Cover Reveal! OPERATION MAXTRACKER

There are many elements in a book cover: font, cover, graphics, placement, author's name, title.  Each must serve a purpose and together they must blast a potential reader's senses

Despite the adage, "Don't judge a book by its cover," we all do. A cover needs to catch the eyes of potential readers, needs to get people to reach out and pick it up, turn it over and devour the back cover copy. For an eBook, it must stand out among all others, must look enticing and amazing. Must get readers to stop and scan the description, and hit that purchase button. It must look good on eReaders and other digital devices.

A cover must do all that while remaining true to the story and genre (readers don't like being deceived) and must not give away the story.  In the case of the OPERATION MAXTRACKER cover, it must also match up with the other books in the BackTracker series.

"It all starts with the cover."

When working with my cover designer, I begin with the mood. Is the overall gist of the story lighthearted, dark, angry, sad, intriguing, romantic..? Mood will play an important role in the cover design, determining the color and font and influencing the graphics and overall appearance.

Here's a peak at some of the elements from my forthcoming OPERATION MAXTRACKER cover.

The title font and design was chosen to match the first three books in the series.  The electric blue background calls to mind the eerie glow cast by a computer screen, while the curtain of zeros and ones represents the binary code used in computer programming. There's nothing like a file stamped TOP SECRET to encourage a reader's interest. Just think, by reading the book, one will be able to share in a secret!

Knowing something that few others do, makes us all feel special. 

The cell phone draws our eyes to it with it's bright reflection. Smart phones are high-tech communication devices, powerful but vulnerable, too, perhaps.

The orange font is a nice contrast to the electric blue, and ties the cover together, complimenting both the TOP SECRET stamp below it and the review blurb above.

Stay tuned for more cover reveal details in the days to come.

"Cover Reveal! OPERATION MAXTRACKER has been brought to you by

The BackTracker Series

Eileen Schuh, Author
SHADOW RIDERS
DISPASSIONATE LIES
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrodinger's Cat

Insanely jealous...of my characters

Yesterday I had a rather frightening experience. It all started as I was loading groceries into the car. Just after the coffee got tossed in and while I was nesting the eggs and milk between the toilet paper and the family pack of Cheezies I got this incredible rush of jealousy toward my BackTracker characters.

I became abruptly convinced they're lives were much more exciting and fulfilling than mine, that I'd more or less wasted my own life on trivial pursuits and, was there not someway I could yet become an ace real-life crime fighter? Or, at the very least, a high-tech computer guru carving the leading edge of cyberspace technology? 

It took the entire twenty-minute drive home to fast talk myself out of these powerful feelings and reaffirm that I was, in fact, doing exactly what I had dreamed of doing my entire life--writing novels. That I never had, in any serious sense, wanted to be a cop and that people (like myself) who use their fingers to add, likely wouldn't do well in computer sciences.

I had not, I reaffirmed to myself, led a useless life and, despite the fact I have never bungie jumped, sky-dived, discovered a body, or been involved in a shootout, my life has not been boring.

I also reminded myself of the tragedies and pain my characters experiences. They, too, have unfulfilled dreams. I said that while the dangers they are constantly facing make for good reading, they wouldn't make for good living. And that although my heroes are handsome and fairy-tale loving--alas, they are too young for me.

Today, I'm okay with things again. The episode likely happened because I find grocery shopping an incredibly boring task. My mind just needed some stimulation...right?

NOTE TO SELF: load some heavy-metal music into the vehicle CD player, ready to blast the next time disturbing thoughts invade my psyche.

THE TRAZ paperback ON SALE! Only $8.99! & FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

FATAL ERROR - Now on Amazon!

What does an author do on the day of her book’s release? As with many aspects of a writer’s psyche and behaviour, my response to this day may seem...a little odd, perhaps.

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 FATAL ERROR on Amazon.com

Kindle Price:

$3.99 includes free international wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet

FATAL ERROR on Amazon.co.uk

Kindle Price:

£2.54 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet

_______________________________________

Firstly, I clicked the Amazon link my publisher emailed me-- to confirm she wasn’t lying about FATAL ERROR being available. This despite the fact she has never lied to me before and has no motive to lie to me now.

I then stare at the Amazon page for 3 minutes. Still disbelieving, I hit purchase and download it to my Kindle. Ah ha...FATAL ERROR magically appears on the eReader in my hand. (I’m a baby boomer, so yes, this is magical.) And, almost simultaneously, the invoice for it magically appears in my inbox.

