the-lunar-library - Tumblr blog

the-lunar-library · 6 days

Text

THE ESCAPE OF LADY AIGLE

Playing around with bookmark ideas because I have learned the power of bookmarks for shy indie authors. I'm pretty pleased with this. (It's a front and a back.)

#indieauthor #writeblr #writers #fantasy novel #fantasy book #the escape of lady aigle #charmian aigle

0 notes

the-lunar-library · 21 days

Text

Designing My Book's Cover

I did this with my first book, talked about my thought processes behind its cover -- so let's do it with the second one, The Escape of Lady Aigle. You hear different things about book covers:

1: Traditionally published authors have no control over their covers, so don't complain to them about it.

2: Self-published authors must never, ever do their own covers.

As a self-published author who did her own cover, it's fair game to 1) judge me and 2) complain to me. With that out of the way, let's talk about it, what my process was, and whether I made the right choices.

This book, Eola for short, was developed over a stupidly long period of time. I think I started brainstorming some time in 2008, I started writing in 2013, and then it was published in 2023. For most of it, the book didn't even have a name (that's a different post) and I didn't have much idea what the cover should be. (Eyeball? Eyeball with mysterious magical mark beneath it?) But in late 2018, I started playing around with -- not exactly workable covers, but ideas that maybe some day could inspire a cover.

This is the one I always think of:

Character art by me. As with the first book, I used some borders/ceiling art by Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise because they are utterly gorgeous and public domain. Background texture by solstock on deviantArt.

I think I wanted to convey two key things in this and the following images: 1) The heroine is a fancy lady and 2) There is a mysterious magical gateway that's going to bring her no end of trouble.

I also played around with using old photos, pressing long-dead silent-era film actors into service.

More Lachaise. Light flare texture by Hexe78 from deviantArt. Charmian played by Greta Nissen, from Photoplay. I like the broodiness of this, also the way the light flare is localized over her left cheek, but altogether it feels unbalanced to me.

This time, the Lachaise magical "gate" is straight up coming out of her cheek. I think there's an interesting idea here, but it's not well executed -- the gate should be shaped to her nose, and it would look much better if it extended all the way behind her. (Again, I say in my defense, these were ideas, not meant to be actual covers.) Charmian here played by Mary Hay from Photoplay.

Some months later, I returned to this idea, this time with Charmian appearing to be lost inside the gate. Background texture from Freestock.com, I believe. I think this looks nicely harmonious, but the concept of the gate being a gate, rather than being a pretty design (which is what it originally was, sorry, Lachaise) is lost.

Then I did this series, where the gate is emerging from her mind. I think of these as the kokoshnik ones. They're very pretty, but I wonder if they also would have been baffling. Two Lachaise borders this time, woman's photo from Pixabay, texture (I believe) from Freestock.com. Out of all of these, the last one might have come closest to becoming the basis for the cover.

And then there was this one I just threw together, going for a little bit of an art nouveau feel. Artwork by Ethel Gabain, border and background from Pixabay. An amethyst/purple night sky is a key plot visual, and I think it's pretty, but this one would have needed a lot of work.

But in the end, I didn't use any of it. After doing the first book's cover, I think I was pretty committed to doing Eola's art elements myself -- all of them, not even relying on stock images. The cover's dimensions and the placement of images can change a lot as you figure things out, so rather than create a single static image, I decided to create a collage, doing each element in isolation so I could move things around as needed.

If it looks like it took a long time to do all those geode facets and small pebbles, that's because it took a long time. I am an imprudent traditional artist and the detail work just about killed me. But I think it sells the effect, so I don't regret it.

One thing I like about this cover, that the earlier attempts didn't have, is that it's extremely specific. The different elements mean something. This couldn't be the cover of any other book.

One key difference with Eola and the first book is that I also wanted a hand-drawn back cover -- and, hey, while we're at it, why don't we do a portrait of the heroine Charmian on the book's spine? A picture on the spine will help it stand out on the shelf. It can't be that hard.

I ended up drawing that spine portrait three times. It's the smallest element of the cover, and it kept thwarting me.

