Shelley Shepard Gray's Blog, page 7

Another Guest Post by Mary!

One of my very favorite things to do is visit the Harper Collins offices in New York City. Not only is it thrilling to see all the books everywhere, I get the opportunity to meet all the many people who work so hard to make my books the best that they can be. They are all so talented and smart. And, I have to admit, so very patient with their Amish author from Ohio!

 

The last time I visited, I was so honored to get to chat with Mary McAdam Keane, the art and cover designer for many of my books.

Last year she answered a series of questions about Ray of Light. This year, she was so kind to take a few moments to tell me all about making the Return to Sugarcreek covers.

 

So here is what she has to say about designing the cover of HOPEFUL. Please join me in making Mary feel welcome! She’s such a nice lady!

Mary!

 

 

The process for designing the covers of the Return to Sugarcreek Series has been different than the previous few series. The team wanted the heroines to be the focus of the covers; lovely, romantic, pretty, young women that readers would be attracted to and enticed to pull off the shelf to buy and read.

 

My first step was to ask Shelley for physical descriptions of the main characters. For Miriam, the description was 26 years old, brown hair, blue eyes, wears dresses and has a bit of weight to her. She was a baker in an Amish Restaurant

Rejected Cover #1!

 

Next, we hired photo illustrator Ricky Mujica (www.rickymujica.com). He searched for models who matched your description, chose one, photographed her in Amish clothing and created the backgrounds. Much photoshop work goes into these images. They start as photographs, but in the end they are illustrations, which have a softer, more romantic quality than straight up photography.

 

Rejected Cover #2

As you can see from the rejected covers, my first thought was to place her in a kitchen or dining room carrying a bowl of eggs, or having a mixing bowl in her hands. I loved the soft, homey feel to these covers, but when I showed them to the editor and publishers, everyone’s first reaction was the same: it looks like a cookbook, not a romance, and she looks like any baker in a white cap, not specifically an Amish baker. So it was back to the drawing board (figuratively).

 

 

We placed her outside with her bowl of eggs. I was imagining she was returning from collecting them in the henhouse. As always, there was a bit of back and forth about color, fonts and feel before the layout was finally agreed upon by the editor, publishers, sales team and the author.  

 

Rejected Cover #3!

 

Each series begins with a concept meeting. The editor talks to the art team about what she is hoping for in the look of the series, usually pulling some covers from other books to show, saying things like, “I like the feel of these two covers but we want to see brighter colors”, or “I like the type treatment in this one.”  The entire team is always looking at other book covers to see what the competition is doing, what the trends are, and the sales statistics, to judge what has been successful in attracting readers. Each series gets its own look and feel. The most important visual for a book to be recognized as an Amish Romance is an Amish buggy or an Amish girl in her signature cap. 

 

Your readers are just getting started on The Return to Sugarcreek series with Hopeful, but you have finished writing the series and I am finishing up work on the last cover (Joyful), which readers won’t get a crack at for months. You and I are already beginning to turn our attention to your next series. I am looking forward to your new idea of a four part series, with the final book being a Christmas story attached to that series. I have already briefly discussed a look for the series with Chelsey Emmelhainz, the editor. We always have to be looking ahead!

hopeful’s beautiful cover!

3 Winners Here

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Great Amish Book Giveaway! We’re all excited to host another one of these group giveaways very soon!

I loved reading everyone’s comments, both here and on my Facebook page!

I drew three winners. If you are one of these ladies, please email me or contact me privately on FB with your mailing address.

My winners are:

Deborah Tutton

Katie Johnson

Karen DeCostanza

Thank you again, everyone!

Blessings,

Shelley

Great Amish Book Giveaway!

Today seven authors are joining together to give away 9 sets of books! Winners will receive three signed novels from three of the following authors:

Shelley Shepard Gray, Amy Clipston, Jennifer Beckstrand, Vannetta Chapman, Kelly Irvin, Amanda Flower, and Mary Ellis!

I know! It’s an awesome giveaway!

