do sales pick up, do people who didn't pick up those author's books in the past, suddenly decided they want to give them a try because of a new look or cover? I'm really asking these questions because I certainly don't have an answer.

Take for instance a series that's successful on it's own? Do you think it's beneficial for a publisher or an author to rebrand a series that's been selling? I always wonder what the point of that is.

Anyway... the discussion of branding leads me to my announcement of the release in the last book in the Adrenaline Highs series. October 6, 2015 is the big day. Always Dangerous will come out exactly 4 years, 1 month and 1 day after the release of the first book, Dangerous Race.

Without any further ado, here is the cover (and blurb) for Always Dangerous. 

Leo Frost has lost his house, his car and possibly his acting career. Releasing an independent film is his only hope of paying for his sister’s twenty-four/seven care, but he’s got to finish it first. The last thing he needs is a curveball from the one woman who could break his focus with a look, a smile and the most unexpected news of his life. 

Kim Jacobs wants it all—a career in a big city, a husband and a family, but a tryst two months ago with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars leaves her pregnant. Knowing Leo doesn’t want kids or a wife, Kim decides to make her own happily-ever-after with the help of a recent inheritance. All that’s left is to tell the man and move on.  

Kim’s short visit to L.A. turns deadly with a series of mysterious attempts on her life. Suddenly Leo not only has to save his career, he has to find out who’s trying to murder the lady who is stealing his heart. As an actor, danger was staged and nothing was at stake, but now the threats are all too real. If Leo wants a future and a family with Kim, he has to prove he can do more than play a hero onscreen, he has to be one in real life.

I'm curious to know... are you the type of reader that waits until all the books in a series are out before you buy the first? I'm not. I snatch up new books in a series as soon as they come out. I can't wait to read them. But I've been surprised over the years to talk to people who won't start a book in a series unless they know all the books are done. Which one are you?

Visit Dee J. Adams website or on FaceBook

Forgive and... Remember?

I’m so jazzed to see my newest baby out in the world this week. I had a great time writing Living Dangerously. I’m a big fan of Hollywood and all things entertainment so to be able to write a little about it is always fun. One of the themes I use in many of my books is trust. Betrayal makes for great conflict and great stories come from great conflict.

 

Personally, I’m a pretty forgiving person. But, I’m also like an elephant and I never forget anything. So if someone lies to me or betrays me, I might forgive them, but I’ll always remember what they did to me. I’d hate to think I’m the only person out there with a memory for that sort of thing. (And it’s odd since I have a really cruddy memory with everything else!)  But sometimes, depending on the betrayal, I’m not sure I could be so quick to forgive. Take Sandra Bullock and Jessie James. After all the lying that Tiger Woods did to his wife, I imagined Sandra saying very casually, “Man, if my man did that, I’d leave him so fast his head would spin.” Then low and behold, she finds out her man did exactly the same thing and she’s probably thinking, “It’s time to put my money where my mouth is. Later, Dude.” I can’t imagine how hard that is, to put your total trust and faith in someone and have them lie to you. I’m sure everyone’s been through a certain version of that whether it was with a friend, family member or even a spouse. (Dare I say, former spouse?)

The question is, are certain lies easier to forgive than others? I happen to think so. Are certain lies more damaging than others? Absolutely. Do you have a line in the sand? A lie you can’t forgive? Or maybe the lie you can forgive once, but not twice?

That's my question for the blog, but before I go, I want to announce my other big news. Aside from this being my release week, it also begins the countdown for my next book, Against The Wall! One month from today, June 24, the first book in my High Stakes series goes on sale and I can't wait for it to be out. Today is cover reveal day, not only here but on my website and FB page. What do you think?