Making Marriage Simple by Harville Hendrix, Ph.D

About the Author

Image of Harville HendrixHarville Hendrix, Ph.D., a clinical pastoral counselor and co-creator of Imago Relationship Therapy, has more than thirty-five years’ experience as an educator, public lecturer, and couples’ therapist.

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

MarriageChange the relationship you have into the one you want.

Welcome to the Relationship Revolution! Making Marriage Simple is the accessible, essential road map to building a strong marriage in the modern world. Bestselling authors Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt distill into ten essential truths what they’ve learned about how to create a successful and satisfying relationship—both from their decades of “R&D” in the marriage lab of their workshops, and from their own relationship journey.  In each chapter, Harville and Helen introduce a simple truth—such as “a frustration is a wish in disguise,”  “incompatibility is grounds for marriage,” or “conflict is growth trying to happen”—and then walk couples through easy yet effective exercises to help them apply each truth in real life, every day.

Harville and Helen have spent their careers helping couples transform their marriages through research, workshops, and counseling. But marriage—even for marriage experts—is never easy, and a number of years ago they found themselves on the brink of divorce. Harville and Helen put themselves back through the exercises they’d coached so many other couples through, saving their marriage and helping them achieve a true partnership.

This book is for all couples.  It offers the practical tools needed to transform one’s relationship into a rewarding and joyous marriage.  Written with humor, compassion, and honesty, and illustrated throughout with engaging line drawings, Making Marriage Simple is a strategic blueprint for creating a stronger, more satisfying partnership in today’s world.

Review

By Christine Boles

Turtle vs Hailstorm

Great book for all couples-both married and in a serious relationship!

Marriages and any relationships are hard in this day and time. We are bombarded by talk shows, shelf-help books, and all the latest ways to do a “quick fix” of our problems. But, the true way to fix your problems is for both partners to work towards a goal of repairing a problem or bringing back the spark to a relationship. “Making Marriage Simple” helps you do that and so much more in a different kind of way. There are the usual worksheets and activities for both people to work through and you have to have an open mind when reading this book.

I truly never thought I would hear my side of the relationship related to a turtle and my fiance described as a hailstorm, but if the shoe fits–wear it! After reading past the first description of the turtle verses the hailstorm, it not only gave us a good laugh but made perfect sense to us both. The turtles in relationships need their space, freedom, and they need things to stay on the steady path, but in times of high tensions they are the calmer of the two. The hailstorm, on the other hand, are the ones the energy flows from on an extreme level. They are the energetic ones who live in the moment and are usually the ones with the reactive personality.

So how does all this description help you? According to authors Harville Hendrix and Helen Hunt, the reader needs to understand that some of the best relationships can come from those turtle and hailstorm people because opposites and incompatibility really can make for a great and lasting relationship. Even though the book does go about helping you solve your problems and help you to make a stronger marriage in a different way, it is well worth the money to enjoy a good read and get a good laugh at the same time. I would recommend the book to many people who need a different prospective on their relationship.

Beautifully Damaged by L.A. Fiore (Beautifully Damaged #1)

About the Author

L.A. FioreL.A. Fiore lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with her husband, two children, their dog, two kittens and Willow: their three-legged hamster. Her twin sister lives right down the street and being a seasoned zombie hunter, there is comfort knowing when the zombie apocalypse comes they’ll be ready. L.A. loves hearing from readers and can be reached through

Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/l.a.fiore.publishing

 

 

 

Synopsis

Beautifully Damaged

Ember Walsh is a trusting soul with the quiet beauty of her late mother, who perished in a mysterious car crash when Ember was three. A little tomboyish from being raised by her father, Ember packs a punch when a stranger gets pushy with her in a bar, catching the steely blue eyes of a tall, gorgeous tattooed man—Trace Montgomery. Still damaged from her last disastrous relationship and warned off the bad boy by friends, Ember fights the smoldering heat that Trace sparks in her when he begins shadowing her like a dark angel.

Burdened by a lifetime of horror and heartbreak, amateur fighter Trace doesn’t want to want Ember. His deep self-loathing keeps him from having any meaningful relationships, but Ember is an itch he can’t scratch. The two push and pull, slowly crumbling their walls, seemingly brought together by fate, because the turmoil that haunts their pasts is interlinked in undeniable ways. But can these two fighters finally lay down their arms?

In Beautifully Damaged, L.A. Fiore delves into deep scars and lets love and forgiveness uncover redemption.

