Welcome to my Tag Team Events!
Laura and I are the Tag Team Bloggers.
You can find Laura at fuonlyknew.
We Tag Team an author and publish our posts at the same time.
Whether it’s for a cover reveal, giveaway, review, interview, or something more, the author will be tagged by us and you will be alerted to go to Laura’s blog or mine to see additional content. It’s really fun to see how differently we view the same book and you get an extra chance to win with our giveaways!
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D H Nevins is here today to tell you how excited she is to share the new cover for Wormwood and how it came about.
Welcome, D. It is wonderful to have you here today. Take it away.
The Alternatives
It was exceedingly difficult to select my favourite cover. Every mock-up Derek created was incredible in its own right, and it would be a shame not to share them. So in all their glory, here are the other options he came up with.
The third one—the one with the wing obscuring the girl’s face—is so amazing, I’d very much like to use it as the cover for my sequel, Angel of Shadow.
What do you think?
I think it would be awesome D. I can hardly wait to get my hands on it. ^_^
A New Cover for Wormwood
First of all, before I say anything else, let me introduce Wormwood’s new cover. Oh, and before I do that, I should forewarn you that I’m a tad biased about this…
The New
This beauty took my breath away the moment I saw it. As an author, I couldn’t ask for a better representation of my work. And I’m kind of picky—so that says a lot! The image projects a mood that reflects the feel of my story so perfectly, I knew the cover artist understood Wormwood on multiple levels. But even if we’re just talking aesthetics, well, although I am most definitely biased, I think this is one fantastic-looking cover!
The Old
I originally had a different cover for Wormwood. It was a simple black and white etching by Gustave Doré, depicting a fallen angel reaching towards the heavens. The sheer turmoil apparent through the angel’s expression and pose not only fascinated me, but seemed a perfect depiction of the conflict raging through Tiamat, a half-angel in Wormwood. However, the etching–although classic–was hardly a trendy cover. The story itself was very well-received, but I found that people had trouble getting past the antiquated-looking cover in order to take a chance on reading what was within. My love for the cover, it seemed, was a lonely one!
The Cool How
About a month ago, I was contacted by cover artist extraordinaire, Derek Murphy. He had read Wormwood and subsequently offered to make up a new cover for the book—for free. Surprised, flattered and curious about the vision he had for Wormwood, I heartily agreed.
Then, as you know, the resulting cover blew my expectations out of the water! Its impact was immediate.
Why it Works
The image depicts the book genre clearly. The colour contrast is striking, which catches the eye instantly. Plus, it’s incredibly professional.
It also fits the story.
On a literal note, the protagonist is a strong female, adept with a crossbow, yet still out of her element. However, she would never admit it. I could see this in her stance. Yet the cover holds so much more than a simple literal representation of Wormwood. Derek recreated the feel of the book perfectly. The mixture of light and darkness remind me of a review Wormwood once received which, in part, said, “The lines will be blurred between good and evil, love and hate, truth and lies, and hero and antagonist.” The hazy fusion of sunlight and shadow reflect this beautifully. The unsettled, foreboding skies mirror the mood of this dark, post-apocalyptic story, and the falling feathers are a nice touch. They hint at the half-angels in the story without hitting potential readers over the head with their existence. The fact the feathers are broken and falling is also perfect, but I hesitate to say why… after all, I don’t want to spoil the most exciting parts of the book!
My Thanks
Naturally, I wouldn’t be sharing this with you if it wasn’t for Derek Murphy. His outstanding covers and unprecedented talent can be seen on his website, CreativIndie Covers. Have a look at http://bookcovers.creativindie.com/
And of course, I would like to extend a huge thanks to Sherry Fundin for her generosity in allowing me to ramble on about my new cover here on her blog. Thank you so very much, Sherry!
Thank you D. That is a fascinating story of what teamwork and the generosity of the indie and blogging world can accomplish.
Now for a little video entertainment to round off your eye candy fix.
After this fantastic trailer, which is so descriptive of the world devastation in the book, please continue reading for my review.
My 5 Star Review of Wormwood by D H Nevins
I won this book through fuonlyknew’s blog. I would like to thank Laura and D. H.Nevins for the giveaway.
Right off, the cover grabbed me. I didn’t know what to think of the title, but as you read the book, you will find out what it means.
The writing is excellent. Wormwood starts out fast and holds your attention throughout. The description of the devastation made me able to visualize the world around them. I can’t find the words to describe it myself, but D. H. did a great job of it.
The actions of Tiamat will make you question things yourself. Is God a kind, gentle person, or is he vengeful and vindictive? And what about angels?
As I was reading I kept thinking of Supernatural. I watch the reruns on TV most mornings. This book reminded a lot of how God and the Angels treated humans on the show. If you’ve watched it, you’ll know exactly what I mean. God has his own agenda and the angels will follow it, us humans are along for the ride.
The relationship between Kali and Tiamat, and Tiamat and God, was creative and complex. For me, it raises more questions than answers. I am sure most everyone has asked “Why Me?” more than once.
