Patricia Josephine & Abducted Life

My friend Patricia Josephine (aka Patricia Lynne) has a new book out today and a fun scavenger hunt to go with it.

After you've discovered the secret word from this blog post (the word artfully highlighted in red), head over to Patricia's blog for the rest of the participants!

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Savannah and Evan thought they were safe on earth. They were wrong.

Savannah Janowitz had everything: Popularity. Caring parents. A boy she had loved all her life. It all vanished when she went missing. When she reappears a year later with no memory and strange, new abilities, she struggles to fit back into her life.

Evan Sullivan never believed aliens existed until he and Savannah were abducted. Experimented and mutated by them, he is forced to hide in the shadows and watch Savannah rebuild her life without him. But no matter how hard he tries, he can’t stay away from her.

Reunited with Evan, Savannah sees a glimmer of her old life finally return. As they face what was done to them together, they discover aliens aren’t the only danger to them. Someone closer to home is watching, waiting for the order to take out the ‘alien threat’.

Abducted Life is a sci-fi romance about true love over coming all the odds.
Steam rating: Warm (Moderately explicit sensuality.)

​AVAILABLE FOR $3.99 AT AMAZON OR READ FOR FREE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED!
Add to Goodreads

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Patricia Josephine aka Patricia Lynne
Author of paranormal, fantasy, and sci-fi novels you can escape into.
 Website: patriciajosephine.com
Twitter: @pjlauthor
Facebook: @pjlauthor
Instagram: @pjlauthor
Patreon: @pjlauthor

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Congrats to Patricia! 

Good luck with the scavenger hunt!!

Lynda Young & Book Covers

 My good friend Lynda Young has released her Christian devotional Cling to God and is here to talk about book covers.

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The Art of Book Cover Creation

Thanks, Jemi, for hosting me today in honor of the release of the new edition of Cling to God: 365-Day Devotional. The topic I’ll be talking about is book cover creation.

Whether you’re doing it yourself or hiring someone to create a cover, it’s so important to know what fits for your market. It’s not just about having great art or a clever design. If it doesn’t match the expectations for the genre, then readers will struggle to find your book.

While I strongly recommend most authors hire a professional, I do have a graphic design background, so I took on the cover design for Cling to God: 365-Day Devotional. The first thing I did was research. After gathering up a long list of comparative books, I learned exactly where my book best fit. I also discovered a clear pattern in the style of covers:

Flower art on a white background.

Without the research, I would’ve gone with flower photography, a mistake. The hand-drawn art took longer to achieve, but it was worth the effort. I must admit my first attempts did not pan out. I tried all sorts of different art styles, including watercolor. I ended up going with the clean simplicity of vector art. I wanted it light, bright, and fresh.

Other factors to consider when finalizing a cover design is the typography. The size, the balance, the colors. Each genre has its own style of fonts too. Don’t pick your favorite font. Pick the font that works for the market. A heavy sans serif works well for crime fiction or even many non-fictions, but not so much for young adult fantasies. A floral font with scrolls works well for YA fantasy or romance, but definitely not for science fiction. Again, do your research.

There’s a whole psychology behind color choices too, composition, and visual depth, which I won’t go into here. One last thing to truly understand is this:

Simplicity is key. At a glance, the reader should know where your book belongs, without even reading the title. Cover it with too much detail or noise, and you start to lose that clarity.

What elements on a cover make you pick up a book?

Cling to God: 365-Day Devotional

This special devotional book is a year-long journey with daily inspirational messages and uplifting scripture to help you spend time with God. It includes short Bible-based teachings that will encourage and refresh. It is faith-building and thought-provoking with reassuring reminders of God’s love.

365 days of inspiration and Bible wisdom to lighten your heart.
365 devotions to bring you peace in uncertain times.
365 ways to Cling to God.

Ebook, Paperback, Hardcover

Lynda R. Young has written devotionals, multiple Christian articles, and other inspirational non-fiction, given Bible-based talks, and is always looking for other ways to encourage and uplift. She is also an author of fantasy novels, an editor, game developer, artist, and dabbles in photography and all things creative. She lives in Brisbane with her sweetheart of a husband. You can find her here: Blog, Twitter, Goodreads

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Thanks Lynda! I love the cover you designed!

