Order of the Dragon, Books 1 and 2 - Covers

My latest novel, Order of the Dragon, explores the family of Prince Vlad Dracula of Romania, battling Europe’s Christian and Turkic enemies. Vlad Dracul was the father of the real Dracula, who inspired centuries of vampire legends thanks to author Bram Stoker's quintessential novel. The story is told in two parts; the first half debuts in December 2022 and the second half in March 2023.

Order of the Dragon offers a prelude to the novella series Sons of the Dragon, three overlapping stories about Dracula's brothers; each of whom, like him, would succeed their father as a medieval Eastern European ruling prince. Those novellas will debut in June 2023, September 2023, and December 2023. So while it's been a long, long time since I've posted (or frankly, published) anything, clearly I've been quite busy.

Final cover art - Sultana: The Bride Price

It's finally here; the cover artwork for the next in my Moorish Spain series, entitled Sultana: The Bride Price, which will be available in the spring.

Sultana: The Bride Price is the story of Sultan Muhammad V of the Nasrid Dynasty, the only son of Yusuf I and his Christian wife Butayna, as told in Sultana: Two Sisters. The novel follows the course of history in which Muhammad V married his paternal first cousin, a woman whose name was not recorded in any of the sources, whom I have called Jazirah. As the novel opens, Jazirah is a headstrong and determined fourteen year-old; I expect any descendant of Fatima, the heroine of the first two novels would have been little different from her stalwart ancestress. Needless to say, Jazirah and her new husband don't fare very well at the start; if you've read my previous work, you know this already because you also know I don't write about historical figures with rosy, happy lives. Returning for this novel are several of the characters from Two Sisters, most importantly, Butayna and Maryam, whose continued conflicts are resolved in a dramatic way that aligns with their history. Muhammad V also has his own drama to survive within and outside of the harem's walls of Alhambra.

As with my other historical fiction works, the credit for this cover goes to Lance Ganey, whom I have the joy of working with for four years now. The original, public-domain artwork I sent him was Ferdinand Max Bredt's In a courtyard, Tunis (1921). The central figure drew me because she's much as I envisioned a young and beautiful teen-aged Jazirah. Lance superimposed the figure over a beautiful background of Alhambra's Court of Lions, which Muhammad V ordered construction on beginning in the early 1360's.

The ebook and paperback versions of the newest novel will be available within a short span of each other; ebook always first on all sales channels, followed by the paperback assuming all goes well with Ingram Spark. Four books down  and two more to go before I wrap up this series that has meant so much to me. I hope readers will be as excited as I am when Sultana: The Bride Price makes its debut.     

Final cover art - Sultana: Two Sisters

Another brilliant Lance Ganey production, ebook and paperback available summer 2013. 

Sultana: Two Sisters - The Cover

It's that time again! You would think it might be easier with each successive title to decide on a cover for my next, Sultana: Two Sisters - wrong! Finding the right artwork to represent the Moorish period in Spain has meant hours on Wiki Commons searching for Orientalist paintings in the public domain and even more time with GIMP. Thanks to the patience and intrepid eye of my writing buddy Mirella Patzer, I've narrowed the choices down. Can you help me decide?

Here's the story: In fourteenth-century Moorish, two lifelong friends become captives, sold into the harem of Sultan Yusuf I of Granada. A young woman with a hidden heritage becomes Butayna, the Sultan’s beloved wife, while her counterpart Maryam enjoys a life of pleasure and luxury at Yusuf’s side. Each woman bears the Sultan a son and finds diverging paths in a dizzying rise to power. When only one heir may inherit the throne and only one woman can claim the revered title of Mother of the Sultan, can the bond between Butayna and Maryam survive?

The title Sultana: Two Sisters refers as much to the close bond between the pair of women, who being the novel almost like sisters, but it also alludes to a common faith and heritage they share. Three paintings seemed to represent various elements of the characters and mood of this latest title:

Aimee, A Young Egyptian, by Emile Vernet-Lecomte -1869

There's something especially striking about the figure in Emile Vernet-Lecomte's Aimee, A Young Egyptian, innocence and sensuality combined.

