More Than Just A Story In A Book: pictures

Showing posts with label pictures. Show all posts

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Covers.....Help Me Pick A Cover....What One Do You Like?

I have done the covers for each of my books. There were times that I sat before a blank paper with watercolor paints ready and waited for the idea to come as I did with my own story of I Will Not Give Up...Not Today...Life Is a Journey. When I wrote the book I felt compelled to share a part of my own life with the hope it might help others to never give up. As I painted the picture I knew that was what I wanted but still did several more and asked some friends to see what they thought as I worked on them. I wanted the painting to share the feeling of the book with hope for the future.

I WILL NOT GIVE UP... NOT TODAY... LIFE IS A JOURNEY

viewBook.at/B00730UT6A

When I did the story of the family who had to relocate to escape being homeless I knew I wanted to use one of my photos. I took the photo one day as we traveled down the road and the sky seemed almost ablaze with the color of the sunset. It took my breath away. I could see the lights of all the cars and thought at the time that every one had their own story, place they came from and place the go to. In the book the family goes down such a road not only to a new place but hopes a new life. Life has a way of throwing some obstacles in the way and problems are not always left behind simple because we travel to a new place. It is difficult for me to do the covers as I want to be able to help the readers feel the story but also share my art as well as my words.

LIFE GOES ON

http://viewBook.at/B004XJ6U26

I thought my painting for A Tale To Tell worked perfect for a collection of short stories with a ghost in everyone. I hope to write another short story collection. Our children and grandchildren love a good ghost story and when we have a bonfire and roast hot dogs it is a part of the fun. That is something we love to do and hope when we get a bit better with our health and healing we can do it again.

A TALE TO TELL

viewBook.at/B007ESJ49Y

My novel Journey Home will always have a special place in my heart. It is the first novel I wrote and I have heard from many they really felt as if the could see and hear the place, and feel the fear and emotions good, bad, intense, friend, foe, love and more. I painted three or four paintings and liked them all but none of them was the one. I looked at a painting I had done many years before for my father-in-law before he had passed from this life. In the novel, Lara finds that home is not a place you go to but a place in your heart. It is not always an easy place to find. The woman named Lara would have to find the truth and live through it if she hoped to find her way home. In my painting there is a path as there often is in what I paint. The path does not lead to a house. I hope it leads to where we need to go in life to find our way. I could share some of my art that had special meaning with every book.

JOURNEY HOME

viewBook.at/B0054GLX92

I painted this almost 20 years ago on a piece of typing paper with a children's 99 cent paint set. The sky was blended with a paper towel. My father-in-law liked it so much he had it framed and kept it on his wall until we lost him.

The Pumpkin Field has always been my husband's favorite, I think. He likes them all but that little book brings a smile not only with the story but the memories of why it became a book. When I think of the bonfires of the past I always think of this too. We had huge trees in the back yard that often dropped limbs. I could have asked the children to go out and clean the yard but I know how happy that would make them.... or...... I usually just told them I had some hotdogs. If I only had some sticks we could have a bonfire and wiener roast. The yard was cleaned in no time and with smiles all around.

When they were full and sitting, laughing and talking they often would want to hear a story. Our boys had come home from school complaining that they were having to study poetry and it was awful. All poetry was awful. I had to laugh and told them that poetry could tell a story.

My oldest son answered “Sure, a love story. Uck.” He made a face and sound to go with the comment.

I decided to write a spooky little poem about a haunted pumpkin field. I wanted to do more than that. I wanted to write it in a way that no matter the age of the person they could use the poem to relate to life in different ways and open communications with one another. It has always been fun and interesting as children and adults alike would share thoughts, ideas, hopes and even fears.

I realized all I had to do was the art work to make it a book a child could have and keep or a parent could give as a gift. Each page has full page art illustrations. When it was time to do the cover I found that one to be easy. One of the characters covers the book. I even have pages people can copy to use for their children to color and make their own decorations or books.

