Jeaniene Frost's Blog, page 42
March 29, 2012
Blogger/Reviewer Arc contest
Arcs have landed for Once Burned! If you don’t know what an Arc is, it’s an Advance Reading Copy of the book that still has some corrections and edits left to be done. My Arcs usually contain enough grammar/spelling errors to make me feel doomb and at least three plot/consistency errors to make me feel even doomber (such as Scene X starting out with four characters in the room and ending with only three. How I didn’t notice this until after the galleys stage is BEYOND me!).
Anyway, since Arcs are in, over the next month or so you’ll see a few contests for them. One is already up on Goodreads, if you haven’t yet entered. The contest I’m holding now is for bloggers and/or reviewers who’ve previously reviewed one of my books. Not sure if that applies to you? Well, if you’ve written a review about any of my titles and posted it at your blog, e-zine, Goodreads, LiveJournal, or other review site, then you qualify (Sorry, a Twitter, Facebook, or other one-line-type comment doesn’t count). It also doesn’t matter if you liked the book or hated it. Due to deadlines and other time commitments, I’ve had to say “Sorry, I can’t!” to a lot of requests for interviews and guest blogs lately and I feel bad about that. This is my way of saying Thank You to everyone who’s taken the time to review one of my books.
Number of Once Burned Arcs up for grabs: 5.
Rules: (There’s only one so please read it carefully because your entry won’t count if you don’t follow it.)
Leave a comment on my website blog (http://jeanienefrost.com/2012/03/bloggerreviewer-arc-contest/ ) with your name (or blog name) and a link to a review that you’ve posted on one of my novels. The review has to be dated PRIOR to today’s date and has to be more than a one or two liner like “Loved it!” “Hated it!” or “Could’ve had a V-8!” Not that I don’t appreciate those as well, but because I only have a few Arcs for this contest, I have to narrow the field.
Contest opens now and will end on Friday, April 6th at midnight. International entries are welcome. The 5 winners will be chosen at random and announced Saturday, April 7th. Again, no link to a review posted prior to today’s date means your entry won’t count, and make sure you're commenting at http://jeanienefrost.com/2012/03/bloggerreviewer-arc-contest/ instead of on another blog.
And if you’ve never reviewed one of my titles and thus don’t qualify for this contest, don’t worry. I’ll have other contests giving away more Once Burned Arcs in the near future.
Good luck, and thanks again!
Mirrored from Frost Light.
March 27, 2012
That time of year
Sorry for the blog silence lately. It's that dreaded time of year again. Not spring – spring is great! The trees here are starting to bloom and cute furry animals are coming out of their holes (I may have squealed when I saw a groundhog popping up along the side of the road today. Groundhogs remind me of really chubby ferrets and as I used to have six ferrets – may they rest in peace - I love them). So what dreaded time of year is it, then? Tax season.
With our move out of state plus self-pubbed stories adding more paperwork to my usual slog through receipts and bank statements trying to separate business write offs from personal stuff, I've been buried in paperwork. Also, my fear of the IRS makes me double and triple check everything before I send the whole bundle off to our accountant, who will then make readable spreadsheets out of my mess and tell me what I have to render unto Caesar. Yes, I know, if I were more organized throughout the year, I wouldn't go through this every end of March. Getting better organized is on my To Do list. So is exercising. Start placing your bets on which of these is least likely to get done! Heh.
On top of this – and writing, of course – I wanted to bring a fun giveaway item to the conventions I'll be attending this year and thought I had the perfect idea: Match boxes with Once Burned's cover on the front and a little note from Vlad inside them! Considering Vlad's pyrokinesis, I thought it would be neat to have matches personalized for his book's release. Well, I thought wrong. First, getting a full color image customized onto match boxes is ridiculously expensive, so then I looked at having matches with only customized writing on the boxes. A little better in price, but minimum orders ran into the thousands. I won't see that many people this year and I can't mail the matches to readers because it's illegal to send solid flammables through the US mail. Scratch the matches idea. However, my friend and fellow author Melissa Marr gave me another idea for fun, free trinkets for readers. If all goes well, I'll have them at the Romantic Times convention next month. Not saying what these are yet because I don't know if they'll work out or if they'll arrive in time, so stay tuned. If nothing else, I'll have a bunch of book marks to give away to readers at RT, and hopefully something more for readers at the Authors After Dark convention.
