I think we’re close. Alessandro is a genius, and I don’t get tired to repeat how much I like his work. Maybe a tweak at the landscape… ? Not sure, which probably means it’s perfect as it is.
Best Gift Ever!
For my birthday, my DH surprised me with 20 hard copies of my novel. He worked with Alessandro to get the cover printed right and the final result is a work of beauty. When I uncovered the pile of books DH had carefully arranged on the kitchen table, I felt pure joy. Looking at the shiny cover made me ecstatic, but when I actually held a copy in my hands, I had an out of body experience. This is what happiness looks like:
And, this is me signing copies. Do I look the part or not?
Write, Edit, Publish: Possibly In That Order
Yesterday, I went to sleep and I thought, “I can’t wait to wake up tomorrow.” The mere idea of spending a whole day writing, reading, and editing made me smile. I consider myself extremely lucky, because I can do what I like and I’m surrounded by people who let me do it. Having a good editor and a good cover artist behind my books also help achieve peace of mind.
When, three years ago, I decided to start writing in English I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. To begin with, Italian and English require two different parts of the brain to be learned, spoken, and written. Moreover, writing a novel is a demanding affair by itself without adding the language challenge. But, I do like to be challenged and I’m a patient person. I write every day and I don’t need holidays or breaks from it, because it’s something I want to do. Writing energizes me. It’s my personal vitamin D.
I strive to reach 1000 words written every day, sometimes I end up with more, other times less. Since I embarked on this journey, I’ve written 800k words: 8 finished novels, and 2 short stories. Not every one of them will leave my pc. My first Nanowrimo’s attempt, 56k words, it’s an example of fantasy gone terribly wrong and isn’t salvageable. Although, it was a good exercise and I learned a lot from it. I’m constantly working on my writing until it reaches the point where I think it’s worth hiring an editor.
The Priest was edited by not one, but three different editors, plus the final proofreader. Being the first time I tried to publish anything, I didn’t know what I needed to get the novel out and I made a few mistakes along the way. Fortunately, when I thought the time had come for my little book to see the light of day, I was told by the editor hired for the very final pass before publication that there were several problems with the manuscript. She didn’t have any opening soon, but was nice enough to send The Priest’s first chapter to Amy Eye, so that she could give me an example of her editing skills. She is currently working on Pax in the Land of Women, and I already booked her for the third and final installation in The Ginecean Chronicles, which sums up what I thought about her editing skills. Lesson learned, catastrophe avoided, and all is well that ends well (literally translated from Italian).
Morale of the story: work hard, be scrupulous, and never give up. Eventually, you’ll find the editor who’ll make an honest writer out of you.
Pax in the Land of Women, Cover 2
With Pax’s cover, Alessandro and I are in symbiosis. After having worked so hard for The Priest’s, creating this second cover is proving much simpler. Here’s the second attempt, and I can already say that we are on the right track. I think that the heading should match the one on The Priest, but we are close to the final cover.
Pax in the Land of Women: Cover 1
Pax, which is currently being edited by the extraordinaire Amy, is the second installation in The Ginecean Chronicles, so its cover should immediately convey a sense of belonging to the trilogy. At first, I thought to ask Alessandro to mirror the composition of The Priest’s cover in Pax. Instead of having half face on the right, Pax’s face would be on the left. As a background, I wanted a glimpse of Ginecea City. Although the result is beautiful, after seeing the first attempt I think Pax’s cover should follow The Priest’s exact layout and feeling, but in a different shade; something blue to symbolize the city, whereas in The Priest the sepia was chosen to symbolize the desert. Also, I asked him to display the portion of the city’s image containing the statue of the Goddess instead of the ruins. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Cover 1
Writing Companions
Nero, my furry baby, has gone through a lot, but here he is by my side, on the couch. He’s only six years old and the sweetest beagle you can imagine. I write everyday while petting him; it gives me peace beyond comprehension and he makes me smile. Nero shadows me wherever I go, and, if he feels I’m upset he nudges his big, snoopy-like nose against my leg. Life is definitely better if a dog adopts you.
Beagles on a cover
Last year, I wrote a short story about a boy and two beagles, and Alessandro, my favorite cover artist, worked on the concept art for a possible graphic novel based on it. This was the very first drawing for the cover. The project has been put on a hiatus for the time being, but Alessandro’s art deserved to be properly showcased.
Ginecea City
Alessandro doesn’t sleep at night, which works great for me since he’s creating some serious art. In the last two or three weeks, we went back and forth talking about what I wanted to be represented on the cover for Pax in the Land of Women. I asked for a mix of ancient ruins and modern buildings, and then I gave him free reins. Fresh from his tablet here is the concept for Ginecea City. Stunning, right?
Pax’s Concept Art
Alessandro Fiorini, the artist behind The Priest’s cover, is working on the concepts for Pax in the Land of Women, second installation in The Ginecean Chronicles. He sent me the first image a few hours ago, and, as usual, I was extremely happy with his work. What do you think? Isn’t he great?
Proud Parent
The Priest got its first review. And it’s like watching your kid walk his first timid step. A mix of trepidation and exhilaration. Hoping that he’ll run soon but afraid he’ll get hurt, and you know you won’t be there to help him. Will he be strong enough?
The sixth novel I’ve written, The Priest is the first I published and it took me almost fifteen months to go from writing the story to pushing the button to release it into the wild, vast world outside my pc. There were frustrating moments, it was a long gestation for mere 54k words, but I never thought to quit. Now, 271k words later, The Ginecean Chronicles are complete, but my work is not done, yet. The second and third in the series will be published only when I’m sure I’ve done everything in my power to make my creations stand for themselves. So that the other kids at the playground won’t mock my babies.
Dollhouses and Cold Porcelain: Love at First Sight
I have a thing for gnomes. It started when I was a little kid and my family used to go on vacation in Austria. We went for long walks in the forest and my mom told my sister and me whimsical stories about little people living under rocks or inside holes in the trees. Several years later, I laid eyes on Wil Huygen’s Gnomes and here they where: Mom’s little people. Then, one day, looking for books about salt dough, I found the image of a tree house that reminded me of a gnome dwelling. By that time I had already adopted the more refined and durable cold porcelain (cornstarch dough) instead of the salt dough. It took me several months to finish the two tree houses, as I kept adding details until I decided it was time for the gnomes to come visiting.
Monica La Porta 