Oriental Beauty, by Emile Vernet-Lecomte - 1869

Equally beautiful, but somewhat more pensive and prideful is the figure in Oriental Beauty, also by Emile Vernet-Lecomte.

Two Musician Girls, by Osman Hamdi Bey - 1880

Lastly, these two figures in Osman Hamdi Bey's Two Musician Girls easily captured a scene of two young women, one clearly learning from the other, which is an important aspect of the story.

Each painting is beautiful, but neither was a perfect match for what I had in mind. While I wanted both women from the story represented on the cover, either the backgrounds were dull, the hair was wrong, or as in the case of the first two images, a single figure wouldn't be right. Thank God for GIMP! If you're willing to learn about layering images or have a wonderful buddy / tutor like Mirella to help, GIMP can be one of the best tools for an author trying to design the right cover.

Royalty-free images that provided alternate backgrounds for each picture came from Fotolia.com. With GIMP, each images from the paintings became a layer on a new background. With a few tweaks to the appearances of the duo, especially the hair, and Mirella's alignment of the two separate figures in natural poses to suit the backgrounds, new cover ideas were created! Which one do you think should be the cover of Sultana: Two Sisters?

Version 1

Version 2

Version 3

Version 4

   

The Burning Candle: Final Cover Art

Here's the finalized version in the full cover spread. Just gave the final nod, otherwise known as eternal gratitude, to the wonderful Lance Ganey. I've loved all of his work, but Lance really made this one so striking. Just wait, I'll probably say that about the other covers to follow. Yeah, I'm fickle.

You may notice one change from previous books in that this one bears a logo for "Alhambra Press" on the spine. The Burning Candle will be distributed through Lightning Source (LS) AND CreateSpace (CS). LS requires a publisher imprint, hence the slightly pretentious name, but absolutely gorgeous logo. LS setup is a bitch different from CreateSpace and the fees are slightly higher, but not enough to dissuade. Still, pray for me. Seriously. Lest you think I'm some glutton for punishment who thrives on near-insurmountable tasks (the whole self-publishing process gave it away), there is method to my madness. LS offers great print distribution channels and better revenue on paperbacks, which account for eight percent of total sales. Having bought ISBNs, I can stay with CS and never enroll in its Expanded Distribution again. The revenue through Expanded Distribution is ABYSMAL. Like 18 cents on one book or 33 cents on another kind of  ABYSMAL. Hoping for better through LS.

Edits continue on the book and then it's off to the patient beta readers. Still looking at a summer release of this title.

The Burning Candle: Cover Art & Copy help

My next title will make its debut this summer. Just got the preliminary cover art ideas from Lance Ganey, who I may have mentioned is brilliant, at one or fifteen million other intervals. The Burning Candle is the fifth of my covers that he's worked on. Lance has an incredible talent for turning my rough ideas and blurred images with horrible resolutions into something that always brings tears to my eye when I first see it. This time was no different.

Now, I need the blurb and YOUR help. Please tell me here, on Twitter or my Facebook page which, if any, of the following versions you find most appealing:

Version 1 

Willful. Passionate. Scandalous.
Isabel de Vermandois, the spirited descendant of  French kings and Russian grand princes, becomes the wife of Comte Robert de Beaumont in the eleventh century. He is a hero of the Norman victory at Hastings and a loyal counselor to successive English kings. As his young bride, Isabel enters the decadent court of  King Henry I. Long-buried secrets in Robert's past threaten to shatter her world, as does the passionate interest of William de Warenne, Earl of Surrey.  

Based on the life of a remarkable woman, the ancestress of medieval Scottish royalty and English nobility, with a legion of living descendants, The Burning Candle is a story of duty and honor, love and betrayal.    

Version 2

Wife. Mother. Lover. 
In eleventh-century France on the eve of the First Crusade, Isabel de Vermandois becomes a bride. Her marriage to Robert de Beaumont, Comte de Meulan offers a desperate escape from her cruel parents. But is the match the key to her salvation or damnation? 

When Isabel discovers Robert is hiding terrible secrets that could destroy their marriage, she must learn painful truths and gain the strength to survive. Can she also find the courage to love again? 

Based on the life of a remarkable medieval woman, The Burning Candle, is a story of duty and honor, love and betrayal.

