Chris Baty's Blog, page 4

30 Covers, 30 Days 2023: Day 11

Representing day 11 is a page turner of a novel! Get it? Let’s introduce Turning the Page by Jess King, a LGBTQ+ novel. This cover was designed by the amazing returning designer, Rachel Gogel!

Turning the Page

Ellie and Ryan meet when Ellie escapes her hometown for the small town she grew up in. The two women have seemingly nothing in common, but both have a passion for keeping Ellie’s grandmother’s bookstore alive. Romance blossoms between them as they get the bookstore back into fighting shape, but when family drama threatens the bookstore’s longevity, the two women team up to prevent its closure.

About the Author

The author is currently keeping their identity a secret!

About the Designer

Rachel Gogel is a Parisian creative director, designer, educator, and speaker based in San Francisco, California. Currently, she runs her own independent consultancy practice as a solopreneur where her approach is informed by experiences both in-house and agency side. As a fractional design executive and queer leader, Rachel believes in fostering inclusive spaces that unlock human potential. Specifically, she is committed to designing teams that build brands — with a focus on culture and technology. Over the last fifteen years, Rachel has led major initiatives at GQ, The New York Times, Meta, Godfrey Dadich, Departures, Airbnb, and Dropbox. Beyond this, Rachel seeks to influence the next creative generation as a design educator at the California College of the Arts (CCA) and as the Women in Leadership & Design (WILD) Chair on the AIGA SF Board of Directors. She is also an avid public speaker, workshop facilitator, and mentor on ADPList and Talk To A Creative Director. All of these platforms amplify Rachel’s commitment to supporting women- and nonbinary-led causes and addressing gender-based disparities in the design industry.

Rachel Gogel

she/her/hers

Independent Design Executive & Educator

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelgogel/

rachelgogel.com
@rgogel (Threads, Instagram, X)

30 Covers, 30 Days 2023: Day 10

To represent day 10, here’s a warning to not go too deep in the caverns. Time to introduce The Cavern’s Call by Aloysius Black, a Horror/Supernatural novel! This novel cover was designed by the amazing returning artist, Randy Gregory II!

The Cavern’s Call

Elijah, an experienced caver on a trip in Pennsylvania, gets drawn into a cavern that’s not on the map. Inside, Elijah loses touch with reality, has dreams of people they’ve never seen, and can’t seem to remember which way they came from. All the while, Elijah’s would-be fiancée is doing everything she can above ground to try to track them down.

About the Author

Aloysius Black is a lifelong reader and a lifetime fan of caves. You can find pictures of them from young childhood and all through their life being excited about them! Not yet an actual caver - this writer went spelunking for the first time recently and boosted their excitement through the roof. You can find them listening to audiobooks and reading about caves in their spare time back home in Maryland, USA.

About the Designer

Randy Gregory II is a designer and miniature painter living in Austin, Texas. For his day job, he is a product design leader at IBM. You will typically find him talking about film, games, and cooking. Follow his socials at @randygii & @weirdbeard_minis on Instagram.

Cover Design Process:

This year. we gave designers the optional prompt to explain their design process for the cover! Here’s Randys’s:

When I read the synopsis for The Cavern’s Call, I wanted to evoke mystery and foreboding, instead of a straight forward horrific feeling, like what you see with most books & movies that are about cave horror. This book feels like folk horror, and by layering & altering various textures over a beautiful photo of a cavern I found, I think I’ve found that balance between beauty and dread.

30 Covers, 30 Days 2023: Day 9

To represent Day 9 of NaNo, we have another community feature! Give it up for Four People Can’t Save the World by Christy Ogawa, a Fantasy novel! This cover was chosen because of the cover perfectly conveying the title. The contrast of the regular stick figures with the ones that represent the characters are very fun. Even though they’re stick figures, you get a glimpse of their personalities, and it leaves you wanting to open up the book for more.

Four People Can’t Save the World

A bull named Fleidermaus rises from the dead and attacks a cowboy. The new owner of a sushi restaurant shows signs of anemia. Mysterious disappearances in a small town tempt some plucky twins to return to the business of sleuthing. When these bizarre happenings collide, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. And by “hangs,” we mean it awkwardly hovers there like a party guest who does not get the hint that it’s time to go home.

About the Author/Artist

Christy Ogawa sneaks in writing time between chasing after identical twin toddlers that are already much smarter than she is. The universe has gifted her with them and also with basically the best dog ever. She’d like to humbly request it also give her a bungalow with a private beach and a full-time writing career. And maybe a gig guest-judging a reality TV show where people bake things under unrealistic time limits. She is a rule-follower who has put aside writing her memoir, The Customer Service in Hell, because it’s not NaMeWriMo. She has no socials to link, so would the universe please also give her a brilliant Instagram (or whatever is cool now) that makes her seem immensely creative yet humble and relatable. Amen.