Well, back to final tax preparations and writing! Hope everyone is having a nice week so far.
Mirrored from Frost Light.
March 17, 2012
April appearances and beyond
It occurred to me while looking at the calendar that – brace yourself for a big shock! – we’re more than halfway through March already. First, a plea to our Secret Alien Overlords: PLEASE stop messing with the space-time continuum! I know you’re making the days fly by faster than they should!
Ahem, with that out of the way, let’s talk travel. In less than a month, I’ll be at the Romantic Times convention in Chicago, Illinois along with a brief pit stop at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo. If you’re attending either of those and would like to see me, here is my schedule. And *grin* if you wouldn’t like to see me, but you do want a chance at reading Once Burned two months early, I’ll be giving away a couple copies at some of the panels (confirmations to follow pending permission from conference staff).
Romantic Times:Thursday, April 12th
1:30pm – 2:30pm Paranormal Author Chat
Get up close and personal with these beloved authors of the paranormal genre with your back-stage pass to this exciting session. Come prepared with your most burning questions about the books, their series and some of the most beloved characters of the genre.Guests: Nalini Singh, Charlaine Harris, Jeaniene FrostFriday, April 13th
1:30-2:30pm Panel. Sex and violence, violence and sex. Where do readers and writers draw the line in today’s modern vampire novels?Captain: Caridad Pineiro. Panelists: Carole Nelson Douglas, Jeaniene Frost, Charlaine Harris, Lynda Hilburn, Jeri Smith-Ready, Jaye Wells2:45-3:45pm Panel. Urban fantasy is often known for its fantastic elements and worldbuilding, but at the heart of each story are characters that readers can’t get enough of. Listen as authors reveal what it takes to write the addictive characters that drive this genre, discussing everything from antiheroes and inner conflict to relationships and star-crossed lovers.Captain: Richelle Mead. Panelists: Jeaniene Frost, Charlaine Harris, Christina Henry, Chloe Neill, Jeanne C. Stein6:15 to 7:15 pm
Avon mixer. Come for free books, drinks, and more!
Saturday, April 14th
11:00am – 2:00pm
Giant Book Fair. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. You do not need to attend the convention to go to this.
Chicago Comic and Entertainment ExpoSaturday, April 14th
4:00-5:00PM Autographing
Authors: Charlaine Harris, Karina Cooper, Jeaniene Frost, Christina Henry, Chloe Neill, Pamela Palmer, Kerrelyn Sparks at Autographing Tables 1, 2 and 3.
5:15 PM – 6:15 PM Panel
WE’RE NO ANGELS: The Leading Ladies of Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Authors: Karina Cooper, Jeaniene Frost, Charlaine Harris, Christina Henry, Chloe Neill, Pamela Palmer, Kerrelyn Sparks; Moderator: Gwen Reyes, Fresh Fiction
Location: N427bc
***
In addition to RT and C2E2, I’ve just been informed that my publisher is sending me on tour for Once Burned’s release. I don’t have any cities or dates on that yet, but once I do, I’ll be sure to post the info.
Also, I’ll be at the Authors After Dark convention in New Orleans, LA this August. Right now my schedule is as follows. For anyone in New Orleans who wants to say howdy in person, but who isn’t attending the convention, in addition to the book signing that’s open to the public, I am adding a “come one, come all” meetup at Cafe Beignet in the French Quarter (date/time to follow in future post).
Authors After Dark:Thursday, August 9th
12:00 – 1:00pm – Bookie Awards and luncheon
10pm – 11:30pm – “Late Night Sweets with Jeaniene Frost and Pam Palmer.
Join Jeaniene Frost and Pamela Palmer for gourmet cupcakes, yummy chocolate, friendly conversation, and free books!
Friday, August 10th
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Book Reading – Vampires
.
2:00 – 3:00pm Book Reading – Dark Paranormal
3:00 – 4:00pm Vamps panel (Hill, Ivy, Blacio, Frost, Palmer, Davies)
4:00 – 5:00pm Urban Fantasy panel (Painter, Haines, Gay, S. Johnson, Jones, Frost)
Saturday, August 11th
2:00pm – 4:00pm Book signing (open to the public)
Hope to see some of you at these events! Again, once I find out where my publisher is sending me for Once Burned’s release, I’ll post the info. To all the “But when are you coming to ____ state/country!” the answer is maybe one day. The US – and the world – is a big place and there’s only so many cities/states/countries I can travel to while still meeting my deadlines, blogging, answering emails, running a small business, and showing my family that yes, they still matter, too 
.
