Aug 27 2019

Author Kat Quinn #interview

Please give a warm welcome to

Tell us a bit about yourself

Oh, gosh, I’m terrible at this. My author bio is legit biscuits and crazy, so I suppose I should mention that I’m straight up kookie-dukes. On top of being an author, I’m also an artist and blame most of my quirks on an excess of imagination. And narcolepsy!

Have you always wanted to become an author?

Nope! Like all things in my life, I seem to have just stumbled blindly into it on a whim and am having a blast. True story, I legit wanted to be a fire truck when I was a kid and don’t think I’ve ever come up with anything better than that, since. Curse and blessing of the multipotentialite, eh? The good news is, since I’ve had a HUGE list of jobs and interests over the years, I’ve already got a lot of background knowledge for character building!

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

I literally have no idea. I was actually in the middle of outlining a RH about griffin shifters, when Dizzy and her men very suddenly came crashing into my life and demanded I listen to them. Since meeting them, I’ve been introduced to a couple dozen characters that live inside the same universe and have inter-connected stories, so it’s been one heck of a ride!

What are you working on now?

Oy. I’m not sure. Logic tells me I SHOULD be working on book two of the Disaster Zone Jones trilogy, but Whisper, a connected character, has been tempting me. So has Danika. And I’ve got a half-finished ménage short that I kind of want to release as a sort of mental palette cleanser. Plus, my “main hustle” is as a youtuber and artist, so there’s always a ton of stuff to do for that. Moral of the story? I’m doing a lot of stuff, but it’s all gonna get done!

Do you have any quirks while writing?

I actually run a FB group called the RH author’s accountabiliteam challenge where we set goals each week and if they aren’t met, we have to do punishments. So far, I’ve never failed, but there have been a couple of close calls. How did I force myself to overcome? Aside from just being personally too stubborn and competitive to lose, I bribed myself! I’ll often sit with a bucket of raisinettes or a bowl of popcorn or something like that and only allow myself to snack once every hundred words or so. When the words are being terrible and refusing to flow? This works a treat!

What are your hopes for the future?

I hope to meet a couple of milestones. I already made someone cry, so that’s like big #goals there, too, but I think I’d also like someone to say I’m their favorite author at some point. And I’d like to generate enough interest in my writing that it becomes a self-sustaining lifestyle. Currently, I am my own writer, editor, illustrator, cover artist, book formatter, and social media team because I honestly can’t afford to pay anyone to do these things. If the books generate enough profit to make it so I can hire an editor, cover artist, and PA, I’d be able to focus more on getting the stories out even quicker. And given the 30 other ideas in my writing folder right now? That would be fantabulastic.

Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?

Do it. Don’t not do it. You WILL fail. You’re going to fuck up so hard on your first book, and probably the next couple after that as well. DON’T LET THAT STOP YOU. It will never be perfect, and at some point you have to accept that you’ve done the best you can right now and use the experience to learn and grow the next time. But that first step? The first step is just doing it. I know it’s scary, but I also completely know that you have greatness inside of you that someone else has been waiting their whole life for you to share.

Do you have anything to say to your readers?

Thank you. Thank you for taking a chance on someone you may not have heard of yet, on a book about a character whose first name is literally Disaster (full name Disaster Zone Jones). You didn’t have to, and yet you did anyway! That’s amazing, and you’re a total rock star! I hope we get to grow and watch this world expand together for years to come. Thank you for telling people about “I’m Cursed,” gushing to me about your theories, sharing pics of your pets in the reader group, and being an endless source of inspiration and enthusiasm. It’s honestly one of the biggest things that helped me write this first book, and has kept me excited to write the many to follow. I love you, be kind to yourself. 🖤

All pictures in this post are painted by Kat Quinn herself.

Pre-order

I’m Cursed

Author links

LinkTree

Kat Quinn’s Quinners not Quitters

Jul 15 2019

Graphic Designer Erica petite

Please give a warm welcome to

Tell us a little about yourself

Hello, My name is Erica petit, I am self-taught freelance for 10 years in photo-manipulation. My world is dark and mysterious, also affecting fairy fantasy and gothic romance. I discovered the digital end of 2010 and so I have evolved in this area. I also create book illustrations in the style: Urban fantasy, paranormal romance and historical romance. Which my latest book illustration was published in a publishing house named “alter real” for author Seanan Mcguire, published in France.

Have you always wanted to become an artist / designer?

