So Long, 2016 & Cover Reveal

Hey, 2016, don’t let the door hit you on the way out…

I suspect I’m not alone in feeling like 2016 was quite the mixed bag of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Too many celebrity deaths, for one thing—or at least, it seemed so, especially with the recent tragic loss of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Some celebrity deaths hit harder than others. Carrie Fisher and her legendary mom were like that for me.

Then, of course, there was the dismaying vitriol of the U.S. presidential campaign, the hacking, the leaks, the incivility and fake news…  Yuck.

Thankfully, on a personal level, I had plenty to be grateful for. Our family remained in good health and doing well with jobs and school. My youngest son got married to a wonderful girl, and a dear friend battling cancer continued to make amazing, positive strides.

Less important but notable for my sanity (or insanity) was that it was a dismal year for my personal creativity. Good writing days were few and far between.

In April, we unexpectedly lost our beloved ten-year old Chihuahua-poodle Kacee. For empty nesters like my husband and me, losing our pup was rough. On the upside, we adopted a new member of the family, Lexi, a lovable Cockapoo who has livened up our household considerably.

So, there it is, the mixed bag that was 2016. It’s true of every year–the good, the bad, and the ugly. There’s always more to be grateful for than to complain about, but I’m ready for this one to turn.

How about you?

So long, 2016!

Creation of an Ebook Cover

When I decided to release two more books in my 1920s romantic series as an indie author, I faced the challenge of creating cover art that would harmonize with the first book’s truly awesome cover (created by Carina Press).

Easier said than done.

My biggest hurdle? I didn’t have access to the same cover model or cover artist. In addition, there was one concept I wanted to handle differently. Namely, I wanted both my lead characters on the cover, not just the heroine.

Thus began hours of searching through stock photography at romance cover art sites.  There were plenty of model couples to choose from in time period costume that ranged from Medieval Europe to the Old West, but almost none in my time period—the Roaring 20s.  The few that did fit either failed to match the physical descriptions of Sean Costigan and Trixie Frank or they featured couples in a “clinch” pose that didn’t suit the light romantic tone of the series.

RomanceNovelCovers.com Custom Photo Shoot – Behind The Scenes – Jimmy Thomas & Inessa

I was about to give up when I arrived at RomanceNovelCovers.com, a site owned by cover model Jimmy Thomas. What that site offered that the others didn’t were custom shots that featured either Jimmy Thomas alone or paired with a female model chosen from a list of available models by the client.

Bingo.

Did going this route rather than using stock photography cost more? Sure, but maybe it wasn’t so much when you consider how much time and effort go into writing and editing a novel.

As a writer, there’s nothing more exciting than seeing my characters come to life through cover art. Thanks to RomancenNovelCovers.com, New York City homicide detective Sean Costigan finally came off the written page.

And as for my perky tabloid reporter Trixie Frank?  She was reborn. 🙂

The Darrin Syndrome

Dick York

Anybody remember this?

In the 1960s, the popular Bewitched TV series made a clunky mid-series switcheroo that has gone down in TV history as the “Darrin Syndrome.” With no warning or explanation, they replaced lead actor Dick York, who played Elizabeth Montgomery’s long-suffering husband Darrin, with actor Dick Sargent.

Dick Sargent

In the end, the two Dicks were not interchangeable, and the new Darrin was never quite as popular as the original.

Thinking about that, I braced myself for…  the Trixie Syndrome.

What do you think of the Trixie switch from Cover 1 to Cover 2?

To be honest, I was happily surprised by the resemblance between the two models, but, more important, both are a great fit for my leading lady, Beatrix “Trixie” Frank.

Putting it Together

The final step was to take those custom shots of Sean and Trixie to a cover artist to work some magic. I chose Fiona Jayde of Fiona Jayde Media.

Along with my custom shots and my back cover blurb, below are some keywords Fiona and I worked with to create the mood and tone for the cover of Good Night, Angela.

1. 1920s
2. Mystery
3. Romance
4. Detective
5. Reporter/Newspapers
6. Black & White/Sepia
7. Art Deco
8. Golden Age Cinema

Now, can you picture it?

Maybe not. I couldn’t. That’s what cover artists are for. They pull all the pieces together.

