New cover for the Spanish translation of Sultana

I was finally able to accomplish one of many projects I had wanted to do for some time; update the cover art of the e-book only, Spanish translation of Sultana. As often happens, life got in the way, but it's finally finished. One of the most helpful tools I've found is the Adobe Creative Cloud, which offers a year's access to the Adobe suite of Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, etc. Even better, there's now an added feature called Adobe Stock where subscribers can download high-quality royalty-free images such as those found at Dreamstime, Fotolia and Shutterstock. The following images captured elements of what I was looking for in a new cover:

1. 

2. 

To which I added one purchased years ago from another site:

3. 

Over time, I've learned to manipulate images with GIMP, PhotoScape and Paint.net; each of these is photo editing software, which has its strengths and drawbacks when you're interested in cover design. I love them because they're free tools that anyone with the patience and perseverance to try can work with; trust me. I haven't attempted any design work in PhotoShop as yet, but expect my learning curve to soar dramatically once I give the program a try.

In Paint.net, I cropped image #1 of the Muslim woman praying and saved it as my foreground image. Then I opened up picture #3 of the Lion Court of Alhambra in GIMP and saved that as my background. I can't say enough great things about the GIMP program, as it allows you to select just the sections you want and copy / paste or layer them into another photo.

Later, I opened a second window with the woman's image and selected just her figure. Then I layered my selection in the Lion Court photo, scaling it so she would appear in the foreground in the most naturalistic pose. Saving this new image as the base, I went back to Paint.net and selected one of the beautiful gold borders from image #2. Then I elongated these borders at the top and bottom of the new image:

Afterward, in PhotoScape, I added the text. Finally, I used GIMP again to clean up areas around the figure, where blotches had occurred.
   

And here's the final version:

Translations of a novel: thinking global

I've mentioned in an earlier post that I'm looking into translations of the novels of the Sultana series. My foray into foreign rights sales has spurred a serious interest in seeing these books in other languages. My first choice of Spanish seems especially appropriate; not only because of the setting of the stories, but the number of Spanish speakers worldwide. In Spanish bookstores (yes, they still exist outside the US), particularly at the bookshop of the Alhambra, I saw lots of historical fiction titles revolving around the Moorish period - guess what language they were in? Not English. Years ago, I started learning some basics of Spanish using Fluenz, in part because the country is such a fun destination for me, but also to aid my understanding of the research materials I've depended on to write the series. My foray is little help in preparing for the task of translating half a million words into a language spoken by 400 million people worldwide. Why?  

With all the native speakers, there are regional variations in the language. Beyond that, there are simply different ways in which someone can choose to express themselves, with the use of idiomatic phrases in a certain context. Ideally, I would like the person who undertakes the first translation to do so for all the books, which would be a huge commitment, but would hopefully reduce some of the variation. In reviewing the possibilities for translation, I asked potential translators of Sultana to provide a sample of the following section from the first novel:

Aisha smiled again, but it seemed sad. “Hush now, child, listen well. Understanding shall come. Even when you must do what others command, never forget the power of your own reasoning. One day, your husband may rule your body, he may even come to rule your heart, but your mind is and always must be your own, where none but you may rule. Promise me that you shall never forget these words.” 

Fatima swayed slightly. Her throat hurt, but she whispered, “I promise.” 

She returned Aisha’s intent stare, for the first time, unafraid. Aisha’s eyes glistened like gems in the lamplight. 

“This is the only measure of advice I can give you, Fatima. You must learn the ways of men, as I have. Do not trust in men alone. Love, be dutiful and respectful, but trust yourself and your instincts first. They shall always guide you rightly.”

Here are the samples from two translators born in Spain.

Sample 1

Aisha sonrió de nuevo, pero su sonrisa parecía triste. 

-Ahora guarda silencio, niña, y escucha atentamente. La comprensión vendrá. Aunque tengas que hacer lo que otros te ordenen nunca olvides el poder de tu propio razonamiento. Un día, tu esposo puede que controle tu cuerpo, puede incluso que quiera mandar en tu corazón, pero tu mente es y siempre deberá ser tuya y nadie más que tú debe mandar sobre ella. Prométeme que nunca olvidarás estas palabras.

Fátima se balanceó ligeramente. Le dolía la garganta pero susurró:

-Lo prometo.

Ella devolvió la mirada decidida de Aisha en la que por primera vez no aparecía el miedo. Los ojos de Aisha brillaban como piedras preciosas a la luz de una lámpara.

-Este es el único consejo que puedo darte, Fátima. Debes aprender cómo actúan los hombres de la misma manera que yo lo he hecho. No confíes solo en los hombres. Ama, sé obediente y respetuosa, pero confía en ti misma y en tus instintos primero. Ellos serán siempre los que mejor te guiarán.

Sample 2

Aisha esbozó una sonrisa, pero era incapaz de ocultar su tristeza.

–Guarda silencio, niña mía, y escucha con atención. Lo que te voy a decir a continuación lo entenderás a su debido tiempo. Incluso cuando debas hacer lo que te ordenen, nunca olvides el poder que la razón te otorga. Algún día tu marido será el dueño de tu cuerpo e incluso puede que se apropie de tu corazón. Pero tu mente es y deberá ser siempre tuya, es el lugar donde nadie más tiene el control. Ahora, prométeme que nunca olvidarás éstas mis palabras.

Fatima se balanceó levemente y, a pesar del nudo que tomó forma en su garganta, suspiró:

–Lo prometo.

Y le devolvió a Aisha su intensa mirada que, por vez primera, transmitía temor: sus ojos brillaban como gemas a la luz de las velas.

–Fatima, este es el único consejo que te puedo dar. Debes ser capaz de entender a los hombres tal y como yo lo hago. Nunca debes de depositar tu confianza solo ellos. Ama, sé responsable  a la par que respetable, pero antes de nada ten confianza en ti misma y en tus instintos ya que te guiarán por el camino correcto.

Wish me luck as I go about deciding on the right person to tackle the novel. If you're an author considering translations of your work, hiring a translator isn't cheap. I've received a great offer on the existing series, but it's still in the range of thousands of dollars. Consider the following resources:

Translator's Cafe

Babelcube

Bring on 2013!

Not that 2012 wasn't a great productive year, personally and professionally. Most goals were attained but a few are still elusive. There's just something about a new year; a new start, beginnings, hopes and prospects. The top things I'm anticipating for next year include:

Mid-year, the third in my series on Moorish Spain, Sultana: Two Sisters will be published. The penultimate draft is going through the critique group, whose members have provided incredible and encouraging feedback. I'm also happy to announce the next title in the series is underway (more on that in 2013) with plans for a total of six books on this topic through the next two years, spanning the history of the Nasrid Dynasty as rulers of Granada.

Audio book versions of On Falcon's Wings, Sultana and The Burning Candle are coming! Each title is currently in production through Audiobook Creation Exchange. The wonderful voice talent of audio book narrator and actress Sherill Turner, voice actress Maureen Boutilier and bilingual voice artist Laurence Krambule will bring the medieval period in England, Spain and France to life in these stories. Each of the narrators provided a perfect audio sample of the respective work, so I'm excited about listening to final versions by the end of winter.

Last but definitely not least, the Turkish translations of Sultana and Sultana's Legacy will be available from Istanbul publisher Beyaz Balina Yayinlari. Something about this bit still feels surreal. Yes, I've read that signed contract a few times. As part of it, the publisher will provide some free copies of the translated works. Do you think I have enough time next year to learn to read in Turkish?

I wish everyone an amazing and inspired New Year. May all your goals for 2013 be fulfilled!