I just wanted Charmian in simple profile, showing off the mysterious marking on her left cheek. I like this first attempt a lot, but the colors were wrong (I can't complain about the publisher getting details wrong; it comes down to me) and overall she felt a bit stiff. Okay, let's go for more movement.

That's quite a lean you've got going on there, Chara sweetie. We got movement, but the colors aren't right at all and in general she's kind of droopy.

Third time was the proverbial charm.

Pose has some movement, colors are good, mark looks good. I really like the warped lines around her, though in the end result, you don't see too much of them.

The final spine portrait, blown up huge.

So, after all of that, here they are, the front and back covers:

Hand-drawing the entire cover was daunting, but the end result was better than I'd expected. Where's the magical gate? It's still there, it's the erupting tear behind Charmian. What're the geodes about? What's the bracelet skull thingie? Hopefully they're intriguing and they'll inspire browsers to open up the book.

I'm especially pleased with her cheek mark on the front cover. I wanted it to be there, but not immediately obvious.

I hope you enjoyed taking this little journey with me. Did I make the right calls? Am I just abusing poor Lachaise's hard work? It's always possible I'll redo the cover some day way down the road, so you might see some of these ideas resurface.

#indieauthor #writeblr #book design #fantasy novel #fantasy book #the escape of lady aigle

5 notes · View notes

the-lunar-library · 24 days

Text

THE PRICE AND PREY OF MAGIC

A quick Yew sketch. She looks a little uncertain here, which makes sense. As with many books, she has to head into uncharted territory pretty early on, and Yew starts off by learning magic, and through it ends up learning some new things about herself.

#writeblr #indieauthor #fantasy novel #original character #fantasy book #the price and prey of magic #yew bosse

2 notes · View notes

the-lunar-library · 29 days

Text

I attempted a moodboard for my book The Price and Prey of Magic. Which was fun, but challenging. While my characters' appearances are sometimes inspired by real people's faces, I tend not to do faceclaims after they're all made up. But I think I did a pretty good job finding photos (all from Pixabay) of people who suggested Yew (first row) and Eider (third row) to me. I also got some more mileage out of my Iron Stag edit.

I ended up with a blue submerged feeling. In keeping with the book, everything has a gothic, absorbing, darkly magical feel to it, being in the depths of a snowy forest, having your fates tangled together.

Also a little Death and the Maiden, why not?

#death and the maiden #writers on tumblr #indieauthor #writeblr #deer #fantasy novel #the price and prey of magic #yew bosse #eider isarna #iron stag #maybe i'll try one for eola too #nudity #(the death and the maiden is my attempt to symbolize arsen in here #good luck finding faceclaims for a guy who can be both arsen and diarca)#the price and prey of magic spoilers

0 notes

the-lunar-library · 1 month

Text

The Price and Prey of Magic. Things are a little dire and dramatic. The heroine keeps making mistakes, and they keep getting bigger. The lyrics for "The Town" by Ivy & Gold aren't a perfect fit, but the repeated The town has come for you really says late-book Yew to me.

The Escape of Lady Aigle. This one is a bit harder, but I think the orchestral but frenetic sound of "Rose Red" by Emilie Autumn works well, especially with its focus on upper class marriage and desperately running away.

The Next Book. I can't say much at this point, but there's a lot of scheming and swerving involved. "On Blondes and Detectives" by the Brodsky Quartet does suggest both the protagonist and the antagonist to me, both when they're cooperating and in opposition.

Be shameless with me for a minute

That original story you work on and love so much. I know you've daydreamed a movie trailer for it. What's the music? Share it with me.

#this was a very fun prompt op #the price and prey of magic #the escape of lady aigle #the next book

382 notes · View notes

the-lunar-library · 1 month

Text

THE PRICE AND PREY OF MAGIC

My heroine Yew and her beloved mule Pete. There's a section of the book where our apprentice sorceress heads into the south on magic business and has to deal with mosquitoes, so she buys some netting and makes fly masks for both of them. But if she really wanted to impress people, she should've used magic.

After a certain point you stop hearing about Pete, but rest assured he survives all of the book's events and goes on to lead a happy and fulfilling life.

