A Few of My Favorite Things: Book Covers

This week, the Wednesday Random bloggers are blogging about some of our favorite book covers.

Let the parade of covers begin!

In no particular order, some of my favorites are:

I love the simple beauty of this cover - the colors, the delicate swirls, the glow, the slightly out of focus font. I love this one so much more than the more recent cover it was given.

The Wild Swans is one of my all time favorite fairy tales, but I also love Susan Jeffers' illustrations. Also...she's KNITTING! What's not to love!?

Eyes Like Leaves (a deLint book I haven't read, yet) is so freaking beautiful. I love everything about this - the Greenwoman, the foxes, the forest, the unearthly glow. It's gorgeous.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a creepy little cover, but I just love it. One of these days, I'll get around to reading this one.

This is another one of my favorite fairy tales, and I really love P.J. Lynch's illustrations - they sort of reminiscent of both Arthur Rackham and Michael Hague.

Here's another example of Lynch's work in another of my very favorite stories. The illustrations are stunning all the way through.

It's no secret. I adore ravens. I also adore the hell out of this book. And I think this cover is just stunning. I'd hang this artwork on my wall if I could.

I love the this one - the vaguely Victorian looking clothing, the pale skin the spaced out drugged expressions. It's got a weirdly creepy but beautiful look to it.

I love shadowy, dreamy, watercolory feel of this one. IRL, the cover has an almost metallic sheen, but unfortunately, that doesn't translate well to pictures.

Another Charles deLint book - one of my faves - not his very best, but I love it anyway. I'd tracked this one done on ebay for the artwork since I'm a huge fan of Brian Froud. But I ended up reading the story, and I fell in love with deLint's storytelling. There is nothing I don't love about this cover.

Like Tithe, I love the simple beauty of this image - Autumn leaf, fire, the warm earthy colors against a stark black field - just beautiful.

And my list wouldn't be complete without this stunning beauty. It's the cover for my soon-to-be-released YA novel. There's nothing I don't love about this cover. The eerie blue light, the deserted stretch of Upper Peninsula road, the deer, the key, the girl. I just freaking LOVE it.

Click the names below to see what covers the other WR bloggers love.

Leigh
Kellie
Jess
Gwen
Kris

Self Interview - ala James Lipton

What’s your favorite word?  - I can’t pick just one…bother, preternatural, ethereal, sleep.

What’s your least favorite word? Moist, phlegm, pus, NASCAR.

What turns you on? – A good sense of humor, intelligence, a guy’s strong hands and forearms (What? Like I wasn’t gonna get a little shallow here!?) oh, and musicians. Love a guy who can play guitar and piano…and sing. (Yeah, the parade of shallow continues.)

What turns you off?  - Competitiveness, the need some people have to belittle others to make themselves feel better about themselves, and people who use “revisionist history” when telling their story.

What sound do you love? Waves – crashing waves, lapping waves – there’s nothing I find as soothing as waves. Close runners up are purring cats, laughing babies, thunderstorms, wind through leaves and rain on a tin roof. 

What sound do you hate? My neighbors screaming at each other, NASCAR, crowd sounds at sporting events, the awful buzz of fluorescent lights, yodeling – sorry, Jewel..,

What’s your favorite curse word? Fuck in all its varied and splendid forms. 

What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? I used to always say teaching high school English. But given the state of Michigan school systems, I’m feeling less and less that way. Maybe…a potter – or a librarian or a costume designer. 

What profession would you not like to do? Anything involving math. Or team building exercises.

If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? Good job! You did pretty well with that whole being kind thing and your kids are awesome people – great momming, there. 

Dog or cat person? I like other people’s dogs. But I’m a cat person through and through.

Coffee or tea? Both, but if forced to choose, I’ll go with tea every time.

Star Wars or Star Trek? Again, I like both, but Star Wars wins. Well, the original three do, anyway.

Buffy, Angel or Firefly? Buffy and Firefly. Love them. To pieces. 

Pirate or ninja? Pirate. It’ll always be pirate.

Morning or night person? It depends on what my schedule is. I like both – but if I had to chose, morning. 

Procrastinator or get things done early? Ha! I am the Queen of Procrastination.

Introvert or extrovert? I’m sort of an outgoing introvert. I genuinely like being with people, but I also need to recharge by myself afterword. I seriously enjoy alone time.

What do you like best about writing? I like when the words are flowing, and I love when I get to a point in a story and I discover that I set something up in the beginning that perfectly meshes with what I’m writing at the moment and it was totally unplanned. I feel like my subconscious is totally looking out for me.

What do you like least? Being interrupted while I’m working. It’s super frustrating because sometimes I have a hard time getting back into it. 

Click the names below to check out the other WR bloggers' answers!  

