When my first story was published in a children’s magazine, I knew that an illustrator would put a face on my set of characters. I was curious, of course, but hadn’t realized the importance of the illustrator’s personal interpretation of the writer’s story.

I was amazed to see how someone I had never met had been able to see so many details just by reading my story. The illustrations did more than compliment the story: They were necessary to trigger a young reader’s interest and add depth to my words. I loved the combo of writing and visual art.

The work of a book cover designer is different from a magazine illustrator. There are many elements to a novel. It’s impossible to depict all of them on a cover. Based on the detailed synopsis and the author’s questionnaire that I provided to Jennifer, she came up with several design options for my middle grade novel Chronicles From Château Moines.

Making the first selection was difficult for me since I liked several options from the twenty Jennifer sent me. I had to go through them many times before selecting the ones that gave, in my opinion, the best representation of the story. In fact, I had to say no to a few that I liked very much. Maybe for another book…

September was a busy family month for me, and not the easiest way to work, but thanks to our fabulous technology tools, I was able to follow Jennifer through her creative process and progress while helping my son moved into college, visiting my daughters, and seeing friends all over California. Jennifer and I were working and living on Eastern and Pacific Times but we did it!

Look!

What do you say?

The publication is approaching…

Stay tuned for more news coming up soon!