Fall Ramblings

So, here it is, my turn once again. It's been a busy few weeks here. I do craft shows in the fall and am gearing up for those. That means a lot of tagging and bagging going on. This year we have decided to get into the antique/collectible side of the show, as well. That's been fun. And challenging. And its' taking up a lot of room in my craft room as well!

I've also been working with my publisher and cover artist to come up with brand, spanking new covers for all of my books. That's been equally fun and challenging. Sometimes it's hard to say in a picture just what the book is all about. For instance, my fantasy romance FREE SPIRIT is about a young woman who is sold at slave auction, falls in love with her new 'master', but fights against the fact that he owns her. She was free, and she wants to be free again. So, how to show her struggle? I don't really want to put her in chains on the front of the book, because that is only a very temporary part of the story. Once sold, she is outfitted as a comrade, not a slave. She is essentially free already, although indebted to him. I want to show her free, yet not free. A true dilemma. Some of the other book covers are easy to place, as was THE FANE QUEEN, book 11 of the Guardians of Glede fantasy series.

Covers are important. They are the first glimpse of the world you have created between the pages of the book. They need to be intriguing, they need to spark an interest in the prospective reader, they need to convince the reader to pick up the book, to take a chance.

So, I have spent hours going over images, selecting them, playing around with them, combining them, tweaking them, making mock-ups to send to the cover artist. Creativity on a different level. And who knows more about one's book than the author?

I've also been kept busy with my own blog. I rarely have anything to say that I feel is of consequence (which is why it's hard for me to post here every so often) but I've been doing a photo blog since the first of the year. Every day. It just this morning dawned on me how long it's already been. Nine months. 280 days. 280 pictures. That's a lot of pictures. My daughter tells me that my photography is getting better over time. I'm not sure I see that myself. It all looks the same to me. (If you're interested, you can look at the pictures here: http://jennakayfrancis.livejournal.com/ )

So, that's been my ramblings so far this year. With the upcoming craft shows, the holidays and numerous fall and winter birthdays, I'll be kept just as busy. Which is good, because those dreaded months of January, February and March are hovering out there, waiting.

Jenna
http://www.jennakayfrancis.com