Birth of a cover (iii)

Getting into the mechanics now - blocking out colours. Quite cartoony at this stage, but we keep our eye on the prize!

It's good to listen . . .

[COMPETITION CLOSED: You're welcome to post review links but the prize has gone. Comment #23 (by Mairi) won, the number chosen at random on my facebook page.]


I've been sent some copies of the Prince and King of Thorns audio books. The US version on CD (it plays fine on UK machines!)

In the US audiobooks an Englishman (James Clamp) narrates the books in a Southern (English) accent. He reads Katherine's journal in King of Thorns using a slightly softer voice. The covers are . . . interesting, with a Land That Time Forgot flavour. You can imagine Rachel Welch in a fur bikini just off screen fleeing from a stop-motion T-Rex.

In the UK audiobooks an Englishman (Joe Jameson) narrates the books in a Northern (English) accent. A lady (name unknown to me) reads Katherine's journal in a slightly Germanic accent. The covers are the same as the book covers.

Anyhow ... they can be yours! I'll even sign two stickers and slap one inside each.

All you've got to do is put in the comments (& I'll move it to a list on the page) a link to a review you have posted anywhere of any book. Ideally the link will be to a commercial site review like Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, Waterstones, etc. But it could also be a link to Goodreads (or similar) or your own blog.

Don't have any reviews up? Go write one now!

[if for any reason you can't use the comments you can email me at empire_of_thorns @ yahoo.co.uk ]

The review can be of my books, your books, or anyone else's books. It can be good, bad, or indifferent. The only real rule is that _you_ have to have written it. One entry per contestant. Every entry has an equal chance of winning. Winners drawn at the end of the month. Open internationally even though I will have to mortgage the house to raise the postage.

The Birth of a Cover (ii) - Gestation, first Trimester

When making babies the most exciting parts are conception and delivery. The interim stages can be tiresome and your baby may look more like an alien than you were hoping. Covers are not so different. I love the intitial sketch, and the final product delivers the promise. The gestation is more to do with the guts of the artistic process. Even so, it can be interesting stuff.

Here's the conception:

Here's the first trimester of the gestation period:

The Birth of a Cover (i) - The Conception!

So I did this before (albeit after the event and all in one go) for the King of Thorns cover.

For Emperor of Thorns the excellent Jason Chan is supplying me with a blow-by-blow account.

And here's the first blow!

It's a sad state of affairs when a chap's got to crown himself!


.