Version 3

Love is for those who have choices. She has none.      
In eleventh-century France on the eve of the First Crusade, Isabel de Vermandois becomes the wife of a man old enough to be her father. He is Robert de Beaumont, Comte de Meulan. A hero of the Norman victory at Hastings and loyal counselor to successive English kings, Robert is not all Isabel had expected. Cruel and kind by contrast, he draws her into the decadent court of King Henry I. As Robert's secrets are unraveled, Isabel finds her heart torn in two. Her duties as a wife and mother compel her, but an undeniable attraction to the young William de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, tempts her. In a kingdom where love has no sway over marital alliances, Isabel must choose where her loyalties and her heart lie. 

Based on the life of a remarkable medieval woman forgotten by time, The Burning Candle, is a story of duty and honor, love and betrayal.

Still undecided? Join the club. While you're considering the versions of the blurb, here's that cover:

 
P.S. If the couple looks familiar, that's Francisco Hayez's Il Bacio (The Kiss) dated 1859, from artwork available in the public domain.  

Help! The Blurb

I've already begged for help from my ever-patient beta readers and on Kindleboards, so now I'm asking YOU! Trying to decide on a blurb for Sultana's Legacy; the text will appear on the back. Drowning in the different versions, but I've narrowed down a few. Thoughts?

I'm thicker-skinned than most, so don't worry about offending me with your honest opinions. I just want to get the right feel for this book with the cover AND blurb.

Version 1
How far will one woman go in a quest for vengeance? Can love survive the test of divided loyalties?

In thirteenth-century Moorish Spain, the kingdom of Granada faces a bleak future. Fatima and Faraj have enjoyed peace and prosperity, until treachery brings a swift end to their happiness. A madman has seized the throne. He has killed almost everyone Fatima once held dear.

Fatima must preserve the enduring legacy of the Sultans of Granada, at all costs. Yet, her greatest triumph leaves her unprepared for the most shocking betrayal of all.


Version 2
How far will one woman go to avenge terrible losses? Can love survive the test of divided loyalties?

In thirteenth-century Moorish Spain, the kingdom of Granada faces a bleak future. A tyrant has seized the throne. His reign brings a violent end to years of peace and prosperity.

Now, Fatima risks everything to preserve the legacy of her forefathers, including the love and trust of her husband, Faraj.


Version 3
In thirteenth-century Moorish Spain, divided loyalties test the fragile bonds between families, and a husband and wife.

Amidst treachery and intrigue, Fatima must confront a once beloved brother. A power-hungry madman, he has seized the throne and murdered almost everyone she has ever loved.

To preserve the enduring legacy of her forefathers, she must also risk the years of trust she has shared with a devoted husband. The bitter consequences and a final, shocking betrayal threaten to undo her accomplishments.

Thanks for your thoughts!


P.S. Yes, you can even say "None of them work for me! Go back to the drawing board" PROVIDED you suggest one line where I can start. Remember, help is the operative word here.

Sultana's Legacy: Final Cover Art

Got the best email tonight from Lance Ganey, very brilliant cover artist. Sultana's Legacy is ready, at least the cover. The various elements of this book were a struggle to find and settle on. I wanted something that captured the darkness of the period, the sadness of my heroine, Fatima. It had to be a female figure that was similar in some ways to the one for Sultana, somewhat older and more world-weary, but familiar. Again, Orientalist art proved a goldmine. Then I needed a background. Fotolia was a great resource for royalty-free images. GIMP is also one of a self-published author's best resources; never thought I'd learn to layer but it happened.

First, here are the originals.

This is Femme Orientale by Jean Francois Portaels Belgian 1818-1895; available through an attribution license from Creative Commons. If you've seen the cover of Sultana, do you notice the similarities between the figure on that cover and this one? Amazingly, they were done by two different Orientalist artists.

Looking for a fantastic, royalty-free background for your commercial projects? Check out Fotolia.

The layered image. I reversed both the background and female figure, cropped the background and figure separately, and then layered and enlarged the figure to dominate more of the space. All with GIMP. Then I turned to Lance, for his magic. So, here it is:

The final cover final, FINAL with blurb. Lance added the font, which he had drawn for Sultana, enhanced the depth and created some drama. For the back, he used textures and patterns that compliment the front. As he explained, he was aiming for the effect of looking at a light source behind a thin curtain.