Mirrored from Frost Light.
March 9, 2012
It's pimpin', pimpin'
Note: This post is written with tongue firmly in cheek.
I recently became aware that, in addition to my job as an author, I've also been moonlighting as a pimp. How, you ask? Well, it seems I've been responsible for another author's sexual activities on page, and when you direct another person's sexual activities, well, that kinda makes you their pimp (hey, Rush Limbaugh would have my back on this one!) Let me give you the scoop.
In Ilona Andrews' novel Magic Bleeds, she closed her Acknowledgements page with this comment: "Finally, thank you very much to Jeaniene Frost and Jill Myles. This book does have sex in it. Please don't hit me anymore."
Obviously this was meant as a joke since, as a rule, I don't hit my friends (unless they're within grabbing distance and they try to keep me from my morning coffee. Then it's ON, bitches!). I assume Jill Myles doesn't physically strike her friends, either, so that's why hilarity was my first reaction to seeing some comments suggesting a few people took Ilona's words as a true admittance that she only wrote sex scenes under duress from me and Jill. Now, aside from the notion that I beat my friends in order for them to fulfill my salacious reading desires (my Pimp Hand must be strong!) anyone who knows Ilona knows that you could compare her malleability to that of a donkey on steroids. People, she is tough, stubborn, and has no problem deciding what she does or doesn't want to do, and God help anyone who tries to impose their will on her. ** So again, at first I laughed away the idea that a few people took as serious the notion that violence and/or my Vulcan [Smut] Mind Meld had been responsible for Kate & Curran finally getting their smexy on (plus the smexiness in subsequent Edge series novels. Call me Pimp Momma J because I rule this woman!). But then, over the past couple months, that same supposition didn't go away. Instead, it popped up in other places, like emails sent to Ilona or comments on various internet sites, and my hilarity turned to mild disbelief. A growing segment of people really did think me (and Jill) were able to compel another author to sacrifice her artistic abstinence principles upon the altar of You WILL Give Us Teh Smexy!
I can't speak for Jill, but oh, the feeling of powerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr that gave me!!! 
I have now, in true pimp fashion, decided to make some money off this. So, with a $10.00 donation to the Pimp Momma J fund, tell me what you want to happen next with Kate, Curran, Rose, Declan, Audrey, Kaldar, and the rest of the gang.*** Threesomes, foursomes, bestiality, man-on-vampire-on-werelion-on-witch-on-sorcerer, I'll make it happen, people! Let's ensure that future Ilona Andrews books get their freak on!
Donation link for Pimp Momma J to be active in 2050. Until then, keep it real, people. Keep it real.
**This part isn't tongue-in-cheek. It's true. Ilona is an Alpha female all the way.
***No, I don't really want to hear lurid and/or freaky sexual suggestions for Ilona's books. I already get enough of those from people wanting to me outdo Chapter 32 in future books of my own series .
Mirrored from Frost Light.
March 2, 2012
The human car
Note: This post has nothing to do with writing or release dates.
I'm sure many of you have experienced this scenario – you're driving along, and all of a sudden your car makes a strange noise/shudders or stalls/etc. If it's still driveable, you probably make a mental note to have it checked out, and how fast you do that depends on how ominous the sound/shudder/etc. was, or when you next have some extra cash. But still, you rarely assume the problem will work itself out and thus ignore it completely. When our cars warn us that something isn't right, we tend to act as fast as we can because we know that ignoring the problem will only make it worse.
And yet, how often do we ignore or put off entirely those warning signs that tell us something isn't right with ourselves? Many times, we treat our cars with more care and respect than we do our health.
I am SO guilty of this myself. Last year, I had a lot of things going on. I turned in two full novels and a long novella, moved out of state, went to two conventions, went on two additional signing tours, had three new books release plus had six – count 'em, six! – digital re-releases of previously-published stories, all which required their own promotion (if I forgot to mention anything, it's because 2011 still feels like a blur).
I also landed myself in the Emergency room four days after turning in that last novel, as I mentioned in a previous post. Originally, the doctors thought I had pleurisy (something I'd never heard of). I found out several weeks later, when I was concerned over still being in pain, that what I actually had was costochondritis (something I'd also never heard of). I'm doing several things to treat this condition until I – hopefully – get over it, including diet, stretching, heat and massage therapy, plus taking over-the-counter meds. But the point of this post isn't to talk about what's going on with me medically – it's to talk about what goes on with some of us mentally.
