I posted this over on the Odd Shots and thought I’d share it here.
When working with the cover artist for Brightest Kind of Darkness, I had a very specific cover idea in mind. My YA story is a dark paranormal romantic YA, so I spent hours scouring the stock photo websites for pictures I felt represented the eerie elements as well as the fact lightness always finds a way to spear through the darkness. Then I spent several more hours working on a mock-up book cover (and learning how to use a paint/graphic program to boot! LOL!) so I could send to the cover artist a visual representation of exactly what I was looking for.
Below is the cover I created and sent to the cover artist.
And here is the final cover she designed for Brightest Kind of Darkness.
As you can see, having a cover artist who has the right tools and talent makes all the difference in the final product.
As a reader, what do you look for in a book cover? What’s the first thing that grabs you? The colors? The layout? Attractive fonts?
I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’ll be working on the second book cover in the Brightest Kind of Darkness series in the not too distant future. 