The Pumpkin Field

US
http://www.amazon.com/Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=la_B004PVDVR4_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1363274016&sr=1-4

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1363274072&sr=8-9

Canada

http://www.amazon.ca/Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1363274270&sr=8-9
France
http://www.amazon.fr/The-Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1363274480&sr=8-12
Germany
http://www.amazon.de/The-Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1363274610&sr=8-7
Italy
http://www.amazon.it/The-Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1363274676&sr=8-3
Japan
http://www.amazon.co.jp/The-Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1363274730&sr=8-8
Spain
http://www.amazon.es/The-Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1363274544&sr=8-6

That brings me to this new novel. I have such a passion for it as I believe the story to be one that will be hard to forget and relate to things that happen more than we realize. A young child trapped in a nightmare life, had a special friend. His friend told him, that he could call him Danny. To read the first part of the book and get an idea of the feel of the story it is http://linda-nance.blogspot.com/2013/03/danny-novel-and-linda-author.html I thank you for all your help to choose the cover. I like them all and time is short if, I want to be able to finish the final edits and publish next month in the Child Abuse Awareness Month of April.

Was Danny a friendly ghost there protecting, or was there more to this entity than anyone might suspect? Steven began to think Danny might be a Guardian Angel but angel or evil…only time would tell….. because Steven would tell no one and betray his friend …. and that friend was there to stay.

Tragedy and chaos, murder and an end to life as Steven had known, erupted in his household in the dark of night.

Three young boys fled in the night. It was a night that would change their lives forever. If it was a new beginning or a new nightmare of a different kind, only time would tell….and we can not forget Danny. He would not want to be left behind. “You can call me Danny.”

I hope you enjoyed me sharing these things so near and dear to my heart. I also thank all who help me to pick the cover here and there for the new novel Danny. Here are the ones numbered to make it easy to tell the one you like the best.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Stormy Sky Above

It was a beautiful day filled with sunshine. The air was heavy and humid and the more the sun beamed down, the warmer it got. In the distance you could see the storm clouds and they were moving our way. I will not say that I am terribly afraid of storms, but I have a healthy respect for them and what they can do.

I remember a day long ago before we had the kind of equipment that helps to track and warn us of dangerous weather. It was a day like today with warm temperatures and humidity so high the air felt thick. This may sound strange but I have always had an extreme response to the weather. It is almost as if I can feel the energy of the approaching storm. I can be so tired but as a storm nears I feel more and more energized. When I begin to feel like the energizer bunny it is time to head for cover.

That day was similar to today and felt as if the storms could be building. I remember seeing the clouds churning and rolling. The dark and formidable mass of clouds looked angry and intense. You could see and feel the electricity in the air as I knew it was time to run. The storm hit with such force it sounded like a roar combined with a freight train all at the same time. The wind and rain and screaming sounds all around from a storm that was swiftly tearing up all in its path. Most of what was out there were miles and miles of fields but there was a house here or there or the barns. Some would not be there after this storm passed.

Our neighbor had a large barn totally destroyed and their house was untouched right beside it. Part of our roof came off and I feared we would swiftly follow it the way the storm raged. As quickly as it began it was over, or so it seemed. I went outside to see what had happened and saw a sight I will never forget. All around above us were the rolling masses of black clouds even darker than they were before churning and rolling. As I looked straight up above me was the prettiest blue sky you could imagine. The air was deadly calm. It almost felt as if there was no air. My breath caught in my chest as I realized I was looking up through the center of a tornado that had lifted off the ground. The terrible winds we had were only those below it. I am so grateful it did not stay on the ground at that exact moment. I had seen others that twisted, turned, went up and down in the blink of an eye and I was right below it. I ran back into the house as I realized the other side would soon hit just as strong as it had been moments before and hoped it would stay above and not swoop down to destroy and devour.

When it passed part of the roof was gone and windows broken but we were all unhurt. Those thoughts passed through my mind this day.

I could feel the intense change as the clouds rolled in. It was obvious we had storms headed our way and the news media had warned of the remnants of the hurricane we would see. I got busy writing and tend to be totally absorbed in what I am doing. I have been so excited about the new novel that is the next to be released, that I did not notice how dark it was with the huge mass of clouds.

No matter what kind of concentration you have you would notice when the winds made that howling sound and the rain was not pouring it was driven with such force it had a sound almost like some wild creature raging all around. It was too late to wonder what it was or tune in and find the latest weather update. The weather that was, was here. I can not run. There was nothing to do and then it was gone leaving heavy pouring rain. The rain was so heavy you could not see what was beyond and as quickly as it came, it was gone.