And here’s the result!

GOOD NIGHT, ANGELA

A Trixie Frank – Sean Costigan 1920s Romantic Mystery

***
New York City, Spring, 1925.

When the wife of a popular Midwestern radio evangelist is kidnapped for ransom only hours after they preach to a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden, Detective Sean Costigan and tabloid reporter Trixie Frank suspect there’s more to the case than meets the eye.

***

Let me know what you think.

Check out the blurb and an excerpt of Good Night, Angela’s on its new book page here!

Photo Credits:

Champagne bottle clipart  is from WPClipArt

 It Had to Be You – Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Dick York – By McDermott Company (public relations) (ebay.com, front of photo, back of photo) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Dick Sargent – By American Broadcasting Company (ebay.com, front of photo, back of photo) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Goodbye, Tootsie and Good Night, Angela cover art design by Fiona Jayde Media. Learn more About Fiona here. Custom Photo Shoot and Cover Model Images from RomanceNovelCovers.com

What Day is It? (Or… End of Summer Roundup & 99 Cent Book Sale)

Where my Feet Take Me: A scene in It Had to Be You takes place at night on this rocky beach in Montauk, Long Island.

“’What day is it?’

‘It’s today,’ squeaked Piglet

‘My favorite day,’ said Pooh.”

From Winnie-the-Pooh, 1926, A.A. Milne

 

What Day is it?

Did you ever wake up in a panic before the alarm clock went off and wonder what day it was? Is it Monday? Saturday? Wednesday? Holy cow! Am I late for work?  (And, no, in that instant, the word on my mind is not “cow.”)

I woke the other day wondering for a split second not only what day it was but what month it was.  It couldn’t be the end of August already… could it? Nah! Wasn’t it July, like… a week ago?

With a non-writing job that expects me to show up regularly, a family that expects me to talk to them regularly, a house that expects me to keep it presentable regularly, and friends who expect me to have fun regularly, it’s an inevitable fact that the one thing that’s only mine—the writing—too easily drops off the radar. That fact is never more true than in the summer when family and social gatherings and vacation get tossed into the schedule.

Yes, time for writing was in short supply this summer, which is why my blogging has been more non-existent than usual, but the summer is indeed coming to a close.

Does that mean I’ll be visiting my own blog more often? Well… 🙂

Are you as productive in the summer as you are at other times of the year? If not, what gets sacrificed?

The WIPs

WIP is an acronym for Work(s) in Progress. I haven’t been a complete washout with the writing. I took a break in August from editing the third book in my 1920s romantic mystery series, Goodnight, Angela, to try my hand at writing a short story.

Authors… do you write both long and short fiction? If so, how do you do it? Are you better at one than the other?

Here’s why I ask.

This has been an interesting experiment since I’ve never completed a piece of fiction shorter than 85,000 words. The suggested word count for an anthology I’d like to participate in is a flexible 7,000 to 10,000 words.  I’m at 14,000 and counting. (That’s… seven tons of words, right?)

Yeah. And I’m not even sure I like how the story is going.

Its working title is “Heart of the Dragon.” It’s about a big city, smart ass private eye and his overly optimistic small town secretary. It’s set in the Bowery and Chinatown in 1926 New York City.

Will this little darling ever see the light of day? Maybe. Maybe not. I’ve got more than a few stories living on the Island of Unfinished WIPs.

Authors… do you have any WIPs keeping mine company on the Island of Unfinished WIPs? Any favorites you secretly hope to rescue?

I’ve got one sentimental favorite I plan to finish one day, an untitled reunion historical romance that’s been percolating for–I kid you not–two decades.

In fact, I worked on that one a bit this summer, too. Anything but work on the project I’m supposed to be finishing, right? There’s a word for that…

Procrastination

I think–if you’re a writer–you should be able to count procrastination as work.

• Surfing the Net = Research
• Napping = Plotting
• Tweeting = Promotion

Ahem… One pastime I can’t fool myself into classifying as work is Pinterest. Any pinners out there? That’s just too fun to call work, isn’t it?

Hey… maybe I’ll start a new board called PROCRASTINATION.

What would you pin on your Procrastination Board?

