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Thursday 23 January 2014

Towards a front cover

Graphic design isn't my forte but I enjoy fiddling, hoping things will come out right. Or preparing the ground for a real designer. When Out Of Arizona was still Risen On Wings (changed because it sounded churchy) the cover was based on a Cessna 172, in flight, shot from below. But I could never find the copyright owner. Here's the latest iteration.

ZAP! The trouser culling season has started. Not as gruesome as the season for baby seals ("the furry animal looked up with limpid trusting eyes") but equally terminal. Why now? Because 44R has become 42R.

Male readers will recognise those as waist measurements. After several months (slowness is the nature of my diet) I have shed about 1 stone - 14 lb - and it's noticeable. VR cannot bear all that visible bagginess to the rear.

So all my 44R trousers are becoming landfill. Including an experimental pair in bright red which I rather liked, pleased by my own audacity. The aim is to hinder regression.

SNAP!
Nine-ish, both of us clicking our Kindles. "What are you reading?" I asked. "Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch," said VR. So was I. Me: "Where are you up to?" She: "43%." I'd reached 66% but I knew I'd be rapidly overtaken. VR gobbles up fiction.

The Goldfinch was on special offer download just before Christmas; neither of us could resist the deal. It's a good read, packed full of info as is often the case with US novels. Strong on antique furniture.

WIP Second Hand (55,734 words)
Technical note: Francine has floppy light blonde hair and a pale complexion. Beyond that I don’t plaster in excessive appearance detail. Which is fortuitous because – quite unexpectedly - she’s having her portrait painted. Now such detail works.

5 comments:

  1. Red trou are cool, but I really like the quilt on which they're displayed.

    Also like your book cover!

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  2. Drop them at a second hand clothing store...here that might be "The Salvation Army"......those pants make me wish I could be a 44 for a few days at least!

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  3. Though if you had the paper back you could pass The Goldfinch on. Having a Kindle each and special offers to boot is a luxury. Nice, too, to be able to read the book at the same time. Though I still think that sometimes it is better to have paper copies simply for ease of sharing.

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  4. Why did I never see you wearing those red trousers when I have visited?
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    Is there some way you could hint at a female pilot with the cover picture? It would arouse curiosity for potential male readers.

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  5. The Crow: Should you pay us a visit that's the coverlet under which you would sleep - it decorates the double bed in what we call The Second Bedroom. Sir Hugh, Professional Bleeder, Occasional Speeder would all have pre-slept you. If you give us sharp warning I'll keep the red trou away from the landfill and you can wear them as you sleep.

    MikeM: You don't say specifically whether you'd have to blow up or shrink down to match 44R. I wore my new 42R yesterday and felt as sleek as an otter.

    Joe: The special offer on The Goldfinch was so tempting that our two downloads would have still undercut the cost of a paperback. Also Kindle archive does away with the storage problems that a growing mountain of paperbacks presents.

    Sir Hugh: I didn't know you cared. As to the front cover what you suggest has all the hallmarks of a good theory which would be almost impossible to execute without descending into corniness.

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