The biodegradable soap made me chuckle along with Kali. Tiamet was thoughtful, like when he supplied her with toiletries and clothes, but he stood away from her emotionally and physically.
The things that happened to her, could make the strongest person give in to the misery, horror, devastation, desolation, abuse………..
This is an amazing apocalytic/dystopian novel that will take you into another world. The details and descriptions enabled me to visualize the surroundings and characters as they struggle to stay alive long enough to find their destiny. Very well done and I can hardly wait to read the sequel, Angel of Shadow. Happy writing D!
SYNOPSIS
Against a devastated landscape, a legion of one hundred fierce half-angels is hell bent on purging the Earth of all humans. But one of them, the tormented Tiamat, struggles against his mission, and when he rescues a beautiful woman named Kali, he finds the attraction as troubling as it is dangerous. Can Kali trust the one creature who could be responsible for her ultimate demise?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
D.H. Nevins was born in Toronto and currently lives in a quiet area of Ontario, surrounded by forests and lakes. By day, she is a personable, friendly school teacher. By night, she silently chuckles as she writes about destroying the world. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, camping, flying around on her motorcycle or dabbling in live theatre.
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Click on the cover below to get your Amazon copy of Wormwood by D H Nevins.
GIVEAWAY
In celebration of the new cover, D H Nevins is giving away 5 ebooks of Wormwood to 5 lucky commenters. Please leave your email address and answer the question:
Which cover would you choose and why?
This is a Tag Team Event sponsored by fundinmental and fuonlyknew. For another chance to win, go HERE.
Giveaway ends July 30, 2014.
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I just can’t get over how excellent the new cover is! I keep looking at it, and now I have to have it when it comes out in print!!
It is gorgeous. ^_^
I really like the new cover and I’d choose it over the others. It’s a nice combination of elements from the initial batch of covers and makes a stunning statement. :]
I totally agree with you audrey.
I like the new cover, but I really love the one on the left. The color blends perfectly with the rest and really brings it to life.
I love it too and it was my first choice. I love the vibrant, bold colors. Thanks for stopping in C and good luck.
The new cover is gorgeous. I like all of the alternatives too.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
I’m thinking it had to be hard to choose. ^_^ Good luck Mary.
The book with the female with the wing. It caught my eye. I felt that I’d want to at least red the synopsis. The others made me want to bypass them thinking, here’s another fantasy/post apocalyptic book full of rhetoric. I feel I need a softness to stories. Everything is starting to seem harsh and cookie cutter lately, in reading.
I know what you mean, Phyllis. I think I have missed some good books, because I look at the cover and think, oh another one of those, especially the sexy chest ones. Way too many of those around and sometimes I pass right over them not even checking them out because of it. I think all the choices were excellent, but I do have a thing about eyes, so I’m hoping she does choose to use that for the next book.
The new cover is lovely, although I must admit my favorite is the one with the face close-up slightly obscured by the wing.
Hi Leigh. You are not alone. D is thinking of using that for the next book. Great choice.
Wow these look great! Definitely want to read and the covers are gorgeous!
D’s writing takes this dystopian novel to the top of the pile!
The new cover is amazing.
I also like the one with the wings at the top. 🙂
It has a subtlety to it that lends it a feeling of peacefulness to me. Thanks for commenting Lisa and good luck.
I would choose the 3rd cover (the one furthest to the right) because I love the stark contrast between the angel wing background and title
I think there is something special about it too. I really like eyes on covers. ^_^ Happy to see you stopping in Tina.
The new Wormwood cover is haunting, leaves mystery, for the next book, I like #3
I really like the third one too. D is talking about using that for the next book, which I can hardly wait to get my hands on. Thanks for stopping in Dianne, always nice to see you.
Wow– these responses are eye-opening. I loved all the covers Derek created, but there were two that really spoke to me: the one I selected, and the one with the girl’s eyes. I see those are popular choices here too! I’m hoping to use the one with the girl’s face (#3) for the sequel, Angel of Shadow (as Sherry mentioned). Thank you for putting my mind at ease. Based on your input, I now know that was a sound decision.
Best of luck on the giveaway, everyone! And should you happen to read Wormwood, I would be honored to hear what you think about that too.
Sherry, thank you so much for this wonderful, multifaceted post about Wormwood. You and your sister are truly amazing!
Wow–these comments are real eye-openers! I loved all the covers Derek created, but I think I was particularly drawn to two of them: the cover I ended up selecting (obviously! :-)) and the cover with the girl’s face partially obscured by the wing. These really spoke to me. It was quite a relief to hear that many of you felt the same way. The second one I mentioned–the one with the eyes–will hopefully be used for the sequel, Angel of Shadow. I’m much more confident in that decision now. =) Thanks so much for your feedback. I valued every word of it!
Best of luck on the giveaway, everyone. Should you happen to read Wormwood, I would be honored to hear what you think about that too. =)
Sherry, thank you for the wonderful, multifaceted post about Wormwood. As always, you and your sister are truly amazing!