I did start a new board this summer. It’s called “Where my Feet Take Me,” and it was inspired by one of my new wellness resolutions—to take a solitary 30-minute walk every day when the weather is decent. (I reserve the right to define “decent.”)

Can taking a walk be procrastination? Sure! But I prefer to call it “Refilling the Well.”

This nifty graphic is a prime example of double procrastinating. It’s procrastinating on Canva to illustrate procrastinating on Pinterest. (Don’t try this at home unless you’re at least a brown-belt level procrastinator.)

The Pinterest board has expanded to include photos taken not only on my walks but on vacations and research trips. I’ll be adding to it as the spirit moves me.

If you feel like procrastinating now, check out my new board here. 🙂

What do you do to Refill your Creative/Spiritual Well?

And in Other News…

I guest posted on some blogs this summer!

“The Yin and Yang of Fictional Sleuthing” (about the built-in conflict in “he and she” detective teams) at Book Babe.

• Book Babe is a unique book review site, specializing in books (often historical) that feature strong, smart heroines. Do visit!

“The Duck’s Quack… 20s Speak” (about 1920s slang) at Cats, Roses and Books!

• Cats, Roses and Books is where best-selling mystery and romance author Karen Rose Smith blogs on cats, gardening, cooking, and writing. Stop by!

A 1920s Romantic Mystery

Beck Valley Books hosted a successful book review tour in July for It Had to Be You. If you’d like to take a peek, find the links here. 

Goodbye, Tootsie is featured  now in the Choosy Bookworm‘s Read & Review program.

What’s Read & Review?  A program for  indie authors to get their books into the hands of interested readers willing to write an honest review. (Publishers have their own ways of distributing free copies to readers and reviewers. This gives indies a chance to do the same.)

If you’re a reader of historical mystery and romance and think you may be interested in Read & Review, check out the FAQs here and Goodbye, Tootsie‘s page here. (Limited time only.)

A 1920s Romantic Mystery

The Choosy Bookworm also offers a Daily Deal e-newsletter that lists indie books for free and bargain prices. The newsletters are brief and fun. Give them a try.

Goodbye, Tootsie is on sale for just $.99 at Amazon!

Sale price is good through Labor Day  (Perhaps longer if I procrastinate on making the price change. 🙂  That’s the beauty of indie publishing.)  Give as a gift or keep for yourself. Buy it Here!

Have a great week!

***

Photo Credits:

Where My Feet Take Me – Photography copyright © 2015 by Delynn Royer.

It Had to Be You – Copyright © 2014 cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Goodbye, Tootsie Cover Art by Fiona Jayde Media

Goodbye, Tootsie… Cover Reveal!

Goodbye, Tootsie. Putting it Together: Part Four

If I could have chosen my talent, I would have chosen the visual arts–painting, drawing  or graphic design. A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

RomanceNovelCovers.com (RNC) Custom Photo Shoot – Behind The Scenes – Jimmy Thomas & Inessa – Delynn Royer

 In my last few posts I talked about my search for the perfect cover model images for the hero and heroine of the next book in my 1920s romantic mystery series, Goodbye Tootsie. (See the happy results at right.)

With that mission accomplished, it was time to shift gears. Design. What should the cover actually look like?

While I’m pretty good at coming up with elements and concepts, I have no sense of how to put them together into an eye-catching design.

A Trixie Frank – Sean Costigan 1920s Romantic Mystery

The first book in the series, It Had to Be You, published by Carina Press, has a gorgeous cover. A vivid black and white close-up of  heroine Trixie set against a gauzy backdrop of Manhattan. I couldn’t have asked for anything more spot-on to capture the classic cinema elements that had inspired me to write the book.

But I didn’t have that cover artist any longer. I needed to find my own. I’ve worked with cover designers in the past and loved their work, but this was a different series, and I was curious to try someone new.

I asked for referrals from friends and business contacts. After checking out websites, I contacted award winning cover artist Fiona Jayde.

One thing I liked immediately about working with Fiona was that, after I filled out her questionnaire, she spent some time with me via email batting around a few ideas before we committed to move forward.

Here are ten keywords/ideas we worked with.