Review

Beautifully Damaged is a tantalizing, emotional upheaval that takes the reader on a darkly erotic ride that will captivate, ensnare, arouse, offend, and seduce. Ember and Trace are two unlikely heroes that will save each other through love and sacrifice.

Beautifully Damaged spoke to me on many levels. The pain that Trace lives through-survives-touches close to home. The courage and faith that Ember shows in this story gives me hope that there are really people out there that love with their whole soul.

Through their battles, heartache, and journey to a love that outshines them all-Ember and Trace, are my new favorite book heroes!

Yes he is damaged, but her beauty will break through the darkness and light up his shattered soul.

This is story is not for the faint of heart, or the easily offended. It is honest and raw, beautiful and ugly, full of love and hate….how much would you risk for the person that completes your soul?

Links

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Audible

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Fortune’s Scion by Ann Gimpel

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Author Spotlight

AuthorAnn Gimpel is a mountaineer at heart. Recently retired from a long career as a psychologist, she remembers many hours at her desk where her body may have been stuck inside four walls, but her soul was planning yet one more trip to the backcountry. Around the turn of the last century (that would be 2000, not 1900!), she managed to finagle moving to the Eastern Sierra, a mecca for those in love with the mountains. It was during long backcountry treks that Ann’s writing evolved. Unlike some who see the backcountry as an excuse to drag friends and relatives along, Ann prefers her solitude. Stories always ran around in her head on those journeys, sometimes as a hedge against abject terror when challenging conditions made her fear for her life, sometimes for company. Eventually, she returned from a trip and sat down at the computer. Three months later, a five hundred page novel emerged. Oh, it wasn’t very good, but it was a beginning. And, she learned a lot between writing that novel and its sequel.

Around that time, a friend of hers suggested she try her hand at short stories. It didn’t take long before that first story found its way into print and they’ve been accepted pretty regularly since then. One of Ann’s passions has always been ecology, so her tales often have a green twist.

In addition to writing, Ann enjoys wilderness photography. She lugs pounds of camera equipment in her backpack to distant locales every year. A standing joke is that over ten percent of her pack weight is camera gear which means someone else has to carry the food! That someone is her husband. They’ve shared a life together for a very long time. Children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out their family.

Links

YA Urban Fantasy Romance

Synopsis

CoverAgainst stiff odds, Ned learns different isn’t necessarily bad and true love has a way of shining through.

Raised by wizards who never missed an opportunity to remind him of his deficiencies, Ned grows up believing his mage skills are seriously lacking. Conscripted at an early age, he fears it’s a back-handed way to ensure he sustains an honorable death in battle.

Battling prejudice, insidious lies and lack of knowledge about his mage powers—which are really quite different from wizard magic—Ned finds ways to keep going. His first mission away from the wizards teaches him he’s stronger and more resourceful than he thought. Against stiff odds, he learns different isn’t necessarily bad and true love has a way of shining through.

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Review

Fortune’s Scion is an edgy Urban Fantasy that takes place in a dystopian world. Ned, a human mage, has never fit in with the wizards. They actually make him feel like dirt most of the time. When he finally gets a chance to prove himself he learns so much about himself, the world, and the power of love.

This story is full of twists and turns that have the reader wondering what is going to happen next. When Ned meets Amanda, the connection is instantly there between them. The amount of difference that a little bit of kindness and love can make in a person is remarkable. The change in Ned, the strength that he gains, as well as the confidence, really makes such a difference.

Action, Adventure, Magic, and love come together in a dystopian world that will make you question everything you know!

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Ned crouched amidst the remains of what had been downtown Sacramento, using a convenient half-decimated building as cover. The rest of his unit hid scattered — or so he assumed — in close proximity. A low whistling noise made his heart beat like a mad thing. Enemy magic. Maintaining his crouch, he spun, eyes searching the late afternoon gloom for clues. Not quite sure what tipped him off, he leapt out of the way. A concrete block exploded, showering him with debris.

“Whew! Way too close,” he mumbled, wondering for the thousandth time how he, a human mage, ever became mixed up with the wizards’ war. Sweat trickled down his forehead. His leather headband caught some of it, but a few drops fell into his eyes. They stung. He shook his head to disperse the salty liquid. The beginnings of a headache throbbed behind one temple. “Landarik,” he whispered into his mouthpiece, “Where are you?”

“Right behind you.” A voice dripped sarcasm into Ned’s ear.

