About the cover...

As an indie author, I get a lot of writing advice, even more advice about marketing —especially the unsolicited kind from vendors trying to sell  their services. One bit of advice that I’d heard much about is creating/selecting a book cover.

 Readers shop with their eyes — I’ve heard this constantly.

They look for familiarity and yet simultaneously yearn for something different, enjoyable and engaging.  The design styles for different book genres were established long before I was born. The goal of the  cover is to get the reader to take a closer look, evoke interest, and hopefully produce a sale.

YA readers don’t actually like scantily clad figures on the cover, or exposed body parts— after all what if your mom walked in while you were reading it?

Thanks to Twilight, a hand holding an apple sends a clear message of temptation and vampire romance.  The key is to embrace the trend and give the reader a reason to open the book and keep turning pages.  The hand holding an apple trend was embraced by other authors like Michael Grant, Katherine Applegate, and Marissa Meyer — all took a bite of the apple theme for their covers.

Many experts say: ‘if your book reads like (book)... pick a similar cover.’

Let’s face it, Bellocaro’s cover feels familiar and there’s a good bit of logic behind that. While one shouldn’t just a book by its cover, we all do. Readers’ expectations are largely shaped by this cover image. And anyone who reads Bellocaro will see right away that I pay homage to Twilight; a book series I enjoyed, although truth be told, I liked the books more than the movies.

So when it came to selecting and purchasing the artwork for Bellocaro, I chose with care. I chose the familiar because I wanted to set readers' expectations.

For writers who are also YA readers like myself, setting up expectations about your book is viewed as a good marketing move. It shapes the reader's perception before they crack the spine, or read the first page. Once they do, they’ll be hooked on a different kind of life and death story.

Some of the most gratifying feedback I’ve received from readers:

—“Based on the cover, I thought it was going to be like Twilight, and there is a feeling like that, but boy, I  didn’t see that coming!”

Or

— “Wow, I noticed some similarities and thought I knew what was going to happen, I was so surprised and pleased I was wrong!”

Or

— “Holy Crap, (paraphrased for a PG audience) I didn’t see that coming, or that, or that.”

Some of my toughest critics are Twilight fans, who say seeing Bellocaro’s cover made them laugh and gave them a sense of nostalgia, taking them back a decade to when they first discovered the Cullen clan. After reading Bellocaro, they tracked me down on social media to tell me how much they enjoyed my book.

So while I understand some readers  or other authors may not approve of the choice of covers, contrary to what you may think, a great deal of thought did go into selecting it.

Happy reading.  

P.S. Meraux

Inspo ...Comes from many places.

I think most authors from time to time get asked about their inspiration for stories and how they do their research, myself included.
I recently got a question from a reader whose intention may have been the former while she wrote about the latter, asking me where I did my research about: what souls look like and how to alter them ???
    After I stopped chuckling (several minutes later) I started thinking about the nature of inspo. While the description of the soul is fiction in my novels, I did honestly put a lot of thought into it. More than the standard walking around the house mumbling to myself. And yes, I did do some um, ur, research...yes research...corresponding with theologians. Picking their brains for ideas. The general consensus being that the human spirit or soul is not something deemed tangible in as much as it is the presence of life to which the physical body plays host.
     But IF it did exist to the extent that it's visible and therefore describable -- it might have an amorphous form like vapor, liquid or light. With those options in mind, I made a conscious decision to have it resemble pure white light.

Altering it?
    Here I found that I was in virgin territory. There is no expert to consult. A soul is a soul, neither good nor bad. Now a person can change or alter their habits, their appearance, even their beliefs. Does that impact the nature of the soul itself? No one can say for sure.
    I got to thinking about pure white light again or rather the choices available for transforming it. Lighting techs use filters, gels, skims and intensity to change the tone and complexion of light on a movie set.  I couldn't envision a Paragon doing this since some of these devices are cumbersome and wouldn't fit in one's pocket.
    In a sense Paragons are ageless craftsmen and very dedicated to their duty. As many will see in the later volumes, the process of becoming a Paragon is not an easy one. Think molten lava.
    With that in mind, I did examine metallurgy and discovered iron ore is extracted and processed. While interesting it wasn't quite on par with my ideas for a Paragon's skill set.
   The light bulb went off when I was moving a sterling silver tea set that I inherited from my grandmother. Turning the tray over I saw the old hallmarks, well-worn from time and use, as to be almost smooth. I thought about the lost art of the silversmiths and how using hand tools they fashioned such beautiful pieces leaving their signatures with unique symbols and marks. Suddenly I saw in my mind exactly how Wicus would be adjusting a soul. Hence the stardust chisel and mallet of light -- tools of the trade for any Paragon.
    So I have to thank my late grandmother's love of vintage silverplate and hollowware for helping me devise a method for altering souls. Like the second verse of the old nursery rhyme says...that little teapot was clever indeed.
  Happy Reading,

P.S. Meraux

Why A Luminary?

     I get asked that question quite a lot. Some have even asked, "Why would a grown woman want to animate a candelabra for a non-kids book?"

    Well to answer that properly, I have to go back a ways to let you know something about me.  As a little girl, I used to believe that flowers whispered their stories and wishes to the bees, who in turn carried them aloft on the breeze. That was the rationale my six-year-old self had for the bees seemingly endless contact with the roses in our garden. So I guess a part of me has always pondered the possibility that there's more sentient life around us than meets the eye.