My school curriculum is quite chaotic. Being dyslexic and dysorthographic it was quite complicated level study. I started to design at the age of 19. For two years, I did a lot of volunteer design, to then discover Déviantart and how it works. I learned on the job. I then started designing cover. It must be seven years now that I make book illustrations for myself. I work with independent authors internationally and French publishers. Who is one day I would work with US editorial houses. (my dream).

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

My inspiration is often inspired by the urban fantasy universe – Paranormal Romance. It is according to my desires and my inspiration by seeing the stock photos.

What are you working on now?

At the moment, there is nothing special about premades. It happens to me to have empty periods “without requests for cover”

What are your hopes for the future?

I hope I can live one day, but I do not think it’s possible. I would also like to work with editorial boxes in the US not only in France.

Do you have something to say to your fans?

Looking forward to hearing from you and talking to you. 😊

Twitter

Facebook

Andromnesia

The Book Cover Designer

Jun 18 2019

Graphic Designer Sarabat Design #interview

Please give a warm welcome to graphic designer Sara

Tell us a bit about yourself

Hi, I’m Sara. I’m 24 and a self-taught graphic designer from California. I’ve been designing for 4 years as a hobby for the writers of Wattpad and just this year, I’ve decided to become a freelance cover designer. I also write for fun on Wattpad as a little side hobby and make way too many graphics for my books more than I actually write chapters lol.

Have you always wanted to become a designer/artist?

Yes and no. I’ve always been creative since I was little and being artistic runs in my family – I would even tell people that my dream job was an artist as a kid but I can’t draw or paint well so I stopped thinking it could be a possibility as I was only thinking about traditional art at the time. I even once took a graphic design class in high school and didn’t ever take it seriously. When I discovered the book cover design community 4 years ago, that is when I knew I wanted to become a graphic designer because I became very addicted to it.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Pinterest and deviantart. I always find the most beautiful artwork and designs on those sites which then lead me to stalk a bunch of different talented artists that inspire me.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently making a book cover for a non-commercial commission.

Do you have any quirks while working?

Yes! I have to listen to podcasts or youtube videos.

Do you have any advice for new artists about the publishing world?

I’m actually a new artist myself (when it comes to the publishing world) so I’m not the best person to ask for advice haha. But for any new artists thinking about turning graphic design into a job, my advice would be to make sure to ask your clients for a 50% deposit beforehand because you don’t want to get screwed over. Also to have faith in yourself! I should have done freelancing a lot sooner, but I feared I wasn’t good enough.

What are your hopes for the future?

I really hope one day I can make covers for printed books. To be able to hold my design in my hand and have it displayed on my bookshelf (or even better, in stores!!) would be my dream.

Do you have anything to say to your fans?

I have a small group of supporters/friends on Wattpad (where I started my graphic journey) so I wouldn’t say I have fans, but even the thought of having just a couple of people rooting for me or liking my work, means a lot and makes me so happy. I truly

appreciate everyone’s nice comments and messages that I’ve received over the years about my graphics. Just, thank you so much for showing me the love and support when I needed it the most!! ♡

Jun 12 2019

Kamayama Designs #interview

Please give a warm welcome to Kamayama Design

Tell us a bit about yourself

My name is Melody and I’m originally from Hawai’i. I’ve bounced back and forth between Washington and the islands many times since most of my family resides there. My favorite color is red and favorite animal is a shark—yes, I’m serious. I got to see a baby one in the wild and Kamaole 3. It’s one of my favorite memories to date.

Have you always wanted to become a designer/artist?

Yes and no. I’ve always loved drawing and the arts. I do chibi commissions on the side because regular commissions are a ton of work and I want to be a in a better spot before I offer those. After a low spot in my life, I focused in on writing and was graced to become part of a community that also wanted my chibis. I then branched into designing out of necessity for my own covers. Immediately, I got positive responses from people. So, I continued and, since I had a very minor background in graphic design, it helped.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Most times, I look through unsplash.com. I know the ins and outs of licenses and I know what I can and can’t use free and paid images for. Mainly, most of my stock comes from Adobe. I don’t use shutterstock because of how restrictive they are for what you can use it for.

But back to the main question, my inspiration comes from just browsing. Sometimes and idea pops into my head and I have to search for all the components, but it’s mainly from beautiful photography.

What are you working on now?

