Refining a Cover
Terry Odell

Last time, I mentioned that my cover artist, Kim Killion at The Killion Group, was working with a background image I took of a waterfall in Vágar in the Faroe Islands. This was the image I sent.

In keeping with the Blackthorne, Inc. series “branding” (see them here), I also sent her the stock image of the hero for the cover. We’ve talked before about how a cover should make the genre obvious, and these are romantic suspense books which fall under the “romance” umbrella. Once I admitted that cover design was a marketing task, I had all my previous Blackthorne covers redesigned to fit this basic look.

This is what she sent.

Now, had this been one of my former more “traditional” publishers, that would have been that. The title and my name were spelled correctly. Accept it. In fact, I probably would have approved this cover. However, Kim allows for some back-and-forthing, and I wanted to look at it more carefully. I also enlisted the opinion of one of my critique partners, who suggested the cliffs were too dark.

I let Kim know, and she came back with this comp.

At this point, I asked my editor for her opinion, which was that the white t-shirt was distracting. I agreed, and thought it would call attention away from my name, so I asked Kim what she thought. She thought those points were valid and sent this.

These were all subtle changes, but I like the final product. There’s also the fact that three comps are included in the price, but any more than that will incur extra charges.

With a cover, I can move forward with more of the dreaded marketing, such as working on promo images (memes?) to use on my blog, newsletter, and social media.

I also had to create the book’s page on my website.

But now, I’m busy going through my editor’s feedback.

Oh—one last thing (nothing like burying the lede, eh?)

Danger Abroad is now available for preorder at many of your favorite channels. Release date is set for April 17th.

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Double Intrigue
When your dream assignment turns into more than you bargained for
Shalah Kennedy has dreams of becoming a senior travel advisor—one who actually gets to travel. Her big break comes when the agency’s “Golden Girl” is hospitalized and Shalah is sent on a Danube River cruise in her place. She’s the only advisor in the agency with a knowledge of photography, and she’s determined to get stunning images for the agency’s website.
Aleksy Jakes wants out. He’s been working for an unscrupulous taskmaster in Prague, and he’s had enough. When he spots one of his coworkers in a Prague hotel restaurant, he’s shocked to discover she’s not who he thought she was.
As Shalah and Aleksy cruise along the Danube, the simple excursion soon becomes an adventure neither of them imagined.

Like bang for your buck? I have a new Mapleton Bundle. Books 4, 5, and 6 for one low price.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”