Welcome Cover Artist Carey Abbott

Yesterday, Troll-y Yours, Book 2 in the Centaur series, was published and is now available on Amazon, Smashwords, and soon Barnes & Noble.

It got me thinking about my cover...and how HOT it is. So I asked my cover artist Carey Abbott to stop by.

Take it away, Carey!

Sheri was kind enough to ask me to be on her blog. Thanks Sheri, it is really nice to be here. I hope I can help new authors understand the process of the cover art business.  I recently had the pleasure of making two of Sheri’s covers. One for Troll-y Yours (above) and Portals of Oz (below). 

Both turned out amazing and hopefully Sheri will be kind enough to share them with you today. 

But I’m going to take a slightly different approach. Originally, I was going to walk you through my process but I didn’t think that would really be much help for the newbie author having a cover made for the first time. You can get all that info in a few clicks on my website. The real question is what to expect as a first timer.

I will walk you through the four steps to making a beautiful cover.

1)    The Vision

Writers, cover artists need a very detailed account of your story. Giving your cover artist as much info as possible makes the process easier on you both. I don’t believe you can give too much info. The more info, the easier it is to create the perfect cover.

As a cover artist, we--in most cases--are working blind, and it is up to the author to fill in the blanks. Without author provided details, we don’t know where to start.

Don’t expect your cover artist to read your book to make your cover. If I read every book I created covers for, I would be doing more reading than cover art. It would just be way too time consuming.

So, it is left up to the author to provide all the details and it is up to the cover artist to listen very carefully.

But the author also needs to be flexible and take the cover artist’s opinions seriously. We aren't trying to blow your vision to bit and pieces. But for the most part, the cover artist knows what will and won’t work.  Through trial and error we have learned the good, the bad, and the ugly.

       2) Pictures

The right picture can make or break a cover. The best pictures have bright eye catching colors. This is what you want. Make the reader stop and take notice.

But there is a fine line between eye catching and just too busy.

Simple and straight to the point is the best plan of action.

I don’t recommend black and white pictures because they tend to fade out when in thumbnail.

Remember: you don’t need every aspect of your story to be present on your cover. That’s what we have blurbs for.

My opinion on pictures is to pick one aspect of your story that is important and stick with that.

3)    Font

Your font needs to be clean and readable. Not just in full size, but in thumbnail as well.

Sometimes bold block letters are the best option, but it all depends on the cover. I have used all types of fonts. But listen to your cover artist if they tell you the fonts just aren't working.  Most cover artists know the font needs to be readable. Remember, we have the author’s best interest at heart while making a cover.

I just can’t stress how important readable font in smaller size is.

4)    Final Product

The author should love their cover and be jumping for joy when it is done. If not, then something along the way went wrong.

If you feel the cover needs to be tweaked, then tell your cover artist. This is the cover that will garner you sales or get you passed over.

A good cover artist will listen to the author and make the changes they are asked to, or explain why they think the changes won’t work. But even when an author has asked me to make changes, I usually just show them and we both have peace of mind.

Remember: the cover artist works for you. You should be treated with respect and kindness during the cover making process.

     5)  Final Thought

You really have to trust your cover artist to give you a beautiful cover that reflects the story you have poured blood, sweat and tears into.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I will try to answer any questions anyone might have.

Below you will find links to check out my work, both pre-made and personalized.  I make covers for all genres. From horror to children’s books.

Pre-Made Covers (Right now I’m having a huge sale on all Pre-Mades.)

http://safariheatbooktoursandauthorservices.blogspot.com/p/pre-made-covers-for-sale.html

Sold Cover Art

http://safariheatbooktoursandauthorservices.blogspot.com/p/cover-art.html

Thanks Sheri for having me! It was a blast!

Friday Flames - Men of T-FLAC

Not long ago, New York Times Best Seller (and all around lady of awesomeness) Cherry Adair put a call out in social media:  a contest to create a Men of T-FLAC video. 

(Congratulations to Cherry, by the way, for receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Romantic Times Convention!)

Out of all the T-FLAC contest entries, a winner was chosen -- though I imagine the decision was a hard one to make.

Congratulations to Cindy Kinney, a self-proclaimed die-hard fan. Here is her winning T-FLAC video:

List of credits:

Movie clips are-

The Avengers

Blood Diamond

Black Hawk Down

G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra

G.I. Joe2: Retaliation

Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol

Sahara

Star Trek: Into the Darkness

True Blood

Tears of the Sun

The song is My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (light 'em up) by Fallout Boy.

*****

Before you go,  leave an excerpt or your own book-trailer link! 

Remedy Maker

Winner of the PRG 2012 Reviewer's Choice Award

Reward of Novel Excellence (RONE) 2012 Awards!

