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Monday, 26 June 2023

MY PIG-HEADED NOVEL COVER STORY

  


HERE'S JEANNIE
IN ALL HER GLORY...





....AND HERE'S JEANNIE
AS I'VE IMAGINED HER
FOREVER


I call this post pig-headed because that's what it was. First off, at the top is the cover of my novel Alias Jeannie Delaney - Book 1 - Go West, Girl! professionally and beautifully designed by Shawn Stephens of Flintlock Covers. I couldn't have asked for more. Shawn did a fabulous job!

Before Shawn came into the picture (see what I did there?) the time arrived for my cover to be designed. Hubby was not looking forward to this, because I wanted - needed - Jeannie to be on the cover, and I felt that no designer could imagine her like I could. 

I'm an artist and designer, so I wanted to create it myself. I'd feel incredibly proud of myself for having done so, and proud that I'd reveal my talents to potential readers. (What - you wrote it and 
designed and created the cover? Aren't you clever?!).

Despite hubby's misgivings, I went ahead and designed the cover.  I retrieved the images I'd created of Jeannie when I was young and embarrassable about this whole business and laid them out. One of them, a pencil and water colour full figure image of Jeannie aiming her revolver (above bottom) was inspired by a sixties black and white film still from a magazine of a cowboy who's showing off his shooting prowess (don't ask me which film or actor - a movie lost in the mists of time). Hubby pointed to the water colour. 'That's the best one. Nice and crisp.' 

    


       

                                      
 

THIS LAST IMAGE WAS INSPIRED
BY A PHOTO OF THE ACTOR
RICHARD HARRIS IN A WESTERN.
(JEANNIE WEARS A BANDANA
LATER).
 

All the images above were done in my teens or early twenties during the sixties and seventies. I'm a little more accomplished as an artist now, and less embarrassed about them. 

So, I went about creating my cover. I painted a mountain range and plains background using free stock photos as reference, and used BeFunky and Canva graphic software to give it an abstract look. Then I played around with Jeannie's figure. I chose the Docktrin font because I loved it. Then I painted and added the bottom label for my pen name and put it altogether. I really liked it at the time and was delighted that I'd done it. 



MY ORIGINAL
DESIGN IDEA


Later, hubby looked at me a tad sheepishly. 'I'm sorry...' he began, '...the cover...' Uh-oh. '...it's too cartoon-like. It is good, but not up to standard.' He cringed, knowing he was on dodgy ground. But he was prepared to take the shit to get the best for this piece of work for the woman he loved (me. Aw...).

Instead of hitting him, to his enormous relief it took a nano second for me to agree with him. When you trace an image multiple times, as I did to transfer Jeannie's figure into finished artwork, the image suffers and becomes cartoon-y. We needed a sophisticated and polished image. I finally admitted that I needed a professional designer on the job. Hubby told me not to expect a designer to come up with Jeannie's features exactly as I wanted. I muttered and mumbled.

My final objective was a compromise. I liked everything about my design - layout, Jeannie's figure, the background, the font, wording and colour palette - what if I found a designer who could translate all that into a polished cover? 

I found Shaun of Flintlock Covers and he took on the job of processing my images and ideas. After a couple of weeks he came up with a choice of three designs. I apologized to him for being the fussiest client ever, but he came back with the goods, more or less. Hubby and son said: 'That's excellent! Go for it.' I told Shaun to go for it. I'm more than happy with the outcome. Okay, so she's not totally Jeannie, but she, and the rest of the design, are fabulous. 

Now all I have to do is start thinking of the design of Book No Two. No pressure...




Here are a few great reviews:

OMG what a story! Can't wait for the next instalment! I was moved more than I'd expected ...... as I see it, you're a storyteller 
par excellence.

Yee-hah! I'm enjoying this soooo much! Not just because of the story but also because of the quality of your writing, and the loving detail you've put into it. Clearly a lot of research -- and dare I ask if you've actually been to these places? (I've got to Coyote Creek now) -- well, it certainly sounds like it to me.

Re YouTube video

Oh blimey! - just watched it, and my goodness you do know how to captive an audience ... well, me, anyhow. Never seen anything like it. Terrific!:-)

It's such a Thing, getting a book together. And this particular one ... I so enjoyed reading it in detail, and relishing the nuances of your fab writing.

I absolutely loved working on your book, reading it and rereading it, absorbing the world and the atmosphere you've created.

Caroline

And this from a reader, Anne. 

I'm just reading the preview at the moment, it's great! I just love your descriptions of where Jeannie is, so atmospheric 😌

And another from Facebook:

I loved the first chapter! I love westerns! 











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