I am so glad to be here, celebrating The Confederacy Treaty series and book three coming out on June 25^th, Undercover Alliance.  It’s amazing that Carina has just passed its 2nd anniversary and I am so happy to be a part of that! This series has been so fun to write and such an interesting experience. Thanks Carina!

You know when you are reading a series that you can expect certain things. A certain style, a flavor to the writing and a flow.  In my books that flow includes a sensuality that sizzles, action and sci-fi fight scenes, and emotional trauma that spans time and even species. In the same way, the covers of a series have a cohesiveness that is very important. 

I am so happy that all of the designs for all three of the Confederacy Treaty series to date have been by awesome artist Angela Waters! Check out her website at http://www.angelawatersart.com

I’ve worked with Angela on independent projects as well, and I really appreciate the detail she brings to her work, and how she puts in the elements that readers are going to look for and still makes the writers happy (it can’t be easy!) Today I wanted to share a few of her ideas on covers from an interview I did with Angela as part of a workshop on cover design that I presented to my local Romance Writers of America chapter last year.

Lilly: What do you feel is the most important element of book design?  The characters portrayed, the fonts or colors? Something else? What do you think makes a reader pick up a book?

Angela: I believe that all of the elements are important. Each element of the design must tie into each other in a way that it creates an impact on the reader.  I think it really depends on the reader. I am drawn first by colors and second a key element that is the focus of the design.

Lilly: Do you work heavily with the author’s notes when designing the covers? An art fact sheet?

Angela: I normally use an art fact sheet. Some have just the basics like hair color, setting, and a couple of pertinent symbols. Others are more in depth and include pictures as character examples. Sometimes I work from a few short facts given to me in chat.  These can be interesting because I don’t have a blurb or a synopsis to give me an idea of what the story is about.

Lilly: Do you design ebook covers and print covers?  What do you see as the difference between the two?

Angela: I design both ebook and print covers. The only difference is you’re a designing a full cover flat when designing print. Ebook covers deserve the same attention to detail as a print cover and depending on the publisher, many ebooks do go to print.

Lilly: What about when designing covers for series’? Do you approach that differently?

Angela: I use the same process as any other cover when designing a series. The big difference is once the first cover of the series is designed, you have a template for the rest of the series. This saves a lot of time since the basic layout, style and fonts have already been designed.

Lilly: How do you feel about cover art – is it art? Is it a commercial effort?  What does it mean to you as the designer?

Angela: Yes it is, if I were using a stock photo and adding a little bit of text then I’d say no it isn’t art. Yes it is a commercial effort. I am designing the first thing a reader sees when they pick up a book. I want that cover to draw them in and want to know what is inside. I want the potential reader to want to buy that book because the cover art grabbed their attention. I am a voracious reader and designing cover art has given me the opportunity to help bring an author’s words to life visually. I’m always searching for ways to improve my work and keep it fresh and different. I absolutely love my job!

I love my covers.  I think Angela really caught the feel of the books – erotic sci-fi romance.  What do you think?

Lilly Cain

About UndercoverAlliance…

Sarina is scarred. Her L’inar, the curving nerve lines that enable Inarrii to experience their full sexuality, were severed in battle and she can no longer reach completion. Until she accepts a job as bodyguard to the human ambassador John Bennings, and is astonished to discover that they share a mental bond—a mirrored pathway of thoughts that will allow Sarina to climax.

When John’s the target of an attack and they are forced into hiding, he’s not sorry to be in close quarters with the compelling Sarina. They explore their erotic connection, and John is happy to demonstrate that humans have more sexual skills than Sarina thought.

To prove that she is whole and rejoin her Inarrii clan, Sarina needs John to bring her to climax in public in accordance with tradition. With a roomful of Inarrii and humans watching, will John be willing to perform as Sarina needs—and will their public display make John vulnerable to another attack?

Lilly has been a member of the Romance Writer’s of Atlantic Canada for about ten years, and writing erotic romance for the last three. When not living up to her pen name, Lilly is a single mom who loves reading and writing, dabbling in art and loving and caring for her two daughters. She loves romance and the freedom erotic fantasy provides her imagination. Her stories are an escape and a release, and she hopes that they can give you that power, too.

For more about Lilly and her stories of darkly seductive fantasy and sensual romance, visit her website at www.lillycain.com

Follow Lilly on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LillyCain
Visit Lilly’s facebook at www.facebook.ca/Lilly.Cain

Tags: Cover Art, Lilly Cain, Series, The Confederacy Treaty, Undercover Alliance

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 26th, 2012 at 3:15 pm and is filed under Authors, Books, Cover Art. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.