Thank you to those who have messaged to let me know you voted for Remedy Maker in the RONE (Reward Of Novel Excellence) awards. I really appreciate you taking the time. 

For those of you who haven’t visited InD’tale eMagazine http://indtale.com/rone-awards/2012/week-4, the process to cast your vote is easy. From their web page:

If you are not already a subscriber to InD'Tale magazine, you may register on our homepage. This is very easy to do and will immediately allow you all access to our website as well as InD'Tale magazine, itself (NO spam will EVER be sent!) Then, all you need do is click on your favorites to vote!   

PLEASE NOTE: If you are registering, the process is not completed until you click the verification email that will be sent to your inbox! If you do not see it, please check your spam folder. All it takes is a click but it is an important click!

***

Brenda Dyer's paranormal romance Love’s Prophecy is also in the running—thank God we’re in different categories! This week’s poll is for Fantasy (Remedy Maker), Paranormal (Love’s Prophecy), and Time Travel.

I want to wish a hearty GOOD LUCK! to everyone nominated for the RONE! What an honor to be named alongside so many prestigious authors!

Braggin' Rights

So, it's not pretty. . .and it's a little rough. But I'm proud of my youngest spawn. He wrote these poems and added pictures, then shared them with his class.

Because I own braggin' rights, I'm sharing with you.

Winter Snow

The Winter snow trudges and stumbles along,

Dragging with it the Winter breeze.

He lets enough loose to make a nice little breeze,

But sometimes his mittened hand slips and the bag is dropped,

Sending huge winds across the land.

He picks it up as soon as it fell,

And stumbles and trudges to another land.

Comic Heroes

Cool heroes.

On time bad-guy fighting people.

Mystifying secrets.

Instrumental weapons.

Colorful suits.

Heroic personalities. 

Extraordinary powers. 

Readily on guard.

Overseeing eyes. 

Extreme risks and dares.

Super good heroes.

Laugh Out Loud with Melodie Campbell

Online, I recently met a warm and funny author named Melodie Campbell. Her wicked sense of humor keeps me in stitches and stalking  looking forward to her posts.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristenlamb/

I'm happy to have Melodie visit my mythic blog!

Writing Comedy – and Loving It!

“I had the flu once.  It was terrible.  I couldn’t eat a thing for three hours.”

I hope you giggled at that line.  I think it’s one of my best.  And yes, I am a tad fond of eating.  In fact, you could list it as my major hobby.

My name is Melodie Campbell, and I write comedies.  (This is a self-help group, right?)  Sure I’d like to kick the habit and write a ‘real’ book with literary merit.

Okay, so that’s a lie.  Leave ROWENA AND THE DARK LORD behind?  Not write a sequel?  I’m starting to hyperventilate.  Actually, I love writing comedies.  It’s in my blood.

Just given a FIVE STAR review by the Paranormal Romance Guild!

Click HERE for the review.

<crowd gasps here> 

A GREEK MASK   

(c) flickr

Some people are born beautiful.  But most of us aren't and we look for ways to survive the slings and arrows of life.  Sometimes we choose to hide behind a mask.  That Greek Comedy mask was the one I picked way back.

As a means of self-preservation in the cruel world of teenagers, I looked for the ‘funny.’  More often than not, I made fun of myself.  This was easy to do.  I knew the target well and there was a wealth of material.  And it didn’t hurt anyone else, so people liked it.

When I left school and had a ‘real’ job, I started writing stand-up on the side.  I rarely delivered it – usually I wrote for others. That led to a regular newspaper humour column, and more.

So when it came to writing fantasy novels, I fell back into ‘safe mode’.  Write it funny.

IT’S AN ADDICTION

Worse than chocolate and foreign Counts…  Comedy writers take a situation, and ask themselves ‘what’s the worst thing that could happen now?’  And then, what’s the funniest?

But why do it?  Why does an otherwise sane individual write zany and some might say silly comedy, and risk the inevitable hit from critics who say your book is without great literary merit? 

One reason, and one reason only: many readers love it.  Their comments and reviews are heart-lifting.  I’ve lightened their day with adventure and laughter, and in some cases given them a story they can escape into, over and over again. Yes it’s true.  It wouldn’t be fun to write if I didn’t have warm and generous readers.

Excerpt from Rowena and the Dark Lord

I was beginning to get a very bad feeling.

“Did you volunteer for this job?”

“Yes.” Howard was now relieving himself off to my right.

“Why?” My voice was perhaps a little harsh.

“To get out of fighting, of course. Everyone says there’s going to be a big battle. It seemed like a good time to leave the castle.”

I rolled my eyes. So now I had a complete newbie horse dude who was also a coward to look after on this trip. Howard the Coward. Lucky me.

“Can we sit for a bit? I’m exhausted.” He plunked down on the grass. Then he sprang up again.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!” He ran around in circles.

