Pippa has joined me at the fireside today to show us the new cover for Keir, a novel she first published almost three years ago. Welcome!
Thank you.
First up, where did you get this fabulous cover?
This is the painstaking and devoted work of my cover designer (editor, supporter and friend) Danielle Fine. She’s put an awful lot of time and effort into giving me something I love and that encompassed all the elements I wanted.
What does it say to you, being the person who created these characters?
To me, it sums up the main elements of the story perfectly. It’s very much a character driven SFR, so having the two main characters on the cover reflects that. Because it isn’t heavy SciFi, I think the astronomical background conveys that this is set somewhere otherwordly/alien, and also the paranormal and dark elements in the story without possibly frightening off a non-SF loving reader.
You’ve given us images in our minds for Keir and Quin now. Don’t you think it’s better to let the reader imagine for themselves?
I’m kind of torn on that. I do have a real thing for faces, and it’s something that attracts me to a book as a reader. I think because what I want most from a book is the characters and their conflicts, emotions, and drives. So to me, a face on a cover implies the story is centred on them maybe more than the setting (though I want a good setting too). I know some people prefer to imagine a character, and sometimes the face on the book might not match the character at all, but probably just as many are drawn to it as would be put off. Discussions on covers come up a lot among my colleagues, and the variation (and sometimes complete opposition) in opinions is huge. You really can’t please everyone. So, while I try to aim for something marketable, the cover also has to satisfy me. I spent a long time searching for images for Quin that I felt really represented her, while Dani actually found that image for Keir. She’s worked with me on this book right from the start, so she knows the characters very well, and knows the kind of thing I look for. Funnily enough, a friend sent me a piece of fan art for Keir and Quin, and his interpretation was very close to how I’d always imagined them, so I’m hoping my descriptions mean people will imagine them as they are on the cover regardless.
Thank you so much for joining me, and allowing me to share your new cover with my friends. All the best with the rest of the work in preparation for its release!
Thanks!
And here it is, the new cover of Keir. I know that it’s a book I’d certainly pick up off the shelf based on the cover.
Laurel's Writing Desk 