Cover Design Process:

The title makes an argument about just how much power a few people have in the wide, wide, world. I felt that a crowd of generic human symbols could convey just how small the characters are in the grand scheme of things. The four stick figures who have broken out of the rigid pose also promise the reader that this is a story about four people who have “broken the mold” in some way, and I wanted their poses to convey that they are looking for each other in the crowd.

Pro Tips from a NaNo Coach: How to Write a Clean(ish) Fast Draft

ALT

NaNoWriMo can seem like a daunting task sometimes, for NaNo newbies and veterans alike. Fortunately, our NaNo Coaches are here to help guide you through November! Today, author Jesse Q. Sutanto is here to share her advice on how to set yourself up for noveling success:

Dear Nano-ers,

My first book took me three years to cobble together. During that time, I joined Absolute Write—a free writers forum which I completely love and recommend to all aspiring writers—and I made a friend who convinced me to try doing NaNoWriMo. I was completely unconvinced, but I am a people-pleaser and I can never say no, so I agreed to try it for my second novel.

My second novel took me less than a month to write. It was a complete mess, but it was also a revelation. Often, I felt myself falling into that writing Holy Grail—the hole which consumes you, makes you forget the rest of the world, and absorbs you completely in the world you are creating on paper. I loved the process deeply, and never looked back since. All of my subsequent books have since been written in a matter of months. 

And you know what? They were all a horrific mess. I did not learn how to do a clean and fast draft until my NINTH book, and I don’t think I would’ve ever learnt without the help of NaNoWriMo. So here are my tips on how to best tackle a sprint-a-thon like NaNo. 

1. Try to come up with a loose outline.

When I first started writing, I was a pure pantser. I had no idea what was going to happen before I sat down to write. This is a completely legit way of writing, but I have since learned that it is massively helpful to have an idea, even a vague one, of what you are trying to say with your book. What was really helpful for me was to sit down for just five minutes before writing each scene and try to envision what I wanted the scene to achieve. Once I had that in mind, the scene became much easier to write. 

2. Break down your writing time.

Ever heard of the Pomodoro technique? In order to hit 50,000 words a month, you need to write around 1,600 words a day. That is a heck of a lot of words to write! Break it down. Set 10 or 15-minute timers and use that to your advantage. Trust me, if you told me to sit down and write 1,600 words, I would be like, “Omg that’s too much!” But if you told me to just write for 15 minutes, that feels a lot more doable. 

3. Give yourself permission to write trash.

Before each writing session, I actually say out loud: “I am going to write trash.” And this gives me permission to write whatever comes to my mind without judgment. You can always edit later, but for now, focus on letting the words out on paper. 

4. Lean on others for support.

I made the mistake of thinking that writing is a lonely vocation. In fact, it is one of the most social things I could do. Social media, while a double-edged sword, has done so much for the writing community. I have found all of my close writer friends through social media, and I chat with them every day and consider them my close, lifelong friends. Don’t be afraid to reach out and make connections within the community. You are not alone. 

Jesse Q. Sutanto is the award-winning, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, Well, That Was Unexpected, The Obsession, and Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit. The film rights to her women’s fiction, Dial A for Aunties, was bought by Netflix in a competitive bidding war, and the TV rights to Vera Wong was bought by Warner Bros, with Oprah and Mindy Kaling attached to produce. She has a master’s degree in creative writing from Oxford University, though she hasn’t found a way of saying that without sounding obnoxious.

30 Covers, 30 Days 2023: Day 8

Since it’s day 8 of NaNoWriMo, some of you might start wishing someone else could write your novel for you. Here’s a fun novel that explores that exact idea! Today, we have 10 Maniacs are Trapped in a Death Trap and they Each Must Write a Short Story or They Will All Be Killed by Adam Marler, a Satire/Humor novel! This novel cover was designed by the amazing returning artist, Christopher Simmons!

(For those of you who don’t know, 30C30D stands for 30 Covers, 30 Days in which 17 Wrimos and 5 YWP Participants get the chance to win a professionally designed cover! The rest of the days are being filled by community features. We’ll be posting a cover a day throughout November, so make sure to check them out!)

10 Maniacs are Trapped in a Death Trap and they Each Must Write a Short Story or They Will All Be Killed

(What if the bad guy from Saw trapped people and made them write his NaNoWriMo?)