1. 1920s
2. Mystery
3. Romance
4. Detective
5. Gatsby
6. Wealth
7. Black & White/Sepia
8. Art Deco
9. Classic Cinema
10. Light

Those keywords–along with my back cover blurb and cover model image–were the  three components needed to create my cover. Now, can you picture it?

Neither could I. That’s why we need designers. 🙂

Here it is!

What do you think? Did we nail those keywords?

What does one glance at this cover make you think about the characters? The mood? The story?

If you’ve read It Had to Be You, does the pose and look of these models resemble the Trixie and Sean you imagined?

***

 CHECK OUT GOODBYE, TOOTSIE’S NEW BOOK PAGE AND EXCERPT HERE!

 

COMING FIRST TO AMAZON… JUNE 21, 2015!

January, 1925
Homicide detective Sean Costigan and tabloid reporter Trixie Frank are on the road to romance but at cross-purposes at work when they investigate the New Year’s Eve murder of “Poor Little Rich Girl” Abigail Welles after she comes into control of a family fortune.

 Photo Credits

 It Had to Be You – Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Goodbye, Tootsie cover art design by Fiona Jayde Media. Learn more About Fiona here.

Custom Photo Shoot and Cover Model Image from  RomanceNovelCovers.com

Who are those gorgeous peeps on the cover?

 

Goodbye, Tootsie. Putting it together: Part Three

Last week, I talked about my almost fruitless mission to find the right leading man to grace the cover of the second book in my 1920s romantic mystery series, Goodbye, Tootsie.

From one end of the internet to the other I searched—one romance stock photo site to the next. That’s right, ladies. One drop-dead gorgeous male model after another after another.  It was grueling. (And yes, I have wonderful friends willing to help, but some jobs just can’t be delegated.)

My search for leading man Detective Sean Costigan finally ended at RomanceNovelCovers.com (RNC), where I signed up for two Exclusive Cover Image shots of well known cover model Jimmy Thomas—one for Goodbye, Tootsie and another for the last book now in progress—Good Night, Angela.

Working with site owner Jimmy Thomas turned out to be a pleasure and very similar to working with a cover artist. I answered an emailed questionnaire about my characters—their physical descriptions as well as personalities. The questionnaire also asked about the book’s genre, setting, tone and any ideas I had for poses, costumes or props. I included sample images to illustrate my ideas.

Mr. Thomas came back with a few questions based on the ideas I’d offered—such as, “Should the models be looking at each other? Should one be looking at the camera?”  “If so, which one?” These may seem like ABCs to a model or photographer, but I’d never thought about these details, much less the impact they could have.

RomanceNovelCovers.com (RNC) Custom Photo Shoot – Behind The Scenes – Jimmy Thomas & Inessa – Delynn Royer

Soon, I received an email with links to view portfolio shots of female models. Who would be in my top seven to be Trixie? There was no guarantee I would get my first choice. Or even my second or third. Schedules and availability would be taken into account.

I sent back my list and waited. But not for long. Within a couple weeks, I received several high quality proof images in various poses. It was difficult to choose just two, but I did. Those two will be exclusive for my books.

Holy cow! (As Trixie might say.) Had this process been fun or what? Thanks, Jimmy! 🙂

 Next up… working with a new cover artist and…

cover reveal!

 Having direct input on cover art is one of the aspects of indie publishing I absolutely, hands-down enjoy the most. Indie authors… do you feel the same?

Traditionally published authors … what has your experience been with cover art? Good ? Not so good? (I’ve been both thrilled and horrified.)

 Readers… do you judge a book by its cover?  Will you buy a book with a mediocre cover? What draws your eye to a book’s cover?

 GOODBYE, TOOTSIE
January, 1925
Homicide detective Sean Costigan and tabloid reporter Trixie Frank are on the road to romance but at cross-purposes at work when they investigate the New Year’s Eve murder of “Poor Little Rich Girl” Abigail Welles after she comes into control of a family fortune.

 

Photo Credits

Custom Shoot for Goodbye, Tootsie – Copyright © 2014 RomanceNovelCovers.com

Goodbye, Tootsie title design copyright © 2015 fiona jayde media

In Search of Sean Costigan…

 

Goodbye, Tootsie. Putting it Together: Part Two
In Search of Sean Costigan.