I love it. I almost cried when I saw it, but that's just because I'm a sap. What do you think?

Cover Art for Sultana Legacy

Today, I'm playing around with cover art for Sultana's Legacy, due this fall. I've narrowed down the cover images to two favorites (I've had them in mind for quite a while). Now, I'm considering the design and layout. I turned to Createspace's Cover Creator, which is a great resource for writers on a budget, like me. It offers thirty templates to choose from and immediately, a select few of the designs stood out as being appropriate for my work. As this is a much darker story, I want the sequel to Sultana to reflect a sombre mood. Here a a few samples I've come up with; what do you think?

   

Sultana: Final Cover Artwork

Remember last month when I was agonizing over the cover artwork for Sultana? Some of the blog visitors who commented were helpful in the selection process and I'm thrilled with the end result. The foreground image is A Jewish Girl of Tangiers by Charles Zacharie Landelle (1812-1908), while the background is Adolf Seel's Innenhof der Alhambra (1829-1907). Both paintings are public domain images made available through Creative Commons. My brilliant cover artist Lance Ganey compiled the two images and created the cover font - he's so talented. The original Landelle painting has a gray, non-descript background. In addition to the beautiful girl on the cover, I wanted something of the majesty and beauty of the Alhambra, too. It was a stroke of luck finding Seel's painting. In addition to the compilation, Lance also made subtle changes to the artwork, making it truly unique. You can see the originals and his handiwork in the comparison below.

Sultana's been a labor of love for me and it deserved a gorgeous cover that captured the essense of the story. I think the artwork achieves that aim. What do you think?

CreateSpace's Cover Creator

I've got covers on the brain because my cover designer, Lance Ganey, sent initial proofs of Sultana, and I'm super-excited! What if you're an independent author looking for a less costly solution to create your own fabulous cover? CreateSpace's Cover Creator is great for authors with a small budget.

To get started, you must have a CreateSpace account. After you have entered your title, upload its physical properties and other details. You can save your progress at varying stages. Now comes the fun part. Launch Cover Creator and you'll see a total 30 design templates like these:

Each template has a fixed position for the title, author name, back blurb, barcode and ISBN. Also, you cannot change the typeface within the template, only its color. With some, you have the option to include an author photo. The book's spine is automatically generated based on the calculation of your total number of pages. Feel free to try different templates. You are not locked into any design until you submit your entire manuscript and cover art to CreateSpace. After you've selected a design, the list of variables you can edit appears in the left navigation pane, including the title, author(s), front cover image, about the author, back cover text, and author photo and bio. You can even add a publisher logo or change the background color. CreateSpace has a library of images you can use, or you can upload your own. Specifications are provided for the size and resolution of your own photos.

Redux: let's try this again. I played around with a few of the templates in Cover Creator and found the designs tasteful and easy to produce. Here are a few samples, in which I've highlighted the frames so you can see the placement of the text along the spine and front cover:

Changing designs was as simple as the click of a button, preserving the text I had already uploaded, while allowing me to swap images. I've been a Create Space client for nearly seven months and I continue to be impressed with how they have simplified the upload process, including the new Cover Creator feature.

What are you waiting for? Go to CreateSpace now and give Cover Creator a try.

Everything has its price...

...Especially when you're requesting permission for artwork by an artist that's been dead for over a hundred years. The following says it all:

"For print-on-demand books, the license must specify a maximum number of copies to be printed within a particular time frame. A standard license reads as such: "ONE-TIME NON-EXCLUSIVE WORLDWIDE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PRINT RIGHTS FOR A PERIOD OF FIVE (5) YEARS FROM THE FIRST PUBLICATION (PRINT RUN=UP TO 3,000)." The front cover use fee is $450. There is a surcharge (+$150 per image) to use the images in ebook format for a period of up to ten years only. All images used online must be displayed at a maximum resolution of 72 dpi. All future editions, reprints, translations, or formats (including electronic media) must be negotiated separately. We require that one gratis copy of each book be sent to our office upon publication."

