Debra Parmley's Blog, page 11

Remembering Judi McCoy - RT 2009 Orlando

Today I heard the news Judi McCoy had passed.

I first met Judi when she sent me an email asking me to be on writing panels at the 2009 RT Booklovers convention in Orlando. It was the year my first book had come out in print and I was heading to Orlando early to be on Bobbi Smith's writing panels. So I told Judi yes, I could, providing the panels she put me in could fit in with the others I was already on. It was a whirlwind RT for me that year with so many panels and I even had one of my own with Gerri Russell. We'd teamed up to do a panel on writing with your muse, each of us taking a different stance on the subject. I admit, for a brief moment, I thought of turning Judi down because it felt like I was taking on too much. But she assured me it would all work out, nothing would conflict and she'd be happy with any help I could give. I'm glad now that I didn't turn it down and thankful to have had the opportunity and the experience.  

I met Judi for the first time at the opening dinner where we would meet all the beginning writers in her program and I was impressed not only by the energy and high spirits Judi exuded, but by her generousity with the beginning writers. It was a whirlwind week for me, there was no such thing as down time, so the memory of that week is a bit of a blur. But what stands out in my memory is what a good teacher Judi was. She told it straight, the way she saw it and the information for beginning writers was solid.  

We only had a few minutes together that weren't taken up by the needs of her students, but during that time she told me of her new series, the proceeds of which she would donate to no-kill animal shelters, a cause we both felt strongly about. In October of that year, I interviewed her on my Make Believe Mondays blog and we talked a little bit about that. Here is the link to that interview.

http://makebelievemondays.blogspot.com/2009/10/make-believe-mondays-with-judi-mccoy.html

These are the memories I have of Judi. She will be greatly missed. May she rest in peace.

http://judimccoy.com/

Book Covers: How Does An Author Select A Book Cover?

 

Because I've had several readers email me to ask variations of questions about book covers and how we choose them, I decided to address this topic today on my blog.

First, I want to share my new cover, for my second book, Dangerous Ties, which will be released Feb. 15th, (Next Wed.) I think it is beautiful. My cover artist is JL Fuller and I'm very happy with her work.

Second, authors who are pursuing routes of self-publishing will have different experiences and advice than I have to share here. I can only speak from the traditional publishing route because that has been my experience and preference.

This blog article will address my experiences and what I know of traditional publishing houses.

Book covers and the creation and selection process will vary from publishing house to publishing house and even from author to author within the various houses. Some authors have their agent include cover art issues as a part of their contract and some do not. Beginning authors may have no say in their cover art, but again this depends on the house. Authorial control of cover art/design is NOT automatic. I do not have authorial control on my covers, but what I do have is trust in my publishing house and I do look at the types of covers a house has before I sign with them because this is part of the decision making process for me.

Cover artists work from a cover art input sheet, which the author fills out. This is a representation of the book you wrote and because it is usually the only thing the artist works from, it is important to fill this out as thoroughly as possible. The author needs to be direct, clear and precise so the artist can get a vision of imagery that best suits the story. At some houses this may be a one-page document. After completing the fields in my art cover input sheet for Dangerous Ties the document including instructions was 15 pages long. Desert Breeze does a thorough job of providing enough information to the cover artist to make the best cover possible. They have beautiful covers and have been winning awards for their work.

I am quite pleased with the cover for Dangerous Ties. I love the colors, the peach of her dress, the blue sky and the red canyons. In fact, I'd love to have that dress. J One thing it reminded me of (which my cover artist could not have known or anyone else really as I haven't thought of this in years) was the peach dress I wore after our wedding as my going away dress. I was only eighteen when we got married and at the time peach was my favorite color. My fiancés grandmother was an excellent seamstress and she made the dress for me. It was one of the most loving and moving gifts I have ever received and I wore it fondly for many years. I like to think she too is seeing the dress on my new book cover and smiling with the memories of that time along with me. Her name was Lura Corbin Parmley. Love you, mammaw. J

This is the serendipity of life. We do the best we can to do the work behind the scenes to come out with the best cover to fit the book. Given that the cover artists don't have time to read the books they create covers for, it requires clear communication for a shared vision along with a bit of luck, a little bit of fairy dust or perhaps a guardian angel whispering in the artists ear.

Special thanks to my cover artist, JL Fuller and to Jenifer Ranieri, art director at Desert Breeze.  

Interview with author June Foster

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Welcome June!

 

Tell us about your latest release.

Give Us This Day is a contemporary inspirational romance set in the Seattle area due out February 1.

When Jess Colton walks away from his past, he leaves alcohol behind but replaces it with a food addiction, yet nothing Holly Harrison does will allow her to escape from her mistakes. Can their romance survive the obstacles from their former lives?

What sparked the story idea for this novel?

One day I brainstormed scenarios of what I felt would be the most unlikely romantic relationships. I'm sure these ideas were influenced by situations and people I've known in real life. In Give Us This Day, a story about an obese computer geek and a woman who wears a prosthesis seemed like quite a challenge. I wanted to try to write something different, a story not like any other I'd heard about. The story allows a lot of room for the necessity for God to work if Holly and Jess' relationship is to survive. 

Do you have any writing rituals or favorite places to write?

My writing table is unique. Since my husband and I live in our RV full time, Joe used his creativity and took out the couch. He replaced it with a metal writing desk and a couple of filing cabinets. This actually works well. 

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Which member of your family had the most influence on you as a writer?

My husband has been so supportive, but I'd have to say my daughter Susan has had the most influence on me. When I told her about the story lurking around in my head, her comment asking me why I didn't write it was the spark I needed. She has encouraged me every step of the way as well. 

Was there any particular book which captured your imagination as a child and why?

I loved to read as a child – the Bobsey Twins and the Nancy Drew books. However, nothing in my memory stands out. I wasn't an avid reader in those days. Even as an adult, I didn't read romance which is what I write now. I believe that's one reason I was so surprised when the Lord put the desire on my heart to write inspirational romance.

Thank you June! It's been a pleasure having you visit my blog.

Love and light,

Debra

Visit June's Facebook page at 

http://www.facebook.com/people/June-Foster/100000594753461

For more about Give Us This Day visit: