Cover in the spotlight--One True Love (A Regency Romance) by Lisa Follett

Hi everyone,

The first novel covers have come in so the challenge begins now, with Lisa Follett's novel, One True Love (A Regency Romance).

Every time I post a cover, I will not be saying much. Instead, I'll let the covers do the talking. If you like what you see, go ahead and click the links below it. Also feel free to let me know what you like about the cover. So, without wasting time, here's the cover of the week.

Lord William Prescott is in want of a wife. Unfortunately, the lady he wants is betrothed.
Miss Cassandra Chambers simply cannot understand her attraction to Lord William. After all, she is supposed to be in love with Mr. Miles Parker. In a scandalous twist of fate, Cassie's future changes when Lord William rides to her rescue, saves her from ruin, and makes her his wife.
When William comes to believe Cassie's heart may always belong to another, he is determined to lock away his own. If only he could lock away his desire for his One True Love.

Link to Amazon:
One True Love (A Regency Romance) by Lisa Follett

Especially for you dear followers

Dear followers,

Last night I spent a part of my evening creating a card for you from some
digital papers I designed in Photoshop a couple of months ago.
I hope you like it. As you can see, I also baked you a Christmas cupcake in Photoshop (it looks more like ice-cream but hey, I'm used to baking in ovens). Enjoy it anyway.

Thanks for all your support throughout this year.

Hugs

Liz

The Gorgeous Book Cover Challenge

Enough about my book cover. Now is your turn. Does your book cover have what it takes?

When I get some spare time I love love love to look around at book covers.

Last night I got the idea of starting a weekly book cover challenge. Not only for published books, but also for WIP.

Why am I doing this challenge?

Firstly, I get to see beautiful covers right here on my own doorstep.

Secondly, you get to show off your cover and help promote your book (believe me, some people buy a book just because the cover is stunning. At least my husband does when he buys books.)

Thirdly, we get to have some fun.

How will this challenge work?

1. Become a member of my blog family (Say hi so I recognize you).

2. Send me an e-mail at Liz_Davis1@yahoo.com. You attach your cover, a short description of what your book is about (for those who are published, the back cover summary. You'll also send me any links to your blog or a place where the book is available for purchase and a short bio, if you like.

3. Every week, I'll choose one cover to feature on my blog, with information about the author and/or book plus links.

4. At the end of each month, the author/owner of the cover that got the most comments will be given a key to my blog. By that I mean, they can do something to promote their blog, book/books etc. using my blog. They can be interviewed by me, guest post or I don't know, let's be creative together.

What do you think? Are you up for the challenge? If yes, send me those covers. I can't wait to see them.

Hugs

Liz

Introducing my revamped cover

I posted my cover on Kindleboards and got a lot, I mean a lot of great and positive comments (I'm so happy). But I also got a few suggestions. For example, that I should make my name bigger (True, otherwise what's the point right?) and that I should add a few more elements of fantasy. Also, the white area on the left was too sharp.

With the help of one of my writer friends, I revamped the cover. I played around with fonts (now the cursive font is only used for the Ts), the white area has disappeared and we now have a magic tear(Thanks to my friend and follower, Carol Riggs)for a touch of more fantasy. Oh, I also added bevels and shadows to make it more alive. Finally, I moved two butterflies in the top image.
Pheeeew, I think I'm finally done with the cover. Next comes the blurb.

Here are three finalists. Only one can win. Which do you like best?

The Big Reveal- My self-designed cover

Okay, I know I said I'll post the cover next week, but I just couldn't wait. I'm one of those people who are terrible when it comes to keeping secrets. Not that this cover is a secret (more like, I was too nervous to show it. It's my first cover, after all).
So, here's my baby, a few days early. I would really love to know what you think before I release it to the rest of the world. I'm pretty happy with it as it is. If I make any changes, they will be very tiny.

Take a deep breath (that's me, not you). Now it's over to you. What do you think. By the way, Tangi's Teardrops is a YA fantasy novel, in case you're wondering. I'll post a blurb soon.

Right, I'm off to hide now.

Welcome Friday

Fridays always find me exhausted, whether the week had been busy or not. Right now it's rainy and gloomy outside and I feel sleepy. I keep making spelling mistakes as I write this post.

In two hours, I'll be off to date night with hubby. I don't think I'll get any editing done today. I'll read through what I edited this week and go to bed early. Tomorrow, I plan to edit all day, apart from short breaks for lunch and breathing (no not yoga, just a breather).

Sunday after church, I'll edit some more and if I stick to my plan, I'll be done with the editing/rewriting before I hit the pillow.

Next week will be more relaxed. I'll just be reading through the manuscript and adding finishing touches. Oh, and finishing with the cover design (so I can post it for you to see).

I plan to be completely done with the manuscript by the end of December. Then I'll send it to my editor for final basic editing/proofreading. Finally, Mid or end of January will be the best month in my life as a writer when I finally get published.

Right now, I think I'll take a nap before date night, so I don't fall asleep in the movies. Before the nap I need to see if there's a good movie in the cinema.

Bye for now.

Liz

Me: My own cover artist

I thought long and hard about whether I should design my own cover or hire a professional. It was nerve wracking. One day I wanted to do it, the next, I chickened out. My husband encouraged me to do it myself, especially since I have some digital design experience. My friend, Larissa, also thought I could do it myself.
So what did I do, I took the plunge. I designed a few covers  (about 5) and both hubby and Larissa loved the very first one I designed in 5 minutes using Photoshop Elements.

The more I look at it, the deeper I'm falling for it too. It's simple but it does the job of making one wonder what the story is about. Exactly what I wanted.
I'm still busy with the finishing touches, then I'll post it on up here to see what you think. Probably next week.
Everything is progressing very well. Last night I wrote the blurb (at least the skeleton). The novel will be published in January.

Deep POV? What's that?

My editor sent me back my YA novel manuscript (Tangi's Teardrops) two weeks ago. Most of the comments that decorated the manuscript were, "Narrative telling. rewrite in deep POV".
I've heard about writing in deep POV before and I also know that it's not one of the easiest skills to master.
On the other hand, many writers write in deep POV without even knowing it. Even me. In my contemporary romance novel, I nailed it--according to my editor at least--but I never really thought about it while writing. Until now.

Well, I'm rewriting the whole YA manuscript at the moment and learning with every page. I have to admit, my novel is becoming more alive.

For those of you who are confused about Deep POV, here are a few links I found to be helpful (including quotes to whet your appetites):

PART FOUR-Deep POV
"A skill that leads straight into strong, emotive writing is Deep Point Of View. And I mean deep. This is often a very hard skill to conquer, but it's so effective I felt it needed a whole day's work." (WOW; Women On Writing)

Deep POV
"Another term for “Deep POV” is limited Third Person. It’s a technique that infuses Third Person POV with the intimacy of First Person" (Maeve Maddox)

5 Tips For Writing Deep POV
“What is the key to spellbinding, page-turning writing? Emotional connection between your readers and your characters! Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, learning the secrets of deep POV will make your writing come alive in the hearts of your readers.” (Simon Presland)

How Deep POV Helped Me Achieve Publication by Pamela S. Meyers

"I had never heard of Deep POV, but I sure did learn about it in a hurry. As I added it to the story I was amazed at how much richer my story read." 

Go Deep! Eliminate Distancing Phrases for Deep POV
"One of her tips you see a lot: eliminate distancing phrases like ‘he said’, ‘he heard’, etc. This is almost always covered in any blog post on Deep POV."