Judy Penz Sheluk: When Things Go South When You’re North: The End of Barking Rain Press

Judy Penz Sheluk: When Things Go South When You’re North: The End of Barking Rain Press

Guest Post: Creating a Compelling Cover by Judy Penz Sheluk

It has been awhile since Judy last graced the blog with her presence, but she is back today as she has a new book now out. A HOLE IN ONE follows THE HANGED MAN’S NOOSE: A Glass Dolphin Mystery.  

Creating a Compelling Cover by Judy Penz Sheluk

Everyone knows that book covers are an important part of a novel. But have you ever wondered just how book covers are created? While I can’t speak for other publishers, at Barking Rain Press (BRP) it’s a very collaborative process between the publisher, the author, and the artist.

The process starts by the author completing a document called “Cover Art Guidelines.” This document includes the title and author’s name, as it will appear on the cover, a list of any key elements in the story, a brief description of the major characters, the time period represented, and any other pertinent information that might assist the artist. That document serves as a template for the artist to begin his or her work.

In the case of my debut novel, THE HANGED MAN’S NOOSE, the publisher assigned the cover to Craig Jennion, a Senior Artist for BRP. The first step was a series of very rough sketches, from which the publisher and myself would select a “winner.” Here’s what that looked like. After a bit of deliberation, we selected the one marked with an “X.” That decision allowed Craig to come up with his initial cover concept:

We were almost there. The blueprints represented the building plans of the greedy real estate developer. The cocktail peanuts and napkin are something you’d find in a local pub like The Hanged Man’s Noose (ah ha . . . maybe you didn’t know the book was named after a pub!). 

But the wood was too light, as was the drink (in case you’re wondering, that’s a Treasontini, the Noose’s signature blueberry martini). The final version…well, I think Craig nailed it, don’t you?

  

For A HOLE IN ONE, Craig wasn’t available, so BRP hired Stephanie Bibbs Flint. Initially, Stephanie tried to mirror the Treasontini from NOOSE, but while the drink was important to the plot of my first book, there were no martinis in A HOLE IN ONE. Besides, I really, really, hate the taste of olives.

We all liked the window overlooking the golf course, but I didn’t like the dark splotch in the right hand corner, and that darned drink was still in the picture. Still, we were getting closer.  As for the title, could we, I asked, make the O in ONE look like a bullet hole? We could!

A cornice was added to the window...a good concept, but a bit too busy. We liked the text placement, though, and I liked the addition of the score card. The gun and the drawing on the napkin are also important to the story. Once we had that, it was time to add the text and blurbs. The end result? I love it, and hope you do, too.

A HOLE IN ONE was released in trade paperback and all eBook formats on March 6, 2018 by Barking Rain Press. Find it at all the usual suspects, including:

Amazon: http://authl.it/9f0

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-hole-in-one-judy-penz-sheluk/1127967500?ean=2940158640827

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/a-hole-in-one-3

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Judy_Penz_Sheluk_A_Hole_in_One?id=IERMDwAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/a-hole-in-one/id1350574649?mt=11

Barking Rain Press: https://barkingrainpress.org/a-hole-in-one/ - 1473022241950-de2dbbf6-9e98

Judy Penz Sheluk ©2018

An Amazon international bestselling author, Judy Penz Sheluk is the author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries (THE HANGED MAN’S NOOSE and A HOLE IN ONE) and The Marketville Mysteries (SKELETONS IN THE ATTIC). Her short crime fiction appears is included in several collections, including LIVE FREE OR TRI.

Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she currently serves on the Board of Directors as the Regional Representative for Toronto/Southern Ontario.

Find Judy on her website/blog at http://www.judypenzsheluk.com, where she interviews and showcases the works of other authors and blogs about the writing life.

Guest Post: Judy Penz Sheluk on "How to Make a Treasontini"

Kicking off this final week of December is Judy Penz Sheluk with a drink recipe. It ties into her mystery, The Hanged Man’s Noose. Depending on how the holiday weekend was at your place you may really need this today….

How to Make a Treasontini

It’s holiday time, and so I thought it would be fun to share my Treasontini recipe.

You can find the Treasontini on the cover of The Hanged Man's Noose, which also happens to be the name of a pub in Lount’s Landing, the small town where the book is set. The Treasontini, a blueberry martini, is the Noose’s signature drink; the town is named after Samuel Lount, a real-life nineteenth century traitor who was hanged for treason.

Treasontini

Ingredients:

2 oz. Blueberry Vodka

2 oz. Triple Sec

2 oz. Blueberry Juice

1 dash Club Soda

Fresh or Frozen Blueberries

Ice Cubes

Preparation: Combine blueberry vodka, triple sec and blueberry juice in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. Top with club soda, garnish with blueberries, and serve.

The Hanged Man’s Noose is on sale for $3.99 ebook from Dec. 26th to Jan. 15^th on Amazon/iTunes/Kobo/Nook. It’s also on at 33% off print at the publisher! Here’s a bit about it:

Journalist Emily Garland lands a plum assignment as the editor of a niche magazine based in Lount’s Landing, a small town named after a colorful Canadian traitor. As she interviews the local business owners for the magazine, Emily quickly learns that many people are unhappy with real estate mogul Garrett Stonehaven’s plans to convert an old schoolhouse into a mega-box store. At the top of that list is Arabella Carpenter, the outspoken owner of an antiques shop, who will do just about anything to preserve the integrity of the town’s historic Main Street.

But Arabella is not alone in her opposition. Before long, a vocal dissenter at a town hall meeting about the proposed project dies. A few days later, another body is discovered, and although both deaths are ruled accidental, Emily’s journalistic suspicions are aroused.