See, I knew something was wrong weeks before that ER visit (costochondritis acute symptoms mimic those of a heart attack, which was what drove me to go to the ER that day). I'd previously had intermittent pains in my chest that I told myself were stress related because I was late on finishing a book. Those weren't the only things I ignored under the I-dont-have-time umbrella. I also stopped getting my TMJ treatments, missed my Pap smear appointment, missing my thyroid checkup, and postponed getting a skin cancer screening even though I had a mole that concerned me because, hey, I was busy! And I was. Those last couple months leading up to that ER visit, I was working 10-12 hour days, six days a week. On the one day a week I forced myself to take off, I tried to relax, but I usually spent it worried about the work that still needed to be done.
Whether you're self-employed like me, work for someone else, or are a stay-at-home mom, this may sound very familiar. We all have long To Do lists since life is very busy for everyone. On my To Do list, taking care of myself was at the very bottom. It didn't move up until I was in the Emergency Room hoping that it wasn't my last night on earth.
I'm very blessed because it turned out that I didn't have a life-threatening condition. After I got out, I re-prioritized my To Do list. Yes, I still had work responsibilities (in fact, I returned home to find my Revisions letter waiting for me, with all the changes due back in less than three weeks). But I also moved my health from the bottom of my list to the second or third spot. I got all my postponed tests/appointments taken care of, and I'm grateful to say that putting them off didn't have serious consequences. All the results were negative except for my skin cancer screening. The mole I'd be concerned about turned out to be nothing. Another mole I hadn't given a second glance to came back as pre-melanoma, requiring a larger area around it to be excised. I think it's an example of God's sense of humor that this area was on my butt. No lack of real estate to carve from there, heh, and sometimes we need a sharp jab in the ass in order to remember that we can't neglect our health indefinitely. I'll require skin screenings twice a year now to make sure that nothing else crops up, and I intend to keep every one of those appointments when they're due, not just when I get around to it.
If you're at all like how I was and your body has been giving you signs that it needs a tune-up or some repair work, don't put it off any more. Re-order your To Do list to include yourself as a priority and make the appointment(s). Then keep the appointment(s). If you don't have insurance (and I worked for a doctor over a decade so I know how expensive visits and tests can be) because you have pre-existing conditions, there are still insurance policies you can get. As you know, unlike cars, we can't save up to trade our bodies in for a better model if too many things break down from neglect, so please, don't put off taking care of yourself any longer. I'll try to do the same .
And fyi, it was watching this video last year that made me add "skin care screening" to my To Do list, even if I didn't act on it right away. It's called Dear Sixteen-Year-Old Me, and it's worth watching: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4jgUcxMezM
Mirrored from Frost Light.
February 22, 2012
Critiques, part 1
“I’m a new writer and I’ve never finished a book before, but I wrote a few chapters and I’d really like someone to look at them and tell me if they’re anygood. Where should I go for this?”
My response? BACK TO YOUR KEYBOARD.
Let me elaborate on why. Getting an idea you want to write about is easy. Turning that idea into a completed novel is not. I read somewhere that 80% of people polled say they’d like to write a book. Less than 10 percent of them actually do it. Why? Because writing a book from Chapter One all the way to The End is time consuming and difficult, to be blunt. If it wasn’t, most of those 80-percenters would’ve done it. The bottom line is that life is busy for everyone, plus new ideas crop up that make you want to work on them instead. To start and finish a book requires an almost manic dedication to one particular story, so in my opinion, the last thing you want to add on top of that is getting a critique every few chapters. Some writers may be able to handle that, but most of us, when we are trying to overcome that First Book hurdle, need encouragement. Not criticism, no matter how constructive or well-intentioned it is, and if you give your story to someone to read, then expect critical comments because no one writes a flawless first draft. No one. In fact, no published novel is flawless, even after going through the editing, copyediting, and proofreading stage. If you’ve finished a book and think it’s so fabulous that it needs little to no revising, you’re probably overestimating your abilities. I believe it was Oscar Wilde who said, “Books are never finished, they are merely abandoned.” In other words, what you wrote can always be improved upon, and that improvement is done through revisions. But here let me quote another writer: “I can fix anything except a blank page.” – Nora Roberts. Revisions are imperative, and critical feedback plays a crucial part in revisions, but first, fill those pages from Chapter One to The End. Otherwise, you may find yourself repeatedly polishing initial chapters on a novel that will never be finished, and that’s as useful as making beds while in a burning house.
