Maria Ellis's Blog, page 4

“Before and after” with book covers

I’ve recently run into George Foster, who is an award-winning designer of book covers. On his website he features a “before and after” gallery of book covers he has worked on. The explanations he gives are a gold mine too. Great resource for independent authors who love to or want to do it all.

Before and after book cover design

 

[Design Basics Course] Two portraits

Yesterday I started a design basics course with iversity. It’s online, it’s free and I love it. I intend to post the assignments here.

Homework #2

We were asked to beg, threaten or kindly ask a friend to take a portrait of us, then take a portrait of ourselves. Here are my two, with their respective story.

I have recently moved to a new country. Other than my husband’s family, who lives more than an hour’s drive away, I know only two other people. They both live more than 30 km away.

My husband is at work and he is the only one who could take a picture of me today. But I didn’t feel the need for him to do that. I decided to post a portrait photo he took of me about a month and a half ago. It has become my “face to the world”. I am a writer (at all times) and illustrator (sometimes) and needed it for websites, book jackets etc. Here it is:

!["Official" Portrait. We prepared the shot - I wore a flattering color, make-up and no glasses. The day was sunny and I was in our hallway, light reflecting from the shiny floor (like in one of those round light reflectors you see in professional photo shoots... it was fun!).]

“Official” portrait

For my self portrait I decided to use my laptop’s camera. I don’t know where we keep the other one. I thought about taking a shower and putting day clothes on but in the end decided on a different kind of photo shoot: me in the morning, still in my pajamas, wearing no make-up, glasses and messy hair. Oh and my bathrobe, which is about the only thing I have that can contain my seven-and-a-half-months-pregnant belly, to keep me warm. I am in the same place, in our hallway, but the autumn day is too dark for taking photos so I turned on the lights. I tried to keep the pose though… hair flipped on my side, hand to my chin… you know, the “uniform”. No face for the world. But it is a portrait.

![Un-retouched and unscripted: a portrait of me at home, in the morning, in my pj's and bathrobe ]

Self-portrait at home

Suburbia traffic jam cartoon

Suburbia traffic jam

It’s never too late to start anew… even if you are a teacup!

I’ve finished another book. It’s meant for kids but I think it will appeal to adults too. It’s about a sad, lonely and aging teacup that laments her life on a dreaded shelf in the house of the elves she lives with. She is there, banned, because of her height. They have no use for her, she cannot carry tea. She is too tall. She cries every night, much to the chagrin of her shelf-mate, a rusty old teapot. Until one day… when it all changes. A few sharp words from the teapot, a bit of anger and the seeds of a new life are sown. The teacup decides to simply be happy. Or, better said, to look for things that make her happy. Not before long, she begins to shine, the elves re-discover her and she starts a new life.

Find it at Amazon, in paperback or Kindle.

The Tallest Teacup in the World

BUGBURBIA: New mothers and the fear of a new baby

NEW MOTHERS fear of new baby

Help! Anatomy of a book cover – please vote!

As we all know, we do judge books by their covers. I’ve been working on that of my latest kids book, “The Tallest Teacup in the World”. I can’t see straight anymore… you know how it is when you stare at something for too long… and I’d appreciate some suggestions! Please vote on which one you like best and feel free to say what you like or don’t like etc. Thanks!

Cover A

Cover B

 

Teacup Cover
Which cover do you like best?





A






B







Other (please explain - suggestions are much appreciated)



















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Total Answers 3
Total Votes 3

Interesting survey of ebooks readers

I have recently found a very interesting survey about the habits, assumptions and general behavior of ebooks readers – a.k.a. the people who buy books in electronic format. As it turns out, they barely visit the bookstore. They don’t care that much about reviews, are not impressed by the “New York Times Best-selling Author” label and will surely buy if they like a free book  / sample. It’s really worth a look!

http://e-bookformattingfairies.blogspot.be/2013/08/the-readers-sound-off-how-they-read.html

New 5-star review for “The Golden Cheese”

Book Review: The Golden Cheese 





Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers’ Favorite

The Golden Cheese by Maria Ellis is a story of a little mouse who wants to get a golden cheese that will help him live in a palatial house with lots of money and respect from others. That is his biggest dream. But he is unable to make that happen and realizes that the void in his life can be filled only by a good friend.

The story carries a beautiful message of companionship and friendship and how it can alter your life and make you happy. Loneliness is an emotion that can actually make you unhappy and here the mouse gets rid of it finally and ends up being happy. Like any other children’s story book, the book has many illustrations to make the story endearing and more understandable. The illustrations are bright and expressive. They take the story to another level.

The Golden Cheese is very vivid. The time when the mouse meets the lady mouse is the best part of the story. Apart from having a moral, the story has a lot of animal characters and children are introduced to different animals. The educational angle of the story is also done in a subtle manner without the children feeling the strain of it.

The bee, the cow, the cats, the squirrel, the sheep; they all have important roles in the story to make it more appealing to the child. Will the mouse be able to find the riches he is looking for and will he get the respect he craves from others?

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY: “Together”

This week’s topic from “Illustration Friday” perfectly fits one of the pages of my recently published kids book, “The Golden Cheese“. I love these two mice…

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Page from my recently published book “The Golden Cheese” – for “illustration Friday” and the theme “Together”

UPCOMING BOOK PREVIEW: “The Tallest Teacup in the World”

I am halfway through with the illustrations for a new book for kids. Like “The Bear’s Slippers” and “The Golden Cheese“, my two previous ones, this one is also for the 3-7 y.o. crowd and in verse. The protagonist is a sweet, very tall teacup that is despairing because she cannot be useful because of her height. Her grumpy neighbor is a rusty old kettle that pokes at her every attempt to get herself out of her “funk”. But out she goes in the end, of course… Coming soon on Amazon. Here are pages 1 and 6.

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Page 1 preview of my new book for children, “The Tallest Teacup in the World” – a story in verse for ages 3-7

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Page 6 preview of my new book for children, “The Tallest Teacup in the World” – a story