To enter (and there are 7 chances to win!) Go to each of the authors’ websites and/or Facebook pages and write a comment. Winners will be chosen by 10:00 am tomorrow morning, E.S.T.

So, please do leave me a comment! Tell me which author is new to you. Or how tired you are of the cold! Or what TV show you are currently really enjoying…you get the idea! Anything will do.  ;-)  Then, please go visit the other authors and comment there, too!  www.vannettachapman.com, www.amyclipston.com, www.jenniferbeckstrand.com, www.amandaflower.com, www.maryellis.net, www.kellyirvin.com

Thank you so very much for your interest in our books! I know I speak for everyone when I say that we are all so grateful for you.

Wishing you many blessings today…and the best of luck!

Shelley

Secrets of Sloane House Cover!

I’m thrilled to share the cover for Secrets of Sloane House! This is my Chicago World’s Fair Romance/Mystery. The book will be published in July~which now doesn’t seem all that far away!

And for those of you who are curious, I write historicals as Shelley Gray and Amish books as Shelley Shepard Gray.

Hosting an Accident

Tom and I hosted an accident last Saturday night, and it all started out because we decided to stay home and watch Chopped.

    Originally, we’d planned to go out to dinner. But one thing led to another-mainly Tom was tired from traveling all week, it was really cold, and it was really snowing. And well, we kind of like sitting on the couch, eating grilled chicken salads, and watching Chopped. Boring, I know.

    Anyway, there we were, trying to figure out how the chefs were going to make a dessert out of four very strange ingredients, when there was a crash in our front yard.

     We live on a main road that can get pretty icy, so this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. But it was the first time that a SUV ran over our mailbox and crashed into the telephone pole in our front yard. 

      Right away, my husband went out to investigate. Moments later, he sent the two kids who were in the vehicle to me. They were both 17, Juniors in high school, and pretty shaken up. The girl had a bump on her head and was bleeding a little bit, so we called 911. The dispatcher said an ambulance and the police were on their way.

And so it began.

       While my husband stayed outside with a neighbor, trying to warn other drivers about the vehicle, I tried to calm the two kids down. They were cold and shaken up and very worried that their parents were going to be mad that they’d gotten in an accident. Never had I been so glad to have kids in their twenties! Though neither have been in serious accidents, they’d both had minor mishaps at one time or another. Because of that, I was able to tell the kids on my couch that this, too, would pass. That  everything was going to be okay because they were okay.

     Over the next twenty minutes, I welcomed a policeman, two EMTs, and one of the kids’ moms into my living room. I had the curious job of offering water and Cokes since it was our house…and trying to stay out of the way because none of what was happening was really any of my business.

    It turned out the girl was just a little banged up but okay, so the EMTs left. The policeman went back outside to help direct traffic. Another set of parents came, and then the tow truck came, too. More neighbors came out to see what was going on and offer to help.

   Two hours later, everyone was gone and Tom and I were back on the couch, sharing stories and exhausted! However, we also were so glad that we had decided to stay home that night. It was nice to help out a couple of kids and their families for a couple of hours-and to send everyone on their way.

    The next morning, I got on the phone and called both of my kids, excited to tell them all about Saturday night’s excitement. To my surprise, both of them thought it was amusing that I was so calm, cool, and collected. I suppose they had a point. I was notoriously bad in crisis situations when they were small. Both knew, from a very young age, that if  blood was involved, it was always better to go to their dad.  It seems that I’m only good at ‘hosting’ accidents!

   Now, days later, I am still smiling about that idea. I did do okay ‘hosting’ a bunch of strangers at my house. Far better than I would have been if some one had called me on Saturday night to tell me a loved one had been in an accident. But let’s just hope and pray I won’t be ‘hosting’ another accident anytime soon.

Wishing you many blessings!

Shelley

Valentine Ladies

Something that’s kind of fun about my small town is that the town council chooses a new Valentine Lady every year.  Being a romance writer and all~well, you can probably guess I love this idea! 

