Behind Mayon’s Cover Art

Mickie B. Ashling

How often have you seen this comment by readers?

I was drawn to the book because of the beautiful cover.

Occasionally, you’ll see this nasty comment. The story was great, but I almost didn’t pick it up because of the ugly cover.

Yikes! Hopefully, no one has ever dissed your book cover, but it happens despite our best intentions. Writers labor over a manuscript for weeks, months, and sometimes years. Once it’s accepted by a publisher, their “baby” goes through several processes before it finally hits the shelves. One of the most stressful of these steps is choosing a book cover. First, you have to decide which artist will best bring your vision to life. Next, you’ll be asked if you want to use photos or have something drawn. What are your favorite colors? Is there any one shade you detest? Should there be nudity or would you like a more subtle approach? What type of background did you envision? Describe your main characters? Do you want to convey passion, anger, fear, hope, or love? The questions are endless, and most writers provide their cover artists with more information than necessary. It takes someone skilled in their craft to sift through the jumble of words and ideas to pull out the key elements of the story to create the perfect cover.

Back in December 2012, I started a special feature on my blog showcasing the talented cover artists who bring our visions to life. One of my first guests was Paul Richmond, Associate Art director of Dreamspinner Press, DSP Publications, and Harmony Ink Press. I’d like to pull pieces of that interview as it pertains to my novel Mayon, which was republished by DSP Publications in February 2016.

How did you get started in the cover art business?

In 2009, my friend Jane Seville asked if I would be interested in illustrating the cover for her upcoming novel, Zero at the Bone. At that time, I was just starting to exhibit some of my LGBT-themed paintings, and I was eager to branch out into illustration because that was my major in school. I had a blast doing her cover and was thrilled when Dreamspinner Press invited me to do more. Now here we are today, over 200 covers later…

When I finished writing my historical, Mayon, you came to mind for the cover. I wanted something different and unique to my story, but I was worried that I’d have little input because you would be drawing and not photo shopping. Now, I know that’s not true, but I’d like you to share your method with our readers so anyone contemplating a drawn cover can rest assured that there is wiggle room.

Wiggle room is actually one of the biggest advantages of drawn covers. And I’m an expert wiggler! Since I am making it from scratch rather than relying on what I can find on stock photo sites, it allows for a more customized look. This works really well for certain themes and genres, especially historical and fantasy novels. I always do a sketch first based on the author’s spec and then run it by them for input before I start rendering it. That way I can be sure to get it just right.

Are your covers painted on canvas and then transferred to the computer through techno magic? How does it work?

Yep, techno magic! LOL! Actually, I have a variety of techniques I use. Some are traditional like paint on canvas, and others are entirely digital. I’m always much more interested in the story being told than what technique I’m using to tell it, so I will mix it up or combine things as needed until I get the right look. Throw in a little “abcracadabra, presto-chango” and that’s how a Paul Richmond cover is born!

Without naming names, have you ever thrown up your hands, and screamed FORGETABOUTIT in the privacy of your studio? How do you deal with a diva author who demands what you can’t or don’t want to deliver? Just curious…

As much as I worship Cher and Madonna, I’m also grateful that Dreamspinner promotes a very collaborative environment with little room for diva tantrums. I’ve worked with a number of publishers over the years, and I have never encountered one that values author input as much as Dreamspinner does. So many publishers don’t even consult with authors at all, whereas we bend over backwards to try and make sure we are representing each author’s novel in the best possible light. Covers do help sell novels, so it benefits everyone ultimately. And it is a back and forth process because we have certain insights about what will sell a book, and that may differ from what the author initially envisioned. But to answer your question, even the most challenging experiences I’ve had with authors aren’t nearly as bad as the best of days when I worked as a corporate drone in a gray cloth-lined cubicle for a mainstream publisher. So you won’t ever hear me complaining!

Is there any truth to the rumor that drawn covers don’t attract the buyers as well as the photo-shopped ones? If so, why?

Sometimes photo-based covers do sell better, but it really comes down to what will best represent the novel. I do both kinds of covers myself, and there are times when I have suggested switching from one to the other based on the subject matter.

Here are some of the rough sketches Paul sent me before he began to finalize Mayon’s cover.

And the final product.