Sigh. The search continues.

Choose that Cover: Sultana

I haven't made up my mind as to the final choice of a cover image for Sultana. Would you like to help me? Here's why the choice is so hard:

Do you agonize over book covers? Have you ever been dazzled by the gorgeous dress of some headless woman or a hunky hero on horseback, and knowing nothing beyond the blurb, rushed headlong to buy the book? Or, have you looked at a cover and assumed that the dreadful imagery and the barely legible typeface meant the book couldn't be an interesting read?

I'm outing myself as an obsessive, cover snob. "Don't judge a book by its cover" - good advice, but impossible. Over decades of reading, I know the exact type of cover that will attract me. Readers have developed expectations based on the cover. The gorgeous dress on a headless woman has been a staple of historical fiction for years, allowing readers to identify the genre on sight alone even before they browse the content.  A good book cover should do several things all at once. The author's name and title should be paramount. It should be appealing. Most importantly, it should convey key elements of the story; something about the setting, characters, key conflict or theme, or the genre. Even the color of the background can be useful to convey the mood.

For my upcoming novels, I'm working with cover artist Lance Ganey again. He did a brilliant job with my first novel, and even those who don't like it have loved the cover. I have very precise ideas in mind for the mood I want to convey. The setting is medieval Spain during its exotic Moorish period, and the themes are dark. While there are gorgeous stock photos out there, they were too modern to really convey story elements. I've decided to go with royalty-free art from the 19th century Orientalists. Most of the artists painted a very Westernized view of Ottoman life in Turkey and Algiers, but their work captures the right mood.

At the outset of Sultana, my heroine is a young princess surrounded by luxury, but her family is beset on all sides by their enemies. Her marriage has precipitated a thirteen-year civil war. I'm looking for an image that conveys a sense of her youth and station in life, but also has a sombre background hinting at the dangers surrounding her. I've sent a few high resolution images to Lance, including:

A Jewish Girl of Tangiers, Charles Landelle  

In The Dressing Room, Ettore Simonetti

La Belle Orientale, Charles Louis Lucien Muller

La Jeune Mauresque, Frederick Arthur Bridgman

The Final Decision, Edouard Frederic Wilhelm Richter

A few favorites won't make the cut unless I locate a high resolution version:

After The Bath, Rudolf Ernst

An Oriental Beauty, Jean Francois Portaels

Guard of the Harem, Rudolf Ernst

Sigh. It's frustrating because some of these latter images are just perfect. Of the high resolution ones, I have a rough idea of which is not quite right, but I'm curious about what others think.

Tell me your choice for a potentail cover image of Sultana and why. Thanks for your help, and for stopping by the blog.

On Falcon's Wings

In the summer of 2005, I started a new manuscript, the story of a medieval falconer's daughter who fell in love with a Saxon lord, on the eve of the Norman Conquest in 1066. The knowledge and careful attention of members in my critique group kept me on my toes, particularly when we debated the value of the Bayeux Tapestry as a research tool, or a clever piece of propaganda.  A fateful day arrived when my friend Mirella Patzer, who was also editing the manuscript, said "...A falconer was a serf - in essence, a slave, and NOT a commoner - so a nobleman would have kept her - but not married her as the church would not have recognized their interaction...." My plot was in jeopardy, and all those months of research on the art of falconry seemed a waste, but Mirella helped me to re-structure and save the storyline.

Self-publishing this or any other story never seriously crossed my mind - if it did, it was the option of last resort. I was determined to follow the traditional route in publishing. So, I kept at all the things which I was certain would bring me what I wanted most: a contract. I kept active in my writing groups, self-edited my manuscript and queried agents and editors.  Requests for partials and fulls came and went, while my goal remained elusive. Frustration grew, as I watched other members of my critique groups reach their goals, and I found it increasingly difficult to read anything just for the pleasure of it. In September 2009, I attended a Writer's Digest conference, and finally heard the words that motivated me to re-consider self-publishing. Months later, I took Bill O'Hanlon's words to heart and used the emotion inside me, in this case, being pissed, and committed to self-publishing the manuscript languishing on my computer for almost five years.

