Procrastinator...

I've been naughty this morning. My promise to myself was that this would be my 'first thing' each day but here it is, just past eleven o'clock in the morning, and I'm just getting started. *Sigh* Best laid plans and all of that...  Of course, it is Saturday and I am entitled to one lazy morning, right?

It hasn't been lazy, though. I have been struggling with book covers.

Book covers are hard.  Like fighting off a full-grown greased anaconda in the dark. No matter where you grab it, it gets away and bites you back.

I used to think writing was hard. That was before I started editing.

Then I decided writing is easy and editing is hard. After all, splatter words over the page and you have 'writing'. It's the whipping into shape, getting it molded and formed so that someone else might take a chance to read it. Now that's hard.

Then I thought pitches were bitches.

How do you capture the whiff of your story in just a few words? How do you put down enough to capture someone's attention long enough for them to pause and look farther? How do you fit the essence of your story into a blurb that doesn't give so much away the potential reader knows beginning, middle, end before gently laying the book back on the shelf?

It's hard, man, really hard. Until I started tackling my book covers in a determined way. This makes everything else seem easy. Three books, two different genres, what I like v. what's edgy and will grab someone's attention.

I did the post the other day, pick my book cover but I'm an impatient old cow and couldn't wait. So I did this:

Panned.

So I tried this (which I really like):

Panned.

So, tongue partially in cheek, trying to catch the elements of family circle - father and three children, dying wife and hovering interloper - I came up with this:

A. I hate the color palette. The ochre yellow looks like something I would find in my daughter's diaper after a bad couple of days. According to the interweb, though, yellow is warm and friendly, comforting. Pink / mauve is feminine, soft. Green is gentle.  Blah, blah, freakin' blah.

B. The overall design squeals SCIENCE FICTION not Women's Fiction.

Meaning, that after several hours of work, I am straight back to square one.  For this.  I did however (oh joyful day!) come up with this for my erotic story:

I think it's light, fun, whimsical and sets the tone well.  Maybe all is not lost...

So, back to A Matter of Friendship and that cover design.

Have a lovely day!

Best~
Philippa

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