On June 15th, a brilliant creative mind met tragic fate. Dr. Bloodcastle, a literary genius, faced a fate worse than death. A horrifying collision with a bus filled with 10 total maniacs left him messed up, both physically and creatively. His life’s work, a collection of short stories, lay in ruins, missing a staggering 50,000 words. His literary agent, once a faithful ally, severed their professional ties.

Years passed, and from the depths of despair, Dr. Bloodcastle emerged with a visage as chilling as his resolve. Now his face was a skull.

The 10 maniacs responsible for his ruin would soon discover that their twisted fate had taken a malevolent turn. Dr. Bloodcastle, with a thirst for retribution, kidnapped each one of them. He would force them to wield the pen and write, an agonizing task of producing 50,000 words in a mere month.

Prepare for a chilling tale of literary revenge, where the boundaries between sanity and madness blur, and the pen becomes a weapon of torment. Dr. Bloodcastle’s macabre narrative unfolds, and justice will be written in the ink of vengeance.

About the Author

Adam Marler is a lifelong reader with a great appreciation for literature and the written word. Despite that, he is currently working on 10 Maniacs are Trapped in a Death Trap and they Each Must Write a Short Story or They Will All Be Killed which shouldn’t be considered a reflection on any of his previous teachers, academic or otherwise.

When he isn’t writing this dumb thing he’s spending time with his wife, son, two dogs and house that is roughly 25% remodeled.

About the Designer

Christopher Simmons is a designer, author, artist, occasional hamburger blogger, and a former curator of NaNoWriMo’s 30 Days/30 Covers project. His work has been exhibited in museums and galleries ranging from The Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art to the de Young Museum in San Francisco to The Smithsonian Institution. He has written four books and designed considerably more.

Cover Design Process:

This year. we gave designers the optional prompt to explain their design process for the cover! Here’s Christopher’s:

The title, as I was given it, was “10 Maniacs are Trapped in a Death Trap and they Each Must Write a Short Story or They Will All Be Killed by Adam Marler.” My first instinct was to play with the absurd length of that title. Most of my early explorations were around that. But there was also something intriguing to me about the run-on between title and author; it almost read as if Adam Marler was going to do the killing. I became interested with blurring the boundary between author and title, which is how I arrived at implicating him as one of the maniacs. Since the book is a satire about the writing process it seemed apropos. The full title appears on the spine, but this is the kind of concept cover that would probably get rejected. Still, I like to lead with it to jumpstart creative discussions.

How to Find Hope for Completing Your Writing Goals

ALT

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Campfire, a 2023 NaNoWriMo sponsor, is a writing and worldbuilding platform to help you create an immersive experience benefitting both authors and readers. Today, Campfire Community Manager Emory Glass shares some words on having hope when writing feels overwhelming:

It has been 3,265 days since I won NaNoWriMo. I was 16 and wrote 75,000 words. It was exhilarating and cathartic and everything I ever dreamt of.

Tomorrow it will be 3,266 days since I won NaNoWriMo. I look back on my projects thinking, “2,500 words a day is lightspeed. The words flowed so freely then, so quickly.” I want to be a writer–I am a writer. It is my identity, my purpose, my reason, yet I cannot bring myself to finish what I have begun.

The next day it will have been 3,267 days since I won NaNoWriMo. The words do not fly from my fingertips but crawl, sapped of energy, the page a grave for ink stains posing as letters. I talk to my characters often. My writer friends tell me I speak of them as if they were real people, but I cannot seem to lift the weight of their stories from my mind. Still, I have no platform, no audience, no one eagerly watching for the next installment.

The day after it will have been 3,268 days since I won NaNoWriMo. Two publications, no published novels, hundreds of thousands of words gathering dust. I am no writer, I am a collector of words. There must be something wrong with me. I have so much to tell, so much to share, so much to create, but here I am not telling, not sharing, not creating.

One day it will have been 3,269 days since I won NaNoWriMo. I will not have published a book, I will not have a new story, I will not have an audience or a platform or one–just one–person looking forward to what happens next.

But I will not give up.

“…and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” (Friedrich Nietzsche)

It’s rather typical for a dark fantasy writer to peer into the void, but it quickly becomes an intoxication and an excuse to never move a muscle. Do not succumb. Push forward, even if you barely move an inch. If you wish to be a builder, you build. If you wish to be a fighter, you fight. If you wish to be a writer, you write.