TONS. A lot of the ones I have revolve around magic. There’s a shamaness. I have a couple fairy and fae ones. And if I’m being honest, I have a lot of ones on the backburner. Like…main image but nothing to go with it.

Do you have any quirks while working?

I either, and this goes with writing, have to have complete silence or non-stop pumped up music. Preferably no words.

What are your hopes for the futur?

I would like to have all my premades that I’ve already made, sold. Then, once that’s done, I would like to possibly open up customs to everyone. It all hinges upon my writing and the demand for the covers. If more people want customs from me, I’ll consider it. Right now, they’re on a case by case basis. I think Jodie Lynne is the only one who’s been approved.

Do you have anything to say to your followers?

Thanks guys! I didn’t realize I had any out there, but hi! I appreciate the support!

⬆️ Made for Jade Waltz ⬆️

Facebook

Kamayama Weebly

Kamayama Design

Jun 1 2019

Graphic Designer Selfpub Designs #interview

Please give a warm welcome to Silvana

Tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi, I’m Silvana. I’m a cover designer but I’m also many other things: a wife, mother of precious twins, mother of Shih Tzus as well, a writer, a drummer, and an Ophthalmologist! Phew! Let me catch my breath, lol.

Have you always wanted to become an artist/designer?

Definitely. I’ve been inclined to the arts since a very young age. I started to treat art seriously when I was in high school. My biggest project back then was street painting a section of the Sistine Chapel (The Delphic Sibyl) for an ephemeral art exhibition. The judges liked it so much they preserved it!

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Art in all its forms inspires me. Whether it’s music, an amazing film, or a fantastic illustration, I’m always discovering elements that I like to reinterpret and integrate into my work. I’m especially drawn to surrealism because it breaks the rules of reality and that gives me so much creative freedom.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently redesigning an author’s entire series, it’s a pretty exciting project that I’m looking forward to sharing soon. I’m also working on new designs incorporating 3D rendering scenes and models. Computer generated graphics are taking over the book cover arena, probably because of the wide variety of morphs and the endless possibilities it provides to us designers—3D models are more versatile than human models.

Do you have any quirks while working?

I listen to music according to the genre I’m working on. For instance, if it’s a dynamic cover with loads of action going on, I’ll listen to something by Korn or Disturbed. But if the design is high fantasy, I’ll play Tina Guo, Enya, or Saint-Saens… I have a pretty eclectic taste in music and work with a variety of themes and genres.

What are your hopes for the future?

I love working with authors and meeting their creative visions, and I hope to keep being part of their journeys as writers for a very long time. Expanding my knowledge in the field of illustration is something that definitely interests me, I’d like to get to a point where I am able to invest more time in developing my own designs… Working on it!

Do you have anything to say to your fans?

Um, hi!!! Lol. I really appreciate your support, especially those of you who’ve been there from the start!

Being a cover designer is more to me than a creative outlet; it’s the privilege of belonging to the most amazing group I’ve ever known: The Writing Community.

Thank you for trusting me with your visions, I look forward to being part of your writing journeys for many years to come!

Covers by Selfpub Designs

May 29 2019

Graphic Designer Raven #interview

Please give a warm welcome to graphic designer Raven

Tell us a bit about yourself

Hi! 😊, my name is Raven. I’m a 20 year old book cover designer from the Netherlands!

Have you always wanted to become a artist/designer?

Actually, no. When I was younger I really (really really really) wanted to become a police officer and solve crimes haha! But when I was 12/13 years old I got the old laptop from my mom which had Photoshop CS3 on it and that’s how my journey with Photoshop and Book cover design started!

I’m currently also studying to become a designers (I study communication and multimedia design), so i’m not sure where time will bring me. But book cover design always has a special place in my heart and I will definitely keep doing it, cause it makes me happy and it has brought me where I am today!

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Everywhere and nowhere, I get inspiration from looking at stock images, watching movies with beautiful scenes, browsing on pinterest, looking at what other designers are making, just living my life, etc.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently on a break because I really need to focus on school! So not a lot at the moment haha.

Do you have any quirks while working?

Ehm, no I don’t think so. I work a lot in the evening and at night. Sometimes even through the night! – but that’s never a good idea because i’ll be a zombie the next day haha 🧟. But next to that, I can’t come up with anything else!

What are your hopes for the future?

Tough question and to be honest, I don’t really know! I’ll just see where live takes me. But of course I hope to be happy and to be doing what I love, which is designing and creating new things!

