Designed
by Lou Harper, the beautiful cover art for Frozen is far more than it
appears. It is actually the culmination of years of struggle, of adversity, and
of serious backlash over misleading, inadequate, and unprofessional series covers.
Let
me back up, because this story doesn’t begin with Frozen at all. It
begins with the first book in the Cassie Scot series, which has recently had an
incredible makeover.
Many
of my reviews for the early books in the series say, “Don’t judge this book by
its cover!” They go on to say that the cover is awful, but the book is great.
Well, obviously, I’m glad they liked the book, but I’ve been discouraged for
years by the flack I’ve received for the covers.
One
of the worst consequences of my original covers was the mistaken belief (by
some) that my books were mid-grade novels, or at least young adult. They are
not! These were written with adult audiences in mind.
As
a picture is worth a thousand words, let me show you the before and after images:
The
original cover artwork for the Cassie Scot Series were hand painted originals
done just for me. And saying that is bittersweet, because when my publisher
first suggested going this route, I felt incredible pride at the idea of having
artwork created just for me. It made me feel special. At this point, I have
something of a love/hate relationship with the original covers because I can’t
deny they were mistakes. Yet, some part of me still sees something special in them,
something unique that the modern practice of photo manipulation can’t capture.
Take
Secrets and Lies, for instance, the second book in the series and the
one with the greatest backlash. “It looks too romantic,” many or my readers
said to me. And maybe it does. None of these books are romances, exactly, but
there is a strong romantic subplot (like it or not), and that pose on the
original Secrets and Lies perfectly captures the tension in that book –
Evan wants Cassie; Cassie is unsure.
Photo
manipulation is incapable of creating such a scene. To do the same thing with
photography, I would have to hire my own models, and a photographer, and do a
prohibitively expensive photo shoot to make it happen.
But
I get it. I really do. The original cover artwork has manican-like faces, and
they lack the sharpness, the zing, the edge of professionalism that people are
used to seeing on urban fantasy novels.
I
asked my publisher to hire a new cover designer for Madison’s Song and Kaitlin’s
Tale, two spin-offs following secondary characters, and she did a nice job.
Not so nice that I wanted her to redo my whole series, but definitely an
improvement. And at that point, I thought I was done writing the series.
When
Cassie told me, “Life doesn’t end when you get married,” and made me write Frozen,
the first book in her new plot arc, I knew I needed something different for
the cover. My publisher gave me some choices, knowing I was unhappy with the
earlier artwork, but ultimately I refused them all and asked her if she would
hire Lou Harper, who was recommended by some fellow authors.
We
found a stock photo model for Cassie, and when I did, I tried to find someone
with enough poses that she could be used on additional books and maybe … if I
liked Frozen well enough, on a series overhaul. I told Lou about some
magical creatures that appear in the book, including a hellhound, which she
depicted beautifully standing atop a frozen lake. The mist obscuring the
background is another important plot element, and really holds the scene
together.
When
I revealed the cover art for Frozen to my loyal readers, I got
immediate, positive feedback. Some claimed that Cassie looked just like they’d
pictured. Many said it was beautiful, and professional, and when I floated the
idea of the series makeover, I was met with enthusiastic encouragement. So I
went for it.
The
result is … breathtaking, I think. I particularly love the covers to Mind
Games and Stolen Dreams (books three and four), though I am enthusiastic
about all of these. They are obviously more professional, cleaner, and state
clearly, “These are adult urban fantasy novels.”
I
hope you like the new covers half as much as I do, and that regardless, you’ll
give the books a chance. You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but we often
do. I sometimes do, even though I know how the process goes, and how hard it is
to find the right representation for a book!
I
present these before-and-after covers proudly, but know the books are far more
than their covers. Cassie Scot is a labor of love that only comes alive when
you peak inside.
About the Author
Christine Amsden has been writing fantasy and science fiction for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and relationships, and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.
At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, which scars the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams.
Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. In addition to being a writer, she's a mom and freelance editor.
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1 comments:
Thank you!
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