Brute force seems barbaric. Should words not spill onto the page? It is said that art cannot be coerced or bent to one’s own will; it comes easily, naturally, swiftly. The very best art is created in a creative frenzy, so they say, and the very best artists are recognized in memoriam.

But if you delay and evade and wither your ambition as you count the days since your last success, your oeuvre halts and is buried and perishes by your own hand. So if you, like me, too often find yourself peering into the void where the words have gone to fade away, cleave to the remedy for its gaze: hope. This is the heart of creation. Laudation and lucrativeness are but two measures of success. They will not themselves burst a dam of words within you and imbue every project with Midas’ touch. Creative fever is not catching–you must seek it out.

Give yourself a reason to write even when you do not want to or it feels too Herculean a task. If you seek new horizons, a useful tool, or a supportive community to accompany you on this odyssey, enlist Campfire to help. Whether it behooves you to squeeze out words on your mobile device, stay focused offline with a desktop application, or keep inspiration at hand via browser-based work and Discord chats, it’s the best place to bring your stories to life.

NaNoWriMo participants can save on Campfire’s writing software! Use the discount code LETSGONANO23 for 30% off your first year of an annual subscription to our Standard Plan. It’s free to create an account. Offer expires March 31, 2024.

ALT

Emory Glass is an avid artist, worldbuilder, and author with a passion for strong female characters in leading roles and meticulous attention to detail in lore. She loves tea, learning Scottish Gaelic, continuing her work on The Chroma Books, a series of interconnected stories, and running Inkblood Book Company for similarly enthusiastic dark fantasy writers. When not chasing down stories, Emory works as the Community Manager at Campfire.

Top photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash.

30 Covers, 30 Days 2023: Day 7

Whew, what a rush of covers! Let’s head towards our second community feature. We’re featuring Young Adult novel Wonderwall by O.M. Faye. This cover was chosen for its striking colors and fun visuals; it’s a cover that draws you into the story! The fonts also tie into the feeling of the story really well too.

(Wondering about the community features? This year, we’re highlighting designers who are also NaNo participants! Read more about it in our main 30 Covers, 30 Days post!)

Wonderwall

Music speaks to us in ways nothing else can. That’s always been the case for Isaac Burke. When a drunk driver turns his life upside down in the space of one afternoon, music’s the only escape he has. His little brother’s gone and all he has left is this undertow of regret. He’d move heaven and earth, he’d do anything, but there’s no going back.

Isaac retreats behind walls so thick he’s unreachable to his family and friends. But when he moves, new neighbors take him by surprise. If die-hard nerd Barrett’s the bulldozer, the first to break through the chinks in Isaac’s armor, Barrett’s twin sister Avery’s the wrecking ball, crumbling every last defense he’s got.

Between her fiery spirit, kick-ass moves on a skateboard, and unmatched verbal sparring, Isaac falls and he falls hard. From the bumpiest of starts to the first sparks of a love that will never truly fade, no matter how many years they’re apart or how famous he becomes, their’s is a tale of star-crossed lovers that one day may just beat the odds.

About the Author/Artist

My dream’s to live in a bookshop crowded with dusty paperbacks and dog-eared hardcovers. My only employees would be two aloof black cats. (I’d name one Binx and the other Crowley). Their jobs, naturally, would be to pass judgment on every patron who dares cross the threshold and poke around their stacks. If you’re lucky, they might grant you the honor of scratching under their chins.

Maybe someday. For now, I live on a farm with my son, our dog he named Ducky, a few unemployed cats, and a bunch of chickens. And books. Lots and lots of books.

Feel free to follow on Twitter @ omfayebooks!

Cover Design Process

I wanted to reference the 90’s as much as possible and it really went from there.

30 Covers, 30 Days 2023: Day 6

Oh look, Day 6 has laid out the clues for an exciting cover! As in, it’s a mystery novel! Today, we have Ego Death by YWP writer Madeline Perry. This novel cover was designed by the amazing returning artist, Tony Pinto!

(For those of you who don’t know, 30C30D stands for 30 Covers, 30 Days in which 17 Wrimos and 5 YWP Participants get the chance to win a professionally designed cover! The rest of the days are being filled by community features. We’ll be posting a cover a day throughout November, so make sure to check them out!)

Ego Death

A private detective is contacted by the police about a murder scene that they all feel that she’ll be interested in; one where the body looks just like her own. However, what they all neglect to mention and what she realizes upon arriving on the scene is that it doesn’t just look like her; it IS her.

The questions mount. How? Why? When? Where? Who did this?

The answers to all of that and more are far more supernatural and morbid than all concerned ever come to expect…

About the Author

The author chooses to keep their identity a secret for the time being!