Putting her reporting skills to the ultimate test, Emily teams up with Arabella to discover the truth behind Stonehaven’s latest scheme before the murderer strikes again. 

Barking Rain Press, the publisher of The Hanged Man’s Noose, is offering 33% off all e-books, whether purchased on their website or directly through our distributors. That amounts to $3.99. In addition, they are offering 33% off all print books purchased through their website only. Here's a link to the promo page:

http://barkingrainpress.org/after-christmas-ebook-sale/

Judy Penz Sheluk ©2016

Find Judy on her website/blog, www.judypenzsheluk.com, where she writes about her writing journey and interviews other authors.

Guest Post: “Double Trouble: Fat Cats and Musicians” by Kaye George

It is not Monday, but Kaye George is here! Instead of a review, she is talking about her new books coming out this month. So, please welcome back Kaye George as she talks about her own works today…

“Double Trouble: Fat Cats and Musicians” by Kaye George

I find myself in the unenviable position of having two novels released on top of each other. How to manage this? By guest blogging, of course! Thank you, Kevin for giving me space today.

First of all, how did I get into this predicament? That’s easy, by having different publishers, each with its own schedule. The Fat Cat books come out approximately every nine months, the Cressa Carraway Musical mysteries have a little over 2 years between them. (Because I was writing the 3 Fat Cat books!)

Secondly, I like to write in different mystery sub-genres. That’s why I have all these publishers. Berkley Prime Crime has been publishing the Fat Cat cozies. Barking Rain Press puts out the more traditional Carraway mysteries. Untreed Reads handles the unconventional Neanderthal People of the Wind series (which has a book coming out June 13th). And I self-publish my Imogene Duckworthy humor series because I like to.

FAT CAT TAKES THE CAKE is the third in that series and the release date is April 5th. The first two books have been national best sellers for Barnes & Noble and BookScan. Here’s a bit about it.

Quincy the butterscotch tabby has a talent for sniffing out sweets—and uncovering crimes—in this Fat Cat mystery from the national bestselling author of Fat Cat Spreads Out.

When former classmate Rich “Dickie” Byrd throws a high school reunion to gather support for his mayoral campaign, it drums up some not so sweet memories for dessert shop proprietor Chase Oliver and her friend Julie Larson. Julie would rather not reconnect with Ron North, the creepy kid who had a crush on her back in the day. His social graces haven’t exactly improved with age, but is he creepy enough to kill?

The next day, Chase is in the park testing a new cat harness for Quincy—who quickly proves he cannot be leashed. But when his escape leads Chase to Ron’s body, the police wonder who else got away. Now, with Julie suspected, Chase must prove her innocence before the real killer plans another fatal reunion.

REQUIEM IN RED, the second Carraway mystery, releases exactly a week later, April 12th. The first one was selected as a Silver Falchion Finalist at Killer Nashville, so they’ve both won some awards.  I hope this blurb gives you an idea of how different these books are.

Aspiring conductor and amateur sleuth Cressa Carraway returns for a second installment of music and murder in this fast-paced mystery from author Kaye George.

Fresh out of grad school, Cressa lands her dream job as conductor of a fledgling ensemble in Minnesota that aspires to grow into a major orchestra. Leaving her psychic friend Neek, boyfriend Daryl, and DePaul University behind, she quickly starts to wonder what she’s gotten herself into.

Cressa’s new friendship with the first chair violinist of the ensemble, Maddy Streete, gives her an opportunity to sing in a dysfunctional church choir, but also leads to an organist gig in the church across the street. While playing the organ helps supplement her meager conducting salary, it places her in empty churches more often than she’d like, forcing her to deal with homeless vagrants, drug paraphernalia—and corpses.

As she tries to make sense out of everything, Cressa digs deeper into the lives of her fellow musicians and newfound friends to uncover swirling currents of hatred, old wounds, bitter resentments—and unexpected information about the suspicious deaths of her own musician parents so many years ago.

Can Cressa sort out the clues before she becomes the next victim?

I do get a kick out of the blurb and one reviewer calling the church choir dysfunctional. Okay, I did make this one a little more chaotic than any I’ve been in, but they all consist of humans, who bring their foibles and flaws to church choir, just like they bring them everywhere they go.

But do you get the sense that this is not a cozy? That this is a bit darker book? I hope so!

So, except for here, I’m promoting these two in different ways.

I have an agent and a big press with a publicist for the Fat Cat books and they are promoting by sending lots of review copies to cozy reviewers. I wrote some guest blogs that will be posted in places suggested by them. I’m doing giveaways on cozy reader sites. I gave away ARCs and copies for review. Books-A-Million is letting me do a signing on April 24th in Knoxville. If I were still in Texas, there would be several Barnes & Noble stores that would let me sign there also, but the one store we have here doesn’t do that.

Barking Rain does a great job helping out also. They also produced ARCs for me to give away for review. Also, they are offering a 50% discount on this book if you merely sign up for a preview of the first one, EINE KLEINE MURDER. They post a playlist on their site, which I hope draws attention. I’m doing a Goodreads giveaway of the first book for the week before it releases, hoping to gain readers that way.

Wish me luck! And, if you feel like it, pick up one or both of these and give it a review somewhere.

Kaye George ©2016

Kaye George, national-bestselling and multiple-award-winning author, writes several mystery series: Imogene Duckworthy, Cressa Carraway (Barking Rain Press), People of the Wind (Untreed Reads), and, as Janet Cantrell, the Fat Cat cozy mysteries. (Berkley Prime Crime). Her short stories appear in anthologies, magazines, and her own collection, A Patchwork of Stories. She reviews for Suspense Magazine. She lives in Knoxville, TN. 

http://kayegeorge.com/

http://janetcantrell.com/