Hello, there!

       Today is a major Quest of Fire Friday. This is the last time I’ll be posting here…before the final cover in the Quest of Fire series is revealed. Book 7’s cover reveal is planned for next Friday, October 10th. With it I’ll finally be able to complete the graphic I’ve shared for every Quest of Fire Friday for years now. It will also be the title reveal and the first time I’ll be posting the back cover details from the book along with the release date.

So, is that it for today? Well, not quite. I thought I would share that this book’s cover and title have been enormously difficult for me to settle on.

Normally a couple titles will come to mind for me and then one just stands out and I have to choose it. For years now, I’ve had the title for the last entry in the series firmly fixed in my mind. It was supposed to be called The King’s Day. I thought that was the perfect title, the one that defined what the final entry was all about. Until I was finishing up writing the manuscript earlier this year. You would think a series I’ve been dreaming, drafting, and exploring for going on twenty years would be pretty well sorted out for me. But no. The Lord had more to show me, a better title that encompasses so much more, including the formerly titular King’s Day which has been mentioned dozens of times across the Quest of Fire series. Per usual for me unfortunately, I resisted and agonized over what title to use. I dug trenches with the circles I ran around in. Eventually I asked for advice from others and then prayed a lot about it (notice I did last what should’ve come first). Sometimes it’s really hard to let go of what we imagine is best. In particular, when what I’ve got in mind has been my plan for a long time.

After my struggle with the title, I fully expected the cover would still be a breeze. Usually, I work with the publisher to fine-tune a particular cover from a selection they offer. I had six to choose from for Resurgence of Dawn and knew which cover was the choice pretty much from the start. This time…I had three incredible covers to pick from. So good that I wanted to write books just to keep all three! If multi-covered books were a thing, then I totally would’ve taken all of them. But as neither of those are realistic options, I started pondering. What makes for a good book cover and more importantly a good Quest of Fire book cover? As I was pondering this, my heart was there steadily prodding me, reminding me Whom I serve and which would best highlight the themes of the book and series. The one that belonged as the cover. I’m really good at ignoring wisdom’s gentle summons.

So, here were some criteria I had for a good cover:

1. Vibrant color palette – good for catching the eye of a passerby and getting a closer look. Also, we by nature appreciate bright colors because God has made a world filled with bright colors.

2. Clear indicator of genre – at a glance you want the reader to know what sort of book they’re picking up. Reader expectations being met is a good way to avoid angry one-star reviews. Or at least not misrepresenting the book diminishes the likelihood of reader backlash.

3. Compelling – the action or image of the cover’s art needs to be compelling, either in generating questions, capturing a mood and (or scene), or giving the reader a moment of pause (literally wowing them).

4. Good thumbnail – the image needs to look good at full size, but also at smaller sizes, because of catching the attention of online shoppers, which is usually where sales are derived, necessitates it.

5. Does it match? – this is for series but can also be rolled up into your author branding. Does this cover look like it visually belongs with your other titles?

6. Will it flatten/drop resolution well? – most cover images are created in software that supports layers, but the printers at both Amazon and Ingram flatten images and/or down sample significantly for matte paperbacks, so if you plan to go with that finish, bear in mind it might distort (usually softens) the image and its lines.

7. Good contrast – contrast can really take a hit from flattening. You want darks and lights against each other and not overlapping like colors. Pale yellow on creamy white isn’t going to stand out well normally and even less after flattening and image resolution loss.

8. Pick your finish – the finish you want on the book (if you have a say) should comport with the genre standards you see in the marketplace and fit with the artwork. Does it look better in glossy or matte?

9. Does it convey deeper things about the story world and/or characters? – Um, yeah, it should. But to sell the book…this one seems less important on the surface. It should matter to authors though and will to the most loyal readers.

There was one cover that really met all of those considerations, except it wasn’t the best at #5 and #9. And I agonized over this one because all of the things I learned about effective marketing through a cover said pick that cover. But that wasn’t the one the Lord impressed on my heart. I was too divided to make the final call, but I laid out all my conflicted thoughts to the publisher and prayed some more. I was really relieved when the publisher picked the cover I was impressed deep within to choose. I regret not being bold enough to choose it outright but learned an important lesson in my struggling and failings.

Why am I talking about my struggles with these? Because they were my struggles and they didn’t have to be. Ultimately, my purpose as a writer and as a person is to guide people along the “good roads and walk therein.”* To point them to “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”** The Master Artist is free to alter what He makes using me and when I resist, I’m only making it harder for others to see His fingerprints within the art and within me. You would be fair to say the title of this book and its cover are likely small things in the grand scheme of all His works, but I want to be sensitive to His leading and faithful in the small things. When we’re faithful in the small things He can use us in the bigger and when He does entrust me with more, I want to be a brush that’s ready for the art the Master would make.

* Jeremiah 6:16

** John 14:6