I tried to call my daughter but there was no answer. I hoped she had taken shelter. I called my husband. He had gone to the store in town. He sounded relieved to hear from me as he told me they had said on the radio a tornado had been here. Not a few miles away but right here. It had not dropped down enough to do the damage and destruction it could have.

The storm head headed toward my daughter's house where she and my grandson waited and watched. I know both of them fear such storms. The have a fear of any storm but this was one to watch and beware. I wished they were with me. I wanted to know they were alright. The announcement came that all cell phones where she was were not working with anything but some text messages. I got a message from her about then that they were fine but the phone would not work.

I had the news on and realized how amazing modern technology is with the internet. I turned on the computer and could see messages from all different family members...everyone was alright. I have been worried about my nephew for some time as he is in an area where anything could happen. He is one of the response team sent in to try to help restore the electricity after the hurricane. They send them in right away so they are on the spot where needed. Walking or driving into harms way. When he said their truck was flooded and there was no way it was going to start he meant it. He sent pictures after they got out of it with water up to the window. That was after it had gone down some. They had been trying to beat the rising water to save the trucks when it flooded with such force all they could do is save themselves. As far as I knew, for the time being, we were all safe.

It does no good to worry and I know that. Worry does not change a thing. Worry is very detrimental to a person's health especially if they have hypertension and numerous other health issues. Even as I say and know these things to be true I still do worry. When I found out all was well, it was a relief.

I stepped outside and when I looked up at the sky I could not resist using the phone I held in my hands to take some pictures of the clouds. I could see three layers moving in three different directions and at different speeds. The turbulence above was still working it's way across and clearing. Between the clouds there were patches of dark blue sky.

In no time at all the clouds moved on and the sun came back out heating the moist air to steam bake settings and it was time for me to go back in.

They constantly changed and churned as I took several pictures before going back in. I put the photos on the computer and looked at the intricate and forceful look of clouds that were filled with turbulence. I have been planning to work on the cover for the new novel Danny.

Danny is a story of a young child in a dysfunctional family living a nightmare that became real. As I saw the clouds above churning and shrouding unknown and unseen forces of nature, I thought of the cover I wanted for the book. Those clouds show such intensity and depth. They are so vividly and visually symbolic of darker times and uncertainty of what will become. The clouds may part and blue sky return, or they could build and strengthen again to show the power and force of nature in a fury.

I used those photos and even printed them out to see how they look. I added the book title and author name to see how it looks. I could have tried to use a picture of the character but I want to find a way to create the feeling. Those clouds have such feeling and beauty even in the cover of potentially dangerous developments to come. I know I have more work to do but this is some of what I have been doing this evening. I hope you enjoy and would love to hear what you think.

When I sleep tonight I will think of blue skies, rainbows and gentle cooling breezes. I wish you all a peaceful and restful sleep.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Review by Fran Lewis of The Pumpkin Field

review of The Pumpkin Field https://www.createspace.com/3588264

http://www.amazon.com/Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=la_B004PVDVR4_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1347995172&sr=1-4

http://www.amazon.com/Pumpkin-Field-Linda-Nance/dp/1461044812/ref=la_B004PVDVR4_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1347995172&sr=1-4

By Fran Lewis: reviewer

The illustrations help the reader feel as if you are experiencing the fear, the trepidations and the excitement of Halloween. The eerie feeling created by the three pumpkins and the picture of the tree that looks so alone and bare. You can feel the chill in the air and bite in it too just from the illustrations you begin to shiver. .As Halloween night takes a serene and calm pumpkin field and turns it into a world filled with scary scarecrows, pumpkins with faces that glow a silence that would frighten anyone- once again author Linda Nance takes the reader along with the young child who is either dreaming or experiencing what is happening in this pumpkin field, and you enter the same world and feel like you are there. The amazing expressions on the faces of the pumpkins, the black cat who lurks in the night and the young boy who is mesmerized by the sight of witch flying on her broomstick will give you chills all down your spine. The illustration of the witch is so detailed and graphic you can feel her spell working on the reader as she casts her fiendish bone chilling grin and smile sending anyone running in her wake. Is this a dream or did it really happen? I will never tell. Just wait until you visit the pumpkin field on the next Halloween Night and find out for yourself.

This is a really great poem filled with mystery and suspense. I really think this is great. Fran

Fran Lewis: reviewer