“What is it?” I watched in amazement.

“A bee! I sat on a bee.”

“Are you sure it’s a bee?” I said, crossing my arms. “Maybe it was a wasp.”

“Does it matter?” He was jumping up and down.

“Well, if it’s a wasp, you’re okay. If it’s a bee, the stinger will still be stuck in you. So when you sit down again…”

“Ahhh!! Take it out! Get it out!” He lifted his tunic and bent over.

Ick.

I turned away. “I am so not doing that.”

Melodie Campbell achieved a personal best this year when Library Journal compared her to Janet Evanovich.  She has over 200 publications, including 100 comedy credits, 40 short stories, and 4 novels. She has won 6 awards for fiction. 

www.melodiecampbell.com       www.funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.ca

ROWENA AND THE DARK LORD, book 2 in the Land’s End series, is NOW AVAILABLE at the special introductory price of .99! (regular price $3.99, after May 1.)

Buy Link:

http://www.amazon.com/Rowena-Dark-Lord-Lands-ebook/dp/B00CIZZS70/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1367004079&sr=8-3&keywords=rowena+and+the+dark+lord

And the one that started it all: ROWENA THROUGH THE WALL, book 1 in the Land’s End series

http://www.amazon.com/Rowena-Through-Wall-Expanded-ebook/dp/B007B4Q868/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1367012382&sr=1-3

Friday Flames - Guest Post with Daryl Devore

Fellow writer and critique group friend, Daryl Devore, releases a sexy new book today.

Congratulations! Isn’t that cover HOT?

Capri has returned from the sex toy convention with some new purchases. The voice that followed her home has some erotic playtime in mind.

Excerpt:

I rippled my fingers across my nipple, which traitorously responded. So did my lower parts. They tingled. The bustier was much tighter than I would have hooked it. My breasts were forced into a way-out-there position. My body liked the restraint. I tickled myself again. My nipple grew firm. Playing with both, I squeezed and pulled until they stood erect and pinky-proud.

"They're beautiful. Continue," the voice urged.

To the flesh on my breast, my fingers were like ice cubes. My areolas contracted. My nipples stiffened. My next touch changed to sandpaper—rough and scratchy. Tingles shivered through my body. Hot, cold, rough, soft—each new sensation was a surprise.

Sweat trickled down my neck. Pressure built deep inside. My hand turned palm up, and the vibrating nipple clamp fell into it.

It took me a moment to figure out what to do. No, Thall didn't send the instructions along, and I hadn't had a chance to read them yet. My bad.

Unclasping it, I encased my nipple then hit the tiny switch. A squeal escaped me as a tiny electric pulse shot through my aroused dusky tip. The other clamp floated in front of me. I secured it onto my left nipple and held my breath.

Snap. Snap.

A surge of lust rushed through my body then centered in my crotch.

Snap.

Snap. Snap.

The electric pulses were titillating—pun intended—and random, and I found myself waiting for the next. They didn't fire together. Nor did they go off in even patterns. I lay back wallowing in the random sensations they delighted in me. I wanted this to last for hours. A small thought nudge me. How long do tiny cell batteries last?

The arousal gel poured itself over my upper thighs as strong fingertips raked the insides, forcing my legs apart.

Arousing was so the wrong term for the lubricant. Fire would be a more apt description. I've been cooler after a tough hour of hot yoga class.

Sweat rolled in streams from me, yet all I did was rest on silk pillows having my nipples erotically zapped. I pulled my knees up and let them fall. I was fully exposed, and horny as hell. I wanted to be fucked. Needed to be fucked.

The bottle of warming gel flipped pouring liquid heat down my crotch. My glass penis hung, head down, aimed between my legs.

"Do you want it?"

I groaned.

"Do you want it inside you—mercilessly driving you to a screaming orgasm?”

Do the Fates understand the term – duh!

A hand separated my vulva and began long glides up the insides of my labia. I sighed and sunk to the edge of bliss.

Snap.

Snap. Snap.

Damn! Forgot about the nipple clamps.

The long fondles turned to tiny flicks tickling my labia and inner thighs.

I squirmed and wiggled. Fire danced over my body. "Touch me!"

"Where?" His voice brushed past me ear.

"My clit."

Every sensation stopped. I think my heart did too. I didn't breathe.

Time-stopping, scorching strokes on the smallest part of my body. My fingers dug into the pillows as I experienced the most mind-fucking sensation ever and released an intense scream of joy.

"Ohhhh!"

"Again?" His voice was soft and tinted with humor.

"Yes!" It was more of a snarl than a polite response.

I waited. The nipple clamp zapped me. I squealed. His petting dragged across my clitoris with molasses speed. My heart raced, my breaths were shallow pants as I arched my hips up and spread my legs as wide as I could. "Touch me again. Please."

