Cover Reveal

Isn't this beautiful!?!?!

Oh! My! God!! Can you say excited?!?

Today, 7/11/12, it is with great pleasure, that I, not only reveal the cover for my next story, Divergent Lives, but I also inaugurate a blog just for "DL Speak"! 

First and foremost, I would like to thank Andi Reis (Andi on Twitter) and Renee Groskreutz (Renee on Twitter) both of Ralph's Design and Deli for the amazing work they are doing for me. I am blessed we found each other -- on Twitter no less! 

I am so looking forward to working with you guys on additional projects!

As this site grows, I would like to have discussions about all things murderous as well as things seemingly -- or not -- psychologically off the rails. Though I have no professional experience in psychology or criminology, I am fascinated by studies in both of those areas and I don't pretend to be anything more than curious. I've always wondered what happens to a person who was once an innocent baby with baby smells that makes them not only want to kill someone, but want to do it numerous times to fulfill an unquenchable need. 

As non-professionals in the field of forensic psychology, we might not understand why real killers do what they do. But, you will definitely gain some insight as to what makes the protagonists of this story, Adina and RJ tick!

I would also like to talk about my process while writing this story, but I think the best way to do that is via separate posts. You will see that what this story ended up being, is a far cry from what I had originally envisioned. When we get to the end of both the story of my process and the end of Adina's and RJ's story, the cover will make a heck of a lot of sense to you all.  

Here's a synopsis for Divergent Lives : 

Divergent Lives is the story of fraternal twins - one male; one female -- born to immigrant parents in New York City on December 12, 1962. They are separated at birth by the attending physician. One is sold on the black market to a couple who lives in rural Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The other remains with the biological parents.  Neither twin knows the other exists. Each shows signs of sociopathic tendencies as young teenagers. One becomes a serial killer. Each murder that is committed by this twin is more gruesome than the last.

The first thing you see on the cover, is the title. I love the interlocking initial caps! This idea actually came from a logo (see below) which I designed for this book. I plan to have it tattooed, probably in "glow in the dark ink" once the book releases. That is the way I celebrate, I get a tattoo! What can I tell you??

Divergent Lives Tattoo

The "XII" is significant. The protagonists in this story were born December 12, 1962 and my book releases December 12, 2012 .... get it? The idea for this design first began taking shape for me while discussing a title (the working title for this story was "Standing on the Precipice"), and a release date with my former publisher, Jorge Salgado-Reyes (Jorge on Twitter).

The overcast, mauve sky represents doom for me and I love the way the font looks over the "maudlin" color. I absolutely love that!

Further, we have contrasting city/country 'scapes to represent where each of the twins was raised. 

We all know what the blood in the road means, don't we??

Finally, and I think this was genius on Andi's and Renee's part; we have the helix in the road leading to the city rather than the white line you would normally see on any road. The helix represents the protagonists' shared DNA. If you look closely, you will see that the road, though divergent at a distance, converges at the apex -- the country and the city meets, representing a huge clash or conflict.

So, I'm very proud of my collaboration with my girls, Andi and Renee! 

Just to show you how special these ladies are, let me share something with you: 

Andi and I had maybe two conversations about what I wanted on the cover. Within a few days, she sent me the first rendition which was very, very close to what you see above. There were only two tweaking sessions and I could not be happier with the end result.

Like you, my fellow Indie Authors who are reading this, I have a full time job, and a family as well as a host of other responsibilities. Writing, designing book covers, marketing and promoting any story is a lot of hard work. It can sometimes be extremely draining and overwhelming. That is why the only way you can be happy as an Indie Author is if you love writing.

Also, as an Indie Author, you are especially lucky if you have someone in your corner who takes the time to listen to what you are saying. You're especially lucky if you have someone who asks questions about what you're describing; and if that someone shares your vision. The cherry on top is if that person can accurately translate your vision to their partner in order to jointly put together something beautiful! When you have that person in your corner, it is a lot easier because you know that you will end up with a product that you will be happy with. 

I got really lucky with these ladies! Kudos girls!

I would like to thank the Academy....um, no ...

I really want to thank all my Twitter and Facebook friends for the continual love and support you show me. Sometimes I can't be as social as I'd like, but you are in my heart and always on my mind. I appreciate the way I am always warmly welcomed back after an absence. It is because of you and it is FOR you that I continue to do this, and I do it with much joy. 

I am often told "Don't forget us when you blow up!" -- "blow up" meaning get famous -- slang -- sorry. So to show that I didn't forget where I came from, though not implying that I've "blown up," I want to express my deepest appreciation for Ms. Katie Salidas. 

Katie gave me the courage to do this two years ago. She has been there all along supporting me. You will always hear me mention her, because she is the one who made me believe I could do this. It is because of Katie that I crawled out of the darkness into the light of a new life. I will forever be grateful to her.

Next up: How did I come up with this idea anyway?

Hugs!!

~~Minnie