Jess 
Kellie
Kris
Leigh 
Gwen

What Motivates Me?

That’s a good question, because dude…sometimes motivation is hard. Really hard

In all truth…I’m motivated by deadlines.

Hard deadlines.

The kind I can shove back and delay don’t really do it for me.  I need something firm, with serious consequences if I don’t finish the project.

Also, I’m motivated by the story. If it’s something I love, I usually have no problems writing on it.

If it’s something I like, but I’m not crazy about where or how it’s going to be published, I’m less motivated to work on it.

Also…I’m motivated by guilt. I have a few friends I exchange chapters with via email whenever we finish them and I feel more motivated to write when they send me theirs. Like…I need to keep up with them – not in a competition sense, but in an I’m letting them down if I don’t sense. Lame…but true.

So yeah…these are my motivations.  

Stress and guilt.

It’s how I roll. 

What motivates you? Seriously, if you have tips, leave them. I need help.  Click the names below to see what motivates the other WR bloggers.

Jess
Gwen
Leigh
Kris
Jen
Kellie

The playlist I needed to finish my last book.

When I was writing Surfacing, I had to create a playlist to help drown out everything else so I could finish the damn book. And this week, on Wednesday Randomness, we just happen to be talking about playlists, so I'm going to share this one!

It's called: Music to Finish this Fucking Book

Why, yes...I might have been a bit stressed when I named it. Why do you ask?

Let It Go - Idina Menzel. (Don't judge me!)
Counting Stars - OneRepublic (I dunno - it just worked for this book.)
One - U2
Halleluiah - Rufus Wainwright (Yeah...this is a repeat offender on my playlists.)
Collide - Howie Day
In the Sun - Joseph Arthur (Another repeat offender)
Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol (What? It fit the book.)
Someone Like You - Adele
Wonderwall - Ryan Adams (live cover)
Turning Tables - Adele
Samson - Regina Spektor
One Safe Place - Marc Cohen
Set Fire to the Rain - Adele
It Doesn't Matter - Alison Krauss
Goodnight Elisabeth - Counting Crows
Mysterious Ways - U2

Also used to write this book was my entire collection of Clocks and Clouds - and a huge thanks to Jess Jarman for introducing me to them. 

I'm writing this post early because when it goes live, I'll be in the U.P. on my annual family vacation. So, instead of linking directly to everyone else's posts, I'm linking to their blogs. I bet a lot of them will have playlists, but if not, I'm sure there will be something awesome to read. :)

Jess
Leigh
Jenny
Gwen
Kris
Kellie
Tess

Wednesday Randomness: Super Power Edition

This is my current super power. As you can see, it helps no one.

 But if I could choose a super power, it would be the ability to travel wherever I wanted without the use of planes, trains or automobiles. Just *poof* and I'd be there. Me, my luggage, my friends and family - just *poof*.

That trip to Europe that we want to take? Done.

Wanna avoid the ten+ hour drive to the U.P. writers retreat and just be up there already? Done.

Wanna pop in to to other states to visit friends? Done.

See? This super power is much better than my current one.

The first runner up in the super power pageant would be the ability to stop time. I'd just like to stop time and be able to finish everything without having to run around like a crazy person.

Actually, wait... this is the only super power I need.  Yes...this will do nicely.

Wanna see what the other Wednesday Bloggers picked for their super power? Me too! Just click their names below!

Gwen
Jess
Leigh
Kris
Jen 
Kellie

If I Won a Million Dollars...

This week, the Random Wednesday bloggers are blogging about the first five things we’d buy if we won a million dollars. 

I’m gonna warn you, if you’re hoping for whimsical, you’re probably not going to find it here, because if I had a million bucks, some damn practical things would happen. Which, to be fair, is unusual for me.

1. I’d buy a house in the country where I could actually see the stars at night and also have a fire pit. I miss things like stars, fires at night, and being far enough away from my neighbors that I don’t have to hear them scream at each other and their kids all day and night.

2. I’d pay off Killian’s current student loans and pay for the rest of his and Corwin’s schooling so they could move on without a mountain of debt. 

3. I’d take my family on a long-ass trip to Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. It’s my dream trip, and I’d do it in a heartbeat. 

 

4. I’d pay off my mom’s house and bills so she could enjoy retirement. She’s so done so much for all of us kids, and that way she could just spin and dye wool, knit, and play in her garden.

5. Oh…I guess I *do* have a whimsical thing I’d do. I’d buy a 1960s VW microbus and pay someone to restore it (and update it – sorry, but I need air conditioning and Bluetooth for my music) and take tons of road trips in it.

I'm curious to see what everyone else would do. Click their names to find out! 

Gwen
Jess
Leigh 
Jenny 
Kris