The long road to finishing a book is can be a tortuous, slow one. I'm on The Rose Trail still and spent the weekend chatting with my editor, my son Tom, as he read the first draft and I paced and made notes while he voiced his thoughts.
The upside is he thinks it's the strongest first draft I've ever written and has come up with some great ideas for twists and layered complexity, which, after all, is what the second draft is all about.
So, it's back to the drawing board for me and on such a wet, stormy day, it's not such a bad idea.
Meanwhile, here are some pictures I've been playing around with for the cover - not that I'm procrastinating or anything.
I would love some feedback on these as to which appeals most for this ghost story set in dual time, modern day and the English Civil War.
Well. The first is good and ghostly. The second is good and bloody (civil war). The third is the right colour and it is a trail. The fourth - no, the roses are too modern. Fifth - the face is too modern and it looks more like a straight romance. Sixth - very good, but maybe better for a horror story rather than a ghostly one. So I'll let you choose, Alex.
ReplyDeleteThorne is dithering far too much, Alex. Hmm... how about ... er ... well, I like one... or two... no maybe three. Not the last... perhaps. Like four? Perhaps when we've read it? Jx
ReplyDeleteSo, jury's out then!
DeleteD'you know, I'm tending to the second one - the single rose.Jx
ReplyDeleteA consensus is developing, which is pretty handy when it comes to deciding on the cover. thanks Judith.
DeleteAlex, I'm going to be the odd one out here. I say none. If it's erring toward the Civil War, then you have to invite historical undertones into the cover to secure your readership. Maybe Rose 2 but with quite a powerful underlay of Cromwellian scenes. And also, you need a really powerful font. Sorry... are we still friends?
ReplyDeleteForever friends, Prue and that's very useful advice which I'll certainly take on board. Thank you
Deletenice
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