Book Cover Junkie Interviews Cozy Mystery Author Kate Damon

When Kate Damon is not writing, she and her husband enjoy RVing, spending time with family and friends, raising Monarch butterflies, and playing a wicked game of bridge.

Writing as Margaret Brownley, she has published more than 40 novels and is a New York Times bestselling author. Known for her memorable characters and humor, she is a two-time Romance Writers of America Rita finalist.

Not counting the book she wrote in sixth grade, and the puzzle of the missing socks, this is her first mystery.

Website ➜http://margaret-brownley.com/

Twitter ➜https://www.x.com/katejuryduty

Facebook ➜https://www.facebook.com/MargaretBrownleyAuthor/ and https://www.facebook.com/p/Kate-Damon-61565155275435/

Instagram ➜https://www.instagram.com/katedamonbooks

BookBub➜https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-damon

Goodreads ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4072660.Kate_Damon and https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/163681.Margaret_Brownley

Interview:

Tell us about your book! What inspired you to write it?

Jury Duty Is Murder represents a significant change for me. Writing under the name Margaret Brownley, I am a multi-published romance author.  This is my first venture into the mystery genre, which is why I’m using a pen name.

The story takes place in the aftermath of a high-profile trial. After enduring four months of sequestered deliberation, the jurors can finally go home. However, their relief is short-lived as a series of mysterious deaths among the jurors begins to occur. In response to this alarming situation, juror #5—CeeCee—takes the initiative to call a meeting. Unfortunately, only three other jurors show up.

Despite their mutual disdain during the trial, these four former jurors must now set aside their differences and work together to find the killer before they become the next victims. The tension between them adds complexity to their investigation, as they navigate both personal conflicts and the looming threat of danger.

All my books start with a question and the inspiration for this story stemmed from a question that came about after reading an article about sequestered jurors. This prompted me to consider how extended periods of sequestering might impact the mental and emotional health of jurors, particularly in high-profile trials. Initially, I imagined crafting a courtroom romance set in the 1800s, similar to my previous works. However, I soon encountered a significant obstacle: the Henry Thaw trial in 1907 marked the first instance of a sequestered jury trial. This event occurred too late to authentically fit within an Old West setting, leading me to pivot towards a contemporary mystery.

The challenge was compounded by my publishers' lack of interest in my genre shift, which forced me to abandon the idea—or so I thought. Despite my efforts to move on, the characters continued to nag at me.  I finally gave in and started working on the book alongside my other projects and was lucky enough to find a publisher willing to take it on.

How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing it, or did it come later?

I can’t remember the original title, but since I originally envisioned the book as a historical romance, I’m sure the title would have reflected that.  When I started the book, I had no idea where I was going with it. I was just letting the characters lead the way. The title Jury Duty is Murder didn’t occur to me until I was a third of the way through the book and dead bodies started showing up on the computer screen.

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like? 

Creating a cover design for my book, Jury Duty is Murder, presented some unique challenges.  I am accustomed to designing covers for my romance novels that feature embracing couples. In those cases, my main considerations revolved around the characters' hair and eye color, as well as ensuring their attire was historically accurate. However, this particular book diverges from my usual genre and theme.

Jury Duty Is Murder does not center around the trial itself but takes place in the aftermath of it. Therefore, I wanted to avoid using a jury box on the cover, which could mislead potential readers about the story's focus. Instead, I aimed to convey that the trial serves as a foundational element of the story without making it the central theme.

Another consideration was the typical aesthetic of mystery novels. Many mysteries tend to have darker covers that evoke a sense of suspense or foreboding. However, since Jury Duty is Murder falls into the cozy mystery category, I requested that the designer maintain a lighter tone for the cover. This choice reflects both the nature of cozy mysteries and my intention to attract readers who enjoy a more lighthearted approach to crime-solving.

Who is your cover designer and how did you find him/her?

The cover was designed in-house by my publisher using my input.

What has been the readers’ response to your cover?

The cover was a finalist in a book cover contest, so I think we can say the reader response has been positive.

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer?

Although I didn’t choose the cover designer for this project, I have done so for other books. The process typically involves evaluating portfolios of prior projects and confirming the designer’s experience in covers for a particular genre.

Anything else you’d like to say about your book?

I hope you enjoy the story and have fun attempting to unravel the mystery alongside the four jurors who have taken on the role of amateur detectives. The question is, who will be the first to arrive at the solution; Them or you?

