Cover Lover Month: Want to Get Involved?

As some of you might know, I am in the process of having the cover designed for my debut novel, Sealer's Promise. In the journey I've chosen to take, that of publishing my first novel, being at a point where I will (soon!) have my cover is a really big deal. So I sat down and started thinking about what the best way to share that with everyone here would be.

I'm going to having a cover (and book trailer) reveal next month. I'm thrilled about that. But that's all very "Me! Me! Me!". There wouldn't be a me standing here without the support that I have received from many of *you*. And then, last week the most awesome brainwave hit me. Today I'm going to share it with you.

This October, it is my pleasure to invite you all to participate in Cover Lover Month.

What is it?: 

Cover Lover Month is going to run from October 1st - 31st and is going to celebrate everything covers. What we love, what we loathe, how they are made and everything in between. I have been in contact with several of the friends I have made in the last year and thanks to their generous support I have some fabulous interviews, guest posts and giveaways planned. My goal is to make this a month full of bloggers, authors and artists sharing the beauty of book covers.

I need your help: 

I am looking for people to interview as guests on my blog, people willing to tweet about the event, and people willing to put the event button (below) on their sidebar. Anyone who would be willing to blog letting people know about this would also be a tremendous help.

I will also be looking for people interested in taking part in the reveal for the Sealer's Promise cover and trailer.

Interview Info & Questions: 

If you love books, odds are high you have some opinions on covers. I want to know what those are and I would love for you to be a guest here on I Write, I Read, I Review next month. Interested? Copy the following questions, answer them and e-mail them to me at isis_willowsong (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Questions:

1. Have you ever chosen to read a book because of its cover? How did that go?

2. How big of an influence do you feel cover art is in your reading choices? Do you have any reasons for feeling this way?

3. What are your favorite things to see on the cover of a book? Are there any types of images or overall moods / themes that will instantly compel you to click on a book or lift it off a bookstore shelf?

4. Are there any design choices on covers that discourage you from taking a closer look? Any particular reasons for your preference or is it just something that "is what it is"?

5. Does it bother you when the cover does not directly relate to what is in the book? For instance, if the cover has a girl in a blue dress then there'd better be a girl in a blue dress at some point?

6. These are a few of my favorite things: ONE that you love that's from a book you've read, ONE that's on the front of a book you're dying to read but haven't gotten your hands on yet and ONE that doesn't have a cover that does it justice, yet you feel more people need to read it. (You are free to cheat and list more if you must, just don't go too crazy.)

-- What do you love about these covers?

-- Did the cover for the book you've read fit the book?

-- Is there something about the cover for the upcoming book that has caused it to be something you're dying to read?

-- What drew you to the book with the less thrilling cover? If you could describe a new cover for this book, what would it be?

Grab The Button!

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I will be posting with more details on the event, a call for help in revealing the cover for Sealer's Promise and much more in the days to come. Thanks for dropping by and taking a look! :)

Music Monday (2)

Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Ramblings of a Daydreamer where we get to share our favorite music: singers, bands, videos, concerts, or anything else that catches our attention.

Sealer's Promise Edition #2: Kesyl Veradayne

mage by Kattling

Who is Kesyl Veradayne? 

Kesyl is often referred to as the Moon Prince, since he is the son of the Moon Goddess, Ruby. She despises him and views him as an abomination, and Kess was actually raised by Ruby's former high priestess, Carita Veradayne. 

Kesyl was the one who opened the tear in the veil between the Kindred homeworld of Zynedia and our planet so that his people would not be wiped out. Despite this, he is often feared or outright hated by his peers since his Immortal blood has somehow imbued him with the powers of a Sealer--someone who has the power to give or take away the connection others have to the Weave. (The invisible force of every living thing's emotions, from which the Kindred derive their magic and their name.)

In contrast to what most people think, Kesyl is actually a quiet and gentle person when he doesn't have to use his powers to set things right in the midst of one crisis or another. He enjoys cooking, water sports, dancing (he has permitted me to begrudgingly admit this to all of you here. Shhh, don't tell Sarena.) and collecting unique or exotic cars. 

