Book Release: Winter Trials

Book Release: Winter Trials

OK, more of a re-release. Keen readers may recognise the title, as this was the short story that appears in Echoes of Winter, a collection of wintry YA short stories by 13 indie authors.

This year, in time for the holidays, it is getting released as an individual ebook!

It is available from most ebook retailers. Currently free from:
Smashwords
Google Play

Currently $0.99/£0.99 from:
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com



Which of course means a shiny new cover (always one of my favourite parts).

I had a few issues getting the cover. I decided that as it was a new series, I might sound out some new talent from Fiverr.com.

I got in touch with a chap (who will stay anonymous), with the basic plot of this YA book, and the fact that it was based in the Yorkshire countryside, along with an image of the model that has been used in previous promotional material.
This is what the chap delivered.

Right. Not quite the rolling hills of Yorkshire (think James Herriott country).
Not really anything to do with witches or demons.
And nothing to be seen of a person representing the main character Mark.
It looked like something that I could do (and I am useless when it comes to photo manipulations etc).

But y'know, awesome covers don't just pop up on a first attempt. So I gave the chap some feedback, and gave him a little guidance by sending photos of Yorkshire scenes, and the covers that are being used for Echoes of Winters, along with the new covers for some of the other short stories. I also asked if he could make something that would appeal to teenagers.
I waited in excited anticipation.... and received this.

OK.
Really, really not what I wanted.

To be honest, I found the whole situation hilarious, and I couldn't wait to share it with you, lovely readers.
It shows that not everything runs smoothly, and I hope that any other writers that get offered covers that don't meet their needs is brave enough to say no. Don't be afraid of insulting the cover artists - I mean, there's no need to be rude, but please be honest if you don't want to brand your book with the image they design.

So what happened after that?
I went back to Jatin, who designed the fantastic covers for The Lost Soul and The Oracle.
He whipped up this amazing little cover:

With Midwinter just around the corner, Mark's Nanna decides that it is time he learnt more about his family heritage. Learning witchcraft shouldn't be too difficult, right?

Balancing school, magic, and the distractions of the gorgeous new guy, should make this a very interesting winter.

Currently free from:
Smashwords
Google Play

Currently $0.99/£0.99 from:
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com