Rabu, 13 Februari 2019

Behind the Scenes Bayu Skak Yowis ben



It's been six days [SIX!] since I last posted, but I can assure you there's been a lot going on behind the scenes to keep me busy.


1. THE SPIRIT KEEPER book cover - After a slight hiccup getting started, I quickly got back on track and commissioned a very talented artist to design a visually stunning cover. It's much different than what I originally had in mind, but it's truly brilliant and perfectly captures the "look" of Sarah and a few key elements of the story. A BIG THANKS to my husband, who made hiring a professional even possible. 

2. THE SPIRIT KEEPER book trailer - If you've seen the TURNING POINT and PRECIPICE book trailers, you can probably guess that I definitely adhere to the less is more philosophy. THE SPIRIT KEEPER book trailer is no exception and probably the least complicated I've ever put together. I'm waiting on the final edition of the book cover in order to finish the trailer, and then I'll reveal both at the same time. Soon!

3. An updated author photo - I "hired" a multi-talented friend of mine, Lauren, to take an updated photo (and by "hired," I mean that payment was made in the form of yogurt-covered raisins). The entire photo process proved to be a lot more difficult than originally anticipated. Not only were we working under tight time constraints, we were confined indoors due to weather conditions. Also, I *hate* having my photo taken and am incredibly self-conscious about it, which meant I couldn't stop laughing. Lastly, I was sitting in a bay window to maximize lighting, which meant the background was the highway in front of my house. Lauren kept having to pause in her picture-taking and wait for a break in the traffic. BUT . . . you would never know that, thanks to her brilliant editing. Lesson learned: Next time I will have my photo taken during summer, when the backdrop isn't so rainy, brown, and blah.

4. I'm beta-reading! Having seven betas means there's almost always something new for me to read while I write my own novels. 

5. LOVE BITES - I am currently 15 chapters and (just shy of) 60,000 words in to my YA vampire book. Go ahead and roll your eyes and tell me that vampires are so been there, done that, but I love vampires and had to interpret them my own way. Like THE SPIRIT KEEPER, LOVE BITES is a first-in-series book.

6. Last but not least . . . the kids are off school this week and we've been doing some much-needed sorting and organizing. I never cease to be amazed how much "stuff" we have - not really junk, just stuff. Time to apply that less is more philosophy to my house, I guess!