sometimes an idea is a good idea

[mmegaera]

I hope, anyway.

Two things. I started writing Ghost Light yesterday. I don't think this one's quite jelled yet, but that's okay because

I had an idea for a short story/novella in my Yellowstone, er, universe (somehow that SF term doesn't seem quite appropriate in this context, but what the hey). We'll see how long it turns out to be, but since it basically takes place over a period of one day it can't turn out that long, right? [cue maniacal snickers] Hopefully not more than 20,000 words' worth, anyway, which I should be able to punch out pretty quickly. I wrote about 1500 words on it this morning, and I'll publish it as a freebie/99 cent teaser for the rest of the series. What the heck. It's from Will's point of view, and takes place between True Gold and Finding Home. Actually, during WWII.

I had an idea for taking all the material (rather a lot, actually, in several different venues and formats) I've written about my Long Trip and turning it into my answer to William Least Heat Moon's Blue Highways. I've always sort of intended to do that, and I'll have to learn how to put photos into an ebook, which has always been what stopped me before, but, to repeat, what the heck.

Anyway, that, along with epubbing Finding Home (just gotta finish the cover now and do the final formatting) and doing paper versions of the entire trilogy (I'm going to be taking classes on how to design paper covers and interiors and using CreateSpace for POD), that ought to keep me busy while Ghost Light finishes percolating. Esp. since said percolating means reading all the research I've collected, too.

Oh, and speaking of covers, here's my first attempt at the one for Finding Home. Any comments and critiques are welcome. And, yes, I'm going to take another photo of those shoes after I drag them through the mud and rub a little sandpaper over them, perhaps sharpen a knife. But you get the gist.



Also, looking at this, please tell me what you think the book's about. Thanks.

Comments

[nishatalitha]

From the cover? Something about a small child being in Yellowstone. Possibly either the view of an adult returning there and considering childhood memories, or the small child being lost or abandoned in Yellowstone.

I don't know if it would work, but I wonder about having the shoes placed on the outcrop just to the left of M.M. and focus on them with the landscape of Yellowstone spilling out behind them, rather than having the shoes hovering over the landscape? Does that make sense at all? I don't know if it's possible with the photos you have.

Mostly I'm not sure about having the shoes hovering over the landscape (unless, of course, that is directly relevant to the story), but having random objects hovering over landscapes is a pet dislike of mine when it comes to book covers.

Hope this is vaguely helpful? It is, of course, all opinion and I have no formal art training whatsoever.

[mmegaera]

Yes, it is helpful. And I'm glad at least I'm communicating the contents fairly well. That's a relief. I'll see what I can do about placing the shoes better after I bang them up and take another photograph of them.

Thank you!