As an Indie
author, I have the luxury of complete control over what my cover’s look like.
That’s probably a good thing, since I’ve learned that I’ve become a bit of a
control freak during the whole process of launching my debut novel. But let me
also tell you, self-publishing is a lot of work and the only person I can rely
on to get the job done is me. Is it worth it? My answer is yes!
When the storyline for If My Heart Could See You started
to pop into my head, there was really only one choice I saw for my cover. John
Waterhouse’s Lamia squeals romance no matter that the story behind the actual
painting is horrific. It’s Greek Mythology, so probably enough said there.
Because this painting was in the public domain, I was able to use it. Typing
that line was far easier than developing an actual cover that would work. I am
a writer, not a cover designer, and trying to fumble my way around Photoshop
was exhausting to the point that I threw up my hands in frustration numerous
times. No matter how many instances I yelled “I’m giving up and chucking the
whole idea,” I continued coming back to try again. Apparently, I was on a
mission.
This wasn’t just
about slapping my name, title and tagline onto the cover and calling it good. This
was about making it look professional. I also had to do some editing to remove
the snake skin the knight was stepping on. It was also wrapped around the
heroine’s leg and bottom of the picture. In the amount of time it took me to
finally get it good enough that I was happy with it, I could have written at
least three more books. I swore I’d never do another cover again and leave it
to the professionals. Now, I’m trying to design the back of my next release. I
knew I’d eat those words.
Was it worth it?
You tell me. I still remember waking up that Saturday morning in July just two
days after my paperback was released. Prior to that, the eBook was bringing in
a few sales that totaled maybe fifty. I thought, “How nice is that? All my friends and family are buying my eBook.” Reaching
for my phone that morning, I opened the sales dashboard and rubbed my eyes. I
must have refreshed that page at least three times before putting on my glasses
thinking something was broken at Amazon. But no…I had 70 sales and it was only
8:00 in the morning! I ended that day with 137 Kindle downloads that put me #3
on Amazon’s top ten bestseller list among several others. Oh happy days!
Perhaps my
patience and persistence paid off after all. There’s only one reason I believe
my book hit those bestseller charts in the first place. I blame it all on my
cover. Three to five seconds…that’s it. It’s all the time an author has to grab
a reader’s attention enough that they’ll click on your tiny thumbnail on their
computer or walk across that bookstore and grab your book. You had better make that
cover a good one.
Three things readers might not know about me:
1) I
had seven years of piano lessons when I was growing up. It’s one of the regrets
I have that I didn’t keep up with it because I was pretty good.
2) An
introvert at heart, I feel out of place in large crowds where I don’t know a
lot of people, if anyone at all.
3) I
love the ocean but don’t want to swim in it. Give me the sandy stretch of beach
and I’ll walk for hours.
Book Blurb for If My Heart Could See You:
When you’re enemies,
does love have a fighting chance?
For Amiria of
Berwyck, defeat does not come easily as she watches her home and clan being
ripped asunder. When the very enemy who has laid siege to her home demands her
fealty, she will do whatever it takes to protect her people including a hastily
concocted ruse that quickly begins to unravel. All too soon, she starts to
question whether she can forgive herself for betraying those she has sworn to
protect.
Dristan of Blackmore, champion knight of King
Henry II, has a reputation to uphold as the Devil’s Dragon. After his invading
army conquers Berwyck castle, he sets out to manage the newly claimed estate by
training its knights in the art of proper defense. At first, everything appears
as it should be, or is it? Betrayed by those he believed he could trust, he
must first set aside his anger before he can make room in his heart for love.
Together they
are tied by an unspoken bond. As they begin to rebuild the land and unite their
people, forces beyond their control attempt to tear apart their fragile truce
and only time will tell if love will forever bring them together.
Excerpt:
“I
do so love a challenge,” he argued humorously.
“Do
you?” she asked sarcastically. “And what, pray tell, do you achieve if you
should know my name, my lord?”
Dristan
looked on her with a slight smile set upon his handsome face. “Why I achieve
the name of a beautiful woman I would like to know better.”
Amiria
contemplated him again, wondering at his ploy. “And how know you I am beautiful
with just one glimpse of my face?”
“Anyone
with eyes in his head could tell, fair damsel, you are indeed a fine looking
woman.”
“They
say beauty is not everything, my lord Dristan. Perchance I have a shrewish
nature, as I have been told such afore.”
“Somehow,
I think not.”
“Do
you?” she repeated the same words of but seconds ago.
He
interrupted her. “Besides, ’tis not fair you should know who I am, but I am not
granted the same.”
“Any
and all would be a fool not to know the Devil’s Dragon of Blackmore now claims
his lair in Berwyck Castle.”
“Then
you have heard of me and my reputation has proceeded me,” he cajoled.
“Aye,
my lord, I have indeed knowledge of you.”
“I
see you do not fear me, as some do upon first encountering me. Why is that, I
wonder, when you in truth do not know my nature?” he questioned honestly.
“I
fear no man,” she answered, as she raised her head defiantly with a flip of her
head, “or beast for that matter!”
Dristan
threw his head back and laughed. It sounded pleasant to her ears. “Well said,
damsel. Mayhap in you I have finally met my match! Still you have me at a loss,
mistress, besides not giving me your name, that is.”
Buy Links:
What’s next for you?
Currently, I have the eBook for my
historical time travel, For All of Ever, up for pre-order at the major retailers
with a November 20th release date. It was a lot of fun to write, so
much so, that I had to give Katherine and Riorden a second book called Only
For You. I just finished the last round of
A little bit about the author:
Sherry
Ewing is an Amazon Bestselling author who writes historical and time travel
romances to awaken the soul one heart at a time. Her debut historical romance,
If My Heart Could See You, hit Amazon’s top ten bestseller list for the eBook
only two days after the paperback release. Always wanting to write a novel but
busy raising her children, she finally took the plunge in 2008 and wrote her
first Regency. She is a national and local member of Romance Writers of America
since 2012. Her second book,
For All of Ever, is available for pre-order and
she is currently editing its sequel, Only For You. When Sherry is not busy
writing, she can be found in the San Francisco area at her day job as an
Information Technology Specialist.
 |
| Author Sherry Ewing |
You
can find more information
If My Heart Could See You at:
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