Posts Tagged ‘clockwork bluebird’
Maia, Character Sketch
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012Clockwork Bluebird: Covers
Thursday, January 19th, 2012Well, the book seems to be stuck with the working title, as I’ve got absolutely nothing else. Title fail.
Below are two covers that I have been thinking about, one more literal and one a bit more simple/abstract. The story is (without giving away what it’s a retelling of) an it-happened-all-in-one-night mad chase through various fairytales and through the middle of a war between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. It is steampunk fantasy, and would be placed somewhere between Middle Grade (as in the first Harry Potter book) and YA (as in the darker books which the series ended with).
Which cover would you be prompted to click through to if you saw it on Amazon? Which would catch your eye, and why? I think I fell into a quite unexpected trap, which is that I am having trouble visualising a cover for my own work because I am too close to it. In a recent post by Joel Friedlander, Book Cover Design and the Problem of Symbolism, he writes:
The problem is that authors are so attached to their own symbolism or to an image they have lodged in their mind that would be “perfect” for the book cover, they lose sight of the role their book cover is intended to play. One of the quickest ways to kill any good effect of your book cover is to include too many elements. In fact, this is one of the most common failures of amateur designers.
Yep, I’m there right now. So since I can evidently no longer see this objectively, what do you think? Images after the cut.
Happy 2012
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012Welcome to a bright shiny new year. I have high hopes for 2012, since I am determined to operate under the naive assumption that it can’t rain all the time…surely some years have to have good weather? In any event, I’m being positive.
I’ve been working on Clockwork Bluebird edits and revisions, and have just finished today. The thing really needs a proper title but I am completely blank. WTB title plz.
We have old friends coming to stay with us on Friday, which is very much looked forward to, and tomorrow our Christmas present from the in-laws is being installed. Since the kitchen is the only room which has the original 100-year-old windows still in place and is cold enough to keep ice cream frozen on the counter, double-glazing is very much appreciated. Now if we can just find the money to fix the leaking roof, or get the slowly-tilting Chimney of Doom replaced…
Still playing way too much SWTOR, and very much enjoying the class storylines and character arcs. My Sith Inquisitor had some flirt options available for a very smarmy NPC, which I took, and all of a sudden he was leading her to a convenient bedroom where he promised wine and nibbles. They went into a clinch, and I was like “AAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!” and covering my eyes. The next morning my pirate companion Andronikos Revel was quite snippy about it, and claimed to have had his own night of fun with a stable girl. I’ve been frapsing some of the interaction between Ravven and Andronikos, and will do a post on virtual relationships at some point. Even though the interaction is scripted and the other party is a character in a game, it’s still well-written enough that there is some fizz there as the relationship unfolds. Nicely done.
Back to work. 2012 is going to be my year to realise some dreams, after all, and I am putting everything into making that happen.
Fair warning about the video below: I quite liked it, but Phil came in the room and asked if someone was killing a cat. Your mileage may vary.
Channelling Badger
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011Deep into the second day of inputting all of the changes from the copyedit, I was going through one scene and realised that I had totally channelled Badger from Firefly as one of the characters. I literally hear Badger’s voice in my head when I read the scene, as I probably did when I wrote it. How odd.
/p>
I also realised during the edit that there was a whole section where I used the names Tyler (one of the main characters) and Toby (a talking dog) interchangeably. Now that kind of shit is confusing. Aside from that? Not a massive amount of changes, as those will wait until I can get people to read it for me and provide some feedback. I use too many damn commas. Aside from that? At this point I still enjoy re-reading it, which is something.
Next come the illustrations. *panic mode commences*
Twitter- Ravven: @jaedia Blackguard, creep, heel, lowlife, reprobate, brigand, knave, scoundrel, riffraff, scum?
- Ravven: @jaedia Cad? :)
- Ravven: @jaedia This came to mind: You empty headed animal food trough wiper! ...Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries! :)
- Ravven: RT @robolollycop: These are my two books out now. People seem to really enjoy them. You might too. Please RT! http://t.co/8x3anQIL http: ...
- Ravven: RT @thecreativepenn: It won’t be long before self-publishing as a concept is dead. http://t.co/gr8yZRVo via @jfbookman
- Ravven: @NDMiko Last time I played I logged in and had just set a foot outside the door when some little stealthed bastard killed me. I logged out.
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