Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
I'm not sure if I remember the first story I ever read but I remember the first story that had a huge impact on me. I was really young- probably about seven or eight- and I had to read Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner for school. I've never forgotten most of the details of that book and how involved I felt in the main character's plight. When I got to the end of the book, I remember sobbing for a long time and feeling like I had personally lived through everything I'd just read. I can't recall if I knew I wanted to be a writer at that point, but I do believe the emotional response that book incited has stuck with me through my life and made me want to create stories that deeply involve readers and give them a reason to care about the characters.
How do you approach cover design?
Before I was brave enough to start putting my stories out there, I spent about a decade working as a professional photographer. I really hate that word "professional" whether it's tied to photography or writing because a part of me still feels like I'm pretending to be a professional, but I owned a legitimate, licensed business with a decent list of clients. I discovered early on that, while I was fairly good at photography, I just didn't love it. But, during that time, I was able to get the equipment I needed and gain the skills I needed to understand and work in Photoshop. Even though I've stopped doing photoshoots (with a few exceptions), I'm able to photograph for my own covers and manipulate them in photo editing programs. I usually start out with a general idea of what I want the character to be wearing and a few scenes in the book I want to focus on. Also, I need to keep it simple. I don't have the talent to use programs like Painter 12 to their fullest extent, so what I create can't be too difficult. I like to sew so I make the costumes for my covers, choose my model (I've had some wonderful volunteers who are willing to help me out with this), and pick a location. After I set up multiple scenes and photograph them, it's just a matter of putting it all together in photoshop. Often, I have to change the lighting, add elements from another photo, and use brushes to create certain effects. Also, I use a lot of layers and textures. I start with an idea for a mood (usually I'm going for "mystical") and go from there. Finally, if there's something I'm not sure how to do, I can usually find a quick video tutorial online that will explain. I'm not sure how my covers come across to people but I personally like that they're original and came from my own efforts. However, I wouldn't recommend my methods for anyone who doesn't already have a background in photography.
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