Sherrie R. Cronin's Blog, page 23

Designing your own book cover, part 3

[image error]I was sort of like someone who wants to fire a few BB’s at a squirrel to scare it off the lawn and gets handed an AK-47. Before I knew it, I had dozens if not hundreds of relevant images and so many cover ideas that my head hurt. Take a look at a couple of the wild combinations…

I had to make a decision. I picked something that I thought would please everyone a little and my novel first appeared with the cover below.

It took me no more than a few days to accept that I did not particularly like it.

Read more at Designing your own book cover, part 3.

(For more on this topic see Designing your own book cover, part 1 and Designing your own book cover, part 2.)

 

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Designing your own book cover, part 2

[image error]It was time to contact the graphics people at Mother Spider, and see if the same magic could be performed on this cover that had happened with my first book, xo. I explained to Jennifer, the owner of Mother Spider, that the novel was about the grown-up adventures of a boy who had once taught himself to shift his appearance while watching his pet chameleon. I had to have the boat, the sunset, the fire-dancing imagery, at least one chameleon and an orange cover.

“We’ll see,” was all she said.

Read more at Designing your own book cover, part 2

(For more on this topic see Designing your own book cover, part 1 and Designing your own book cover, part 3.)

Filed under: art, writing, y1: favorite posts Tagged: #amwriting, appearance, art, attractiveness, beginnings, better, books, chameleons, creating, finishing a novel, I know it when I see it, images, novel, original, publishing, self-publishing, shapeshifting, sunsets

Designing your own book cover, part 1

[image error]But wanting to do something and knowing how to do it well are two different things, as you can tell by looking at my first version of the cover to the right. I knew my book needed to be red …

Read more at Designing your own book cover, part 1.

(For more on this topic see Designing your own book cover, part 2  and Designing your own book cover, part 3)

Filed under: art, writing, x0: favorite posts Tagged: #amwriting, appearance, art, attractiveness, beginnings, better, books, creating, finishing a novel, I know it when I see it, images, novel, original, publishing, self-publishing

Today is the Day!

[image error]After a little over two years of exuberant moments and hard work, my new book One Too is officially available, both electronically and in paperback. (It will be available for Nook and through iTunes in a few days.)

Celebrate with me by reading a few of my favorite excerpts.

Maurice wakes up in the trunk of a car at Independent Authors.

Lola makes an appearance on a TV show at Fabulous and Brunette.

A war among telepaths gets started at Rogue’s Angels.

Lola is taken prisoner at Dawn’s Reading Nook.

A mysterious building is being constructed on Laurie’s Paranormal Thoughts.

Zane shows off his shape-warping talents at the blog of Jamie Marchant, Fantasy Author.

Filed under: excerpts, writing Tagged: #amwriting, #amwritingfantasy, books, excerpts, writing

A better word than loyalty?

There is the runner in a race who pauses to help another up. There are the first responders charging into a burning building and the social worker who stays after hours to see that a few more will get what they need. There are the soldiers who serve, and the elderly who look out for the others in a retirement facility. There is anyone who stops their own pursuit of happiness long enough to tend to the greater good.

[image error]I’m not talking about compassion or empathy. Those are important and wonderful, but they are a one-on-one phenomena. I’m trying to describe a sense of duty or honor that transcends a single interaction or one other person.  At various times I’ve called it concern, responsibility, duty, honor and loyalty. I know that it involves ministering to, caring for, serving and protecting all who need it. It’s about doing what needs to be done.

I realize that what I’m trying to describe is not a fun concept, but it is one that matters. We all know in our hearts that there is a time to do what’s right for everyone, not just you.

Read more at A better word than loyalty?

(For more thoughts on words we need, see A better word than peace?, A better word than joy?, A better word than hope? and A better word than courage?)

Filed under: d4: favorite posts, d4: humanity Tagged: #amwriting, balance, choices, do something, heroes, honor, purpose, risks, working together

A better word than courage?

[image error]I was moving my emotions into the coolers colors that, to me, denoted the “but what about” response to all the good cheer of peace and joy and hope that my first three books were encompassing. In order to write about the one, I had to write about the other.

The word I wanted to describe the theme of my fourth novel was somewhere in between desperation and bravery. It was a word that would call to mind …

Read more at A better word than courage?

(For more thoughts on words we need, see A better word than loyalty?, A better word than peace?, A better word than joy?, and A better word than hope? )

Filed under: c3: courage, c3: favorite posts, writing Tagged: #amwriting, challenges, courage, heroes, overcoming, working together, writing

A better word than hope?

[image error]But hope wasn’t quite the word I meant, any more than peace and joy had been with the first two books. I was trying to talk about refusing to let go of fears and animosity from the past, and refusing to give others a chance based on old experiences. And I was talking about the belief that humans cannot change, that they cannot learn to be, or choose to be, better.

Read more at A better word than hope?

 

(For more thought on words we need, see A better word than loyalty?, A better word than peace?, A better word than joy? and A better word than courage?)

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A better word than joy?

[image error]Because I’m the kind of person who gets carried away with an idea, I decided to center the action around the place on the globe that was exactly opposite of Nigeria, where my my first novel took place. Turns out that location is just south of the equator, smack in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. This fact might have discouraged someone else …

Read more at A better word than joy?

(For more thoughts on words we need, see A better word than loyalty?, A better word than peace?,  A better word than hope? and A better word than courage?)

Filed under: writing, y1: favorite posts, y1: joy Tagged: #amwriting, balance, books, happiness, joy, novel, ocean, sunsets, travel, unexpected, words, writing

A better word than peace?

[image error]One problem is that we stick this poor five letter word with so many meanings. There is lack of armed conflict (armistice). There is quiet (silence), there is inner peace (enlightenment), there is lack of argument (agreement) and there is actually getting along (harmony). Do we all want peace. Of course we do. What kind?

Read more at A better word than peace?

(For more thought on words we need, see A better word than loyalty?, A better word than hope?, A better word than joy? and A better word than courage?)

Filed under: x0: favorite posts, x0: peace Tagged: #amwriting, compassion, courage, empathy, inner peace, kindness, telepathy, understanding, world peace

When in doubt ….

On Sept. 26, 1983, Soviet computers reported the launch of five Minuteman missiles, according to the New York Times. There were only minutes to counterattack before they would strike Soviet cities. The man who was in charge that day was skeptical, partly because the attack seemed too small. So he alerted his superiors to a false alarm. He later recalled it as a 50-50 decision.

[image error]

He had made the right choice.  It would be discovered that a Soviet satellite had misinterpreted the sun’s reflection off clouds.

Read more about September 26 at When in doubt ….

Filed under: d4: favorite posts, excerpts Tagged: choices, coincidence, future, history, love, many paths, memories, military intervention, probability, seeing the future, world peace