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #horse #mule #sorceress #indieauthor #fantasy novel #the price and prey of magic #yew bosse #pete #original character

5 notes · View notes

the-lunar-library · 2 months

Text

THE PRICE AND PREY OF MAGIC

One of my favorite pictures of my heroine Eider. I liked it so much I briefly played around with it as a cover image, and then I ended up using it for the bookmark.

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #indieauthor #fantasy novel #fairy tale #the price and prey of magic #eider isarna

5 notes · View notes

the-lunar-library · 2 months

Text

What sort of gift would make your character angry?

#this is a key point of papom's climax #without going into spoilers #i thought a lot about how to handle this moment #the gift that is offered (which happens in one of the fairy tales i'm working with) and how it should be received #i'm sure some people would disagree with the way i took things #but i feel like it was the right choice for this specific story #the price and prey of magic

34 notes · View notes

the-lunar-library · 2 months

Text

The Next Book is still a long way into the future, but we're getting there. I think (hope) I'm done with all of the cover elements, so now I need to figure out fonts and positioning and how to make everything look best.

As for the actual meat of the book, several more edits are in order -- at least two. I don't foresee any major changes to the plot, fortunately. Because I outlined so heavily, I always knew where I was going, so I think that element is okay. I still want to smooth out the language and make some minor adjustments to the characters.

I also need to decide whether or not to italicize any Latin phrases. So far, I haven't, feeling like it might be jarring -- but it's conventional to italicize foreign languages, and maybe it'll be more jarring if I don't? We'll see.

The book also has a helpful glossary, so I need to figure out whether I need to add any more entries. I'm working very hard to explain whatever needs to be explained in the body of the text -- it can be such a pain flipping to the back. If I succeed, then the reader won't actually have to refer back to the glossary, but it'll still be there to provide some extra context and fun little details. But I'll need some more passes before I feel it's done. The hope (not the promise, but the hope) is that the book will be ready around summertime-ish.

#writing #editing #writeblr #self publishing #writers on tumblr #the next book

1 note · View note

the-lunar-library · 2 months

Text

How does your character feel about vampires?

#arsen: quite negatively really #the price and prey of magic #arsen vampire

57 notes · View notes

the-lunar-library · 2 months

Text

THE ESCAPE OF LADY AIGLE

I can't be sure, but Wuxle might be the second earliest character I developed for this book, after the protagonist Charmian. He arrives later in the book than the other major characters, but I think he's an important foil to her -- less privileged than her, but also much stronger, more self-sufficient, more at home in the world. Like Jimson, his role also changed somewhat over the course of my brainstorming/writing. His character grew more subtle, more three-dimensional, and he became somewhat more assertive and -- not self-serving, really -- but more independent.

As for his design, it's changed very little over the years: rough, squarely-built, freckled, and always with those hidden eyes. (You do get to "see" them in the book though.) I'm not 100% sold on his hair color here -- in the past, it had been darker, closer to brown, but I wanted to keep him distinct from Jimson. But I really like how his outfit came out, practical but also cozy; Wuxle may do some dramatic things, yes, but he's not going to leave without a scarf if he has time to go and get that scarf.

Yes, that is a leaf sticking out of his hair. No, he hasn't noticed it.

#original character #indieauthor #writeblr #writers on tumblr #fantasy novel #fantasy book #sarsen wuxle #the escape of lady aigle

7 notes · View notes

the-lunar-library · 2 months

Text

Is your character allergic to anything? Has that ever been an issue?

#arsen: sunlight #it's a little bit of an issue #the price and prey of magic #arsen vampire

39 notes · View notes

the-lunar-library · 3 months

Text

How much does your character know about magic?

#it varies!#in papom arsen diarca and yew all know a lot about magic #even more than the average sorcerer #but eider?#despite being directly affected by magic she dislikes it and knows very little #in eola magical studies feature quite a bit #charmian mabry and mel have a better grasp of it than the average person #jimson and wuxle know about as much as the average person #and then kipps has a very deep and expert understanding of it #though the point is made throughout the book that magic is fundamentally unknowable #the price and prey of magic #the escape of lady aigle

56 notes · View notes

the-lunar-library · 3 months

Text

I wish I could read my books.

Right now I'm on the fourth draft of the Next Book, which I love -- so far, it's my favorite thing I've ever written. At this stage, despite the work of editing, reading it is very much a pleasure to me.

