Creating the Cover
One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about being a published author has been the cover art process. I’m a bit of a frustrated artist—I’d love to have the talent to translate images I see in my head onto the page. But I just can’t make it happen. For the most part, I’ve been lucky to have publishers with great cover artists who allow authors a lot of input into what goes on the cover. But when it came time for my first real foray into self-publishing, I knew I needed a cover artist whose work would really wow me.
Enter AngstyG. I talked to a few different cover artists—there are so many good ones in the genre!—but I settled on AngstyG because I knew her work and I knew she’d be good to work with. She’s done all of the covers for my roommate, JP Barnaby, and they’ve all been gorgeous.
I’d already picked out my cover images for all three novellas when I contacted AngstyG, so once we worked out the particulars, I sent those off and she got to work. She came back to me with multiple amazing designs, which was both good and bad news because I had to choose just one of them! Once I settled on one (after some wailing and gnashing of teeth), she finished up all three. I have the set as the desktop background on my computer, and it’s all I can do not to sit and stare at them all day.
The first cover, for Rhythm & Blues, features the main character, former Broadway dancer Pate Finley, in mid-leap among a sea of shades of blue. The design has a light, happy feel that fits the story, and it even ties into a sweetly romantic moment that comes near the end. The other covers are just as perfect for each of the stories. I can hardly wait to show them off when the next stories are ready! And as it turns out, I’ve decided to add a fourth novella to this collection, so I’ve got AngstyG at work on that one as well.
In short, if you’re looking to self-publish, definitely check her out. You can find her at AngstyG.com!
About the Book
Title: Rhythm & Blues
Author: Shae Connor
Cover Artist: AngstyG (www.angstyg.com)
Length: Novella (25,600 words)
Price: $2.99
Blurb: When life tears apart your dream, build a new one.
After a knee injury ended his career, Broadway dancer Pate Hawkins limped his way back from New York to Atlanta to implement Plan B: open a dance academy to train the next generation of song-and-dance dreamers. When model-gorgeous contractor Ace Samson answers his request for an estimate on renovating his studio space, Pate hits pay dirt in more ways than one. As construction gets underway, the red-hot attraction between the two men flares, and soon they develop a fledgling relationship. Then the siren song of the stage calls Pate back, and he has to choose between the dream he left behind and the new life he’s building—with his studio, and with Ace.
Buy links: Amazon || B&N || Kobo || AllRomance ebooks
About the Author
Shae Connor lives in Atlanta, where she’s a lackadaisical government worker for a living and writes sweet-hot romance under the cover of night. She’s been making things up for as long as she can remember, but it took her a long time to figure out that maybe she should try writing them down. A member of the Romance Writers of America, Shae was first published in 2010 and has a lineup of short stories, novellas, and novels available.
Shae is part Jersey, part Irish, and all Southern, which explains why she never shuts up. When she’s not in front of her laptop, she enjoying cooking, traveling, watching baseball, reading voraciously, wearing tiaras, and hugging a lot. She’s also the volunteer Director/Editor for the Dragon Con on-site publication, the Daily Dragon.
You can find Shae hanging out on Twitter most any time @shaeconnor, but for the more direct route, you can visit her website at shaeconnorwrites.com or email her at shaeconnorwrites @gmail.com. You can also sign up for her mailing list.