Cover Reveal - Hatchling's Vengeance

How time flies. It seems like only yesterday that the Dragshi Chronicles was just a short story written to help a coma victim relearn to read. Then later, the novel was used as a reward for completing their physical therapy. Each day after they therapy, they got a new chapter or scene. Now it is years later and the story expanded beyond the original tale of the trader girl Anastasia and the dragon shifter Lord Branin Llewlyn to include the next generation.

But this post is about covers. It was supposed to be a reveal, but if you paid careful attention you'll see the cover for Hatchling's Vengeance was already added to the blog banner and is on my twitter feed. So I chose to discuss what went into the cover design.

A point to remember when dealing with a series, is how they relate to each other. Hatchling's Vengeance is the 4th book in the Dragshi Chronicles which meand that there are three other covers already in existence to relate to. If you look at cover banner at the top of the blog, you'll see how the colors for the series are coordinated. 
 
Another major consideration when designing a cover is whether or not to include a person. That leads to the characteristics, such as hair color, wardrobe, and pose. For fantasy, an additional item might be the choice of weapon. Long bow, short bow, sword, or halberd. 

Although a traditional seating arrangement is boy-girl, boy-girl. A different approach was taken with the Dragshi Chronicles. The first book was Dragon Destiny and the character featured was Anastasia. For Hatchlings Curse, instead of reprising the same character, the other main character, Lord Brannin Llewlyn allowed himself to be pictured.

If I went with the traditional approach, the next book in the series would feature a woman.  The character Glyn, bodyguard to the shifter Lady Lexii Beylnea, was introduced in Hatchling's Mate and could have been used. However, Hatchling's Mate was more Talann's story rather than Glyn's. Which left Glyn to be pictured on Hatchling's Vengeance. Several models were looked at before the one finally chosen. 

The back image carried the same color from the front. However, without the character to pull the eye, the back presents  a major tone of the story. The clouds lay across the land like the evil influence of the cult leader, the Parant. 

A special thank you to Fantasia Frog Designs for their skill in selecting and blending images to create the fantasy world of the dragshi.

Now that you've been introduced to Glyn and the rest of the dragon shifters, click on the covers in the banner for excerpts and a read of the first chapter.

Hatchling's Vengeance - Ebook available for pre-order at  Amazon Barnes&Noble   iTunes  Kobo. Stay tuned for news about the print version.

~Till next time, Helen  

 

New Book - New Playlist

A scan of authors' posts show how they use music when they write. It can trigger a mood or emotion or take you to another place and tiime. It doesn't even have to be an entire song. Sometimes just a few notes of a reprise brings a character to mind. I admit I don't always have music on when writing. Jotting notes while at an outdoor concert or sitting in a doctor's office while waiting for your appointment isn't conducive to headphones or even worse, playing tunes on a cell phone.

But that doesn't mean that music is not part of my writing life.

Some of the music that inspired Hatchling's Vengeance have appeared in other posts regarding the world of the dragshi.

• Celtic flute and harp always send my mind to a fantasy world where magic rules and dragon fly. On the player now is Celtic Twilight by Gabrielle Angelique.
  
• "Desperado" from the Eagles set the title characters, Lord Talann Fitheach and Lady Glynnes Janaleigh firmly in my mind.
  
• I couldn't decide on what song to use for Gynnes as her own. One was "Brothers In Arms" chosen because Glynnes was as much as warrior as any man... and paid the price. Note, the character featured on the cover of Hatchling's Vengeance is Glynnes in her alter ego as Glyn, bodyguard to the dragon lord Lady Lexii.
  
  
• One song carried over between books in the series. In Hatching's Mate, Roger Whitaker's "The Last Farewell" set the tone for the night before a battle. However, combining it with the "Lonely Man" reprise that was used as the theme for the television series, The Incredible Hulk, brings both sides of Glynnes to mind. The one for the years spent in waiting to be able to love, and the other for the world that threatened to keep her away from him.
  

Coming up next, the cover reveal for Hatchling's Vengeance, available July 15th.

~Till next time, Helen

Out and About - At Worlds of Fantasy

Ever wonder what the author of that book you’re reading sounds like? Or the hidden secrets behind the story? Stop by the Other Worlds of Romance and listen to a replay of my interview. Either go to the main site at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/other_worlds_of_romance and select the on-demand episode or go to the direct page at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/other_worlds_of_romance/2015/05/12/helen-henderson-returns-as-my-guest-author-on-may-11th.


I talked about the Dragshi Chronicles and read an excerpt from the second volume in the Dragshi Chronicles, Hatchlings Curse. 

Chatting to Linda was fun. I hope you'll enjoy it too.

If you enjoyed my visit on Other Worlds of Romance, more information on Hatchlings Curse is available on the blog. Click on the cover at the top of the blog for more info on this tale of Anastasia and Lord Branin Llewlyn.
 
Till the next time ~ Helen

Out and About at the Writer's Lens

Stop by the Writer's Lens to see how I balance life and writing. It was a fun interview and I hope you'll visit and leave a comment.

Till next time ~Helen