Going by history, that won't always be the case.

Part of the process of editing, for me at least, is getting fed up with reading and rereading the same words. That's not what I'm talking about. That's a passing thing, temporary.

What I've found, having published the first two books, is that I can't pick them up in their lovely book forms with their pretty covers and their nice formatting and all of that and sit down and read them. As books, not manuscripts.

Which is sad, because I feel like that was part of the fantasy pre-publishing -- here's my book, finished, I get to relax and read it the same way I relax and read other people's books. But I haven't even attempted that. Even the idea of it just drives that hope of relaxing right out of me.

Rereading the manuscript? Relaxing. Rereading my fanfics once they're posted on AO3? Relaxing. Rereading my published book? Not a chance, move along, brain, it's time to think about something else.

I'm guessing as to why, but I think it's two factors.

The first is that the books are more personal to me than the fanfics. This isn't a judgment on quality or work involved, but just how personal the story is to me. I think detaching is often a big part of relaxing, escapism, so the books' intimacy with me makes that harder.

The second, and maybe the bigger thing, is the feeling of permanence. The manuscript is, by definition, something I can still change. A fic on AO3 can be edited in less than a minute if there's something I need to change, and it's not a big deal.

But a published book? Granted, I'm self-published. It's still possible to edit one of my books, though it would involve a lot more steps -- it's not a matter of opening one file and making a change and pressing Post.

But by the time a book is published, I've finalized characters and arcs I've been working on for years, I've formatted everything, I've bought the ISBN and slapped it in place. Can edits still be made? Yes. It is in the realm of things that can be done. If the edit is small enough, the ISBN can still be preserved. Maybe I won't need to reformat the cover. I will have to adjust the manuscript again. But.

But by the time I publish, my brain is telling me the book is done. It's not going back. It's not being changed.

To me, it's very important that once a book is done, it's done. I'm free to move on to the next project. I'm not just allowed to let go, I'm supposed to.

And I think it's that feeling that I'm no longer creating the book, I'm not "fixing" anything anymore -- I'm no longer in control of the book? -- that makes it hard for me to just sit back and enjoy the end product.

I hope so much that other people can kick back and enjoy my books the way I kick back and enjoy other people's books. Even if I never have the opportunity to read my books like that, I would still want to write them. Writing them means so much to me.

But I do hope that, some day, years down the line when these books no longer feel so close to me, I can kick back and relax with them too.

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #writing #self-publishing #publishing #indieauthor #the next book

10 notes · View notes

the-lunar-library · 3 months

Text

THE ESCAPE OF LADY AIGLE

I don't know when I first developed Jimson's character, but I have art of him going back to 2011, so I've been turning him over in my mental rotisserie for a long time.

Out of all of the characters in Eola, I think he ended up surprising me the most. He had a very clear original purpose, but as I wrote my first draft, he kept pushing back and more or less saying no, he wasn't going to do that. Or that. This is what he had in mind. In general, I think authors should listen when that happens.

As for his design, there's nothing flashy about Jimson; he's not rich, he's not ostentatious, he has no desire to impress you with his clothes. What he is though is trim, pulled together, not caught off guard. He dresses quite neutrally, but there's just a hint of unexpected color in his red sleeve garters.

He may, in fact, have something up those sleeves.

#original character #indieauthor #fantasy novel #writeblr #writers on tumblr #the escape of lady aigle #jimson mar

4 notes · View notes

the-lunar-library · 3 months

Text

If your character went to group therapy, what would be that group's name?

#my characters as a whole might be #'people who find themselves troubled by magical snakes in one way or another'#magical snakes keep popping into my work #the price and prey of magic #the escape of lady aigle #the next book

47 notes · View notes

the-lunar-library · 3 months

Text

We're still a long ways off from the Next Book being ready, but I've been working on cover elements.

The moon is hard to draw, but I think I did all right. I was tempted to take a photo of the moon, run it through a cartooning filter to see which lines were emphasized, and then use that as a guide. But I didn't want to lose the organic feel of the artwork, so I just went with the photo as a reference.

#moon #indieauthor #writers on tumblr #artists on tumblr #writeblr #artblr #the next book

4 notes · View notes