Years ago, when I used to write for Harlequin, I wrote a blog about it. I sometimes really enjoy pulling out these old blogs. I like remembering the days when my house was filled with kids, our evenings were spent at their events, I made a casserole almost every night, and I never got enough sleep. 

Makes me tired, just thinking about it all!

I hope you enjoy a little blast from my past!

 

What’s new with me? Not too much. It’s been snowing here-pretty much like everywhere else in the Midwest. We’ve had lots of snow days which don’t bother me at bit because it means  my two teenagers will be home. We made it through another wrestling season and my son is now quietly eating me out of house and home. My daughter broke up with her boyfriend of two months, cried on a Saturday and now has someone else in mind. My husband has continued to do what he does…travel for his job. I’ve been spending the month working on revisions for a Harlequin that should be out about a year from now.

Actually, the best thing that happened recently didn’t even involve me at all, but I thought y’all might enjoy hearing about it. February brought forth our town’s newest Valentine Lady. Yep, you read that right. At the end of January a Valentine Court is selected and on February 1st, an honorary Valentine Lady is chosen. It’s a big deal. The lady is someone who has usually lived in our town for quite some time and has contributed in countless amounts of ways over the years. This year’s Valentine Lady was actually someone I know…the mom of one of my neighbors.  She’s also a cancer survivor, a tireless volunteer and an all-around thoughtful person.

You might ask, what does a Valentine Lady do? She stamps the annual town Valentine, of course! Yep, every year a local artist designs a new card. It’s sold for a dollar at most any local store, and after you fill it out, you can take it to the post office and either this year’s lady, one of her court, or a past Lady will stamp the envelope for you. The Valentine Lady also visits schools and nursing homes and gets honored at a Valentine breakfast on…you guessed it, Valentine’s Day. These ladies are truly beautiful women, inside and out. They wear red for these public events and lovely smiles. They must have a whole collection of red sweaters and blazers and cute heart necklaces.

As you can probably tell, I like everything about this whole process- a lot. I love that women are being honored for just being all around nice people who care. I love that there’s a table in the post office set up for thirteen days filled with these minor celebrities. I love that I got my Valentines and got them stamped just because I knew the lady and wanted to wish her well.

When Valentine’s Day is over and all the hoopla that surrounded the day has come and gone. I imagine all the Valentine Ladies are probably still trying to recover from their very busy month.  I’ve heard it’s hard work being a mini celebrity!  

I, for one, will miss them.  Every once in a while I think we all need a reason to take a deep breath and walk outside our lives…and celebrate the many people who just quietly do what needs to be done.  Do any of you know  a person like this?  A person who’s thoughtful, caring, and usually under the radar?

Shelley

JOIN OUR BUGGY BUNCH

I’m really excited!

After a lot of planning, discussing, praying and procrastinating, I’m going to start a Street Team! We’re going to call it the Buggy Bunch, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Not sure what a ‘Street Team’ is? That’s okay, about a year ago, I wasn’t sure either.

 Here’s some more information:

1) Street Team members are people who really like my books and like to talk about them, too! Right now, we’re hoping to have about 15-20 street team members. It will be about a year commitment.

2) Members will receive advanced copies of books. After they read the books, street team members will need to post reviews on goodreads, amazon.com, cbd.com, or on their own blogs, if they blog. 

3) They’ll help me spread the word on Facebook and/or Twitter about upcoming releases, tour dates, and any special, out of the ordinary news. (such as one of the books making a bestseller list or receives a really good review). 

4) If they’re inclined, Street Team members might visit their local libraries and ask them to carry my books. Or give out bookmarks to bookstores and libraries.

Some of you already do some of these things! THANK YOU!  I’ve seen your reviews on various sites. I’ve heard that you’ve visited your library and asked them to carry my books. I’ve met cousins, neighbors, moms, and daughters who only gave my books a try because someone let them borrow a book.

If you are an avid reader, would like some free books,  and are interested in telling other people about my books, I hope you’ll consider joining our Buggy Bunch!

