An Exercise in Cover Design by Alison Henderson

You've all been such a valuable and cherished source of support for me over the years, it seems only fitting that I should be asking for your help once again in my final regular post for the Roses of Prose. I may have mentioned I've started re-working a story I began a few years ago after finishing Unwritten Rules. It's going well, so I decided to start working on concepts for the cover design. I'm aiming for a June 2019 publication date, but having a cover I love always inspires me to keep going when the writing bogs down, as it inevitably does. Also, I like to live with the design for a few months and keep tinkering with it until I've got it just right.

To that end, I've come up with five preliminary cover concepts, and I'd love your gut reactions to them. The story is a romantic suspense (not sure how those elements will balance out yet) set in Big Sur and Carmel. There's a murder, money-laundering Russians, and a couple of humorous, meth-dealing bikers. It may turn out to be darker than my last series but not bite-your-nails-and-hide-in-the-closet dark. In addition, my heroine is a kinetic sculptor who has come home to escape an abusive relationship and find her true self through her art, so there will be personal growth, transformation and hope. Not much of a tall order, is it? lol

At this point, I want the cover to convey a strong sense of place and the impression that something interesting is going to happen here. I want something that will make readers click on the cover to learn more.

Three of the mock-ups include images of the Bixby Bridge, and two are of the Big Sur coastline. The bridge images convey more of a sense of mystery or suspense, and the crashing waves tie in more with the title and the heroine's wind sculpture. I'll decide which way to go once I have more of the book written and have a better feel for the final tone. For that reason, it would be really helpful if you treated this like a Chinese restaurant menu and chose one from column A and one from column B. But please, if you hate them all, please say so! 

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

Thanks so much for your help!

Alison

https://www.alisonhenderson.com

I #amwriting (live!) for INCENTIVES. How about you? by Rolynn Anderson

We’ve been talking about deadlines (set by self and others), lately, which don’t work nearly as well for me as incentives of the external kind.  Here are some examples:

San Luis Obispo county (and other state/county entities in California), entice residents to reduce the sizes of their lawns by offering a dollar for each square foot of grass we remove (replaced by a drip system watering drought resistant plants...that's the bargain).  When my DH and I realized we'd be recompensed about $6,000 for ripping out our thirsty, unhealthy, not-so-green carpet, we signed up.

The cash for grass program initially prompted our front yard makeover, but we're so pleased with the result, we've quickly taken on the back yard. See the amazing power of incentives? My husband and I have moved into  design and demolition with much more confidence and speed than we mustered in the front-scape design.  (You can see we're keeping a small patch of grass. Can't help it!)

 P. S. I promised you a picture of my giant bird of paradise, taking 10 years to bloom, so here it is, but you have to look look hard at this pic to see the majesty.  The black, narrow triangles in the middle of the plant make up the flower...in the closeup, you will see the four white blossoms poking upward (I had to hold a branch aside to give you a full view).

What entices an author to write more, and write better? Many of us are galvanized by great reviews, a growing cadre of fans, and the encouragement of colleagues, relatives and friends. Another bonus: getting the nod in a contest.  As you know, Bad Lies is a Rone finalist. Watch me work on my 9th and 10th novels with new verve now that Bad Lies has earned a pretty badge!

Money,  food (chocolate!), badges/certificates, avid fans, encouraging colleagues.  A vacation, a new outfit, an electronic thingy, a car.  Incentives always help to push me to the next level. I build on good results...energized by each success to improve the next project. 

What's been your go-to motivator lately? How about coming up with one right now?

Web and Blog:

http://rolynnanderson.com

Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rolynn-Anderson/188767867821613  

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/rolynnanderson

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4990049.Rolynn_Anderson

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/author/rolynnanderson

New Release - Undercover Nanny by Alison Henderson

Yippee! I have a new release!! UNDERCOVER NANNY is here!!!

There were many times over the past eighteen months when I didn't think I'd be able to say that. As I told Jannine last week, sometimes it takes a village, and let me tell you, this book took a village and then some. I needed--and received--more help with this one than anything I've ever written. Happily, the end result is something I think we can all be proud of.

When I asked for input on the blurb, many of you responded with suggestions. If you look closely, you may see a few of your own words in the final version.

BLURB:

Kidnapping. Extortion. Antiquities smuggling. Add one light-fingered, bad-tempered monkey, and it’s all in a day’s work for novice bodyguard Casey Callahan when she’s hired to protect the five-year-old niece of a handsome archaeology professor.

Alec Bainbridge has been balancing excavation and teaching duties with single parenthood since the death of his sister. When a stranger attempts to kidnap his niece, he hires a bodyguard to pose as the little girl’s nanny. However, the young woman who shows up is a far cry from the matronly type he was expecting.

Amid break-ins, anonymous threats, and arson, Casey and Alec race to identify the villains before they harm the child or make off with a priceless Egyptian artifact. All the while, their mutual attraction complicates an already volatile situation. With an innocent child’s life at stake, Casey and Alec risk everything to solve the mystery before their growing feelings become the final casualty.

Balthazar, the monkey, was one of my all-time favorite characters to write and plays an important role in the story. Have you heard the old show business warning against working with children or animals because they'll always upstage you? Well, UNDERCOVER NANNY has both, and this short excerpt gives you a taste: 

Alec climbed the two flights of stairs to the playroom, where he found Grace and Balthazar playing her current favorite make-believe—Jungle Adventurer. Grace was wearing her pith helmet, while the monkey sported his veiled pink princess hat.

“He’s a giant gorilla who’s rescuing the hippo from the flooded river.” She pointed at her stuffed hippo, who was wrapped in an old blue bath towel.

       Alec gave a mental shrug. After the kind of day he’d had, he could see no reason why a heroic giant gorilla shouldn’t wear a conical pink princess hat.

Like the first two books in this series, UNDERCOVER NANNY mixes a healthy dose of heart-warming emotion and humor with the suspense. I just hope readers will enjoy it as much as the others.

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com 

Buying on the Cheap by Rolynn Anderson

Even if I don’t have to be, I remain the daughter of parents brought up during the depression…a bargain hunter, through and through.  

Watch me as I drive from one plant nursery to yet another, pricing aloe and yuccas; listen to me as I speak on the phone to palm tree purveyors, asking, “If I buy three palms will you ship for free?” Look over my shoulder as I search for coupons and Easter bargains before I buy a chair on Overstock. I lie in wait for the 20% off Saturday special at Ace Hardware, to buy palm fertilizer, potting soil and bird food.

Slate for our walkway was the best deal at Home Depot; we found a fabulous price for 18’ by 3’ pavers locally; Santa Barbara boulders are only 16 cents a pound; 3/8 inch rock is best bought from Central Coast Products.

I found out what a neighbor paid for his rip-out-the-grass landscape project. I said: “Game on! I can do it for half that price.” (I feel encouraging pats on my back from my long-gone parents)  Here's a pic of our landscape redo to this point, taken from the front door. The slate and pavers have been placed...the edging, plants, rocks and lighting still to come:

You see how competitive and eager I am to take on the challenge. You also see how much time and effort this project will require. Yes, it verges an obsession.

I would have thought that over time, I could let go of the struggle to buy the best quality product at the lowest price.  Not happening.

How about for you? Are you paying full price on stuff these days? And if you aren’t, what’s the best bargain you’ve struck lately? We may want to get in on it J

The first book in my series comes at the low, low price of $2.99.  FADEOUT: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1612173616

Web and Blog:

http://rolynnanderson.com

Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rolynn-Anderson/188767867821613  

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/rolynnanderson

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4990049.Rolynn_Anderson

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/author/rolynnanderson