Cover Contests

The Kindle Scout programme provided me with publicity for my manuscripts and excitement that motivated me to write at a great rate. I never "won" Kindle Scout, but I always felt that I had got good value from my free participation. Sadly, however, Kindle Scout is no more (as is Kindle Worlds - which inspired me to start my vampire/shifter series although I went independent with them); and I need to find a new source of "buzz" for my writing.

In desperation, I turn to "Cover Wars" by Author Shout. Author Shout also create promotional posters for authors to use online and after viewing a few, I was inspired to create my own from some photographs taken especially by my friend Allan.

I made a poster for Silver Springtime: This features a background image taken by Allan Schultz as well as the cover image of a tree which features his photography. The cover image represents two lovers carving their name on a tree. The setting is tropical because the story is located in SE Queensland, Australia.

Mystic Evermore is competing in Author Shout Cover Wars for 1 week from 15/7/2018, US time. Please vote. http://authorshout.com/cover-wars/

My book Mystic Evermore is a vampire/shifter teen romance for which I was inspired to do a hand-drawn cover.

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I have also been doing a "Cover War" with Author Shout for Silver Springtime:
Please vote online before Sunday 1/7/2018! http://authorshout.com/cover-wars/

The design story of this cover.

 I Wanted a tropical rain-forest scene for the cover of my novel to fit the setting of SE Queensland. At the time I was unable to travel, so this picture was taken at a nursery that specialises in tropical plants and ferns!

I used the "cover creator" provided by Kindle Direct, which gave me the initial design. However, each cover creator I loaded the image into made a slightly different cover. The final cover ended up being designed in Create Space's cover maker. However, then I made a cover in Open Office, which could generate a PDF version suitable for Ingram Spark and some other publishers.

 AUTHORSdb stands for "Authors Database". Membership is free and authors can self-list their own books. It appears to be a friendly site because I have received a number of spontaneous friend requests, which is something that has not happened at Goodreads or most other author sites.

AUTHORSdb is also a site for reviewers, promotions and giveaways, so there could be a few reasons for the friend requests. However, the site appears friendly and interactive.

AUTHORSdb has several types of contests and I have checked them out because contests do represent good publicity opportunities.

The first lines contest sounds great - but my books start where they start -  strangely enough! I used to get great first lines in my head once... but found those ideas rarely went past a hundred words or so. If I have a book which starts in such a poetic fashion, I will consider entering it.

Mystic Evermore is doing the "Cover Contest 2018". I entered this title because I am most proud of my hand drawing and computer compilation of this cover. (Several of my covers feature high quality photographs by my friend Allan, so I am actually proud of them all.)

Please visit to vote for my entry and feel free to browse through the fascinating entries and titles competing in 2018. http://authorsdb.com/2018-cover-contest-results/27325-cover-contest-2018-mystic-evermore

My Promotional Video!

Mystic Evermore: My Third Kindle Scout Campaign

I am trying again with a human/vampire fanatsy collection on Kindle Scout. Please visit and vote. https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/2Y37ZD4NICUBH 

Mystic Evermore (Mystic Evermore Book 1)

by CECELIA HOPKINS

Vampires, Werewolves & true love Forevermore!

Welcome to the weird world of Mystic Evermore! When two new families move to town, they begin to meet the local residents and discover their secrets. Who or what does Bridget Etheridge share her very first kiss with? Why does Jaylen Woodgate run away from home once a month? Is Javier Tilton a normal young boy who likes dressing like a Goth or more? This book aims to capture the wonder, mystery and drama that is involved in adolescence.

Categories:
Literature & Fiction › Mythology & Folk Tales › Folklore
Romance › Fantasy
Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Myths & Legends
Teen & Young Adult › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Contemporary

Some interview questions from my campaign:

About me:

Cecelia is an Australian author and poet who has a special interest in American Literature. In 1993 she completed a Masters thesis on H.P. Lovecraft and the 'Gothic' or 'weird tale'. She followed this with a study of the Fairy Tale Motif in Victorian Literature in 1996, also at Masters' level. Today, Cecelia is hard at work creating her own fairy tales and myths.

Q. What is the inspiration for the story?

A. Dracula, Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, True Blood etc.. the list goes on. The names in the story are generated (not copied) from the poem THE RAVEN by Edgar Allan Poe. The work also connects to my Masters level studies on H.P. Lovecraft (1994) and Fairytale Motifs in Victorian Literature (1996).

Q. What draws you to this genre?

A. My vivid imagination and my early reading. When I was a child, I had an illustrated book about King Arthur. Sometime later, I discovered vampires, witches and werewolves. I love fantasy because it is different. This story also contains a lot of Americana, because I love watching American film and television. Go Buffy! Yay Charmed!

Q: How did you develop the cover?

A. I can't REALLY draw, but in an emergency I try! I had an image in my head of a boy and wolf companion, high on the side of a mountain, with the werewolf sitting on a rock, howling to the moon. I roughed this out to show an artist friend, hoping they could do better with a nice background too. They said they liked it - but didn't have the time. This left me attempting to turn my rough concept sketch into a cover.

Q: Did you use any technology to help you create the cover?
Yes! I traced silhouettes, coloured them by hand, scanned and adjusted using 'Paint'. Then I made a colorful background in 'Paint' using geometric shapes. Finally 'Paint 3D' helped me put it all together. 'Covermaker' added the titles and made it more professional.

All for Love ready for Valentine's Day 2018!

