In the Mood

Besides being one of my favorite Glen Miller pieces, getting In the Mood is also part of why I pick certain books over others. I like descriptions. I like leisurely introductions. A steady diet of blood and mayhem on page one, paragraph one, line one, gets tiresome and makes me long for a gentler, more easy-going opening.

Let's talk about the weather. Most experts will advise writers to eschew descriptions of the weather in the opening segment of their novels. It was a dark and stormy nightitis, I guess you'd call this tendency. However, if you're writing a gothic romance, weather is a character. Also, if you're writing about San Francisco, and ignore the fog, you're not writing about San Francisco. Maybe it's all about pacing. I dunno.

I like weather. It's capricious. A good writer can do a lot with the weather. Guess I'm just getting tired of the sound-bite approach to everything. Shortened attention spans require shortened introductions. The next step will be shortened middles and truncated endings. I can almost visualize the approved model of the novel of the 21st century as a Tweet.

Give me weather descriptions. Give me a leisurely introduction, when I'm in the mood for one. Take the time to build that fictional world. All good things take time.

The Book Cover

The book cover for Headwind is ready - almost. This morning's post covers some of the details of the process. How important is a book cover? It's important. Covers can make the difference between picking up a book or giving it a pass.  This is an area where self-publishing needs some serious guidance. I've seen some covers out there that curdle the blood - garish, off-putting, or just plain blah - some of these covers make me wonder if the book is worth the trouble of skimming the first few pages to see if the author can write. It's painfully obvious from the get-go that some of these folks are color blind and shouldn't be let loose with the clip art function.

So, what makes a good book cover? Readers have come to expect a certain type of cover for each genre (category). Here are two easily recognizable types of novels with their easily recognizable covers.

Romance

Romance novels generally feature some skin (or a lot of skin) along with bosomy females and muscular males. Thse folks can be in a liplock, serious level embrace, or she may be hoisted up in his capable arms.

Westerns

Horse. Rugged cowboy on horse. Athletic woman on horse. Rugged cowboy and athletic woman on horses. Galloping. Stetsons. Crimson sunset. Rail fences. Mountains and plains in the background.

Art through Time

Pulp fiction is a great resource for studying cover art. Think gumshoes, rich women in trouble, gats, hard liquor, smokes, and danger. Some of these covers were downright lurid and often didn't have much relationship with the story or the characters in the novel. Their purpose was to grab your attention and they did it well. Nice to know they're having a resurgence.

My Cover

The cover is nearly done. We've changed Katrin's coat from dark blue to red and lightened the image. All that's left is to add the title and the wraparound information. Here's what the final version of the art looks like for Headwind: The Intrepid Adventures of OSS Agent Katrin Nissen.

We wanted the cover to have a noir aspect and yet show determination and hope. Next time, I'll share the finished product and load the trailer. Happy reading everyone!

Doing Everything at Once

When I first began writing, I expected the process to be a linear one. I'd get an idea, make some notes, mull them over, write a first draft, do a few edits, and be on my way to fame and fortune. Reality intruded early on in this process and so I'll share the actual journey with you. It's turning out to be much more complex and interesting than I'd thought when I started.

Today's Activities

I returned last night from Seattle and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Conference - my head full of ideas, possibilities, and potential plots. Today, I'm sitting at the computer, researching and writing on the work in progress (wip), answering mail, and exploring publicity venues for the completed novel, Headwind: The Intrepid Adventures of OSS Agent Katrin Nissen, that's scheduled for release this coming September.

All those neat and tidy ideas have been scrawled on three separate legal pads and the scraps and pieces of my mind have begun to litter my sewing room that doubles as my office when I'm writing. The room is getting messy, and that, I've discovered, is when my ideas take off. I can't write when stuff around me is neat and orderly. A clutterbug by nature, I'm at my best in a landfill.

Going back to work now. More shortly on the Conference and the process of writing.