He whipped around. Landarik stood so close, Ned’s braids slapped against the wizard’s helmet. “I wish you wouldn’t do that,” Ned said through clenched teeth. “I hate it when you sneak up on me. ‘Specially when it could have been one of them. You’re lucky I didn’t blast you.”

“You called me. What do you want?” Speaking through the slit in his bronzed helmet, Landarik looked like a robot. Only his blond braids, with debris tangled in them, ruined the automaton image. He must have noticed Ned’s stare because Landarik gathered his ratty braids and tossed them over his shoulders.

“I’m beat. Request permission to return to the caves.”

“Mage or no,” Landarik grunted, “you humans are more work than you’re worth. I release you. Be back no later than first light.” Whistling sounded again. Without apparent thought or effort, Landarik raised a hand. A bolt of power flew from his fingertips and vaporized half a small building a hundred yards away.

“How can you know so… precisely?” Ned sputtered.

The wizard tipped the visor of his helmet up. Extraordinary blue eyes and the sharp-boned features characteristic of his race twisted in irritation. “I’ve told you and told you,” he lectured in a patronizing voice that grated on Ned’s nerves, “hold your inner parts still, human. If you could manage yourself better, you would be able to hear where the enemy is hiding.” He snorted. “Sometimes I find it difficult to fathom how you are still alive.”

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Welcome to the Darkness by L.M. Justus (Darkness #1) + Giveaway

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Author Spotlight

LM

Lisa Justus’ path to becoming an author took a circuitous route through the University of Waterloo where she earned a Bachelor of Mathematics, followed by jobs in quality assurance and technical writing at a high-tech company. With a keen interest in creative fiction, she wrote her first fantasy novel as part of NaNoWriMo as well as an early chapter book for her kids when they were younger.  Her YA paranormal fantasy novel Welcome to the Darkness is the first book in the Darkness Trilogy.

These days Lisa is busy writing her fourth novel, reading, finishing her basement, doing volunteer work, and trying to stay in shape by running somewhat regularly. She, her husband, and their three children live in Ottawa, Ontario.

Links

Synopsis

Welcome

A typical teenager, seventeen-year-old Reed Hennessy doesn’t realize how lucky he is to lead a normal life until he loses everything, including his humanity. The attacker who slaughters his family and destroys their home turns out to be a vampire, a creature Reed had considered a myth.

Now a vampire himself, but with the unique ability to walk in sunlight, Reed struggles in the dark underworld he didn’t even know existed. His only two allies in his fight to stay alive are his reluctant mentor, Nathaniel, a vampire with over two hundred years’ worth of emotional baggage, and Sarah, a rookie cop with a secret ability of her own.

Together, Reed and his companions face a harrowing, cross-country journey before stumbling into a plot which could mean the end of everything for humans and vampires alike.

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Review

Welcome to the Darkness is a fast pasted adventure with a group of unlikely heroes. Reed’s family was slaughtered by vampires and he was turned into one. He has no one left anymore until he meets two hundred year old Nathaniel. Nathaniel is a vampire that has been through a lot of things in his long life, he reluctantly agrees to mentor Reed. The last member of this motley crew is Sarah. Sarah is a rookie cop that is hiding a secret that is very surprising.

When these three have to foil an evil plan to wipe out all races, the reader will be thrown into a cross country trip that has hilarious moments, touching moments, and a lot of kick butt and take names fights,

The characters are really realistic and likeable. From the start you feel for Reed and the trauma that he has been subjected to. To have vampires kill his family and then wake up to find that he has been turned into the very creature that murdered his family—that can really mess with your guilt and emotions.

This book is captivating, full of action, suspense, and the supernatural. It is a must read that will make you fill like you are right there with them plotting, planning, and fighting. Enter the darkness and see if you see if you can find the light!

Giveaway

  • 20$ Amazon gift card + a signed copy
  • 5 eBook copies. (Open internationally)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3a11d81/

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Immortals by Ednah Walters (Runes #2) + Giveaway

Immortal- Copy

Author Spotlight

18218570EDNAH WALTERS grew up reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and dreaming of one day writing her own stories. She is a stay-at-home mother of five humans and two American short-hair cats (one of which has ADHD) and a husband. When she is not writing, she’s at the gym doing Zumba or doing things with her family, reading, traveling or online chatting with fans.

