Thursday, July 30, 2015

Cowboys? We Got Ya Covered!



From the moment I penned Tempered Hearts in a 5 subject notebook, I envisioned the cover…. entwined hearts and the title and my name in rope font. When the novel was contracted by Writer’s Exchange E-publishing Co. I asked the editor what the criteria was for cover art, told her my idea, and she said I could provide my own.

Other than the old fashioned bodice rippers or sweet covers with cardboard characters, I really had no idea what romance covers should look like. All I knew was I wanted something different and unique. So, I talked with my aunt who owns a marketing firm and she created the cover for Tempered Hearts. For Tempered Dreams, book 2 in the series, still having no clue, I thought of a dreamy sky. 



    

   


In 2004 the entire Tempered series which included these two, along with Tempered Fire & Joy (books 3 & 4) was contracted by another small press, ComStar Media.

Wanting a little more consistency with the covers, they came up with a double heart graphic that would be used with all 4 covers while tweaking each to fit the title.









Years later, and after a million suggestions to change the covers to better resemble romance novels, I self-published the entire series under my indy imprint once the contract with ComStar expired.

Then the work really began.

I am a writer, not an artist and in most instances, I have some idea of how I’d like the cover to look, but for the life of me, can’t put one together! I still loved the idea of entwined rope hearts and rope font, and wanted a color scheme that would enhance the title & photos to reflect the characters, so I called upon a dear friend and excellent cover artist, Delia Latham (Heaven’s Touch Designs).

Although I did want couples on the books, I didn’t necessarily want them embracing. These are contemporary western romances so cowboys, horses and ranches, were a big plus. Tamera, the heroine in Tempered Hearts is a veterinarian, so a sexy female character wouldn’t work. Katrina (Tempered Dreams) is a battered wife when Scott, a doctor first meets her. Tempered Fire & Tempered Joy involves high school/collage age H/H so again, typical romance covers with couples embracing wasn’t what I was looking for. Not to mention I write Inspirational!

This is what Delia came up with and how the covers look today……




When I wrote Lori’s Redemption, a short story spinoff of Tempered Fire, once again I called on Delia…and then more recently, when I put together an E-bundle containing all 4 novels + the short story…..


                      


As you can see these covers have gone through major transformation over the years. I don’t know about you, but I love the current ones!

All books available through Amazon, B&N and Smashwords


Author bio: Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”



Links:

Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com

Blog: http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com

Face Book: http://facebook.com/pamelasthibodeaux

Twitter: http://twitter.com/psthib @psthib



Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pamelasthibodea/



22 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your cover development story with us, Pamela! I love the new ones!

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  2. Thanks MJ for giving me the opportunity to share this story. I still love my Tempered series and one day will write another book, Tempered Truth. I've already started the story, just haven't developed it. And with the children being born into the families, well...these could go on for a while!

    Thanks again & God Bless!
    PamT

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  3. Ohhhh. Your own covers are so far superior! Good work.

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    1. Agreed, Susan! I love watching the progression! Thank you for coming by and commenting!

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    2. Yeah Susan, I really love the new ones...but y'know when you don't know what you're doing or what really goes into designing a cover you just kinda go with the flow. LOL!
      Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. What a change in the covers! The difference is amazing. Definitely eye catchers! :)

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    1. Thanks Darcy! I appreciate your support!

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    2. Indeed! There is a lot of thought that has to go into cover design! Thanks for wandering this way and joining in our conversation, Darcy!

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  5. How fun! I love seeing how covers develop. A great idea! Yes, Pam, the latest covers are definitely the best. I love the consistency of the 'brand' for all the stories.

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    1. Thanks Alicia! I enjoyed writing the post and seeing it all evolved in chronological order. Amazed myself in how much they've changed and I do love the rope hearts branding each one. Thanks for stopping by!

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    2. It amazes me how sometimes the cover comes out right the first time. And sometimes it takes a lot of work! Thanks for adding to our talk, Alicia!

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  6. Beautiful transition story that made me think of the metamorphosis of a butterfly. Kudos to Delia, a multi-gifted lady.

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    1. That's a nice way to put it, Loree! Thanks for stopping by and following the changes the covers went through. Come back and see us sometime!

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  7. Wow, the trends of the times, but none-the-less I love your current covers. Thanks for telling us about your enterprise. Cheers

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    1. Too true, Marilyn. The times dictate a lot of the cover design work. I know that publishing houses do a lot of work studying what sells and what doesn't sell, as far as covers go. A beautiful story needs a beautiful cover! Thanks for popping in today!

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    2. Thanks Marilyn! Delia is wonderful to work with but as a PBG author, you know how great those covers are too!
      Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. Wow. Love the covers. Isn't it amazing how a different graphic and lots of color can make such a big difference? Nice!

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    1. Yes, what is it that draws the reader to the cover and makes them want to flip it over to read the blurb? I like intense eyes! They always draw me in! Or black and white with some detail in vibrant color. So many ways you can go! I really like how Pam's covers turned out in the end. It can be a lot of work! Thanks for adding to the conversation, Judy! Have a great night!

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    2. Yes, Judy and someone with an eye for detail...like the books are set in Bandera, TX on the Rockin H Ranch... Delia managed to pull that all together. Lori Strickland (Lori's Redemption) is a barrel rider on the rodeo circuit...and Tempered Dreams he is a Dr, she a battered woman and it is the only one out of the 4 set in Louisiana (though he was raised in Bandera and introduced in TH)...and there is a gazebo out behind his house!

      Thanks for stopping by.
      PamT

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  9. Wow! I'd say all the work was well worth the effort--your covers really ZING! Thanks for posting.

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    1. Yes, much improved! Thanks for joining us, Susan! So nice to hear from you!

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