I've been working on the cover for Portrait of a Girl
Adrift … it's been quite a process. In case any of my readers have suspected,
yes, I am the model for the 'girl' on the covers, not because I necessarily
resemble Leila—I mean, I am fifty six, after all—but I publish my novels on a
scant budget, and what can I say … I'm cheap and available! And it's not
difficult to trim off twenty-five pounds and smooth wrinkles with graphics software.
Nevertheless, I had intended a different pose for this cover—Leila
sitting cross legged, 'Indian style' as we used to say (but that's probably no
longer politically correct—the term, not the position). At any rate, Todd set up
the camera, adjusted the flood light and flipped on the fan for billowing the linen
shirt. But when I tried to assume the position, well, there was simply no way! I
don't know when it happened, when my body decided to be so inflexible, but I
was going to have to reconsider the composition for the cover. The image proportions
are a bit different from the covers for Girl Running and Protégé, but Adrift
still has the same feel.
Anyway, I thought it would be fun to post the progression of
the painting (and no, I will not share the photo I worked from—don't need that
circulating around the internet!).
... And here is the finished cover:
I'm happy with the result, and now I can
post it where it needs to be, places like Amazon (it may take a few days for the image to show up) and Goodreads. I also want to
remind any of my readers that the Kindle version of Portrait of a Girl Adrift is available for
pre-order on Amazon—to be released on December 6th. And if anyone would like an
Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a review on Amazon or Goodreads (preferably
both), just let me know. Also, if you've read Portrait of a Girl Running or Portraitof a Protégé, consider leaving reviews for those—it helps their discoverability.
Meanwhile, it's back to editing…
Cool. She looks so much happier in the "Girl Adrift" than the other two...it is a different feel.
ReplyDeleteAlthough she's pretty tormented when the story begins, Leila does end up in a happier place by the end of the story. The important thing with the three covers is that they all seem to go together.
DeleteYet another beautiful cover, Bridget, but I wouldn't expect anything less. I've always admired your talent for painting and portraiture (two of my weaknesses), and the shirt resembling an angel's wings is a wonderful touch.
ReplyDeleteOh, and as the father of a kindergartner, I can state with authority that "Indian-style" is now called "criss-cross applesauce."
Oh my goodness, Nate--the little Professor can't be in kindergarten already! Wow! …and applesauce? Not sure how that fits in with the criss-cross (aside from a cute rhyme), but I had the feeling the "Indian-style" of our youth was out dated. Thanks for bringing me up to speed! The Professor is making us both smarter!
DeleteAnd thanks for your kind words about the cover. I wasn't necessarily going for angel wings--was trying to imply sails, though now that you mention it, it does look like wings…so long as it's not bat wings…ha!