I love a challenge. It keeps the mind engaged and neurons firing on all cylinders. That is why I decided to design my own cover and interior for my latest novel, Empty Shell. After undergoing a thorough edit, the pull to try my own creative skills was just too much for me to ignore.
After weeks of learning how to use Photoshop, thanks to numerous online tutorials, I scratched enough of the surface of the program to create the ebook cover:
(Photo credits: Nicolas Raymond http://www.freestock.ca
Courtney Simonds
http://www.csimondsphoto.com)
Then, I went through the process of learning how to convert the manuscript to the appropriate electronic files (epub & mobi) for use on various ebook readers. That little exercise made a few gray hairs sprout! At times, I became frustrated and walked away from the computer, wondering if I'd lost touch with my sanity. But, I was unwilling to give in and trudged on until I finally figured it out. I jumped around the living room like a little girl, thrilled with my efforts when I realized I did it!
That excitement was short-lived. My next issue to tackle was the dreaded print version. More gray hairs appeared, followed by several bouts of foul words spewing out of me. Again, if it weren't for all the tutorial videos and blogs I found online, I never would have finished. It took two weeks for me to figure out how to create the cover wrap and another week to grasp and execute the interior formatting. Yesterday, I achieved both and uploaded the final products to CreateSpace. I squealed with glee when the documents were uploaded and accepted "without errors" and I had a chance to view the final product with the Interior Reviewer.
So, I am excited to share the completed cover wrap:
The ebook is available for pre-order on Amazon and Kobo (unfortunately, B&N doesn't offer pre-orders) and Empty Shell is also on Goodreads, if you would like to add it to your TBR shelf. Empty Shell is a suspenseful thriller with a mystery to boot! I'm not quite sure why Kobo has it listed as an espionage mystery, since that isn't one of the categories I picked, but hey, it's on there!
I also created the book trailer (which was really fun!):
Here is the synopsis--
A pair of pink, silk underwear…
The quiet world of Melody and Jack Dickinson is about to be
turned upside down. Twenty years of marriage hangs in the balance when Melody
finds out about Jack’s infidelity. The betrayal is made worse when Melody
discovers his lover is Serena Rowland, a young woman who works at Melody’s law
firm.
A receipt from an overpriced hotel…
Harsh words are exchanged before Melody storms off to work,
determined to have Serena fired. But when Melody hears Serena was murdered over
the weekend, everything changes. Serena’s body is found beaten and strangled
with a pair of pink, silk panties, in the same hotel that Jack had admitted
staying at over the weekend. Within seconds of hearing the news, Melody’s life
spins out of control when Jack calls in a panic. The police are at their home
to arrest him for Serena’s murder.
Pictures of a young woman’s scantily clad torso on a cell
phone…
Was she married to a monster? One who beat and strangled the
young woman to death, or was Jack set up? Did Melody’s own dark secret, hidden
inside her heart for years, have something to do with the nightmare they
suddenly find themselves in?
Melody and Jack are about to discover that one fateful
mistake will destroy many.
A sincere thank you to all my family, friends and FANS for all your support and belief in me. Without each of you, this labor of love would be for nothing. And, a special thanks to NY Times bestselling author Janelle Taylor. As I said in the dedication, your support and friendship mean the world to me.
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