Cover Reveal: The Beacons I See

tyunglebower ♦ May 22, 2017 ♦ 2 Comments

I’m proud to show off the cover to the ebook version (and perhaps eventually the paperback version) of my upcoming novel, The Beacons I See.

A product of Vila Design, here it is.

My experiences working with Vila Design was easy, enjoyable and efficient. I’d work with the company again, and hope you will consider them for your next cover as well.

As for the image itself, it reflects the plot as well as the atmosphere of the novel quite well in several ways.

As a refresher, the book is about Vanessa, who is a Promise Seer, a member of one of only a few families left in the world that can see visual remnants of promises the people make to one another, in the form of orbs or bright light. The light shows up in the space between the two parties involved in the promise. Vanessa calls them “beacons.” (Hence the title.)

One day, on her way to her grandmother’s cabin for some long overdue relaxation, the sensitive Vanessa spots an unusual beacon-a purple one, way up in the trees. Given the nature of beacons, she is of course confused and intrigued by this. Why, and more important, how in the hell could someone make a promise to another person while suspended above a patch of woods in the country? The novel is a mixture of her attempts to relax on her retreat, while also trying to solve this little mystery. (The two pursuits do not compliment one another.)

The cover represents this odd purple beacon nicely. (Vanessa calls it “The Stray.”) Alone, above a clump of trees, but shining bright enough to be seen. It’s also a splash of contrasting color right in the middle of the image, which I think catches the eye, and will be especially useful in thumbnails of the cover.

The trees themselves here look natural. Not Gothic horror trees, and this is what I wanted; a treeline you or I could see any given day on a drive. The sky above, at around dusk, suggests somewhat unsettled weather in the future, but is not unpleasant now.

The script of the title, unlike any I’ve used for a cover before, puts me in mind of someone writing an important letter, perhaps. As the novel is written in first person from Vanessa’s POV, I find that appropriate.

I shared some, but of course not all details with the designer during this process. Not everything I mention here was specifically discussed between they and I, but I mention it here during the reveal post to show how well it captures various aspects of the novel’s spirit, even if not every page and plot twist was revealed beforehand.

In other words, it achieves the purpose of a good cover.

So, that’s one more step completed. With this image, I can begin some of the marketing and promoting steps that would have been less effective without it.

Like the cover? Let me know in the comments. First one to do so can get a free e-copy of the novel once it launches.