Book Cover Art: Finding A Balance

I’m putting together my book cover art request for Discovering, book two in The Architect’s Guardian Series. It’s always fun to pick out what elements to have in the cover art.

In book one, Awakening, Armando and Izdahl went through quite a few changes. I’d like the cover for the sequel to reflect that, as well as hint at what’s to come. That’s an interesting balancing act.

I always like to review my decision-making process when choosing elements for each cover. All my book covers have been created by Deranged Doctor Design. So far, I’ve worked with them five times, beginning in 2017.

Whenever I have a cover made, I learn something about myself and commissioning work. Over the years, I’ve become better at completing the briefs, so that the cover turns out the way I imagined. Sometimes, it’s even better than I’d imagined! It’s a rewarding experience to go from discussing cover art ideas to having the final version that best represents what’s happening in the book.

My 2023 Reading Summary

My year in books summary, with a sunset gradient. Details include 35 books read, mainly in the romance genre.

Here’s my year in books for 2023! Love this clever summary, courtesy of https://myyearinbooks.com. Some of the books I enjoyed the most are:

Happy New Year! It’s 2024!

Happy New Year!

It’s 2024! Here’s what I have planned:

  • Continue drafting my new fantasy romance.
  • Plot out a few more stories that have been simmering.
  • Publish The Architect’s Guardian Book 2: Retribution this fall.

Winter 2023 Story Updates

Image from Anya on Pixabay. A snow covered path leads between a row of trees. Sunlight shines between the trees.

It’s the Winter of 2023! Where did the year go? Here are my plans for this season.

The Architect’s Guardian: On October 10, 2023, I published Awakening, the first novel in my new sci-fi m/m romance. Retribution, the sequel, is my writing priority for this winter. My goal is to publish that in Fall 2024.

Dragon Shifter Fantasy Series: Another story I’m working on is a dragon shifter romance! I’ll have many more details about this in 2024.

Lone Wolf and Cub Trope

When I lived in Japan, I used to watch the reruns of the show Lone Wolf and Cub. Ever since then, it’s been interesting to spot where the theme pops up. That’s why I find The Mandalorian and The Last Of Us to be so gripping. Other examples across media include:

  • God of War 2018
  • Logan
  • Somali and the Forest Spirit

I highly recommend those series, along with Seirei No Moribito. This gripping show gives you an emotional journey twice, as Jiguro takes care of Balsa and then Balsa protects Chagum.

A woman stands with an arm around the shoulders of a boy, as they stare into the distance. Cover for Seirei No Moribito series.

Fall 2023 Story Updates

Landscape with various trees changing from summer to fall colors.

It’s the Fall of 2023! Here are my plans for this season.

The Architect’s Guardian: Next month, I’ll publish Awakening, the first novel in my new sci-fi m/m romance. I’ve also been working on the sequel. Preorder Awakening. It will be widely available on October 10, 2023.

The Agitator’s Code World: In The Agitator’s Code Series, I introduced Ariston and Reimon. Their story is coming along nicely. There’s a deeper dive into their lives, which was first touched upon in Tildari Sunrises, the conclusion of the trilogy about Darion and Tolrek.

Summer 2023 Story Updates

Red flowers grow over a cliff with waterfalls. A pool lies below.

It’s the Summer of 2023! Here are my plans for this season.

The Architect’s Guardian: In a few months, I’ll publish Awakening, the first novel in my new sci-fi m/m romance. I’m taking more time to polish it and plan to release in Fall 2023. Check out the cover reveal!

The Agitator’s Code World: In The Agitator’s Code Series, I introduced Ariston and Reimon. I’m drafting their story, as well as the one for Vyncent and Sarai. There’ll be more news about those couples!

Spring 2023 Story Updates

Purple water lily.

It’s the Spring of 2023! Here are my plans for this season.

The Architect’s Guardian: I’ll be publishing a new series soon! Awakening is the first novel of my sci-fi m/m romance that will be out in Summer 2023. I’ve commissioned the book cover and will do a cover reveal closer to publication.

The Agitator’s Code World: In The Agitator’s Code Series, which I completed in November 2022, I introduced characters from a special program. The third novel of the series, Tildari Sunrises, provided much more information about those in the program. I have several stories in development, including one about Ariston and Reimon.

Happy New Year! It’s 2023!

Happy New Year 2023

It’s 2023! I’m so excited about what I have planned:

  • Publish The Architect’s Guardian: Awakening this summer.
  • Continue to revise The Balance Series.
  • Draft my new fantasy romance. 😉

Fall 2022 Story Updates

Water flows over rocks in a stream. Trees with green, orange, red, and yellow leaves are on either side of the stream.

Fall of 2022 has arrived! Here are my plans for this season.

The Agitator’s Code: I’ll release Tildari Sunrises and conclude this trilogy! Vaironian Tides and Ledani Moons are available as ebooks and paperbacks here and here.

The Architect’s Guardian: I’m so happy about the progress I’m making with revising Awakening, the first book of this sci-fi m/m romance series. I plan to publish book one in the summer of 2023.