Hi Everyone. All For Love has twenty-nine chapters, so proofing or editing is always a long process. However, I am pleased to announce that despite a slight delay due to proofs not arriving from my first order - All For Love went alive through Amazon / Create Space on January 30 2018. I have a little work to do to make this title also available through Ingram Spark. However, it will soon be available through most sales channels.

Editing is always a mammoth job, and then it took more than two months for the proofs to arrive, however I am happy with every little tweak I have made. I love my characters after spending several years with them and their motivations. Why don't you get the book and get to know them too? Note the new cover. My father says I am "pulling out all the stops" with the big flower picture.

The American release and ebook omnibus are now available. https://www.amazon.com/All-Love-Cecelia-Hopkins-ebook/dp/B079C6HZPV/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

The Early Episodes: “The Charity Dating Show” is a reality television show about one man who has multiple women to choose between. As one feminist contestant points out, this appears to be an archaic and unfair format which perpetuates patriarchal society. However the season that Anthony is the “Charity Eligible” the contestants begin selecting their own prizes! Everyone wants something - ranging from fame and fortune to relationships with members of the production crew…

The Top Five: “The Charity Dating Show” commenced with around twenty women, fifteen of which were eliminated during the early episodes. Now five remain, Nadine, Kendra, Vonda, Janny and Deborah. Nadine is sweet and traditional, but may be on the over-possessive side. Kendra is peaceful and easy going, Vonda is sweet and quiet, Janny is sexy and active, and Deborah is the acerbic socialite whose brusque honesty wins her more friends than enemies. Who will Anthony pick and what secrets are each and every one of the top five harbouring?

Silver Springtime is now available in Australia through Amazon, Booktopia and Fishpond

Hi everybody:

My book Silver Springtime is now available on Amazon in e-book and paperback format. This book represents a long journey for me as a writer. There were snippets of wisdom I wanted to share in story form about being yourself, developing healthy boundaries and creating respectful relationships. The book has been polished for many years to achieve the desired result - realistic - but set in a fictional Inter-denominational Christian University, in a fictional town (placed in north-east Queensland, Australia), and filled with fictional characters.

Two sequels are planned, in which I change the narrative voice and tell the story of the main "group" of friends from the point of view of another member of the group. Surprising and exciting events occur in these sequels as the friends face challenges such as: domestic violence, teen suicide, career preparation, death of a loved one, illness in the family - plus engagement and marriage. Even I do not know all that will happen in book 3 yet, but book two is drafted, so if you get hooked on the series, you only have a few months wait for the next installment.

Silver Springtime on Amazon

Buy Silver Springtime from Booktopia

Buy Silver Springtime from Fishpond

Second try at Kindle Scout campaign: All for Love by Cecelia Hopkins

Well I was pleased with the buzz created by my first scout campaign and as I have several manuscripts written and ready to go on my home computer, I have submitted another story for review. Please visit and vote at: All for Love

Contestants rebel on reality television show!

“The Charity Dating Show” is a reality television show about one man who has multiple women to choose between. As a feminist contestant points out, this appears to be an archaic and unfair format which perpetuates patriarchal society. However the season Anthony is the "Charity Eligible” the contestants begin selecting their own prizes! Everyone wants something - ranging from fame and fortune to relationships with the production crew… Will anyone even choose the "Charity Eligible"?

Categories:
Literature & Fiction  ›  Humor & Satire  ›  General Humor
Literature & Fiction  ›  Women's Fiction  ›  Romance

Some interview questions from my campaign:

Q: Where did you get your inspiration?

A: I must admit, the idea came from watching dating shows, ranging from the old "Perfect Match" with Tony Barbour to the American "Bachelor". I actually wrote the manuscript before there was an "Australian Bachelor" and it was predictive in that sense - although the show has launched before my book, and gone through a number of seasons. 

Q: If this was filmed, who would you pick to act the parts?

A: Arnie Hammer from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. would make a good “Charity Bachelor”. A range of actresses would be required to represent all the personality types of the women involved in the story.

Q: What draws you to this Genre?

A: I love romance, I love romantic comedy and I love to laugh. This represented the chance to combine the pleasures.

First Kindle Scout Campaign:

I decided to do a Kindle scout campaign to find out how it works and get my name out there as a hopeful author. My novel Silver Spring-Time is described as:

 "A novel of coming of age in the 1980s.

The agony of unrequited love, dates, dresses and exams all make life confusing during the teen years... This story belongs to the genre known as "Bildungsroman" or novel of development. It covers one very significant year in the life of a young female by the name of Stephanie Lowood, and is presented a diary, which was discovered in a chest by the heroine's daughter and young grandchildren. The grandchildren are curious to hear how Grandma met Grandpa and what life was like in the 1980s!"

For a limited time, the first chapter is open to view at:

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/1PAUPT98SQQY0

Some interview questions from my campaign:

Q. Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp?

A. I would have liked to have had more confidence when I was a young woman and if sharing my insights (in fictional form) helps empower any modern youth, I will be thrilled. It is all about becoming yourself - and being independent of others’ opinion.

Q. What draws you to this genre?

A.Self actualisation, growth and development are a major theme, so I guess I had to write something in this genre.

Q. This book is part of a series, tell us about your series.

A. I have thought about taking one of the other characters and making her the heroine of the next story. It seems to help finalise the current story to perceive a future for the characters. Perhaps if people enjoy this story, I will write the companion story.