Let’s say you’re of the ultra-thick skin variety and criticism bounces right off you (and if you are…teach me your secret? *grin*). Even so, I wouldn’t recommend seeking an outside opinion until you’ve completed your first novel. Why? Well, until you’re done writing the story, you don’t know yourself what may stay or may go. Take my debut novel, Halfway to the Grave. What you see in Chapter One now was, in first draft form, originally Chapter Four. From initial writing to selling the book, I ended up deleting the first three chapters in their entirety because after the book was finished and I went back over it, I saw they contained too much backstory that dragged down the pacing. When I wrote them, of course, I thought every word was necessary. It was only in hindsight that I realized none of them were. What if I’d given them to a friend/family member/critique group when they were all I had and was told that the story was boring and to write something else? (which would have been valid criticism at that point, by the way). Then I may never have finished the book that ended up becoming a bestseller and launching my career. Again, if you’re a brand new writer who’s never finished a book before, my recommendation is to focus on that one goal exclusively. Believe me, that’s already challenging enough.
I’ll address the “I’m done with the book, now what?” or “I’ve completed several novels, but I’m not sure if this one is good enough to finish” questions in a later post. Right now I need to go over the galley pages for Once Burned, where, proving Oscar Wilde right, I will cringe over all the errors that I didn’t notice before in the manuscript.
Mirrored from Frost Light.
February 13, 2012
Apology snippet!
Galleys for Once Burned arrived on Friday. For those of you who don't know, galleys are the loose yet formatted pages of a manuscript that are used to create Arcs (Advance reading copies). They are also one of the last chances an author has to make changes, though we're encouraged (Read: warned) to limit those changes to grammar, spelling, or correction of factual errors. Every time I get to this stage, I feel confident that I won't need to make many changes because I've tried very hard to be thorough in copyedits. And every time, I'm wrong and cringe at all the lingering errors that will appear in the Arcs because my changes won't be implemented until after Arcs are printed. Early readers and reviewers, you have my apologies. One day I'll get it right! Also, speaking of Arcs, they'll be available in a couple months. As usual, once I have them, I'll hold contests giving them away. Currently I have a contest up on Goodreads that runs through May, so if you're interested in scoring an early copy of Once Burned, go here for details. This won't be the only chance to win an Arc, so if you're not a Goodreads member and/or you live a country that's excluded, never fear. I'll hold a couple more contests that will be open to everyone no matter where in the world you live.
Anyway, back to the reason behind the "apology" in the subject line. On Friday, I promised my Facebook readers that I'd go through galleys this weekend and post some quotes from Once Burned. Due to a nasty two day migraine followed by catching my husband's cold (Thanks, honey! Grr) that didn't happen. To make up for this, I'm posting a scene snippet instead of only a couple quotes. Warning: This snippet contains adult content. Use caution if you're reading at work or if you have kids lurking nearby.
Now, onto the scene. As stated on the back cover description, Leila has unusual abilities like giving off electricity and being able to pull psychic impressions from touch. Most of the time, this "gift" shows her horrible images from the past. Sometimes, though, touching an object – or a person – will give Leila a glimpse of the future whether she's ready to see it or not .
***
Vlad stopped when he was only inches away, still nailing me with that hard, copper-colored stare. Then he held out his hand.
"My ring."
I put it in his palm, forgetting to switch it to my left hand before touching him. A current sizzled into him with the contact, which I expected, but I didn't expect what came next.
The gothic hall vanished, replaced by the hazy cocoon of midnight green drapes encircling the bed I was on. I wound my hand into the thick fabric while a moan left my lips, sharpening into a cry at the incredible pleasure shooting through me. My grip on the drapes tightened as I writhed under the erotic combination of wet, deep strokes and lightly chafing stubble against my most sensitive flesh.
"Please," I gasped.
Vlad lifted his head, his hair like dark silk against my thighs and his gaze lit up with emerald.
"No," he said throatily. "More." And he lowered his mouth again.
Vlad's face crystallized in front of me, but instead of green drapes all around us, we were back in the hall and he was staring down at me, frowning.
"I know you caught a glimpse of something when you touched me. Your mind went silent. Tell me what it was."
