TBR Tuesday

I thought I'd mix it up a little this week and NOT ONLY tell you about an upcoming release I'm looking forward to, but the next book that's getting dusted off and moved to the top of my current to-read list.

First, I just moved CREWEL by Gennifer Albin to the next in line on my personal TBR pile. I know this has gotten some mixed reviews, but it's one I've just got to read.  Should I be excited?

Enter a tangled world of secrets and intrigue where a girl is in charge of other’s destinies, but not her own.
 
Sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has always been special. When her parents discover her gift—the ability to weave the very fabric of reality—they train her to hide it. For good reason, they don’t want her to become a Spinster — one of the elite, beautiful, and deadly women who determine what people eat, where they live, how many children they have, and even when they die.
 
Thrust into the opulent Western Coventry, Adelice will be tried, tested and tempted as she navigates the deadly politics at play behind its walls.  Now caught in a web of lies and forbidden romance, she must unravel the sinister truth behind her own unspeakable power.  Her world is hanging by a thread, and Adelice, alone, can decide to save it — or destroy it.

And I'm really excited to read... BELLE EPOQUE by Elizabeth Ross

When Maude Pichon runs away from provincial Brittany to Paris, her romantic dreams vanish as quickly as her savings. Desperate for work, she answers an unusual ad. The Durandeau Agency provides its clients with a unique service—the beauty foil. Hire a plain friend and become instantly more attractive.

Monsieur Durandeau has made a fortune from wealthy socialites, and when the Countess Dubern needs a companion for her headstrong daughter, Isabelle, Maude is deemed the perfect adornment of plainness.

But Isabelle has no idea her new "friend" is the hired help, and Maude's very existence among the aristocracy hinges on her keeping the truth a secret. Yet the more she learns about Isabelle, the more her loyalty is tested. And the longer her deception continues, the more she has to lose. 

Inspired by a short story written by Emile Zola, Belle Epoque is set at the height of bohemian Paris, when the city was at the peak of decadence, men and women were at their most beautiful, and morality was at its most depraved.

It comes out June 11th, so less than 1 months away.  What have you been looking forward to lately?

WHOSEYWHATSIT THURSDAY: Series covers

I don't know about you, but I like the series I read to look like series. I used to be batty about them being the same size, but I got over that. I figure if I need to read it, I'm buying it no matter what size it is. The cover art, though... It has to look like a series for me. Amy Plum's Revenant series got it right:

These covers go together. Theme, color saturation, font, filigree. All of it. They're gorgeous on their own, and stunning altogether. This is a series done right. Another couple exmples: Leah Clifford's A Touch series, and Kiersten White's Paranormalcy series.

It really makes me cranky when a publisher changes the theme/style for a series' cover in the middle. You expect them to look similar, like the examples above, so you know what you're looking for when you go to the bookstore, so they present a single theme. It really throws me off when covers change, when the cover artists, or marketing department makes a change that really seems to jump the shark. I can't be the only one so nutty about covers, right?

For example, the Nightshade series, by Andrea Cremer:

The cover for the first has a hint of feral wth her eye color, but it's harder to guess the genre or subject matter from the image. Flowers? Pretty blonde? Wispy hair? Intense expression? What is this cover saying, exactly? For me, it's very hard to guess the story content from the image, until I look at her eyes.

Then you have the cover for the sequel:

This one screams paranormal, it has the word 'wolf' in the title, and it has it in the feel of the cover, too. We've gone from just animal eye color to a more agreesive crouching pose, like the model could pounce. The dark background shouts this is a paranormal book. The moon on high behind her cinches it. I would know this is a werewolf book without the title or blurb.

Do the two go together? Not to me. Not at all. It make my image-oriented nit-picky brain kinda twitchy.

How about another example from a very popular YA series?

The cover for Beth Revis's Across the Universe sold me even before I read the first chapter online. The colors, the design... *covets* You knew it was sci-fi, you knew it was star-crossed lovers, or a story set in space, maybe both in one. I HAD TO HAVE IT. The close, almost-kiss position of the models on the cover says so much about the story, the gorgeous starry sky says a lot about it too.

Then, the sequel cover was released. I was amoung the hundreds waiting, wiping foam from the corners of my mouth. And the cover did not disappoint:

They are BEAUTIFUL together. *contented sigh* The artist did a fantastic job of rendering an amazing sequel into one concise image. Again, you know this is a sci-fi, space, and romance in one novel. The colors are to die for gorgeous. The models say so much, possibly holding hands, his head bowed, her hand reaching for something beyond their bubble of life. Yep. It's perfect with its predecessor, and a perfect summary of the story.

After these covers I was dying for the third. Imagine my shock and, yes, diappointment when the cover for the final book was revealed...

WHAMO!
So not like the others, it was almost a smack in my panty-drooly-gimme more face. Where's the wistful colors, the sense of yearning in the models? Wait! Where are the models?? Sure, the vast majority of this story takes place on a planet, not a spaceship, but it's just so DIFFERENT. Nothing similar in composition, style, color, not even font, and no models. Yes, it fits elements of the novel, but I do not believe it fits the story as well as the others fit theirs. (I still liked the story...in case you were wondering. I had to have it despite the mismatched cover)

Now, when you look at all the paperback versions of this series, the three have a definite theme and continuity, all close to the cover above. I feel a tad cheated I didn't get a pretty third cover, and I know if I hadn't seen the original cover, I would've missed out on an amazing series.

What about you? Are you nutso about cover art continuity? Does the cover image matter to you? Do you have examples of cover series gone wrong? 

Writerly Wednesday: Character of Characters

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I was recently asked what drew me to writing in the first place. When I really thought about it, I realized it all boiled down to character - the character of the characters.

For me, people move a story forward. Yes, they participate in scenes, actions, thoughts, and such. Some stories contain so much adventure and mystery that it's easy to get completely absorbed in the world of the characters. But, as a reader, without developing a relatable connection with the who of a character or
characters I lose interest. Therefore, I probably won't care what the story is about or where it's headed. 

This thought process lends lots of positive avenues, when I'm in the mist of developing the who of my characters. Their likes and dislikes, their hopes, dreams, and frustrations are what not only motivate them to progress in the story, but also move me to push them and explore the world I live in as well as the one I'm creating for them. 

So, to begin developing character within my characters I usually ask all or at least a combination of the following:

1. Conflicts - What is my character going to face that he/she would rather not?
2. Motivations - What motivates my character to move/change/change way of thinking?
3. Intentions - What are my characters inner and outer intentions?
4. Weakness - What weaknesses affect my character? How do these change his/her behavior both inwardly and outwardly? 
5. Fears - What frightens my character? What fears will not change his/her reaction to the world around them and what fears will? What is his/her greatest fear?
6. Quirks - What strange or unusual feature does my character possess? Is it a physical feature or an ideal? Maybe both. 
7. Perceptions - How does my character view his/her world at the beginning of the story? (include both public and private views) 
8. Foundation - What is the one thing this character will not ever bend on? What influenced them to be so steadfast in this belief that it has helped mold them into who they are at the story's starting point?
9. Likability - Would I like this character? Would we be friends?
10. Connections - Does this character remind me of someone in my life? Why and what about him/her does?

I ask that last two questions to help myself become better in tune with the character and who he or she really is. As the writer, I want my readers to believe the character is living and breathing off the pages. To do that, I must believe that as I write.

What questions do you ask yourself, while developing character?