Genre conventions are so important when designing a cover. I did my own for Dancing with Dementia, but I'm glad I've turned over the task to a cover designer who has a lot more talent in that area!

How about you? Do you design covers? Any favourite fonts out there? Any favourite styles of covers right now?

IWSG & Titles & Lynda & Home!

 The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!  

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This month's optional question:
What's harder to do, coming up with your book title or writing the blurb?

A few years ago, I would have said titles. Now, I know better, although that could change at any moment.

I write romantic suspense and I write in series. Once I landed on the idea of using a repetitive phrase for the title, it became so much easier. The last word in the title points to the theme of the book.

• Reaching For Normal
• Reaching For Risks
• Reaching For Everything
• Reaching For Balance
• Reaching For Christmas
• Reaching For Trust
• Reaching For Roots
• Reaching For Family
• Reaching For Home

My 2nd series will release next year and I'm using the same idea with a different phrase

• Built of Secrets
• Built of Strength
• Built of Flames...

Blurbs on the other hand can drive me batty. I've now worked up a pattern that helps...sort of

• Tagline (1 sentence)
• intro FMC and her problem (2 or 3 sentences)
• intro MMC and his problem (2 or 3 sentences)
• tie them together & give the stakes (1 or 2 sentences)

How about you, writers? Blurbs or Titles - which presents more of a challenge?

For readers, what draws you to a book more - the title or the blurb?

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Lynda Young is releasing her latest book today!

Blurb:
This special devotional book is a year-long journey with daily inspirational messages and uplifting scripture to help you spend time with God. It includes short Bible-based teachings that will encourage and refresh. It is faith-building
and thought-provoking with reassuring reminders of God’s love. 

365 days of inspiration and Bible wisdom to lighten your heart.
365 devotions to bring you peace in uncertain times.
365 ways to Cling to God.

A great companion for individual worship or for group Bible study.
The perfect gift book or personal keepsake that will be cherished for years to come.

Start each morning with Cling to God to brighten your day and draw closer to God.

Links:
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HBMG3L8

Hardcover: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KNCWNCV

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KN4H1RZ

Take advantage of the launch price and pick up your ebook for $2.99. This discount will be available for a short time only.

Don’t have a kindle? Then get the free kindle app for iOS, Android, Mac, and PC HERE: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/browse.html%3Fnode=8498354051&ref=kcp_fd_hz

Author Bio:
Lynda R. Young accepted Jesus into her life in her early teens and has been active in her faith ever since. She has written multiple Christian articles and other inspirational non-fiction, given Bible-based talks, and is always looking for other ways to encourage and uplift. She is also an author of fantasy novels, an editor, game developer, artist, and dabbles in photography and all things creative. She lives in Australia with her sweetheart of a husband. You can find her here: Blog, Twitter, Goodreads

http://lyndaryoung.blogspot.com.au
https://twitter.com/LyndaRYoung
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5832201.Lynda_R_Young

Congrats to Lynda! 

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Reaching For Home releases on November 16th!

If you're interested in an ARC, head on over to BookSprout - there are a limited number available!

If you want to preorder, check out my website

One left the limelight behind. One is running from it. And one wants to destroy it all.

Nia Alexander is leaving the costume rooms of Hollywood in her rearview mirror and taking her son across the country for a fresh start and a white Christmas. She’s also hoping to leave behind the threats from the jerk who didn’t want to hear the word No.

Jaz LaChance is never going back to the limelight. It’s been almost a decade since his photos were splashed in magazines and on billboards. Funding new businesses in Bloo Moose is better. Until Nia turns out to be a new tenant. Nia saved his ass once, but every time he looks at her, he remembers the humiliation of that night. When Jaz discovers Nia is being threatened, he needs to figure out how to leave the past truly where it belongs.

If they can trust each other they might be able to make a home of their own for the holidays.