Logged myself out of my blog

I know you are shocked but thanks to the google nightmare login that links things that should not be linked...I locked myself out of my blog.

And I just now figured out how to get back on.

:)

When editing a cover for a client (or yourself), don't toss the entire cover for minor changes such as hair color, eye color or background details.

As you can see from these two photos---I made the hair blond instead of dark.  I made her eyes blue.  I also replaced the 1 large swan with 3 smaller swans

How?

The hair, I found a picture with hair that suited the position of the girl. I cloned it over her dark hair.  Sometimes with light hair, you can paint the hair darker rather than cloning the hair  Make you match the hair line of the scalp.  If you don't you could end up with skin tone issues if you have to paste over skin.

Eyes...you can blow up the picture and color the irises.  Or if they eyes light, you can recolor them  The cloning of color is brighter and more natural---but more time consuming.

The swans are easy---just make sure you have a similiar color in the background...or a white background you can fade out.

The majority of these changes can be done in www.ipiccy.com  if you don't have PhotoShop.

Life gets in the Way...

Have you noticed?

I've had a nephew in Children's Hospital and a dog in kidney failure.  I've been 'consumed' with family.

But I have done some work.

This is LINDA ULLESEIT's new YA Book Cover (front and back).  I love how it turned out.

And she me design book 2....:)

I've also been doing some promo poster and video work for a few animal rescues.

I'm Back...

Ah Google Plus is still mutating my blog experience.  I apologize for ignoring my blog so long but the Google Plus changes are a nightmare and I don't find it easy or fun to use anymore.

I miss my old blogger behind the scenes layout.

:(

So here we go to walk through the doorway to a new and annoying world by Google.

This is one of the rejected covers for a project I finished a few weeks ago.  Yes, I will be talking about making your own book covers again soon.

And for those waiting patiently, the annual book cover giveaway is coming up soon...so get those fingers ready as they always go quickly.

Are you ready for a free book cover?

:)

Tirz

Bookstore Flyers

If you self publish, you'll have to pimp your book, and no that doesn't involve popping it into a mini-skirt and dropping it on the corner. That would be easy.

And self-publishing is never easy.

So you've published your book in ebook and print. You've done the holiday free giveaways on Goodreads and Amazon. You've Facebook'd it, gave it a Twitter come out and had every friend with an email post it on their page.

You've even done a few blog interviews and a tour.

But you don't have your book sitting on a physical shelf at a bookstore and you really want that. By the way, that's not a must have for success but if you want it, let me try to help.

First, the chain stores are probably out unless you have a publisher or are already selling really well. Sorry!

But independent and small bookstores are still in the running.

I suggest having all your promo material ready before you call or email these stores. Having a book only won't be enough.

You'll need a:

1. A website or blog. Even if its a static page, have a page.
2. Book flyers.
3. A press kit including bookmarks, postcards, a bio or author promotion sheet & book info including reviews/testimonials.
4. A poster (optional).
5. Sample chapter (optional).
6. Business card.

EXAMPLES of some PROMO MATERIALS I MADE:

BOOKSTORE FLYER/POSTER


Business Card

BOOKMARKS


After you put your kit together, drop in these bookstores and the ones that fit your book vibe, see if the owner or manager will talk to you about doing a signing, carrying your book or having a book signing.

You don't want to do the face to face? Try calling or emailing. Smaller bookstores like a professional but personal touch.

Some are going to say flat out no.

No luck locally? Try sending your kits to smaller bookstores within a two or three hour drive of your home town.

But do not send the kit without speaking with someone at the store, have your business card and website ready. If you email them, include a link to your website or flyer (or both). When they say they'll consider it, send them a press kit.

If they say yes, say thank you in writing.

:)

T

I detest Google Plus

Yes, I know that Blogger is part of Google plus. I use to love my blogger blog, I've had it for years. It's been easy to use and I've enjoyed it.

But I made the horrendous mistake of trying Google Plus. Well, I didn't want to try it but after they killed www.picnik.com, I was strong armed into it. But the Creative Kit was very hard to find, hard to use and the picture quality poor.

Then, it tried to post my pictures to the public. I had my pictures made private but it was keeping my pictures in folders anyway. I didn't want my pictures saved in a third party area in Google Plus. So after I tried the Creative Kit, I deleted those pictures.

And I deleted ONLY those pictures. It was maybe 10 to 15 pictures.

But when I went to my blog, all my pictures for SEVERAL YEARS were gone. No real help is available. I went to the forums, they kept talking about Picassa. I have no idea what that is or where it is. And no, I didn't delete anything from it.

--Yes I did eventually track Picassa down..but I didn't know I even had a folder there. I did not touch said folder.

Somehow blogger, Picassa and Google Plus are all mushed together in some sort of deformed mutant.

All I know is I've lost YEARS of pictures and materials, most of which cannot be recovered. I am so mad I can spit.

And basically the help forum was ...oh well you shouldn't have deleted anything from Picassa...I didn't know my blog was even connected to Picassa...so I didn't touch anything there. And the only pictures I deleted from Google plus were those few recent ones. And somehow that...killed ALL my work for years?

Geez. Great.

Now I find that blogger's dashboard and navigation tools are being changed to make it more like Google Plus. Blah. I'd rather paint my butt pink and date a baboon. Google Plus is just a mess to navigate. Why would I want my blog to work that way? I don't.

Honestly, I detest Google Plus.

If I'm tragically wrong and someone can tell me how to fix the mess that is now my blog, Google Plus and the new interface?

Or if not, does anyone know how I can transfer my blog to somewhere else?

Blood Totems COVER types

Blue eyes, dark & white feathers, textured, author under title.

Gold eyes, big title, name at bottom, textured.

Gold eye without lettering, textured, red tint to catcher.

Blue eyes, textured, name on bottom, dark & white feathers

Without lettering, blue eyes, textured, dark & white feathered

Gold eyes, dark feathers ONLY, textured, no lettering.