The Blood Herring Chronicles

Sometimes you just can't beat simplicity of a classic. Heads up! You can get audiobooks for the entire trilogy as an add-on in your BackerKit. For just $15 per book (or $30 for the whole trilogy), you'll get the audiobook in addition to the book format you already pledged for. Yes, you get both! Thanks again for your incredible support, it means the world! 
Also my collaboration partner, Award Winning Becca Lee Gardner, is releasing her new choose-your-own-adventure novel called Adventure Cats. Support both our BackerKits to get a free special edition eBook of my debute novel, Blood Herring (Volume I) and a little something from her! 

Saturday, I talked a little about my amazing cover artists. One thing I didn't mention, Blood Herring (Volume One)'s cover was a two-year process. Let me explain:

I met Nicole just as I was finishing edits to the first book and had drafts for books two and three. In 2020, You can see where this is headed. Life blew up for everyone; I had to put my plans to market and publish on hold. I'd already paid Nicole, and she said to come back when I was ready. Before this, we had an idea for the cover and were playing with concepts (below is only concept art, but you can see the direction). I can honestly say my cover was grateful for some time to brew in our heads.

While I still love this original concept, it isn't clear. But I certainly didn't expect to come back two years later. Nicoel had every right to turn me away. She didn't. Instead, she looked at our initial design and said, "That's not nearly good enough." She'd read book one, so she had a unique knowledge of the series. So she made something else. Something completely different nd blew me out of the water.

She developed this gorgeous font and completely captured the duality of Blood Herring, and still, she refused to let it be. When we got feedback regarding legibility, she incorporated the silver from our vampire mythology seamlessly. When you back the Blood Herring series, you're also showing support for small businesses like Nicole, who go above and beyond to bring you something beautiful. We'll see you tomorrow.

Saturday, I talked a little about my amazing cover artists. One thing I didn't mention, Blood Herring (Volume One)'s cover was a two-year process. Let me explain:

I met Nicole just as I was finishing edits to the first book and had drafts for books two and three. In 2020, You can see where this is headed. Life blew up for everyone; I had to put my plans to market and publish on hold. I'd already paid Nicole, and she said to come back when I was ready. Before this, we had an idea for the cover and were playing with concepts (below is only concept art, but you can see the direction). I can honestly say my cover was grateful for some time to brew in our heads.

While I still love this original concept, it doesn't give the reader a clear message or idea about the book. It's simply too vague. Still, I certainly didn't expect to come back two years later. Nicole had every right to turn me away. She didn't. Instead, she looked at our initial design and said, "That's not nearly good enough." She'd read book one, so she had a unique knowledge of the series. So she made something else. Something completely different and blew me out of the water.

She developed this gorgeous font and completely captured the duality of Blood Herring, and still, she refused to let it be. When we got feedback regarding legibility, she incorporated the silver from our vampire mythology seamlessly. When you back the Blood Herring series, you're also showing support for small businesses like Nicole's, who go above and beyond to bring you something beautiful. We'll see you tomorrow.

We've all seen the effect of AI in literature and marketing. This divisive topic has caused a whole new conversation about what qualifies as real art. I'm not even going to try and solve this issue today.

But I will say I take great pride in every detail, and when I can't do something myself, I find an independent artist to give my readers the best experience. So while I will do things like formatting myself, my covers and audiobooks have skilled professionals behind them, starting with the covers.




I am only one person; I've had to accept I cannot do it all. And honestly, I'm a little glad I can't, because seeing Nicole and Melony capture the heart of each story which such detail is the kind of experience no computer could simulate. Not to mention, listening to the narrators (more on this tomorrow).

How about you? What will you take from the Blood Herring trilogy?