So, what can I tell you about the man from his music? Take a look below to hear some of the songs that have helped me define Kess and get a closer peek into who he is as a character. :) 

Song #1: So She Dances by Josh Groban

Kess has super uber amazing powers, money and the ability to take someone's soul. Sounds a bit too perfect / scary / out there, doesn't it? I thought so too, so one of my goals when I wrote him was to find some way to humanize him and give him a vulnerability that would allow readers to connect with him. I decided to do that by making him very uncertain about his own worth when he likes someone. There is a scene where he has bought Sarena's Christmas gift and is carrying it to the tree with Carita. They are talking about how he needs to let her know how he feels and the scene ends with the line:

Money talks so much better then I do.

When I think of Kess' doubts about whether he will end up with Sara, one of the first songs that comes to mind is So She Dances by Josh Groban. I love the song because when I think about Sara and Kess while listening to it, it reminds me of how much he comes to appreciate her commitment to her art (dancing) and as the book progresses we see that same commitment shown toward her friendship (and possibly more ;) ) with him. 

I particularly love the lines:

I watch for the chance I should take
But how will I know where to start?
She's spinning between constellations and dreams
Her rhythm is my beating heart. 

Song #2: She's Everything by Brad Paisley

I went over this last week but for anyone who doesn't know: I'm really into country music. I ended up really connecting to "She's Everything" while writing Kess because I got Brad Paisley's Hits Alive CD as I was just working on my rough draft of Sealer's Promise (then it was called Moon Dance) in May of 2011. I actually didn't realize Brad had recorded the song until I got that CD, and it was a pleasant surprise since it was a song I already liked.

But there is something very special about the live version on this CD. It has a different intro then the actual recording which is pretty neat, but the best part is, in my opinion, the way the lines:

She looks good in cheap sunglasses
She looks good in anything

are done. Yet again, it's a showcase for that vulnerability that I was so desperate to try and show in Kess and I could see him talking to someone about Sara and reacting like that, which was incredibly helpful (and was what inspired the line he says to Carita in the Christmas scene that I quoted, actually.). 

Song #3: Somebody Like You by Keith Urban

Kesyl is the God of Justice, and as such he has had to make some very tough decisions despite being an 18 year old guy. He can also be a bit quick to be angry or frustrated about things that go wrong, which has not helped him win friends and influence people. Because of the events that predated her birth, Sarena is destined to become the Goddess of Mercy. She is much more mellow then Kess, although like him she has a very fine tuned moral compass and strives to do the right thing.

I'm lettin' go of all my lonely yesterdays
I've forgiven myself for the mistakes I've made
Now there's just one thing, the only thing I wanna do
I wanna love somebody, love somebody like you.

The two strengthen each other's weaknesses--Kess grows to understand people and gain more compassion because of his closeness to Sara, and Sara learns to have more courage and stand up for what she believes in rather then always trying to stay out of things because she loves / wants to protect Kess. 

"Somebody Like You" really speaks to this part of the relationship between Sara and Kess, which is a vital part of their story. As the God of Justice, Kesyl finds it incredibly hard to forgive people for their mistakes, and even harder to forgive himself when he screws up. As he grows to love Sara this is something he must confront and learn to change.

So, what music is on your mind this week? If you're taking part in Music Monday feel free to link to your post and I'll drop by. Thanks for visiting my blog, learning a bit about some of the music that has inspired me and getting to know Sarena a little better.

Shopaholic Sunday (Sept. 16th)

Shopholic Sunday is a feature here at I Write, I Read, I Review where I get to share the fabulous things I've bought, borrowed or received. It's also a place where I sometimes share books coming out that I'm dying to read or tell you about events that have been here or that are coming which I think you might be interested in. Thanks for visiting! 

Hey guys!

