My fabulous friend and cover designer, Lena Goldfinch (Stone Lily Design), created this cover last November - back when I had an inkling of a story idea that had to do with dancing and stars. (Not Dancing with the Stars, though!) My brainstorming has taken some different routes since then, but I've held onto the design all these months, awaiting the day when I could finally share "my precious" with you. ;) That day has finally come!
In case you missed it, I shared about where I am in my author life on The Heart's Spring the other day. The unfortunate news is that I'm postponing the publication of Morning Glory, Book 3 in "The Heart's Spring" series... But the good news is that, if you're a fan of clean new-adult (NA) contemporary romance, I'm planning to focus on How a Star Falls and *hopefully* publish it next!
A Cover Story
I won't go into the details regarding the inspiration behind this story - at least not yet! Let's just say that a very vague, poetic sort of idea flitted through my mind last fall, and of course I turned to Lena in my enthusiasm. She very graciously got on board - literally, as we started pinning stock pictures to one of our secret Pinterest boards.
If I'm remembering correctly, I believe we stumbled across the model fairly quickly. We looked at a few different poses, but Lena has a great eye for seeing how a pose can work well with a particular concept. I may not see it at first, but once she puts together a comp (a mock cover), I'm always impressed by how everything can come together!
As for the background, I pinned several starry-skies images, then shared a more "fantasy" style one on a whim. I noted that it looked kind of fake, but maybe it could work. Lena latched onto it because she thought it would fit well with what I'd told her of my premise, then she put together a mock cover that I really liked. There were just two issues: 1) The title, and 2) I wanted a tweak in the way the stars looked toward the bottom of the cover.
You would totally laugh at my original working title for this story. Seriously, it was pretty bad. (I feel like I should hang onto it to use as a weird "fun fact" in a future post...) I loved the way I could play around with one of the words through the theme of the story, but Lena ever so gently nudged me to go with something different. The title that ended up on the mock cover was Catch a Falling Star (as you can see above), which I thought would mirror too many other works out there, but Lena also suggested When a Star Fell and When a Star Falls. I ran with that and suggested How a Star Falls, so I could add a subtle season element ("fall") and use the title to direct the theme and all of its layers. Lena liked it, so away we went!
As for the stars, I wanted to portray a particular constellation element on the cover in some way. So Lena rearranged the stars behind the title, and this beauty was born:
What I Love: Where do I begin? Lena is not only a talented designer on a technical level, but she also has the additional skill of being able to embed the author's style and heart into a design while also guiding the author in a new direction. The covers Lena has designed for me have inspired me, and I believe you can see that in my writing. (For example, in the scene I added to Bleeding Heart to match the scene on the cover.)
Lena captured a magical, thoughtful mood in this cover, and I think it's simply perfect. You might notice that the title font is familiar - it's the same font used on the covers for all of "The Heart's Spring" books, so Lena's helping me to continue my brand in that way. The font for my name is more "space-y," in that the letters are spaced farther apart, and the style fits an outer-space look. I like it a lot! The contrasts in shades and colors are very eye-catching and mysterious, and the model's expression is one of curiosity, focus, and contemplation, which should work well with what I plan for the story. I love how a piece of the sky seems to be flowing from the light she's holding - Lena had quite a challenge with incorporating the model into this sort of background, but she did it so creatively and effortlessly!
And the special touch? That would be the stars in the lower half of the cover. Can you guess which constellation I wanted Lena to incorporate?
About the Book
Quickly. Completely. Unexpectedly.
Derrick Knolane escapes to Trinidad Head most evenings, avoiding his apartment and planning for the day he’ll break free of Humboldt County. Working in a music store might be fine for a while, but it’s far from the goal he had in mind when he got his college degree. Not to mention the fact that his roommate is a jerk and his family won’t stop trying to run his life.
Then Brielle falls into his world.
She claims to be a star. Not from Hollywood, but from heaven. He thinks she’s crazy. Certainly delusional. Yet, he can’t just leave her alone on the cliffs. So he takes her home.
And his whole world falls apart.
