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Hello everyone, and welcome back to my newsletter!
As always, previous newsletters and other fun extras—including a cover art photo gallery and the first partial draft of When Shadows Fall—can be found here at our subscriber-exclusive email archive. Stick around until the end for some bonus kitty pictures! |
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June was largely divided between dealing with cover art, editing When Darkness Blinds, and surviving the ever-chaotic wind-down of the school year. I've been working on editing almost daily (aside from a short trip at the end of June), and while I'm not as close to the halfway mark as I would have liked, I've still made progress, as you can see below. |
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Cover art continued to be a challenge this past month. After the threat of extra charges was raised, I waited two weeks before being delivered an updated sketch. While I was not asked to pay extra for it, I was informed that further changes would likely incur an additional fee.
This newest sketch (shown below) was an improvement in some areas, but unfortunately, there were numerous miscommunications yet again. Many of the things I requested had been ignored or misinterpreted, and the artist made several changes that I hadn't asked for, particularly regarding the city's overall design.
There were numerous other small issues as well, such as the rocks being smeared into the background instead of fading away like in the first cover, the changes to the gears that were completely different than what I requested, the stretched out effects in the top of the city, the murky emptiness at the bottom of the city, etc. |
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This failure to address my requests (in addition to making changes I don't want) has been a consistent problem throughout the cover art process for both book 1 and book 2, making the process increasingly stressful and time-consuming.
I sent a reply expressing my frustration with the continued miscommunications, and laid out the changes I wanted as clearly as I could, along with visuals to make sure there was no room for misinterpretation. I agreed to pay an extra charge if that was what it took, and said that if the artist followed my requests, we would be ready to move into final art.
My spokesperson was initially sympathetic and promised to make sure the artist understood and addressed each of my concerns. However, when the updated version was delivered, less than half the requests I'd made had been addressed, and the changes that had been made largely failed to understand what I was asking for.
Additionally, I was informed that this was the 'final art', and since I had approved the sketch (which I had not), any further changes would come at an additional cost. |
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At this point, I felt totally at a loss. The drawing had progressed well past the point of a sketch, and while I do think the artist has done some beautiful work on it, there have been so many communication errors that I did not feel happy with the so-called final product. Given the artist's apparent unwillingness to work with me (regardless of how clearly stated or simple my requests are), it seemed futile to keep trying.
Which led me to a rather abrupt change in plans. Instead of paying an extra charge and trying to reiterate the changes I've asked for multiple times, (which I have no reason to believe will be honoured when they've been ignored so many times before), I decided the simplest solution would be to take matters into my own hands.
I have a fair bit of experience using my art program, and I have spent so much time editing this artist's work that I feel quite comfortable making changes to the image. As such, I asked Miblart to deliver the files to me so that I could finish the artwork to my own satisfaction before returning the cover to them for typography.
This isn't an option I would normally consider, but given the high level of stress and anxiety this process has caused, the artist's lack of cooperation, and the amount of time that goes into each of my efforts to communicate, I decided this would be the best course of action. I shouldn't have to make any major changes, and hopefully, I will end up with a cover I am genuinely happy with! |
This summer, my main goal is—you guessed it—editing! I still have more than half the book to do, but with two months off school, I'm hoping I can really kick things into high gear. I have some other summer plans I'll have to work around, (and hopefully a wee bit of relaxing!), but my main focus will be to get as far into the edit as I can. I would love to finish editing the book before the new school year starts, but, as always, that will depend on various things.
As mentioned above, I'll also be working on my revisions of the When Darkness Blinds cover. I plan to take it slowly as there isn't a huge rush for the cover yet, with a soft goal of finishing before the end of summer. Editing will still be my first priority, but cover art will be a good change of pace when my brain needs a break.
In order to have as much uninterrupted editing time as possible, I am sending out one 'summer newsletter' to cover both July and August. The next newsletter will come in September, and will have all my summer updates! |
In other news, I got to join my sister at Art in the Park on Tuesday. In addition to helping her with her stand, I got to sell several copies of When Shadows Fall, which was a lovely way to kick off the summer! |
Reading: I am still working through The Priory of the Orange Tree, and so far, it has been an enjoyable return to the epic fantasy genre! |
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When Shadows Fall is a YA fantasy novel about an anxious teenager who must go on a perilous quest to save her sister. It is available on Amazon in eBook and print and in the Kindle Unlimited library. It was shortlisted for two provincial book awards and was a finalist for three Indie Ink Awards: Best Setting, Best Friendship, and Writing the Future We Need: Mental Health Representation. |
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Afflicted with debilitating panic attacks and constant anxiety, Ara Holstenner is the last person who would ever oppose the tyrant lord who subjugates her people. But when her sister is taken by shadow creatures, Ara must defy The Lord's edicts and brave the forbidden night world to save her.
Can Ara overcome the fears that have defined her since childhood, or will she doom her sister—and herself—to a lifetime of torment?
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If you've already read When Shadows Fall, please don't forget to leave a review/rating on Amazon and Goodreads!! Seriously, these reviews and ratings make a huge difference, and I appreciate every single one I get! |
Still here? You know what that means! Please enjoy these kitty pictures, along with my gratitude. |
She's just too sweet sometimes! |
Kaylee loves it when I leave too much stuff out on the couch. (Which is all the time.) |
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PO Box 553, Herbert, Saskatchewan, S0H 2A0, Canada |
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