My cheeks flamed with heat. At the same time, disbelief washed over me.
No. Not me and Vlad like…like that!
His frown cleared, replaced by a brow going up. Damn his mindreading. Think of something else! I mentally screamed, avoiding his stare. ANYthing else!
I no longer looked at Vlad, but I could almost feel his gaze roving over me, noting my newly tight nipples, accelerated heartbeat, and probably picking up on that damned lingering throb between my legs, too.
"Not surprising," he said at last, his voice thicker with things I didn't want to name. "I predicted the same thing myself."
***
Mirrored from Frost Light.
February 6, 2012
Blog bloopers
February 2, 2012
Mystery man revealed…again :)
When I released the cover for Once Burned the other day, dozens of readers replied, “Hey, that’s Paul Marron!” I didn’t know if this was true (I STILL don’t know who the Cat and Bones models are, btw) so I asked my editor. She consulted with the art department and was told that the model’s name was James Rizzo. So, being the diligent author that I am (HA! people who know me cry) I went about correcting people on the model’s name.
Then….(cue spooky music as the plot thickens)….The Reading Cafe told me they’d contacted James for an interview and he stated that he was NOT the model for Once Burned. My mind was awhirl! Who was this bare-chested mystery man on my cover??
A flurry of emails ensued between me and my publisher that boil down to this: Apparently two models did photo shoots for Once Burned, with the art director having the hard choice of deciding who he felt represented Vlad’s look and attitude the best (and let me pause here to say I’m sorry I didn’t also get the chance to examine many different photos of two hot, half-naked men because again, I am a diligent author! *wink*)
After much deliberation, my art director chose….(cue drumroll)…a photo of Paul Marron that you now see on the cover. Yes, ladies, many of you called it, and you were right. Kudos to you for being savvy readers who know your cover models!
However, when I first asked, James’s name was given to me out of a simple case of looking at one model’s invoice and not the other. My apologies for any confusion this caused.
And if you want to get a taste of what I would have gladly suffered through to help my art director – heh – here are links to both men’s websites: James Rizzo , Paul Marron.
Mirrored from Frost Light.
January 30, 2012
Once Burned cover!
At last, I've been given permission to reveal the cover for Once Burned, Night Prince book one. Without further ado, here it is! And in case you didn't see the other posts, here's the description, too.
She's a mortal with dark powers…
After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: terrifying powers that let her channel electricity and learn a person's
darkest secrets through a single touch. Leila is doomed to a life of solitude…until creatures of the night kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a telepathic distress call to the world's most infamous vampire…
He's the Prince of Night…
Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all—but whatever you do, don't call him Dracula. Vlad's ability to control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against him – a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them, threatening to consume them both. It will take everything that they are to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.
And here is the stepback (inside flap of the cover)
If you want downloadable wallpaper of the cover and stepback, go here.
And now, with further ado *wink* let me answer some questions I always get asked about covers. Starting with Vlad, does the model match how I picture him? Not exactly. In my head, Vlad looks like a mixture of this hot nameless model and a younger Michael Fassbender:
I'll note that in the first image, the model's beard length and chest hair (keep looking, ladies, eventually your gazes will reach upward ) is exactly how I picture Vlad's to be. I know when I wrote "beard" in the books, some of you pictured this: 
That's not what I was going for, heh. So if you have trouble imagining the "eight o'clock shadow" that Vlad has, feel free to refer back to the pics of young Michael and the unknown male model wearing only a rope (Hardship, I know!). As mentioned in prior books, Vlad also has scars on his hands. In Once Burned, you'll find out that his chest and arms have scars, too. Because of this, I begged for scars on the cover, and the art department was good enough to add some. In actuality, he would have more than this.
Now, moving onto Leila. Is the cover model how I picture her? Close. Leila does has long, straight black hair and a slender, athletic build. She also has a scar that runs from her temple down to her right hand. It isn't present on the stepback, though, and I couldn't find a picture online that gave a good example of what it looks like so you'll have to use your imagination. Since I included my own pics for Vlad, here are some for Leila. In my head, I see her as a blend of actresses Megan Fox and Katie McGrath:
As always, readers may picture characters differently than I do, so if you've had other images in your mind when you think of Vlad and Leila, go with those . One of the best things about reading is how personal it is. As a reminder, Once Burned releases on June 26th. Look for me to post the book trailer and sample chapters at the end of May.
Mirrored from Frost Light.
