Saturday, March 11, 2017

An Oscar Moment



Recently there was a great deal of publicity and comment following some confusion with the best picture prize at the Academy Awards ceremony. In some respects, that event drew more attention than the awards themselves. Hey, we’re all human. Mistakes happen. Chances are there will be people linked with those five minutes of ineptitude for years.

So I found it ironic when my own Oscar moment happened this week.  A few months ago, my colleague at Inkspell Publishing, notified a number of us that there was a competition brewing for cover art. If we wanted to submit one of our works, they would coordinate the efforts.  Sounded like a good idea, so I asked that “Fleeing Beauty” be entered.  After all, it’s my personal favorite in the Jamie Richmond series.

The story line of the novel is that Jamie’s late father, who was a successful sculptor, left behind a secret storeroom filled with crates of his work. When it’s discovered, Jamie and her small circle of friends take on the job of opening the crates to inventory the treasure.  Additionally, she finds seven journals in his desk, giving her insight into the man she barely knew.

The cover, which was created by Shades of Rose Media, depicts Jamie with stacks of crates in the background and small tower of journals before her. It’s a cliché, but the first time I saw the artwork, it took my breath away. Still does. It draws you in, giving you little hints at what the story will be about.

So this week I received an email announcing that I was a finalist in the cover art contest for electronic book publishing.  There was a nice little certificate, which I was going to put on my blog and paste it all over Facebook. Until I looked closer.

You see, it made reference to a different book. Not mine. I checked with the committee and they confirmed the message, once again referring to the other book. A quick note to my publisher at Inkspell revealed it was for another writer within the house. Not mine. So close!  

Ah well.  And here I was, rehearsing my speech.  So that’s my Oscar moment.  What’s yours?





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