When Mayon was republished under the DSPP banner, I opted for a photo-based cover. This time I asked fellow writer and cover artist, Catt Ford. I had used her for several covers by then and admired her technique. Finding the right stock shot is always tricky, especially when you have diverse characters. Gregorio Delgado, one of my main characters, is biracial (Filipino/Spanish), and I wanted him to have an old-fashioned vibe. John Buchanan, the American interloper and eventual love interest, is a redhead. If you’ve ever written a character with shades of red in their hair, you’ll know how difficult it can be to find stock shots to reflect your vision. They’re not easily available and finding Mr. Right involves a lengthy search. Fortunately, Catt is a patient and meticulous artist, and managed to come up with the right images. I was very happy with the finished product.

Creating a cover that appeals to everyone is a lot harder than it looks. I tip my hat to the wonderful cover artists who take the time to listen to an author and aren’t afraid to guide us in the right direction. We all have different tastes, and once you find the right cover artist, the one person who “gets” you, it’s hard to let them go. It’s not surprising that many writers use the same artist over and over. It’s a partnership made in book heaven.

If you’d like to read the entire interview with Paul Richmond, and other cover artists, including Catt Ford, click on the provided links.

Paul Richmond || Catt Ford

Now, a little more about Mayon.

Many readers have asked why I chose the Philippines as a backdrop to my first historical novel. The answer is simple. It was my home for twenty-nine years and I wanted to craft a story within a familiar setting. There’s nothing like first-hand experience to lend the authenticity necessary to make a story resonate. I’ve picked shells on black sand beaches, ridden in jeepneys, relaxed in a hot spring, drank sweet coconut water from a newly felled nut, pushed away balut, but gorged on mangoes, feasted on freshly caught shrimp and crab, watched as workers turned out mountains of copra, walked among the ruins of a town buried under Mt. Mayon’s deadly eruption, sang the songs, danced tinikling, and worn the colorful native attire on more than one occasion. The characters who populate my novel are based on real people. Some I knew, others I observed from a distance, and then there were those created by my overactive imagination.

Like the fictional Saenz family, my grandparents migrated to the islands from Spain in the early 1920s. They also owned a coconut plantation in the Albay region and were members of the large Spanish community that continued to thrive long after their rule ended in 1898. The colonial mindset—entitlement, abuse, racisim, privilege— plays a huge part in this novel, and accounts for a lot of the poor decisions made by my protagonist.

I’d like to offer an electronic copy of Mayon to one lucky commenter. Simply click the Rafflcopter widget below and follow the directions. A random winner will be dran and notified next week.

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About Mayon

The Philippines, 1946

After being discharged from the Marines, John Buchanan is offered a position as overseer for plantation owner Ignacio Saenz. The offer is unexpected, considering he knows nothing about coconut farming, but the presence of Mount Mayon, an active volcano within sight of the property, tips the scales in Ignacio’s favor. Finally John has a chance to put his lifelong passion for vulcanology into practice.

Gregorio Delgado, the current overseer, takes exception to this turn of events. He views John as an interloper and Ignacio’s offer as a thinly disguised excuse to marry off one of his six daughters. What neither of them expects is the powerful physical attraction that simmers between them. Could John be a kindred spirit, or is he just using Gregorio for his knowledge of farming to ingratiate himself with his potential father-in-law?

As John and Gregorio begin a tour of the haciendas, John discovers he has far more in common with his new acquaintance than he thought possible. Torn between honor and desire, John struggles to define who he is and what Gregorio could mean to him. Like the unpredictable volcano, equal parts beauty and danger, Gregorio becomes an obsession that could erupt at any minute and destroy them both.

About the Author

Mickie B. Ashling is the pseudonym of a multifaceted woman who is a product of her upbringing in multiple cultures, having lived in Japan, the Philippines, Spain, and the Middle East. Fluent in three languages, she’s a citizen of the world and an interesting mixture of East and West. A little bit of this and a lot of that have brought a unique touch to her literary voice she could never learn from textbooks.

By the time Mickie discovered her talent for writing, real life got in the way, and the business of raising four sons took priority. With the advent of e-publishing–and the inevitable emptying nest–dreams of becoming a published writer were resurrected and she’s never looked back.

She stumbled into the world of men who love men in 2002 and continues to draw inspiration from their ongoing struggle to find equality and happiness in this oftentimes skewed and intolerant world. Her award-winning novels have been called “gut wrenching, daring, and thought provoking.” She admits to being an angst queen and making her men work damn hard for their happy endings. Mickie currently resides in a suburb outside Chicago.

Where to Find Mickie B. Ashling: DSP Publications, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Amazon.

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