     Since I've spoken about the dream that I had involving the immortal, the witch and the candelabra -- most of my readers know about that spark of inspiration. But Waxine represents more than just the dream image. She and the other Luminaries embody an added level of diversity in the confluence of worlds that serve as the settings for these stories. 

     I write about soul mates, Paragons, witches, psychics, shapeshifters, vampires, immortals and werewolves...with such a variety of characters, the question isn't, "Why a Luminary?" To me, it's "Why Not?"

     Readers know that while the Luminary Saga focuses on an extra special human, Emily Wren, plenty of other soul mate matches are made throughout the books.  Call me a hopeful romantic. Embracing the concepts of soul mates in all their rich variation doesn't require much imagination. Every person has a soul mate, no matter their race, creed, color, religion or gender. All people have the right to happiness and love.

    What happens when they find them? 

     I like to think of them as sitting in a romantic bistro, gazing into each other's eyes. It's the kind of place where there's a seat at the table for everyone. All falling in love due to the careful orchestrations of a Paragon and a sarcastic, sentimental, smart-mouthed candelabra -- who lets him think that he's in charge. 

Happy Reading,

P.S. Meraux 

To Kill Or Not To Kill... A Character?

It’s a tricky predicament for a novelist. Having created many characters that readers genuinely seem to like and in some cases adore, I put a lot of thought into when I have to “off” someone.

Is it right for the plot?
Does it help the protagonist in a major way move forward?
Will there be repercussions?
How will I allow the protagonist to deal with it?
Become more vulnerable or less?
Be vengeful and develop new mad skills or go on a downward spiral?

These are just some of the issues that I deal with when contemplating such scholarly homicide.

Each aspect is mentally weighed and measured, to make sure that story is compelling and adds to the overall novel. As these questions and a host of others are eventually sorted through, I am left with the end result.

Somebody has got to go.

I send out the type-set hit squad and that’s it, the end. The fictional population is down by one.

I’ve gotten a few questions, about some of the people that I've given the ax to in my novels, from readers who didn’t want them to die. Requesting a literary resurrection, if you will.

I understand your attachment, perhaps better than you realize. While you have read and gotten to know them in adventure after adventure... some readers identify with the characters like they would a friend -- I gave birth to them, at least artistically speaking. I know what they look like, how they sound and  when they’re happy or horrified. And ultimately, I’m with them, in their heads in many cases writing their thoughts, as they draw their last breath.

Killing a character is never easy.

Fortunately, my characters reside in a magical landscape where anything is possible, and while I don’t guarantee that someone I have killed off will suddenly reappear in the pages of one of my future books -- sometimes characters are too damn stubborn to stay dead and find a way back.

Such is life in a supernatural universe.

Happy Reading,

P.S. Meraux 

The creative process...

     A number of people have been asking me about my 'process' for writing a top young adult fiction book series, as if I have a mysterious or scientific approach for creating a new novel or characters or settings. In truth, I don't rightly think I do.
    When I started out the Luminary Saga book series, I outlined the general actions, goals, problems and circumstances of each book and knew the core characters that would be inhabiting the worlds that I was creating...other than that, I allowed each story to unfold more organically.
     I had a number of plates spinning in the air simultaneously and didn't want to force the appearance of any particular paranormal species. Especially when tackling subject matter that involves finding a soul mate, psychic abilities, witches, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and an odd shapeshifter or two. Not to mention constructing two new races; the super immortal, Paragons, and the Luminaries. Then tying it all together in this epic, coming of age love story.
     I think when anyone is approaching such an endeavor, whether it's to create one of the best young adult paranormal romance novels that you can find online or in print  -- or one of the best science fiction and fantasy novels or ebooks, (I've been told that I'm in the wrong genre) allow yourself some wiggle room. Otherwise the chaffing can be intense.
     That said, I am a chronic note maker. I never know when inspiration is gonna strike. It shows in the files that I keep. I have (or had) a folder chock full of notes for each book.
     Ideas jotted down for this chapter or the next -- on cocktail napkins, envelopes, post-its, notebooks, appointment cards, receipts, even discarded calendar pages (yes, sometimes I get a little ridiculous about it) Case in point, check out the folder that I have for Flare, the seventh book in the Luminary Saga...on the right in the photo.

     Just for visual reference, I placed a book beside it. As you can see, I probably have too many schemes in mind for it to be a short novel. Knowing that has caused me considerable worry as there were other chapters that I culled from earlier volumes, thinking that it would help build suspense if they were added later. None of those chapters are actually in the above folder.
     And to be clear, from the outline that I currently have for Flare... there's no place for them. Rather than chuck the homeless chapters, I decided to reintegrate them into their earlier novels. But even that isn't as simple as it sounds. Other details have to be added here and there in subsequent chapters to make it all flow. Cohesion is a big part of it. Think of it as something to chat about during your next book club.
     Hopefully when I'm done, it will add rather than detract from the stories. Giving you more background into the lives of the characters. Either way, I'm positive that readers will give me their feedback. Which by the way, I honestly do appreciative.
     Of course all of this is driving my editor a little nuts, as it means that Flare's arrival may be pushed back.