Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about cover art, partially because it is a timely issue.
My short story-turned-novelette “The Boy Who Bonded” will need a cover before any other writing project, as it will be provided to all newsletter subscribers!
I am writing it now, and it is a nice introduction to the world of Midgate, gives you an idea of my themes and writing style, and gives you a tiny bit of background on a side character in “The Keepers of Midgate.”
I am so excited to share it with you! I expect it to become available in February-ish 2023.
It will be released as an e-book for free to all newsletter subscribers. Thus, I only need an e-book cover, but it does need to be a nice, attractive one that is consistent with my larger books.
I’ve been looking for artists this week and am super impressed with the number of talented people out there, but many of them specialize in photo manipulation which isn’t really my style. I am a huge fan of traditional fantasy covers that are illustrated either by hand or digitally.
I adore the 80’s fantasy covers with tons of color and personality, although they are a little busy. My favorite cover artist might be Michael Whelan, who excelled in using color in murals featuring a single or few characters in a vast landscape. It screams epic fantasy! He also did my FAVORITE book of all time, “Dragonflight” by Anne McCaffrey, depicting some of the most beautiful dragons I’ve ever seen.
I can appreciate the cleanliness and sharpness of object-based covers, but they don’t jar my heart like the illustrations do.
What do you think? What do you like to see in a cover?