One thrill of authoring a book is reaching that moment
of unveiling the cover art. Once
again I’m at that fun and exciting point. The 3rd book in the Harrowbethian Saga, 'Eena, the Curse of Wanyaka Cave',
has been written and edited and will now be adorned with a suitable cover.
As with my previous books, I sketched out the artwork
myself—not only a satisfying challenge but a cost effective decision. You’ve seen book 1 and book 2 in the
Harrowbethian Saga…
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| Book One |
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| Book Two |
And the cover I designed for a stand-alone story...
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| ‘Dandelions: the Disappearance of Annabelle Fancher’. |
Now, to outline the steps in creating my latest cover.
To start with, probably the most difficult part of the process was putting together an idea—initially brainstorming a scene with appeal and the ability to spark interest at a glance. I wanted
to do two things with this cover: firstly, set the mood for the main setting of this
chapter of Eena's adventure and secondly, introduce three new characters (one in particular).
Do you remember the unveiling of the cover of Eena, Book
II—how I mentioned the name of an upcoming individual, Edgarmetheus? I believe I referred to him as a
scoundrel. Yes, yes, you do remember!
He also happens to be the immortal brother of Anesidora and Ishtura, two sisters whom you had the displeasure of meeting at the very end of book II. And of course, I wanted to include on the cover our main
character, the young Queen Eena. So I sketched out drawings of both Eena and Edgar.
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| The look on Eena’s face should give away her feelings toward Edgar. |
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| Edgarmetheus. Because someone had to take the place of the late Gemdorin. |
After scanning in each drawing separately, I joined the two and darkened in the penciling. They fit together nicely!
Next, to bring the characters to life by adding COLOR! I absolutely love how shading and highlighting draw the individuals right off the page. It’s like magic!
Don’t you think so?
Introducing Edgarmetheus with his fiery, red hair and mesmerizing blue eyes.
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The background was next. I used layers of colored
speckles to create a rocky texture to the cavern. Can you guess who the two beauties are
encased in rock?
The final step—posting the title over the end result.
I chose to keep the font and coloring consistent on my titles for these 'Eena books' so that it's obvious they belong together in a series.
Well, are you ready to see the cover art for 'Eena, the Curse of Wanyaka Cave' ?
Drum roll please...
Scroll
Down
a
bit
more...
Here it is!
'Eena, the Curse of Wanyaka Cave' will be available in paperback through any Espresso Book Machine (EBM) retailer. It will also be available in e-book formats through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Kobo.com and a few other places. This part of Eena's tale takes a new twist and introduces unusual cultures sharing the world of Moccobatra with our young queen, Eena. I hope you enjoy this part of her tale!
Richelle, It's very exciting to see how you develop a page for your book. And the artwork is exceptional. Edgarmetheus is a rascal and he appears a rascal and impish in your drawing. Eena looks displeased with him. You have captured it well. Good luck with this third book.
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