About the Designer

Tony Pinto (he/him) is an artist, photographer, art director, and educator in Orange County, California.

As an advertising art director, he has worked with clients including Disney, GMC Trucks, Edison, Permanente Medicine, and Caesars Palace. In recent years, he has concentrated on helping artists, museums, and galleries to produce books and marketing materials.

As an artist and photographer, he’s had solo shows at California State University Los Angeles; Coastline College Art Gallery, Newport Beach, California; Shoebox Projects, Los Angeles; and Art Institute of California, Orange County.

His art practice has long been focused on portraiture and how identity is represented, starting with the his Artifacts series in the 1990s and continuing on through today.

tonypinto.net
Instagram: @tonypintophoto
Instagram:@tonypintoart

30 Covers, 30 Days 2023: Day 5

Here’s day 5 of 30C30D! Today, we have Par for the Course by Erika Riley, a Mainstream novel that’s a hole in one. This novel cover was designed by the amazing returning artist, Christine Mau!

(For those of you who don’t know, 30C30D stands for 30 Covers, 30 Days in which 17 Wrimos and 5 YWP Participants get the chance to win a professionally designed cover! The rest of the days are being filled by community features. We’ll be posting a cover a day throughout November, so make sure to check them out!)

Par for the Course

Recently laid off and drowning in medical and student debt, 26-year-old Gemma Proctor jumps at the chance to move out of New York City when she inherits her grandmother’s coastal Maine house in her will. But there’s a big caveat – Gemma also inherited the dilapidated mini golf course that her grandmother, Dot, owned. When debt collectors come knocking, she knows she should sell the land she inherited – but something is telling her not to. That something may or may not have to do with the incredibly gorgeous man who manages the mini golf course, or the promise of buried treasure somewhere on the land itself.

About the Author

Erika Riley is a former news reporter and freelance writer who currently works in an editorial position, but in her dreams, she writes fiction all day. Fiction-writing has been her favorite pastime and passion since she was a child, supported by her parents, the owners of a comic book store. When not writing, she enjoys working on other hobbies, including rock climbing, ice skating, sewing, and petting dogs. Erika is a long-time NaNoWriMo attempter and a two-time winner. Born and raised in New York, she now lives in Chicago with her partner. She is still getting used to the pizza.

About the Designer

Christine Mau is an award winning children’s book illustrator. She has also enjoyed illustrating paper goods and consumer products for brands like C.R. Gibson Company, Kleenex and Huggies. You can find her most weekends playing with inks and dyes in her studio.

Cover Design Process:

This year. we gave designers the optional prompt to explain their design process for the cover! Christine offers a photo of her WIP alongside her inspiration:

I decided to go for the feeling “whirling indecision” around the mini golf course.

30 Covers, 30 Days 2023: Day 4

As we catch up on 30C30D, we want to introduce our very first community feature! Today, we’re featuring Young Adult novel Roses for the Wallflower by misterpseudonym. This cover was chosen for perfectly conveying the story and genre. It has great composition, art, and even the fonts are fitting! It’s definitely a cover you can imagine on a bookshelf somewhere! (Plus, pink is always a plus.)

(Wondering about the community features? This year, we’re highlighting designers who are also NaNo participants! Read more about it in our main 30 Covers, 30 Days post!)

Roses for the Wallflower

Ever since he was twelve, local cryptozoology nerd Quinn Campbell has had three recurring daydreams: Mothman terrorizing his highschool, finally getting a picture of Bigfoot, and marrying his childhood best friend, Daniela Ryder, on a beach far, far away from here. Then the new kid in town, Eira Slate, shows up with swinging fists - earning himself detention with Dani and the reputation of ‘bad boy heartthrob’ quicker than Quinn can say “phony.”

Now he needs to debunk every reason for his six-year crush to go for the rebel, but his investigation might be interrupted by the mystery of why Eira keeps showing up everywhere he doesn’t want him. Including his head.

About the Author/Artist

As far as pen names go, Mister Pseudonym is one of the least subtle that he could’ve gone with, but his work is just about as forward. His passion for writing began in queer internet circles as a wee little lad, and has since aimed to comfort and inspire those just discovering them. Roses for the Wallflower is his first try at something novel-length, and also happens to be very different from fanfiction about half-angel half-devil skeletons. As someone still in highschool, portraying adolescence is way more difficult than it looks on paper, but he’s raring to give it a go—mostly for the tween that could’ve used a book like this one. He’s quite lucky he’s had practice writing in third person or this biography would be much more awkward.