Do you have anything to say to your fans?

I’m not sure if I even have fans haha. But if there are people out there that love my work, I just want to say; ‘Thank you for your support and kind words, I would have never been able do this without you! I’m sending you all a virtual hug. 🥰’

Contact links

Raven Covers

May 27 2019

Author Susie Clevenger #interview

Please give a warm welcome to poet/author Susie Clevenger

Tell us a bit about yourself

Goodness, I’m not sure where to start. I’m an author, poet, writer, amateur photographer, and a music junkie. My husband and I have a lot of friends who are musicians so we spend as much time as we can attending live music performances, even if it means we need to do some serious traveling to get to one.I also have a deep nature connection. I grew up in a small house surrounded by woods and lived most of my life outdoors. I learned the beauty of solitude, observation, listening, and the wonder of wildlife. In many ways it’s those early experiences that keeps me grounded now when life gets tough.

Have you always wanted to become an author?

When I was a teenager, I thought about it, picked up the idea again in my late twenties, but I didn’t publish my first book until age 61. Ironically it was a car accident in 2006 where I suffered brain damage that brought me back to poetry, and serious consideration of writing a book. I entered an intersection on a bright sunny day as one person and was changed in seconds. A lot of me was/is still present, but memory gaps, personality changes, and ADD became the soup I’m forced to live in. Thank goodness I have a husband who has and continues to love me through all of it. As part of my self-rehabilitation I began writing poetry in 2009. All things writing blossomed from that point.

What was your inspiration for your current book?

Ben Ditmars presented me with the idea of co-writing a poetry book that focused on how the experiences of our youth formed a foundation for who we are now. Our book Splinters is a bit humor, a bit survival, and a bit sarcastic. Our hope was/is when people read it, they realize some splinters go deep, but they don’t have to live in their wounds.

What are you working on now?

I’m going back and forth with what I want to do. I am considering an anthology of poems taken from my blog, Black Ink Howl, as well as including new poetry. My tag line under the blog title speaks my reason for creating the blog, “Venting the Orwellian Hand Maid’s Tale Psychotic of the current American Dream”. Also, I am tossing around the idea of turning my Twila series poems into a book. She is a thirteen-year-old who lives along the Atchafalaya river in Louisiana. Her generational gift of spirituality is a sort of dark coming of age story. This is a quote from one of the poems in the series, Night of River Bones,” The moon won’t come near the river when the Wailers rattle their spines against the cattails.”

°°

Do you have any quirks while writing?

I can’t write if there is any human noise, like talking, television, music with lyrics, etc. I need to be secluded in my tiny claustrophobic corner of a bedroom. I usually light incense, open the window shade (day or night), and sit down to a desk my father built. Oh, and on the right side of the desk is always a pile of poetry books.

What are your hopes for the future?

I could go off on religion and politics, but that is a dead-end history always reaches. I hope we humans wake up, stop destroying life, and learn war never brings peace.

Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?

It is a tough place to get a shoulder in. Dreams take hard work, but there is no expiration date. Believe in yourself. Always be willing to learn, appreciate critique, and keep a light on when those rejection letters roll in from publishers. If you choose to self-publish, there is a huge family in Independent publishing who are willing to help guide you through the process.

Do you have anything to say to your readers?

I appreciate everyone who reads my work. You are such a blessing to me, such a well of encouragement. I don’t know where I would be on this journey without you. Thank you so much.

Poem: Night of River Bones

Buy links

Author links

May 14 2019

Graphic Designer Victoria Schaefer #interview

Please give a warm welcome to cover designer Victoria Schaefer

Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m 34 years old, married 15 years, and a mother to a 5yr old boy and 19 month old little girl.

Have you always wanted to become a artist/designer?

When I was around 5 years old I was obsessed with drawing. I would always tell my parents I wanted to be a cartoonist. As i grew older I realized I just didn’t have to ability for that. I was always doing something creative though. In high school I got into graphic design and loved. My uncle is graphic designer and helped in creating Photoshop, so I think it may be in my DNA. I didn’t get back into it until 2 years ago when I started PAing. A year ago I gave doing the PA thing to solely focus on designing. I love that I can work from home and getting to be my own boss.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Pretty much everywhere. Sometimes I see a tv show, or I hear a song lyric that just sticks with me. I have author friends who suggest, ideas, and I also keep track of what’s on trend with books. Currently Academy and bully romances are pretty big.

What are you working on now?

