Judging a book by its cover: Hexborn

It's finally time to show off my new book: Hexborn, a "sword and sorcery" fantasy novel set in the imaginary country of Bryn.  Just as with the November Snow series, the main character is a strong young woman in a dangerous world.  And just as November was the heart of my vampire series, Shiloh is the heart of this new story.

I knew that Hexborn was going to be special before I even finished writing it.  I knew I needed to put some thought and money into the cover in order to give it the best chance of succeeding.  So, I turned to the indie guru Eeva Lancaster at The Book Khaleesi to do the cover design.  She is amazing-- the perfect combination of creativity, professionalism, and, occasionally, brutal honesty. I am thrilled with what she and her team put together.  I think it will give me a good shot in my Kindle Scout campaign.  (Don't forget to vote and spread the word!)

I knew that I wanted my protagonist, fifteen-year-old Shiloh, to dominate the cover.  This is her story, after all.  I wanted to include the detail that she covers her head for religious reasons.  I thought that the hood would also help convey the epic fantasy genre a bit.

One detail that was particularly crucial to me was her hair and eye color.  In the book, you learn that hair and eyes of unnatural colors are signs that a child was exposed to too much dark magic in the womb.  Such children are called “hexborn” and suffer a kind of chronic illness.  The condition is highly stigmatized in their society, and nearly impossible to hide.  Living as an outcast obviously has a major impact on Shiloh’s development as a person, so I wanted her hexborn status depicted on the cover, along with her strength and determination.  My designer did a fabulous job retouching the photo to match Shiloh’s description from the story.

The perfect choice of frame and the title font help complete the magical/fantasy feeling:

What do you think of the cover?  What are some of your fave fantasy covers?  Please don't forget to pop over to Kindle Scout to give Hexborn a nomination!  Many thanks, and happy reading.