I went on a journey to create the cover for my upcoming book. There were some frustrating stops along the way because it should have been a short, simple trip. The first three books in the series gave me a good view of the destination. Simon’s Mother, though not exactly a Christmas book, primarily takes place in December. Red and green flowers seemed appropriate. Simon is a musician and composer. I thought the black and white keys of a keyboard would have great contrast with those flowers on a red background. All I needed to do was put it together. This was my first attempt.
What happened to the black and white keys?
It turns out I was picturing a piano. A keyboard doesn’t have a clean look. The one I have has lots of symbols and words and even some scribbling and a prominent brand name I’d have to edit out. While trying to find a good angle to focus on the keys, it occurred to me that sheet music is also black and white. Meanwhile, the flowers I used are fading into the background. Time for another batch of pictures.
What happened to the red flowers?
I tried to get more green by using flowers with larger leaves. I guess I forgot I wanted red though. I ended up with this picture that has not enough red and way too much bland. And I don’t know why I didn’t flatten that weird curling leaf. I pulled out the camera again.
I don’t know. I just changed the one thing that was working because I needed to change something. At least I finally found some red and green flowers. Sort of. Anything green blends in with this new background. (Why does this sound familiar?) The red “flowers” are actually plastic beads. And I got a weird angle on the sheet music so that it doesn’t say music. It says lines.
By now we all know what happened to my covers. Me. I might have been having too much fun creating options. After a few more attempts I’m not showing anyone, I finally landed on a cover I like. Does it have piano keys? Does it have red or green flowers? Did I have a more brilliant idea? Find the answers and preorder the kindle version at the same time.