Yep, it’s in! Here it is:
I decided to redo the cover in preparation for a print-on-demand edition which I hope to release at some point this summer. The artist is Hideyoshi, who also did the cover art for Genesis Earth and Desert Stars. He’s great to work with and does some seriously awesome work, so I’m glad he was up for the project!
The other version was okay, but based on the feedback I was getting, I didn’t think it did a good job capturing the real essence of the story. Oh well–live and learn, I guess. And when it comes to cover art, I still have a lot to learn.
I just uploaded the new ebook version to Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords. Those sites should update in the next 24 to 72 hours (Smashwords is updated already), while the Kobo, Sony, iTunes, and other versions should update in the next couple of weeks.
I’m not sure if I’ll do desktop backgrounds for this one, but if there’s demand, I’d be willing to do it. Just shoot me an email and let me know. My netbook is starting to go, so I probably won’t get to it until July when I’m back in the States, but if/when I do, I’ll release it through the email newsletter, same as the Desert Stars backgrounds.
That’s just about it. I think I’ve spent more time today staring at this cover than actually writing, so I’d better get back to that. More good stuff to come–stay tuned!
I think the new cover is AWESOME, like the book. I wonder, though, if it doesn’t quite match the title anymore?
What do you mean?
Hmm…good question. Not necessarily critical, just an observation. The title includes the name of a specific character, which I haven’t seen very frequently in sci-fi book titles. To me, it implies a very close and personal story about someone who is lost from home. Orbital bombardment presents a strong contrast to the feelings evoked by the title.
But don’t get me wrong, I like this cover a lot more. As a reader, I would be more inclined to read something that looked like this. I just might be confused at the contrast between the title and the cover art.
Maybe that doesn’t make sense. That was just my initial reaction, so I thought I’d include the feedback as a data point.
Yeah, well, there’s not a whole lot I can do about the title at this point, other than learn for the next time. This always was a difficult book to find a good title for. Hopefully the art is enough of an enticement so the people who will like it will find it anyway.
Thanks! Also, if you’re up for it, I’ve got another book that needs alpha reading. It’s an indirect sequel to BRINGING STELLA HOME…shoot me an email if you’re interested.