Book Cover Junkie Interviews Classic Epic Fantasy Author Christopher Kaufman

Christopher Kaufman is an author, composer, presenter, illustrative artist and performer. He started imaginative fantasy books with illustrative art at the age of nine. During high school years he found music and attended The New Orleans Center for The Creative Arts and went on to major in music composition in college. He finished his schooling – earning his DMA in music composition at Cornell University where he studied with Pulitzer Prize Winning composers who prize his abilities as a composer.

Christopher is the type of person who needs imaginative fantasy scenarios to get to sleep. Therefore, he emerged from Cornell, not only with his degrees in music, but with the full event structure for his classic epic fantasy series Tales Of The Ocean City in his mind.

He began writing the story down in the early 2000’s, but it did not really come to life until he developed his home music ‘laboratory’ and started creating the music and text at the same time. Thus books one and two of TOC came about simultaneously as both graphically illustrated pages and effulgent audio albums filled with cinematic epic symphonic music.

They exist now as physical books and audio albums (that go together) and the new Video Book version.  He performs live tours with the music pouring through speakers, live narration and the colorful pages streaming on screen – a true immersive multi-media experience.

He also maintains his career as a composer for the concert stage with a full body of work, from solo works thru orchestral. He specializes as well in ‘environmental works’ which feature soundscapes crafted from hundreds of natural sounds, live musicians (from soloists, chamber groups and to full orchestra), videos filled with both natural and artistic images and readings from the works of John Muir and others.

Kaufman’s books feature full-page graphic illustration and go-with audio albums filled with epic cinematic music, narration and sound design.  All available, with generous discount packages, at kaufmantales.com (epubs and the new Video  Book version available there!).

His author page is talesoftheoceancity.com.

His you-tube channel is SOUNDARTUS.

Visit him at Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/talesoftheoceancity.

Interview:

Tell us about your series! What inspired you to write it?

I am a creative artist and a storyteller. I create books with vivid audio albums filled with cinematic/symphonic music, narration and sound design and which are also live theatrical shows. I compose music

for the classical concert stage and film. I present multiple concert series’ and perform as reader, conductor and player. 

Looking back…I started writing fantasy books with illustrations when I was nine years old. Later, I discovered music and lived the life of a composer for many years. My stories never left me. In fact, I am the type of person who needs some kind of active imaginative world to get myself to sleep. I emerged from my schooling phase with a Doctorate in music composition (Cornell) and the complete event structure for Tales Of The Ocean City through book eight, which I am completing now. Of course, when I get to each new area of the story it burgeons out, grows new branches and new things happen from the early conceptions.

There is much autobiography in my stories.

In Tales Of The Ocean City is chronicled a young civilization turning the corner into the future. The main characters are young Harl’ut and his lifelong companion, Vispushin - she is a perianth (a kind of telepathic pegasus).  They are close, like family, and speak to each other mind-to-mind.

Before moving into the future, the citizens of The Ocean City must face their brutal and primitive past. This happens in multiple ways. For Harl’ut, he undergoes an initiation ritual adventure at the end of Book Two where he faces images and personifications from the past, resolves them and battles a terrible monster. The Ocean City itself, in the over-all five book opening series, must face an enemy from ancient times, The Vorm, with whom they co-evolved on the ancestral isle and who are now threatening their very existence. In books four and five, the heroes of The Ocean City engage in epic war with the Vorm and Harl’ut and Vispushin lead a cadre of young warriors into the Vorm Hive on a vital mission.

Much of this can be interpreted as a metaphor for my personal journey. I emerged from much conflict in my youth to a very positive place filled with career and personal success and am moving forward as a storyteller. When writing TOC, I realized that there were specific things that relate to my childhood experiences and that certain characters relate to people of my past and present. I will save going into those specifics for another time - but am happy to report that the perianth race is based on my animal family - we call them pets…but they are so much more.

How did you choose the title for your series? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing it, or did it come later?

Huh.  I’ve been working on Tales Of The Ocean City on and off for many years…and I can’t remember when the title first occurred to me.

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book covers would be like? 