I am SIX chapters from Sealer's Promise going out to betas. I can't believe this thing is finally almost there. It's been a long summer and a lot of work has gone into the book to make it as good as I can on my own. I need some fresh eyes and I've had some awesome people offer to beta for me. (Thanks again!)

I have also moved on from the cover scandal that happened to me. (I posted about that last week.) I am working with Robin Ludwig Design Inc. to do the cover for Sealer's Promise. I have the comp (basically a rough draft before the images are bought.) sitting on my computer and I can tell you now that I am going to be thrilled when the time comes to share the real cover with you all.

With that in mind, I am organizing an event for this October called Cover Lover Month. There are plenty of ways that you can get involved, but for now I just want to show off the banner I made and make sure people know it is happening. I will do my best to have an official post up about the event tomorrow.

Enough chatter, though. You came to see what I got this week, so let's get to the books. :)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme created by Tynga's Book Reviews where we get to share the fabulous things we bought, borrowed or received during the week.

So, have you read any of these? Love them or loathe them? Feel free to link up to your shelves, mailbox, haul or whatever type of book sharing post you do and I will drop by and see what you got. Have a great day! 

The Time Will Come (Sept. 13th)

Every Thursday l am going to list a book which l really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it! 

Want to join in?

- Pick a book you have been meaning to read

- Do a post telling us about the book 

- Link the post up in the linky

- Visit the other blogs!

13 Little Blue Envelopes
by Maureen Johnson

Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket.

In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat.

The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist.

Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a playwright/thief/ bloke-about-town called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous-though utterly romantic-results. But will she ever see him again?

Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all because of the 13 little blue envelopes.

I spent a lot of my youth traveling with my grandparents. While that isn't what's going on here, I love traveling and I love books where characters are off on a physical journey, especially when there is hope or need for it to transform them deep within. So why the heck haven't I read this yet? I grabbed it on sale for $3 for my Kindle and I actually forgot I had it! D'oh! I'll need to fix that soon.

So, have you read 13 Little Blue Envelopes? Love it or hate it? I'd love to know so feel free to leave a comment. 

Cover Reveal: The Game Changer by Marie Landry

Click here to buy Blue Sky Days!

Today I'm pleased to be part of the cover reveal for Marie Landry's newest novel, The Game Changer. Marie was one of the first friends I made when I started I Write, I Read, I Review. I'm sure this post makes it obvious we are still friends now. :)

The first thing that I will say to all of you is this: If you have not read Marie's debut, Blue Sky Days, make sure that you take adventage of the SALE she is hosting. Blue Sky Days is a wonderful book filled with great romance, wonderful characters and writing that is both crystal clear and utterly gorgeous. I reviewed it here and cannot recommend it to you highly enough.

But as much as I love Blue Sky Days, that's not the main reason we are here today.

Today, Marie is revealing the cover of her new book. Scroll down and have look. The cover is lovely and the blurb has my attention, I can tell you that much!

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The Plot: (Summary provided by the author)

Melody Cartwright has never had a problem with change, but for the first time in her life the changes are beyond her control—she suddenly has a niece she never knew, but has to prove herself to; her best friend is making huge life changes of her own; and she has to deal with her ex and his crazy new girlfriend who has stalker tendencies.

When Melody meets confident, sexy Julian, she’s not interested in a relationship. He tells her it’s possible for a man and a woman to just be friends, and despite his ultra-charming ways there’s something about him that makes Melody believe he could be right.

During a time of change and turmoil, it doesn’t take long for Julian to become everything Melody never knew she needed in her life. But is it possible for them to remain ‘just friends’ or will Melody be a game changer for Julian the playboy?

I'm really looking forward to reading this. The genre is a departure, but I have great faith that regardless of what genre Marie tackles, the story and writing will be excellent. :) Congrats on having the courage to put another book out there for the world to see. That takes more courage than some might imagine.

Why not add The Game Changer to you to-read list on GoodReads?

So, what do you think of the cover for The Game Changer? Do you want to read it? I'd love to hear your thoughts so feel free to leave a comment. :)