Ednah is the author of The Guardian Legacy series, a YA fantasy series about children of the fallen angels, who fight demons and protect mankind. AWAKENED, the prequel was released by Pill Hill Press in September 2010 with rave reviews. BETRAYED, book one in the series was released by her new publisher Spencer Hill Press in June 2012 and HUNTED, the third installment, will be released April 2013. She’s working on the next book in the series, FORGOTTEN. Visit her at www.ednahwalters.com

Ednah also writes YA paranormal romance. RUNES is the first book in her new series. IMMORTALS is book 2. She is presently working on book 3, GRIMNIRS (Release date TBA). Read more about this series and the world she’s created here www.runestheseries.com

Under the pseudonym E. B. Walters, Ednah writes contemporary romance. SLOW BURN, the first contemporary romance with suspense, was released in April 2011. It is the first book in the Fitzgerald family series. Since then she has published four more books in this series. She’s presently working on book six. You can visit her online at or www.ebwalters.com.

Links

Synopsis

Immortals Front CoverNothing can stop Raine Cooper when she wants something…

Raine finally knows that her gorgeous neighbor, Torin St. James, is a legend straight out of Norse mythology, and that her feelings for him are strong. Torin is crazy about Raine too, breaking the one rule he lives by: Never fall for a mortal. The problem is he no longer remembers her, his memories erased by Norns—Norse destiny deities—to punish her for defying them.

She will make Torin forget his one rule a second time and fall in love with her all over again.

But she quickly learns that well-laid plans do not work when dealing with deities and supernatural beings. Desperate, Raine makes choices that could not only tear her and Torin further apart, but lead to the destruction of everything and everyone she loves.

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Immortals Book Trailer

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The Howling Heart by April Bostic

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Author Spotlight

the-howling-heart-copy_thumb April Bostic is a New Jersey-based romance author who enjoys unleashing her creativity and letting her imagination run wild. Her love of romance books inspired her to become not just a reader, but also a writer. In December 2008, she self-published her first novel, a contemporary romance with a supernatural twist entitled “A Rose to the Fallen”. Her first short story, “Right Here, Right Now”, released in January 2012 is an erotic romance with a dash of S&M. The following year, she released two more short stories: a romantic urban fantasy inspired by the Greek myth of Eros and Psyche entitled “Eros, My Love”, and a sexy romantic comedy entitled “Love Addiction”. After five years, she will release her second novel “The Howling Heart” in August 2013, a paranormal romance that delves into the mystical world of werewolves and Norse gods.

Links

Synopsisthe-howling-heart

Paige Donovan is an ambitious college graduate who aspires to reach the top of the corporate ladder. She’s climbing fast when given the promotion of a lifetime at a prestigious fashion magazine in New York City. Her bright future comes to an unexpected halt after news of her father’s death. She inherits his old cabin in the Colorado Rockies and just when she thinks her luck couldn’t get any worse, she has a car accident in the mountains and awakens in the small, remote community of Black River. Soon she’s engulfed in the mystical world of Varulv—wolves descended from 12th century Scandinavia and blessed by Norse gods with the ability to appear human. Paige is desperate to return home, but never expects to fall for her rescuer, Riley Gray, a charming young werewolf from England who offers her an alternate future with his pack. Now she must choose between the career she’s always wanted and the love she’s always dreamed.

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Release Date: August 8th

Review

Howling Hearts is a captivating story that takes you on a journey of the heart. Paige’s dreams were coming true. She has been offered the job opportunity of a life time at a prestigious fashion magazine. Then tragedy strikes and Paige’s father is dead. When Paige journeys to Colorado and the small cabin her father left her. She is in a car accident on her way there. When she comes back to consciousness is wakes up in the small town of Black River.

One thing that Paige never imagined was that there were such things as werewolves, and that she would meet a whole pack in this small town. He rescuer just happens to be one of these shapeshifters, and Paige has never met anyone like him. Riley Gray, is a young werewolf from England that is gorgeous and makes Paige breathless. When he offers her a future with her pack, she realizes she must give up her dream job to be with the love of her life.

This is a magical story that takes the reader on an adventure into old Norse mythology, beautiful romance, the wilds of Colorado, and a love that is truer than the stars in the night sky. This is a must read for werewolf fans, paranormal romance lovers, and anyone who wants to read a story that you will get lost in!