The cover design process has been a long one.  At first, I created them myself - I really love those covers, but later I learned that they did not give an immediate impression of what the stories inside them were like. In the vast world of books, covers need to simplify the process of understanding the genre the stories are in.  So I searched around, and found a very talented young woman who hails from Australia - and she makes my covers now.  They are very good and scream ‘Classic Fantasy’ at first glance… :)

Who is your cover designer and how did you find him/her?

Her name is Brittany Wilson - I highly recommend her - just google.

What has been the readers’ response to your covers?

They work.  Especially those who have seen the older ones and the new ones have told me they work beautifully.

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer?

Join facebook groups…search around…go link to link to link…write to artists…and you will find the look and price point you need.

Anything else you’d like to say about your books?

I believe in the transformative power of imagination, especially as demonstrated in the fine arts.  That’s why I like to use the word classical in defining TOC, i.e. Classical Epic Fantasy.  Much of my work is about feeding and growing imagination in one way or another. I hope people experience my work and then feel differently about how they experience the world around them.  

For example,

…A flower working its way through the cement beside you as you walk is an epic saga…The shadows on the ceiling or behind your chair are places for imagination to burgeon…The clouds outside your window are flying horses and fantastical creatures and, ultimately, the direction and experience of your daily life is transformed by seeing, hearing and feeling it with imagination. 

Imagination is the highest function of the human mind - it gives us art, music and scientific theories…and helps us envision a better future for ourselves and our civilization. It has been damaged in many ways in our modern lives. Fantasy can help cure this.

We have to start with creating a peaceful situation inside ourselves in order for it to grow outwards. Book One of Tales Of The Ocean City begins in terrific conflict and ends with heightened and inspiring resolution. This is how musical harmony functions, where a more complex and tense chord resolves (cadences) to a more consonant one. You can see this happening continually throughout my works in many different ways.

 

Book Cover Junkie Interviews Coming of Age Literary Fiction Author R.C. Dickens

R.C. Dickens is the pen name of Juniper Ray, a black, queer writer, choreographer, teacher’s assistant and disaster living in Appalachia with big dreams of escaping out to the West Coast. Along with their debut novel, Crown of Blooms, they have worked as a ghostwriter for several years and have published several short stories. In 2023, Juniper won the Webby Award for Best Single Episode of a Podcast for their appearance on Snap Judgement. When they aren’t writing (which is rarely) Juniper enjoys dancing, singing, anime, cosplay and generally being a menace to the general public. 

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜ https://rcdickens.wixsite.com/website 

Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRCDickens  

Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/rcdickens_author 

Interview:

Tell us about your book! What inspired you to write it?

Crown of Blooms is about a 15-year-old pastor’s son named Kayden who starts to fall for one of the boys in his youth group. What transpires is a story of queer awakening, religious trauma, young love and betrayal. It was inspired by my own upbringing, growing up black and queer in the buckle of the bible belt. A lot of the themes of religion, sexual development, and adolescence are pulled directly from my own life. I would call the book thematically autobiographical in that way. It actually started as a short

story about a boy protesting a pride event who sees his ex-lover across the fence. 

How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing it, or did it come later?

Crown of Blooms was a very late decision. I’m actually terrible at titles. I knew I wanted to tie together the religious themes, the idea of transformation, and leave room for a trio of titles, as Crown of Blooms is the first in a series. I actually named the third book, Crown of Roses, first and worked backwards from there, titling the middle Crown of Thorns and the first Crown of Blooms. 

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like? Who is your cover designer, and how did you find him/her?

Funny enough, I basically won the cover. The cover designer made a post on TikTok saying, “comment your book idea and I’ll design a cover” and she happened to pick mine. She made this gorgeous cover, and it just fit so well, I had to go with it. I may go for something different with the next book as my sensibilities and plans for this series grow, but who knows. 

What has been the readers’ response to your cover?

People have been pretty responsive to it, and I personally think the cover, combined with the title, communicates everything you need to know before going into this book. 

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer?

A good book cover should be equally meaningful and beautiful to you. If you only try to create a marketable cover, you’re gonna end up losing some of your identity as an author. Trust the designer, of course, but don’t forget it’s your cover. 

Anything else you’d like to say about your book?

This book has been such a labor of love. I’m still in the phase of my career where every individual purchase, like, comment, and review means the world to me, so please, don’t think your support goes unnoticed. Also, I’m looking for beta readers, so if you’d like to get an early copy of the sequel, Crown of Thorns, please let me know. Just check out my linktree to know where to find me.