Learning Curve

Yesterday, I put together the cover for Reclaiming the Balance, and it only took me an hour.

This used to be the hardest part of putting out a book. That was back when I didn’t know a thing about Photoshop (the program where I lay out my book covers). There were various parts of the process which stymied me: Highlighting text, working with layers, making some of the writing go down the spine.

Now I remember how to do those, and I made quick work of the cover. I will tweak the cover to make sure that the bleed (the overrun on the edges) doesn’t take out any important parts of the illustration and to align the spine. But it’s mostly completed.

It’s reassuring to know that the hard tasks will not always remain difficult and that I can learn new tricks. I am, after all, an old dog.

Playing with Photoshop

I have been making a book cover for my January releases, Apocalypse, using Photoshop. Photoshop has so many features I get lost these days. As a beginner, let me share my thoughts:

Photoshop, despite the name, is not just for photos any more. Posters, book covers — anything demanding more control than Canva can be done here.
Layers are everything. You build a layer every time you add something. A photo, a rectangle, some text — they’re layers. You have to get to that layer to edit and delete. The layer menu is at the lower right.
To your far left are cursor tools, and that’s where your basic powers are hidden. And I mean hidden — one of my favorite tools, paint can, is hidden behind another function.
Whenever you need hel (including finding something), go to Help at the top of the screen at the far right. There is a blank there ideal for finding something.
Take a deep breath. Photoshop is not an easy program androids can make for themselves when they’re you will make mistakes.

I will wait till closer to the release date for Apocalypse to show off the cover. But now you know the most basic of basics to get into Photoshop.

Bits and Pieces

Yesssssss!

I finally got some writing done yesterday! It was about 2k words, which is my typical daily goal. I feel a lot better about my slump and think I might be on the way out of it. Let’s see if I can maintain it.

Just a reminder

The second book in the Kringle series, Kringle in the Night, will be coming out October 1. OMG less than half a month away! Just a little ad:

I’m proud of the cover

This is the book cover. I put it together myself. The picture came from a royalty-free site.

I can’t believe how close it is to opening day. I have to advertise it. Bye!