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Over the Rainbow by Brian Rowe Blitz

 
Over the Rainbow Extreme PROMO Blitz
By Brian Rowe
YA Fantasy
Date Published:  8/6/2013
16-year-old Zippy Green never meant to fall in love with a girl, but when she does, her ultra-conservative father tries to send her to anti-gay camp. At the Kansas City airport, however, she hides inside a giant suitcase and sneaks onto an airplane headed not to the camp, but to Seattle, where her online love Mira lives. Halfway through the flight, the plane barrels out of control and crashes into the ground, knocking her unconscious.
When Zippy awakens, she finds that most of the passengers have vanished. She doesn’t know what’s happened, but she’s determined to find out. She begins a quest on foot toward Seattle, and along the way, she meets a teenager with a concussion , a homeless man with a heart condition, a child without a shred of bravery, and a terrier named Judy. Together the group discovers that more than two-thirds of the world’s population has mysteriously disappeared. But that’s only the beginning…
All Zippy wants is to find her Mira, but before she can she has to contend with two outside forces. The first is her homophobic father, who does everything in his power to keep her from the girl she loves. And the second is extinct creatures of all shapes and sizes, including living, breathing dinosaurs, which have replaced the missing population.

“Over the Rainbow” Short Excerpt
The end was coming, faster and faster, as the plane plummeted. I peered into the carrier to see a little white terrier staring back at me.
            When I closed my eyes for the final time I felt two ice-cold tears roll down my cheeks.
            “Mira… I love you… I love you… I—”
            The plane collided against the Earth, and I launched forward, struck my head against the cargo door, and blacked out.    
Brian Rowe
Brian Rowe is a writing fiend, book devotee, film fanatic, and constant dreamer. He’s written nine novels, dozens of short stories, five feature-length screenplays, and hundreds of film articles and essays. His fiction has appeared in Dreamspinner Press, Mobius Magazine, and Wilde Oats Literary Journal. He is one half of the YA book blog Story Carnivores, where he reviews the latest in books and film. He is currently pursuing his MA in English at the University of Nevada, Reno, and is hard at work on his first New Adult novel, which will be released in November 2013.
 
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Torch by Cambria Hebert (Take It Off #1) Cover Reveal

Torch by Cambria Hebert ebooksm - Copy

Author Spotlight

for bioCambria Hebert is the author of the young adult paranormal Heven and Hell series, the new adult Death Escorts series, and the new adult Take it Off series. She loves a caramel latte, hates math and is afraid of chickens (yes, chickens). She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and children (both human and furry) where she is plotting her next book. You can find out more about Cambria and her work by visiting http://www.cambriahebert.com

Links

Synopsis

Torch by Cambria Hebert ebooksmIf you can’t take the heat… stay away from the flame.

Katie Parks has been on her own since the age of fifteen. All she’s ever wanted is a place to call her own—a life that is wholly hers that no one can take away. She thought she finally had it, but with the strike of a single match, everything she worked so hard for is reduced to a pile of smoking ash. And she almost is too.

Now she’s being stalked by someone who’s decided it’s her time to die. The only thing standing in the path of her blazing death is sexy firefighter Holt Arkain.

Katie’s body might be safe with Holt… but her heart is another story.

As the danger heats up, sparks fly and the only thing Katie knows for sure is that her whole life is about to go up in flames.

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Cover designed by Mae I Design

 

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Heart of the Vampire by Gayla Twist (Vanderland Castle #2)

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Author Spotlight

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I love to read. If I had to choose between only ever being able to read or watch tv again as my entertainment, I’d choose reading with only a slight hesitation.

The idea for Call of the Vampire came to me from my subscription to A Word a Day. The word that day was “Aurorean” – of or belonging to the dawn – and I thought, “What a lovely name Aurora is for a vampire.” But then I thought, “No, Aurora is the name of the girl the vampire loves.” Call of the Vampire pretty much wrote itself after that.

For all the latest Aurora and Jessie news:

Synopsis

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Aurora Keys is heartbroken, struggling to forget the beautiful and enigmatic Jessie Vanderlind, who has told her it is too dangerous for them to be together. And he may be right. Jessie is, after all, a vampire. But that doesn’t make forgetting him any easier.
Just as Aurora is starting to pull her shattered life back together, Jessie reappears at her window with a warning: there are many vampires who want to see her dead—and him locked in a coffin for a hundred years. Aurora and Jessie are accused of staking a vampire for the sake of a human and must fly to Budapest to plead their case in front of a vampire tribunal. Their only hope of survival is to convince the world’s oldest vampire family that they are desperately in love—and have been for nearly 80 years

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Review

Heart of the Vampire is the heartbreakingly beautiful sequel to Call of the Vampire. Aurora’s heart is broken. She wants nothing more then to be with Jesse, but he is keeping his distance in order to protect her, but that is all fixing to change. Jesse reappears into her life, but the reunion is not a happy one. They must fly to Budapest and convince the Vampire Tribunal that they are madly in love and that Aurora is the reincarnation of Jesse’s lost love. Will they be able to convince the oldest vampires in the world that they did everything for love?

