Here it is! The cover for Cloaked, the western re-imagining of "Little Red Riding Hood" I have been working on for... well, it feels like forever, but it's actually been just a little over a year. And which, yes, will be released by the end of this month, Lord willing and the creek don't rise. In both Kindle and paperback forms, via Amazon.
I don't know about you, but I am in love with this cover. It's the work of my talented sister-in-law, Erika Ohlendorf. If you're a writer and want to see what other kinds of work she does, her website is here. Her prices are reasonable, as original cover art by a real artist goes.
If you're on Goodreads, Cloaked has a page there already. (Thanks, Elisabeth Grace Foley!!!) I have an author page on Goodreads too. And, you know, a website and a Facebook author page, that kind of thing. Just in case you want to find me elsewhere.
So... what do you think? Does it say "western Little Red Riding Hood" to you? I hope so!
Your SIL's website isn't linked. ;)
ReplyDeleteI like the cover. It has a Great Gatsby / old fashioned feel that suits you well. :)
ARGH! There's always something. It *was* linked at one time, mutter mutter mutter. Thanks for noticing! All fixed.
DeleteAnd yup, she was designing this during my Gatsby read-along, and she was like, "The original cover for Gatsby has inspired me!" and then she wouldn't tell me how until she'd finished mocking it up.
I love the old-fashioned look to it too. Hoping that says "clean, YA-friendly, classic western with no weird things like time travel or steampunk or whatever," hee :-D
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh . . . I love this!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt makes me feel all cozy, you know? Like "curl up with this book on a cold winter afternoon and have a splendid time." :-) I really like the "layered" sort of look it has--Red Riding Hood's cloak being the first layer, then the hills behind it being the second and third layer, and then the mountain as the final layer. It's cool.
(I once had a story book that a friend of my mom's made for me--don't ask me how, but she was a very talented artist and I guess she had her Ways--and anyway, the pictures she made for the book also had that same "layered" look. So this cover brings back some of those memories for me :-) )
The letters up at the top, the ones that say "Cloaked," are a really nice style. Very elegant.
I want to read the book even more now!!!!! (And I have a terrible stomach virus, so thanks for brightening up my morning :-) )
Jessica, that is pretty much how I reacted when I first saw it. Like, "I want to read this right now! Oh, wait... I wrote that?!?!"
DeleteI love how textured it is, and layered, and yeah -- all the things you said :-)
I hope you feel better soon! Stomach bugs are the worst, IMHO.
Yes <3
DeleteThank you!! I hope so, too--I had to skip classes today because I couldn't get out of bed without falling over, and I hate skipping.
Yeah, I hated having to cut class for sickness too. I mean, profs understood, but still -- I MISSED CLASS. Ugh.
DeleteI saw this in another email today, and thought the cover looked nice. If I may critique: I can see "Rachel Kovaciny" isn't centered. I'd move it slightly to the right to center it; the underlying image of the cloak doesn't matter. I'd get rid of the tagline or notation about any potential series at the top. And I'd raise the title a bit--it would impinge less on the beautiful cover design. If the setting is supposed to be western, that explains the "old west" typeface for the title, but I'd change it to match the typeface for "Rachel Kovaciny." The image is so elegant and modern, and an old west typeface distracts from that.
ReplyDeleteJohn Smith, thanks for the ideas! The designer and I spent a lot of time trying to decide whether or not the name needed to be centered, and it was her opinion that it was more important to make it aesthetically pleasing with the cape, as plenty of covers have non-centered words. (Yes, the designer happens to be my sister-in-law, but she's also a professional artist with a degree in graphic design and illustration.)
DeleteThe tagline about the series at the top is important, since it's part of a series of fairy tales retold as westerns. Readers like to know that yes, there will be more similar stories coming.
And having the same font for the title and author is actually a big no-no for cover design. It looks amateur at best and lazy at worst. The Old West typeface is very important because a lot of people don't see the "cowboy hat" image initially, and they need to know from the get-go that this is a western. If they buy this thinking it's going to be a fairy tale in a fantasy setting, they will be sorely disappointed.
Thanks for paying so much attention to the cover! But this is actually the reveal of the finished product :-)
Congratulations Rachel!!! IT LOOKS AMAZING!!! (And I looove the red cape. *heart eye emojii*)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gabby! I know, isn't that red just bright and cheerful when contrasted to the background?
DeleteThat's an amazing cover! And yes, it completely screams "western Red Riding Hood." I can't wait to see what twists you've added to the story.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Art3mis! I will spoil you a little and say that one twist I've added is there's a smidgen of romance...
DeleteOk, now my curiosity is REALLY piqued. :D
DeleteCongratulations, Hamlette! It looks wonderful. I really like the title font! Very Western. :D
ReplyDeleteThanks, Miss March! I love the title font too :-D
DeleteLovely! How exciting!!!!! :-D
ReplyDeleteThanks, MC!
DeleteThis cover is amazing, Hamlette! Your sister-in-law did an incredible job. I love the colors and textures!
ReplyDeleteJust added this book to my to-read shelf on Goodreads. Can't wait to read it! :)
Thanks, Molly Rebekah! I really love it too -- can't wait to hold the paperback in my hot little hands!
DeleteI hope you enjoy it when you get a chance to read it :-)
Congratulations! Wow, you must be so excited to see this all becoming real!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Birdie! YES, it is amazing!!!
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