Beautiful cover art

Two things I most dream about when I think of my dream of becoming an author are interviews and cover art. I know that many new authors don't get a say in what kind of cover art their books receive but I would like to think that if I am ever successful I will one day have enough money to hire an artist I admire to do the cover I envisioned.

Last night even, I was dreaming about the cover for HoL, and how the scene I am writing at the moment (where Rana allows Angelique to be taken to prison in order to hide his own shame) would be the one placed on the cover, Rana's anguished face and Angelique's fiery anger at this injustice would be the mirror of their characters in the book. I can see it so clearly in my mind all the scenes of my book that I would probably hate any film/tv version of it every made (haha here comes the snob) unless I was given the command. I paint every scene so delicately, you see, I couldn't bear to have it any other way.

Anyway here are some beautiful Barbara Cartland book covers which I really love (not just because I am a connoisseur of the Japanese manga trade):

http://todaysinspiration.blogspot.com/2009/09/francis-marshall-lessons-in-love.html

The Peri

I finally found something to call my winged beings, Peri. I will only ever use it in the singular sense however as Peris... looks too much like well, y'know *eyebrow raised*. They come from Persia mythology which fits in with my stealing names from all sorts of mythology (the Celtic Fomorii and Norse almost everything). The Peri are beautiful fairy like beings and are supposed to have to regain entrance to paradise through penance. Very intresting :D.

Attempt to show my stance

Smart Bitches, a romance novel blog I frequently visit recently asked after "twilight" and the popularisation of Vampires as romantic objects, what next? will it be werewolves? Fairies? or Angels? Here I had a minor inconvience.

Right now in my books I am writing about human beings with wings. As said in a previous post, I am not trying to show these beings as "angels" being a Christian myself I find it rather awkward (to write about a romantic story, when I believe these things exist, would be like going up to a friend and saying I had written a story about me getting off with them and I wanted them to read it XD) however I can't say that angelic "art" and the mythology of sort of "guardian angels" hasn't influence my writing. Therefore I sought to name my "angelic" characters after something that is winged but not an angel (up to now with no other name I had called them Seraphim, but then I felt weird about that) and came across this point:

Practically every which way we turn today, we are confronted with pictures, small and sometimes large statues of winged angels, female angels (often very sensually displayed), as well as winged child angels. These images of “angels” have been around for a long time, and many Christians purchase them and display them without knowledge of their true source or implications.

We need to note that the scriptures no where speak of angels such as are being depicted, so we wonder where does all this fascination with such ornaments come from? Much of this evidently has more to do with the graven images of winged gods and goddesses of the heathen religions than the Bible.

The exaltation of the supposed “innocence” of childhood is also a concept taken from heathen religions. The fallen human flesh often confuses adoration and worship of the creation with spirituality due to the emotionalism that is often attached with the carnal aspects of idolatry, which emotionalism is many times confused with “the spirit of God.” Today “New Age” paganism appears to be behind this increase of idolatry in this connection, for many Christians have not studied the Bible well enough to realize that these “angelic” works of men’s hands are actually idols.

Pagans often use the Bible to their advantage, so as to promote their pagan philosophies and idolatries, and many professed Christians seem to fall for their deceptions very easily.

While this is very fundamental, it raises some intresting issues. What do we as people regard as "angels" or "angelic" has a sort of mythology risen up around angels, that these women (and I to some extent) are using in our books but has nothing to do with the bible?

In my case I am going to make sure that my characters have more in common with birds, then with angels and make sure my story has more in common with Norse Myth then any biblical refrences.

Oriental Flirting Game

http://www.girlsgogames.co.uk/game/Oriental-Flirting-Game.html

Oh man I love this game just for the sheer cheek of it! Imagine running around beating boys into submission with your eye lazerz XD. I should try it out some time ;). Here's my little walkthrough for it.

1. Go right and lazer each guy you meet (if another girl sees you and does battle with you keep clicking your mouse until you win), when you get to the steps don't go up them go all the way left instead

2. Eye lazer every guy you meet including the fox mask guy, when he drops his mask put it on (I think this has implications for the western guy you try to win)

3. Go to the end and go into the graveyard

4. Wait (if you can) and see if the ghost boy appears, if he does laser him and his girlfriend's ghost will lock onto you.

5. Try to get into beauty mode after the ghost girlfriend is stalking you, if you do this then she will take away your beauty time (I know but don't worry) but in return she will be exoricsed meaning you won't have that fat -200,000 weighing on you at the end. (However even if you don't do this you will still get the best ending if you get the western guy)

6. Get the popular boy, it should be easy if you have high hearts

7. Go up the steps, ignore all the boys here you don't have time and run to where the two blonde haired characters are (I call this boy the western boy before)

8. When his girlfriend isn't looking, then eye laser him but when she turns around stop, when she turns away then laser him again until his heart is full.

9. You should have all men and the best ending :) enjoy!

Endings:

1. The plain litter-> you don't win any special boys
2. The plain litter with the silver pig-> you won the popular boy
3. The heavily decorated litter-> you got the popular boy and the ghost boy
4. The beautiful ship and the western boy fanning you-> you got all special boys and the western boy too :)