Total bitch in heat, and I didn't give a damn.

********

HOT stuff! I need to turn the ceiling fans on.

For more of Capri’s Fate, click on the links below.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/309990

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-capri039sfate-1172391-140.html

http://www.amazon.com/Capris-Fate-ebook/dp/B00CJ1I6Y0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1366992997&sr=1-1&keywords=new+dawning+bookfair

Please feel free to post your steamy HOT scene! And don't forget your website links.

Satin Sheets Romance: ~Ava's Review of Remedy Maker...

Flames of Excitement!!

 

(c) Hamster

I've waited patiently in line for Satin Sheets to review my Fantasy Romance, Remedy Maker. (As a hugely popular review site, they have a mega backlog of books)

And here it is!  I'm grinning from ear to ear.

Satin Sheets Romance: ~Ava's Satin Sheets Romance Review of Remedy Maker...: "Remedy Maker" Author:   Sheri Fredricks Genre:   Paranormal Romance Pages:   358

Great Flames of Magic!

Welcome to the Magic Touch Giveaway Hop 

and Swag Bonanza!

This Hop is hosted by author Kallysten  

and 

book blog Riverina Romantics.  

In addition to individual prizes provided on each blog, we are offering assorted swag to the first 100 participants who simply tell us they want some! 

See all details and sign up HERE. 

One of the reasons I write Fantasy Romance is because anything is possible! I’m allowed the freedom to create a world outside the everyday box of reality. To make the dreams of my characters come true.

In my latest release, REMEDY MAKER, there is a world of mythological people who live in the forest. They interact with humans on a limited basis and are hunted by these same humans. To us humans, the mythics live a magical life.

Wood Nymphs can magically shimmer themselves into trees, animate the tree, and wreak havoc with branches and roots. Pretty scary stuff…unless you’re in love with a Wood Nymph. Then you’d have to ask yourself: Would you be willing to risk it all?

Trolls are of the Earth, and as such they have the magical ability to dissolve beneath the crust. They have a bit of the leprechaun in them, yet are fierce fighters. Being caught in a Troll’s crosshairs might be a death sentence…unless they’re in love with you. Then there’s no length to what they’ll do in order to protect you.

Rulers of the forest have always been the Centaurs. For centuries they have lorded over the upper class, the echelon of society. They are not without magic themselves – they shapeshift! Courageous in battle, loving at home, their faults lie within the structure of the Centaur Kingdom…and their narrow-mindedness toward other mythological races. What would happen if Centaur should fall in love with a Wood Nymph?

In my novel REMEDY MAKER, I address all of the above – and more. I invite you to pick up a copy today and read yourselves into a world the likes you’ve never experienced before!

Amazon: http://is.gd/sktnSH

Print: http://is.gd/s03Lhi 

Barnes & Noble: http://is.gd/BEPhdh

All Romance Ebooks: 

Leave a comment to enter to win. Tell me what you love about Fantasy Romance!

Friday Flames - Guest Post - Jenna Jaxon

Welcome to Friday Flames! 

If you're looking for the "Love A Tree" blog hop, please scroll down to the next post.

Today I have a guest whose historical romance is considered unsuitable for readers 17 and under!

Yeah! Bring it on!!

Please welcome Jenna Jaxon and her latest release, Betrothal.

 

Excerpt:

A tug on the string that held her chemise and the garment slackened against her. He gathered the soft shift into bunches at her shoulders then gently urged it down to pool at her feet. A guttural groan drew her to look at his face—and read approval in his frank gaze. She shifted uneasily and wound her hands together, struggling against the need to cover herself. He should see all of her, everything laid bare tonight. He swallowed hard and breathed sharply before running a finger down the cleft of her bosom.

Oh, God. Shivers chased through her at his touch and she swayed, unsure if her legs would hold her.

With a contented sigh, he cupped her breasts, stroked them with strong, nimble fingers. The memory surfaced of running her hands over her body, wondering how it would feel when his hands were on her. Never would she have imagined the glory of his touch.

He leaned toward her chest, mouth poised above her… Surely he would not… Closer and closer, until he touched her flesh. She closed her eyes and shuddered as a moan escaped her, filling the room with the primal sound of need. Nothing had ever felt as wonderful as her breasts firming to the touch of his tongue. Warmth settled low in her belly, and she gasped as moisture gathered between her legs. 

Buy Link:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/307838

Amazon: 
http://www.amazon.com/Betrothal-Time-Enough-Love-ebook/dp/B00CF6UZFW/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1366391967&sr=8-11&keywords=jenna+jaxon 

*****

I hope you'll join the Flaming Heat and post an excerpt of your own....or stay to read a few!

Don't forget your buy links.  Have a smoking hot day!