I did not want a "stock" cover for my book. And, this carried through to my characters as well. I didn't want "stock" character photos for my book, either. Photoshoots have become an essential part of books these days. When you write your books, your characters should be fully vivid to you. You should be able to picture exactly what they look like.
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| The White Wolf Prophecy ~ Mating ~ Reviews on Website See the reviews on both Barnes and Noble & Amazon below |
(NOTE: How to design a book cover is my most popular blog to date. You can read it here)
Why? Well, so many book covers in the genre "Fantasy" which look just like ever other book cover, I wasn't wanting mine to get lost in translation. I wanted REAL photos of REAL people. I knew, without a doubt, what the characters looked like. I could see their faces, and everything about them. Now, where the heck was I going to find them? How would I get their photos? Geez, that was a big problem for me!
And, then, it suddenly dawned on me that my main two characters I actually knew in person! If you have been to my website, you will find all kinds of photos of my characters. My villain is being developed as I write the blog, and have already asked him. He will be on my next cover design - and yes, I will be designing that one as well.
OK. Back to the subject. At first, I hesitated in asking them. When you know someone personally this way, it's a bit tricky. Very few people are willing to put themselves out there where everyone can see them all over the world.
I was trying to develop a "pitch" to ask them, when suddenly, they came to ME, and asked to be my characters on my book cover, and on my website! Well, that just took my project from low gear, and kicked it into high gear! HOW could I ever turn that down? So, I accepted, and suddenly we were in photoshoot mode. The priority, of course, was the photos for the cover of my book. Since one of my characters, Kaitlan, live about 1000 miles away from my other character, Cordone, as well as myself, this presented a whole, new logistical problem,
It meant that I had to rely on two different photographers! But, luckily, I found two great ones! Matt Mclenahan of Razorbackfoto of Little Rock, AR, and Erica Boniface from Westminster, CO. After speaking to them, the first photoshoot was ready. Tons of photos of Kaitlan were taken, but I only needed a couple of shots of Cordone. Here are some of them.
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| 1. Erica Boniface - Photographer |
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| 2. Erica Boniface - Photographer |
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| 3. Erica Boniface - Photographer |
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| 4. Razorbackfoto |
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| 5. Razorbackfoto |
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| 6. . Razorbackfoto |
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| 7. Erica Boniface - Photographer |
Well, after much consideration, and tons of photos which had my eyes watering with a huge decision, the cover shots were chosen. These are #1 and # 5. You can see the result in the Book Cover at the top of the page. Now what? I didn't have photos of the two of them TOGETHER! I wanted them in photos together, but how? Unbelievably, a solution happened without a hitch. I had specific ideas of what I wanted, but something happened to totally alter it. I'll explain later in the blog.
It just happened that Kaitlan would be in Arkansas around Christmas time! Now, all three of us were only about 200 miles from each other. Our plans were for outdoor shots. So, on December 21, 2013, everyone converged on Little Rock, AR for the shoot. We were all pumped up for it! Until a massive rain storm moved in the early morning hours. And, when I say massive, it was as if someone turned on a waterfall, and didn't turn it off for hours on end.
Driving in this storm was a nightmare. A literal nightmare! But, we made it. It totally ruined our outdoor shots, so we had to do them inside. But, where there's a will there's a way, and we found it.
First, Kaitlan's hair had to be done. Now, while Matt Mclenahan was getting ready for shooting, I decided to bring my camera and get some behind the scenes shot just specifically for you! And, that is what I did.
Second, I learned that it's not at all glamorous. In fact, it's downright time consuming, and boring while you're waiting to begin. By the time Kaitlan's hair and makeup were done, we were already pooped! ;)
BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOSHOOT FOR
THE WHITE WOLF PROPHECY ~ MATING ~ Book 1
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| Makeup and Hair = 1 1/2 hours or more |
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| The guys were really bored, and had to find something to do! So, it's time to play on the phone! |
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| FINALLY, the shoot was over! |
But, now, it's time to judge the finished products! Is it worth it? You bet it is!
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| Isn't LOVE grand? The best is to have someone you know to be willing to be your characters. What this does is really make your book, website, and all yours social media completely personal. |
Now, to money. Yes, it may cost your some money, but it is highly worth it. And, if you don't know anyone, there are any number of book cover models! No matter what happens, your book is going to cost you money in some way or form.
No matter how you look at it, make your book TRULY YOURS! You won't regret it! I, now, invite your to my website, and to see the 5-Star rating on both Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.com.
No matter how you look at it, make your book TRULY YOURS! You won't regret it! I, now, invite your to my website, and to see the 5-Star rating on both Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.com.
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9781615000500
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