A heartfelt and fanciful contemporary romance novella, How a Star Falls explores the uncertain season of new adulthood and shows that sometimes the worst inconveniences make for the best miracles of all.
NA Contemporary Romance Novella, Coming Fall 2014
A Little Giveaway
A cover reveal is always an exciting occasion, so we've got to celebrate in some way, right? I'm giving away a $10 Amazon.com gift card, and you can enter using the Rafflecopter form below!
Cover Reveal Participants
I'm always grateful for the wonderful blogging friends who share my enthusiasm and help me spread the word about my books! I recently put together a street team (Amber's Gems), and most of these bloggers are involved in that. If you'd like to join up so you can stay in the loop and opt into my future blog tours and cover reveals, please feel free to sign up HERE.
Here's a list of the awesome bloggers participating in today's cover reveal:
- A Northern Belle
- Buzzing About Books
- Carissa's Bookshelf
- Crafty Booksheeps
- Dreaming Under the Same Moon
- Edgy Inspirational Romance
- Fictionally
- i blog 4 books
- Inspiring Daring
- Jaye L. Knight
- Literary and Lace
- The Green Mockingbird
- To Be A Person
What are your thoughts on the cover? Does this sort of book appeal to you?
40 comments:
That cover is so pretty! I'm not typically a contemporary NA reader, but it definitely sounds interesting.
~Litha Nelle
P.S. With the first book title, I began singing "Catch a falling star" under my breath. I like the amended title better. ;)
I totally love the cover, and the title is super intriguing. :) Can't wait to hear more (and just joined the official street team)!!
Love the cover! As always Lena outdid herself :) Can't wait to read this one!
Oh, goodness, I had no idea you were writing this! I will echo everyone else's comments by saying that the cover is stunning, and that I can't wait to grab a copy! :)
Thanks for sharing the background history of the cover! I love hearing about how a cover designer and author work together! I think the cover is wonderful and am excited for it's release! :D
Amber!! It's been a while :)
The cover is gorgeous! Lena did a wonderful job, as she did with all of your previous covers. Even though NA isn't really my genre, I'm still super excited to pick up a copy.
I love the cover and the storyline. I would absolutely love to read this book. It sounds wonderful!! :) (signed up up as Amber M)
I love this cover! And the story sounds so good too! It reminds me of the movie Stardust which I love and I cannot wait to read it!
Amber,
Congrats on another book! I am so happy for you :). I absolutely love the cover of the book and also the plot of the store. I would love to read your book keep up your beautiful writing
oh.hello.hiya@gmail.com
I think the cover is quite lovely! I would be interested in reading the book!
I love the cover. It's gorgeous. Of course, it would something I would want to read. You wrote it! :)
amyc
The cover perfectly captures the whimsical feeling I get from reading the blurb. She did a great job! It sounds like a fun read, and I love novella-length.
It is, indeed, a very lovely cover, Amber. And wow,what a synopsis! Quite appealing :) Congratulations to you and Lena.
Litha,
Thank you! I'm quite fond of the cover, myself. :) And that means a lot to know the premise intrigues you, even if it isn't your favorite genre!
As for the title - haha! And that wasn't even the first one... Believe me, you'd dislike that one even more! Maybe someday I'll share it. ;) Catch a Falling Star was Lena's filler for the comp. I'm glad her suggestions prompted the final title - and I'm so glad you like it!
~Amber
Meagan,
Aww, thank you so much - for the compliments, as well as for signing up for my street team! I know everyone hadn't heard about the switch (that I was going to contact my influencers through the team instead of sending out emails like usual), so I apologize if you felt left out of the loop at all. So glad to have you on board again! ;)
~Amber
Julie,
She did indeed. :) She's got talent! And so glad this story interests you. :)
~Amber
Clara,
I've mentioned it here and there, but the title's only recently been made public, and it's all pretty new. Glad I could surprise you! :) Thank you for your interest in the story!
~Amber
Laura,
It's always fun to share about the cover design process; I'm happy you enjoyed reading about it. :) Lena and I have such a blast (or at least I do, LOL). Thank you for your kind words!