If you’d like to learn even more information, please contact my media assistant Laurie. She’s going to be organizing the group.  Please email Laurie at: laurie4ssg@gmail.com.

Laurie is about to go on a vacation (it’s a surprise for her girls!) but she’ll get back to you as soon as she can.

If this isn’t the kind of thing that interests you, I completely understand. I’m just glad you’ve given my books a try.

Wishing you many blessings this week!

Shelley

Busy Month!

I met with Lynne and Laurie today in order to get organized for all the fun events for HOPEFUL‘s Book Release Day on February 4. All three of us are going to be heading up to Berlin and Sugarcreek on February 6. I’m looking forward to playing tour guide and showing them all my favorite places in the area! Already I’m planning to go to the Walnut Creek Cheese Shop-that’s my favorite store to visit.

If you have some time, I hope you’ll plan to spend a few hours with me up in Amish Country. We’ll be having dessert at the Farmstead Restaurant, having lunch at an Amish home, and signing books in both Sugarcreek and in Alliance, OH! (Looks like I’ll be eating pie and more pie!) All the information is in the Events section of my website.

At the end of February, I’ll also be celebrating another book release! This one is for REDEMPTION. It’s a historical Amish novel, taking place right at the end of the Civil War. It will only be available as an e-book. The price is great! It’s currently available for preorder for $2.99.

I’ll be popping in a little more frequently now that the holidays are over! Thanks so much for stopping by!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy 2014, Everyone!

While I was speaking with a book club today, I shared my writing journey. I told them about beginning my first book during a lunch break when I was teaching school…all the way back in 1998! It’s hard to believe that was 16 years ago.  Time really does fly by!  ;-)

My kids and Rudy-the-dog have been home, so my writing time has been a little limited. When that happens, I always concentrate on my deadlines! But now that Rudy and my son are currently driving to Alabama, I’m ready to spend just a little bit more time on my computer!

This year is sure to be an exciting one for me. I’ll have 6 books out! Below is the schedule of releases and a bit about each book.  Thank you to all of you for your support and enthusiasm! I am truly blessed by you.

February 4: The Return To Sugarcreek Series Begins! HOPEFUL will be released. The heroine is Miriam Zehr, the hero is Junior Beiler. Miriam’s always loved Junior and when he stops by her house, she’s sure he’s finally noticed her. Then, of course, she discovers he’s there for a far different reason….

February 25: REDEMPTION will be published! *REDEMPTION is an e-book! It’s an Amish historical set at the end of the Civil War. (It’s also available at a great price, $2.99!) 

May: THANKFUL, Book #2 of the Return To Sugarcreek Series, hits the shelves.  For Christina and Aden, one incident that happened 10 years ago changed their lives. Now, it’s time for them to come to terms with it.

July: SECRETS OF SLOAN HOUSE, a White City Mystery. YAY!!!  This is my historical romance/mystery set during the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. It’s kind of a cross between an Agatha Christie-style mystery and Downton Abbey. It’s a stand-alone novel, and right around 400 pages. I’m excited about it!

August: JOYFUL, Book #3 of the Return to Sugarcreek Series.  Randall Beiler needs Elizabeth’s help, just for a little while. It’s too bad he broke her heart and she wants nothing to do with him.

October: SNOWFALL, A Days of Redmption Christmas Novella. Lovina Keim plays matchmaker with Ruth, Daybreak’s Retirement Home’s newest employee and Martin, a struggling widower with 6 unruly children. Trouble ensues! Think Mary Poppins mixed with Sound of Music among the Amish.

Is there one book that sounds particularly interesting to you? I’d love to know your choice!

Blessings,

Shelley

Merry Christmas Week!

 Rudy got a Christmas chew toy in the shape of a candy cane last night. Late last night, I caught him fast asleep, his new toy close at hand!  

Tomorrow we’re heading up to Michigan for a few days. I hope all of you will have a wonderful Christmas! Thank you for making 2013 such a wonderful year!