Then...well, it’s kind of like getting a positive pregnancy test result (not that that has happened to me in decades). I do nothing, wallowing in this secret knowledge, savouring it.  I do that for about 10 minutes. Then, (still like the pregnancy test scenario) I try to decide who to tell first. In my mind, I rehearse my announcement. I create a list of those to tell and beside the names, note how I will tell them...phone? email? Facebook?

Then I savour that list for 10 minutes.

Then I realize that for some very good--well, at least some very ‘cleverly-designed’--reasons I do not have my blogs, guest blogs, tweets, or other promo materials ready! About then I notice my craft bag in the corner and realize that in just a few short weeks my next grandbaby will be here and I haven’t started that crocheted bunting bag. I have the Mary Maxim pattern, bought the wool... I rummage through the bag to make sure it is all still there (although in my entire life nobody has ever taken anything from my craft bag and would have no motive to do so now). I confirm that I did buy the colours I want.

I go back to my computer and visit Amazon again. I decide to announce the release to my fans on my facebook author page. I do so. I then try to check my email and realize Yahoo has locked me out of my account (possibly because I switched to a new laptop so they think I’m not me. This has happened before. Their motive is to prevent strangers from hacking into my email account—which has also happened before.) I fight for an hour to try to reset my password, to no avail. I find an emergency contact email address for Yahoo service and fire off a pleasantly-worded letter of protest and plead for immediate assistance. I get an auto-reply email saying I’m locked out until this time tomorrow. I check my hotmail and gmail accounts and receive my facebook congratulatory messages. I do some more wallowing.

I realize it is noon and I’m still in my pjs and have not eaten anything yet. I spend 5 minutes deciding which is my priority. I opt for the shower and dressing. Just as I step out of the shower, my daughter phones, congratulating me on the release and filling me with wonderful grandbaby stories while I attempt to keep my towel wrapped around my sensitive parts. I give up, hit the speaker button on the receiver and pretend I’m listening to her as I rummage in my closet for clothes.

The phone call ends and I’m dressed...but still hungry. I remember the leftover chilli and bee-line it for the kitchen.  I stuff the chilli in the micro and return to my computer, try once more to hack into my yahoo email, all the while wishing Katrina, the young protagonist of FATAL ERROR and computer geek extraordinaire, could pop out of my books and help me solve this issue. I click on the Amazon link to my new book once more and stare at the cover. I really like the cover.  The micro dings and I head back to the kitchen.

As I eat I ponder my next moves. I will write a couple of blogs, design some tweets, post notices to my online groups, email my real-life buddies, replace my profile pic with a cover shot of FATAL ERROR...right after I check that craft bag, one more time.

Eileen Schuh, Canadian Author
www.eileenschuh.com

FATAL ERROR on Amazon.com
FATAL ERROR in the UK

THE TRAZ on Amazon.com
THE TRAZ in the UK

SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT

FATAL ERROR

The naming of a book

It's not easy to name a book and it took me a long time to find the perfect title for the second novel in my BackTracker Series.

For the first book, it was a natural and easy choice to use the compelling, unique name of the motorcycle gang, THE TRAZ. I had to look deeper to find a title that summed up the essence of Book II.

Because THE TRAZ was written as a prequel (a designation I dropped upon advice of my marketing coach), my draft manuscript of what would become the second book in the series carried the working title BackTracker I.  When THE TRAZ became Book I, it left BackTracker I bereft of a title.

Eventually, though, I brainstormed a great title: FATAL ERROR.

"Fatal Error" is the message that appears on your monitor when something absolutely terrible has happened to your computer. It is also known as "the blue screen of death". It means you've lost the use of your computer and also,very likely, lost lots of data.

"Blue Screen of Death"

FATAL ERROR is the title I chose for the second book in my BackTracker Series--due out later this year from Imajin Books.




It is in FATAL ERROR that we start to understand where Katrina's obsession with computers will lead her. We are with her when she develops her powerful software, BackTracker, from which the series gets its name.  In this book, we also start to realize that BackTracker symbolizes how the past and future intertwine in Katrina's life--how we can understand her present decisions and emotions only by tracking back through events in her past. We also glimpse how her life today will feed tomorrow's reality.

We learn how Katrina's fledgling BackTracker software causes a Fatal Error, compromising her chances to pursue a dream career in computer technology.

The title FATAL ERROR also symbolizes Katrina's errors in judgement while she was with The Traz, errors that led to a gang murder.

In Book II, she must deal with the legal, emotional, and financial consequences of her time with THE TRAZ--she must recover from more than one FATAL ERROR.

 

Eileen Schuh, Author
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ
Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com
Blog: http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com