~Amber
Hi, Jillian!
Yes - long time, no talk! Good to see you here. :) I'm thrilled you like the cover for How a Star Falls! As for the genre, the main thing is that it features new adults (20-somethings) dealing with issues that new adults face. So...the "NA" label is sort of a formality, something to distinguish the focus age group from young adults or 30+ adults, if that makes sense. I hope the story will be enjoyable to a wide variety of readers. :)
~Amber
Amber (Shadowwolf),
So glad you love it! Thank you for signing up, and for all your support. :)
~Amber
Abbi,
Yay! And yes, I'm familiar with Stardust (the movie - haven't read the book), so there will probably be a vibe of that in the story. ;) I'm so glad you're excited!
~Amber
Danie,
Thank you so much for the sweet and encouraging words! I really appreciate your support of my writing. :)
~Amber
Bev,
I'm so glad to hear it - thank you!
~Amber
Amy,
Awwww! *blushing* That's so kind of you to say. :) I hope this story in a new genre won't disappoint!
~Amber
Alicia,
Fabulous! I just wrote the blurb recently, so I'm glad that you feel the cover and blurb go well together, evoking the same sort of feelings. :) And I'm thrilled to hear you're a fan of novella-length stories! While I do love novels, sometimes a novella gives you just the right amount of pleasure without requiring a huge time investment, right?
~Amber
Ganise,
I'm so happy you like it - and I'm especially happy to hear that the synopsis is appealing to you. :D My job is done. ;)
Thank you for the sweet comment!
~Amber
The cover is lovely. What a pretty lady!
Deanna,
Thank you! And yes, the model is very pretty. :) She has quite a few pictures on Dreamstime (stock photo site) - some a little less *ahem* well-clothed than others, unfortunately. But she really does have the greatest expressions, and awesome hair. :)
~Amber
It's beautiful, Amber. Certainly has that "curious" appeal that makes a reader anxious to find out more. Well done. :)
The cover gives it a mysterious allure. It makes me want to open up the book and read it just to see what that mystery in her eyes is all about.
Rissi,
Thank you! ♥
~Amber
Silvia,
Ooh, I like that phrase: "mysterious allure." So glad the cover makes you want to read the book to discover what that's all about. :)
~Amber
It's beautiful, Amber! I am absolutely excited to get a chance to read this now. (Like I wasn't already. ;) You and Lena did a wonderful job. :)
Wow Amber, I love the cover and the title. I see you and Lena are up to your usual creativity. Yay! This sounds like a really great read. And I love Trinidad Head. Hubby and I used to go their all the time. Thanks for sharing.
Oh how wonderful! I love your writing style and am definitely interested in this one! So crystalline...Can't wait! :D
Kara,
Aww, thank you for all the kind words, and for your excitement! Makes me happy. :) *Hugs*
~Amber
Sandra,
I'm so glad you like them! Lena is such a creative person with a lot of fabulous know-how, so it's awesome to team up with her, as you well know. :) Thank you for the compliments!
It's always so fun to hear that you're familiar with the places I know and love. :) Trinidad Head is such a great place to walk, with the views and the doable length of the trail, as well as the history (with the cross). I was blessed to grow up in such a beautiful county!
~Amber
Hannah,
Awwww! Thank you so much for the encouraging words! :D I hope you'll enjoy this one!
~Amber
Amber, the cover is beautiful!! I saw How A Star Falls and I was like, "oh what a pretty book; it looks interesting." Then I saw that you wrote it... "Wow, I didn't know she was writing another book!" And a whole new genre. That's so cool!! :)
Sounds fascinating, and I'm looking forward to reading it!
Shantelle,
That makes me smile! :D Thank you so much for the sweet words about the cover and about my writing. :) The "sad" news is that this project has sort of replaced Morning Glory in my focus right now (although I hope to return to MG at some point)... But I'm glad everyone seems excited about the genre shift, and I'm enjoying trying something different! Hope you'll like the story. :)
~Amber
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