In my last post, I talked about my decision to go indie with the sequel to It Had to Be You. One of the most important things an indie author needs to think about is cover art.

I wasn’t in a position to duplicate the first cover—not with the same artist, model or imagery—but I wanted to preserve some elements. Namely, a classic cinema and vintage feel.  That meant black and white.

Also, beautiful as that first cover is, I wanted to depart in some ways. Mainly, I wanted both my lead characters to appear. For that to happen, I needed to find the right leading man.

Thus began my internet search for Detective Sean Costigan.

Who is Sean Costigan?

Sean is a second generation Irish New York City cop. He’s thirty-three years old, smart, driven, and, yes, a bit jaded from years on the job. His smiles are rare. They have to be earned, and he has a dry sense of humor.

What’s he look like?

Sean is 6’1” with raven-colored hair, dusky blue eyes, and a lean, muscular build. As for “type,” I confess to imagining Alex O’Loughlin in the role even though his hair isn’t quite dark enough.

So, I spent hours on the internet searching stock images. There are some sites that cater to romance authors that offer no shortage of beautiful men. (I had a tough job, right?) But believe it or not, my search actually grew tedious.

I had three problems.

• Type

While several male models fit Sean’s physical description, few were paired with females who fit my leading lady’s type. (Think Amy Adams .)

•   Pose

Clinch poses were plentiful, but Goodbye, Tootsie is a romantic mystery, not a full-fledged romance. There’s a difference.

Think about the TV series Castle. How often do you see Beckett and Castle crawling all over each other in their publicity stills? Not often, if ever. That’s because the romantic content of the show—while indispensable to the chemistry—is warm, not hot. It bows to the show’s murder mystery plot in each episode.

• Time Period/Costume

I adore the 1920s, but it isn’t the wildest selling time period for historical romance. The scant selection of stock available with Roaring 20s costume reflected that.

And so, how close was I to throwing in the towel?

I was ready to surrender and settle for a cover with a feather boa and a hip flask when I decided to give it one more go. I returned to the leading romance sites, starting with RNC—Romance Novel Covers—owned and operated by cover model Jimmy Thomas.

Avid romance readers recognize Mr. Thomas. His image graces the covers of countless novels.  He also happens to fit Sean’s physical description. Too bad there were no 1920s period photos that fit my criteria among the wide selection of stock offered on his site. But Mr. Thomas did offer one thing I hadn’t seen elsewhere— exclusive custom cover shots.

By then, I was ready to consider going the extra mile, but, as an indie author, it’s my dollars and cents being invested to put out a quality product as well as my time.

So, I asked myself two questions. How long had I spent writing this book? And how much more time would I spend not only scouring the internet for cover images but editing, formatting and otherwise promoting it?

This made my decision easy. My time is worth a lot—at least, it is to me. So, I signed up.

 Next time …  working with Jimmy Thomas at RNC to get the perfect shots.

Until then… here’s a behind the scenes peek taken during the custom shoot for the cover for Goodbye, Tootsie. Meet Mr. Thomas and cover model Inessa, who is now my Trixie.

RomanceNovelCovers.com (RNC) Custom Photo Shoot – Behind The Scenes – Jimmy Thomas & Inessa – Delynn Royer

What do you think? Could these two play homicide detective Sean Costigan and perky girl reporter Trixie Frank in the movie? 🙂

 Indie authors… Have you ever had trouble finding just the right image or models to grace your covers?

GOODBYE, TOOTSIE
January, 1925
Homicide detective Sean Costigan and tabloid reporter Trixie Frank are on the road to romance but at cross-purposes at work when they investigate the New Year’s Eve murder of “Poor Little Rich Girl” Abigail Welles after she comes into control of a family fortune.

COMING SOON in Summer of 2015!

Cover art design by Fiona Jayde. Learn more About Fiona here.

 Photo Credits

Goodbye, Tootsie title design copyright © 2015 fiona jayde media

 Custom Shoot for Goodbye, Tootsie – Copyright © 2014 RomanceNovelCovers.com

It Had to Be You – Copyright © 2014 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited.
Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.