Rachel Rossano might just be my favorite romance. I'm not a huge fan of the genre as a whole, but I do love a good arranged marriage story, and she has a number of those. Rachel is also a brilliant cover designer, so ... in case you have any questions about that.
Rachel Rossano
Christian/Romance/Historical Fantasy
Hit me with those burning questions. :) Though mildly curious inquiries are welcome too. ;)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful covers!! The second one, especially. That's my favorite! Do you use a special software to do your covers? Like InDesign?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tammy! I really love the second too. :) For cover design I used to use a free software call Paint.NET, but I have since upgraded to a purchased software called Corel PaintShop Pro, which has expanded my capabilities quite a bit. It is not nearly as expensive as the Adobe designing products like InDesign and PhotoShop, though I do still drool after them sometimes. ;)
DeleteIt definitely takes an artistic eye to get covers to look like that. Wonderful work! I agree! InDesign is killer expensive! Bleck! But, really, the work that I see you accomplishing on what you have is amazing and is doing the job!
ReplyDeleteSince I haven't ever used the other programs, I am not sure, but the impression I get from other designers is that they can do a lot of what I do, just faster. I am getting quicker with time as I practice more, but there aren't as many fancy actions being made for PaintShop Pro as there are being made for other programs. Still, I am always learning and trying out new stuff.
DeleteThe artistic eye mostly comes from looking at things that others or I find appealing and asking myself questions like "Why does it appeal to me?" Taking time to study details and paying attention to what draws my eye and why helps a lot in developing more of a sensitivity to detail and how we respond to things like color and form. :) I am an instinctive designer, but I am working hard on being more methodical as well. :) Plus it is fun to ooh and aah over pictures and cover designs. ;)
I never understood all the aspects that went into cover design until I needed one. Theme, font choice, color, placement....and layering it all? Wow! I remember feeling overwhelmed with all the choices and directions. I think I cried. LOL! (Along with every other step in publishing that overwhelmed me.;D)
DeleteThanks for sharing your work. I'm a fan! :D
Well, if you get overwhelmed again, holler my way. I can help, even if it is just pointing you in the right direction.
DeleteYou're welcome!
Thanks, Rachel!
DeleteHi Rachel! I highly admire your gorgeous cover designs. How did you get started in the field? Did you write first, or do covers first?
ReplyDeleteAlso, you've written a lot of books! I know there are different series, but are they are all connected in some way (such as taking place in the same world)?
Thank you, Kelsey! I kind of fell into it. I started out trying to learn how to design covers as a way to save money on my publishing costs. I spent a lot of time studying covers and analyzing how to replicate techniques. Then, one day a fellow author spotted my cover for Duty and asked me if had considered designing covers for other authors. After some discussions with my hubby and prayer, I decided to give it a try. I have been hooked ever since.
DeleteSo far, I have two series: Novels of Rhynan (Duty, Honor, and an anthology titled Making of a Man) and The Theodoric Saga (The Crown of Anavrea, The King of Anavrea, and The Reward of Anavrea). They and the standalone novella, The Mercenary’s Marriage all take place in the same world of kingdoms inspired by different eras of the medieval period. Wren was a novel I wrote as part of an experiment with whole bunch of other authors. We agreed on a beginning point, an ending point, backstory, and family construction. From there we each chose a sibling and wrote that one sibling’s story between those two points. As far as I know only three of us finished and published our novels. My short stories (Word and Deed and Exchange) are currently standalones, but I am working on writing a prequel to Exchange. That series is going to be set in a science fictional world in the far future which I am excited to explore.
Hello, Rachel! Thank you for allowing us to pester you with questions! Things I'd like to know:
ReplyDelete-You write historical fantasy; what's your favorite time period to write that in? What's a period that you'd like to write something in but haven't yet?
-What's your best strategy for combating writer's block?
Hi Sarah! It is great to meet you.
DeleteI love historical fantasy because I can mimic history without getting every detail right. I was one of those kids that never bothered to memorize the dates of events. I preferred learning about the people who lived at the time, why they did things, what their lives were like, and similar questions.
My favorite time period to write is probably medieval European. I grew up completely enthralled with the Tutor period in England, especially Henry VIII, his wives, and his kids, but somehow I have never had the inclination to write a novel set then. Perhaps because so many have done such a great job with the period before me.
A period I would like to write in, but I haven’t explored yet? Oh, that is a tough one. I am fascinated by so many periods of history and I find as I grow older I understand them more and more. I guess I would have to say the Regency period would be fun to explore on the page, but then the Renaissance would be great too.
My best strategy for writer’s block is probably consuming quality literature, whether on the screen or page. Another tactic is usually just mulling over the next scene until I come up with an idea that gets me excited. If I am really stuck, I chat with my alpha reader about possible plot ideas until one of them really grab me. Or, I take a break. Sometimes all I need is a really good clean-the-house-until-it-shines-week before I get a break in a drought.
Thanks for answering my questions! In terms of history, I think I'm like you- I love it, but more because I like learning about the stories and the people, not because I want to memorize a bunch of names and dates. Also, a Regency historical fantasy would be fabulous. I think there might be one or two out there, but the world could definitely use more if you ever decide to write one. :D
DeleteI am thinking of setting my Seven Swans retelling in the Regency period. That is the one I started writing as part of the Watch the Author Write feature.
DeleteHi, Rachel! First off, your covers are GORGEOUS, you do such a good job with them! Do you prefer writing male or female characters? What's the name of your favorite character that you've written?
ReplyDelete~ Savannah
scattered-scribblings.blogspot.com
It is great to meet you, Savannah!
DeleteIt is hard to choose between them. They both have their advantages. With female characters, I have the advantage of being female and having sisters and close friends for inspiration. With male characters, I have a husband and great brothers-in-law for inspiration. I think it all comes down to the individual character and how easy they come to the page.
My current favorite character is the one who keeps cropping up in all of my Rhynan novels. He is the Earl of Dentin and tends to go only by Dentin. He showed up in my first novel of Rhynan, Duty, as the hero’s gruff and blunt best friend. Then he returned by popular request in his own novel, Honor, and a short story anthology built around his past. At the moment he is actively entangling himself into my current WIP, Mercy, which will be the Third Novel of Rhynan. Although he comes across as a blunt and rude man in Duty, we get to truly get to know him in Honor. One of his fans has called him the medieval version of Mr. Darcy.
I just realized I forgot to say, thank you! :) That is what I get for writing replies while dodging bouncing balls at my son's scout meet. :)
DeleteWOW, it sounds like you write some seriously cool characters! I might have to pick up one of your books sometime soon. And you're welcome! I love questioning authors about their work ;).
Delete~ Savannah
scattered-scribblings.blogspot.com
*blush* Thanks! I think they are fun. :) If you do, I would love to hear what you think of my characters. Creating characters is one of my favorite parts of writing. :)
ReplyDelete