I have a lot of custom work going on. I signed on with a new publishing company, BBB Publishing, to be their in house designers. They’ve been keeping me pretty busy with anthology covers. I also do branding and teasers, so I always have those lined up. With a lot of book signings coming up, I’ve been doing a lot of swag too.

Do you have any quirks while working?

I have to listen to music while I work. I have a playlist on spotify with about 70 songs that I listen to while I work.

What are your hopes for the future?

I really just hope I can continue working in this industry and growing my client base. I truly love getting to do what I do.

Do you have anything to say to your fans?

Oh man…uummm…I don’t know if I’m special enough to have fans but thank you to everyone who has supported me and taken a chance on me. You are guys are rockstars and I can’t wait to see what else we get to work on together.

May 11 2019

Graphic Designer Nichole Witholder #interview

Please give a warm welcome to artist Nichole Witholder

Have you always wanted to become a designer/artist?

I’ve been making art since I could hold a pencil. I’ve taken lessons in drawing and painting. My father was strongly against my becoming an artist since he saw family members with similar talent struggle so much.

I also happened to be immediately in love with computers. At 5yrs old in 1986, this wasn’t as common as it is now lol. I quickly realized that making art on a computer didn’t require me to ask my father for art supplies.

I never planned to make money from my art. I was worried about adding the stress of money to something that’s so important to me. But I happen to be an avid reader. When the indie author world blew up and I had access to more and more awesome books I noticed that the talent for writing wasn’t always well represented by the cover art. I thought to myself, “Maybe I could help out there.” May 10 marks my one-year anniversary.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

I people watch. I’ve studied artists techniques in every piece of art I look at. I pay attention to how light interacts with everything. I’m constantly listening to music, constantly reading, and keeping a close eye on pop culture. I think a lot of my inspiration comes from there.

What are you working on now?

Several covers, a logo, and researching new techniques I can use in my artwork. It’s important that I’m discreet with my client’s info so I can’t say more than that lol.

Do you have any quirks while working?

I can’t handle unsolicited advice or critique lol. Like someone leaning over my shoulder saying, “hey you should do this”. And this may be part ego. Though I think that mostly, it’s my needing to focus. I have plans upon plans in my head when I finally get out of my mind and start to do actual work. When someone tries to edit while I’m in the middle of that, I tend to lose my temper. This is good and bad. I should definitely be more open to listening to other ideas, however, my ego insists that I’m the artist and I’m the one who knows what I’m doing. It’s a struggle lol

Do you have any advice for new artists about the publishing world?

Become involved in the community.

Read the books you’re trying to design for.

Interact with author groups.

Join the design marketplaces and research pricing.

If you design a flop that no one wants, keep making new art. Art is a constant process of growing and learning. You can’t expect everything to be a masterpiece.

Study marketing techniques used by new businesses to gain a customer base.

Work with integrity and good morals. Karma exists.

What are your hopes for the future?

I hope to expand on my techniques and skills to include more, always. I’m no good at staying still and I want to grow until I drop lol. Rainy Day may possibly be branching out even more toward promotion in the next year or so.

Do you have anything to say to your fans?

After being told for so long (by my father) that my art would never amount to anything. That I could never make a living. Every single time one of you supports me, comments on my artwork, buys a piece, I am so incredibly shocked and grateful. Slowly you are all healing that scar on my heart. Thank you ♡

Links

Website

Instagram

Rainy Day Artwork

Apr 25 2019

Graphic Designer Imaginary Rosse #interview

Please give a warm welcome to digital artist Andreea Grigore

Tell us a bit about yourself

My name is Andreea, and I’m a digital artist based in Bucharest, Romania.

I’m a very melancholic person, daydreamer and I take my energy from the times I get to be alone with my thoughts. I’m a crazy cat lady, currently having 3 cats, but also happily married! *wink*

How did you become a digital artist:

My journey started back in 2004, when I first started playing around with Photoshop.

I found it fascinating to be able to blend together different images and create something that comes out of your imagination. It was like creating a different reality, in which I got to express my dreams, struggles, and so on. I’ve come a long way, but there’s still a lot left to learn.

What is your inspiration for your art?

I love princesses, witches, warriors, fairytales, mythology, glowing stuff, magic… So I take my inspiration from anything around me that has this elements. There’s a lot of talented photographers out there that are very inspirational, movies, stories. They blend in my imagination, and I create from the stories they blend into.