Gayla Twist has written a beautiful and haunting story of two star crossed lovers desperate to be together. Aurora and Jesse have such an intense connection, and despite Jesse’s sacrifice to protect them, they cannot deny the pull that exists between them. Aurora will do anything to be with Jesse again, even face the oldest and most terrifying  vampires in the world. 

Journey into the heart of darkness and the see the strength, determination, and power of love. Experience the passion, the desire, and the desperation of two hearts yearning to be together. What would you give to be with the person you love?

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The Importance of Book Covers by Ardash Vartparonian

Book

Teen Blurb Guest Post:

What is the importance of book covers?

Though I agree that it is not wise to judge a book by its cover, in any sense of the phrase, I also think that it is always a good idea to make a good impression. The cover is the first thing you see, the first thing to catch your eye; you might be attracted by the cover and consequently decide to turn it over to see what it’s about when you have no other information on hand.

I had quite the adventure choosing what the cover for my book was going to be like. I knew I wanted it to be something cool and mysterious without giving too much away. At first I wanted a sort of comic-book looking cover with all four main characters striking some sort of pose with their powers on display, but I quickly decided to strike that down realizing it would be giving away too much too soon, and also because I feel that even though the book is a fantasy which centers around the abilities these kids develop, in the end those same abilities are merely a metaphor for the whole concept of growing up and the theme of my book, which I call ‘identity’. To show them as a quartet of kick-ass teenagers would be to showcase the wrong aspect of the novel; the fictional over that constant struggle with the day-to-day that I wanted to portray in the novel.

My next idea was to ask a friend of mine to create a sketch of these four kids dressed in school uniform, with their backs towards the onlooker, climbing the steps to the school entrance (based on a picture of our actual high school) to emphasize the whole ‘individual vs. institution’ theme that is quite prevalent throughout the novel. Most of the novel concerns these four 17-year-old kids being unable to trust anyone except themselves; throwing the whole concept of trusting those that are older, grown-ups and people in positions in authority in particular, and leave them isolated with few resources they could turn to. My friend did this amazing sketch and I sent it on to the book’s illustrator for inspiration and to sort of get an idea as to what the characters look like since they are all very different from each other.

I liked the idea of the four having their backs to the reader interesting because then the reader would be able to imagine the faces of the four characters all by him or herself without any external factors influencing their imagination. When the book’s illustrator, Jamie Runyan, got back to me, he showed me that it would be possible to make the four characters face the reader by showing them as silhouettes, shadows if you will. I loved how this came out because it added a layer of mystery to the cover of the book. You can see these four kids, you can see how different physically they are from one another, and once you start reading you can very easily tell who is who.

Also, instead of having them on different levels going up and down steps Jamie put them on the same level and had them already inside the school, so we scrapped the ‘us vs. them’ theme in favour of a more ‘in your face’ approach. One of the reasons I loved it was because in a way it reminded me of the Scooby Gang, and in a way that is quite fitting since the book has an element of mystery and, not really crime, but maybe amateur detective-work that these kids have to take on once they stumble on their principal’s devious plan.

I was amazed at how perfectly Jamie Runyan was able to capture the personalities of the characters in what are basically their shadows; a hand on a hip, a shorter skirt, etc. All these are very definitive indications of who the person is, because one could argue that the way a person presents him or herself is a reflection of who that person is, so by using merely the reflection we get an idea of who these kids, the main characters, really are.


Ardash VartparonianArdash Vartparonian was born in London but raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of 18 he began his debut novel, Solstice High, and continued writing throughout his last year of school and first year of university, where he moved back to the UK to study English Literature at Edinburgh University. Now a fourth year student, Ardash enjoys going out with his friends, watching horror movies and reading fantasy book while trying to keep up with his university work.

Links

Books by Ardash:

Click on the pictures below to read my review

Solstice High

 

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