Today, I received the notification that the Kindle version of On Falcon's Wings was available for sale, and the proof of the paperback was ready for me to order. So many emotions are churning inside me, I can't even describe them, but I think fear, coupled with an overwhelming sense of happiness are right at the top.  I will admit, I've checked Amazon a few times this morning, just to be sure that beautiful cover is really there.

Speaking of covers, here it is with a huge thank-you to my cover illustrator, Lance Ganey, one among many who helped make my dream come true.

What's In A Name?

Apparently, a lot.

I've spent several weeks preparing my self-published title, On Falcon's Wings, for its debut on Amazon.com and the Kindle. You know how they say, the devil's in the details? I learned that happens to be very true.

Either, I had completely lost my mind, or became mired in so many other details, like the right trim, crazy margins, haphazard indents, and that darn Kindle upload, that I paid absolutely no attention to the author name on the cover of my book, which I've only seen sir or seven times. Didn't notice a thing, until, I received this email from CreateSpace today: The author name for this book was listed as Lisa J. Yarde but the cover indicates the author name is Lisa Yarde and the text file indicates the author name is Lisa J. Yarde . Please make sure the author name listed in the book information matches with the author name appearing on your book's front cover and interior title page.  When you've signed up with CreateSpace, you cannot change the author listing, once you've submitted the title properties!!!!!! So, the Lisa J. Yarde listed with CreateSpace must be Lisa J. Yarde on the cover. Sigh.

God bless my illustrator, Lance Ganey, who got back to me with a quick response that he could edit the cover. Otherwise, it would be just one more thing on my list of worries today, like the whole marketing and selling the book thing.

Covers and Titles: Decisions, Decisions...

I'm moving right along with self-publishing my medieval novel, On Falcon's Wings. A dear friend, Gemi Sasson just finished her beautiful first novel, The Crown in the Heather, but also took time from her busy schedule to do some hand-holding with me. Thanks to Gemi's recommendation, I'm now working with a great cover illustrator, Lance Ganey.

Since I've had several years to think about this particular book (you know, those years spent begging and pleading and waiting for agents / editors to take it on), I knew precisely what I wanted: "...A lone, female figure on the right, viewed either from the back or profile, in a long, red mantle, her hair and face partially concealed under a hood. She stands on a high bluff in a snowbound or graying landscape, overlooking a seascape, perhaps leaning against a withered tree. In the distance, a falcon is flying toward her from the left. I like the red mantle to represent passion and the blood spilled during the major conflict in the story, the bluff and seascape representing the physical divide between my hero and heroine. I also feel the background should be a bit bleak or murky to represent the uncertain future everyone faces in the story."

Yeah, not a hint of indecisiveness about the cover. I do wonder at Lance's initial thoughts when he got my email, but hopefully nothing like "book Nazi" flitted through his mind. Wait until you see what he came up with! I'm so thrilled by his initial design, it really captured the idea beautifully.

The choice of a title was much harder, and in my case, it became design by committee. Years ago, more than I want to remember, I wrote Love, Remember Me about a Norman woman in love with a Saxon on the eve of the conquest of 1066. Subsequently, it was re-titled Bound by Blood, but when my two longtime friends Anita Davison and Mirella Patzer suggested that title often related to vampires, it was time for a change. Both ladies suggested some titles during our weekly Skype conversations, and after talking with more fellow writers, I had a list of more than 20 titles. So, late at night I sent an email to nine of my most trusted writing friends, with a sample "back cover blurb" and asked for their opinions. Ultimately, my final choice was not among them. When Kristina Emmons, the author of Roeing Oaks, suggested On Falcon's Wings as an alternative, I knew it would be a perfect fit. Thank you, Kristina!

My concerns about covers and titles come from my own experience as a book buyer. The cover is the first thing you see and should meet reader expectations, a little taste of the true flavor of the book. As for titles, there's something strange about picking up a book with an evocative title, only to find it has absolutely nothing to do with the story. I hope I've managed to capture a good sense of the story with my choices. Stay tuned for the final cover version in a future post.

How do you feel about covers and titles? As a writer, how much effort do you put into choosing the right cover and title to reflect the story elements? As a reader, how does a book's cover and title influence your purchase?