... Or Spanking Gwyneth.
"Her aunt's house was only a spitting distance from London’s Paddington station and hence the shops of the West End, which was more to the point.
She knew nothing of the dark repressed days of the Victorian era when a young woman her age - or even older - might well have found herself transferred from that very same address to another, similar, house in Clifton, Bristol for a period of ‘obedience training’ which might have lasted a year, eighteen months - or even longer! But then again, what was that knowledge worth?
It was only history, after all. And she certainly would not have taken at all seriously any suggestion that in some manner the spirit of that place - and of that age – might still be alive. Nor that the influence of the long-deceased professional disciplinarian woman who had once owned and run that establishment for the ‘chastisement of wayward young women’ might still shadow and darkened her aunt's home.
That view would change... and her bottom would pay the price of her ignorance!"
Or so it will say in the 'blurb' on the rear cover of the new book A final, corrected version is now up on LULU as a PDF version but for a print version - and also where published through my 'proper' publisher, ANDREWS UK LTD, (through whom it will hopefully be made available in various ebook formats and through various outlets) - I like to try my hand at cover design.
So here are a few variations to choose from - please let me know what you think (good or bad!). The ''dropped T' font used for my name and for the second part of the title is called 'Bootle' and is based on the design on the drum used by The Beatles and is supposed to help put over something of the era the story is supposedly based in - as is the imagery. The latter is based on photographs taken (by yours truly) around the area of London mentioned by Richard Manton in his Janus story / article "Whips Incorporated" - in fact only a couple of streets away from the address he gives in his tale (which was an inspiration). The differences may be subtle so take a close look!
I'll be getting to the comments that have been left later. I have tried while on the move from my smart phone but something always goes awry. I spent an entire hour yesterday; three times I wrote a reply, and each time it crashed at the uploading phase ad I lost all that I wrote - which is why, Ms Orage, I have been messing around with Twitter on the move... Tweet, tweet... LOL
Thanks to all those who have written in and bby email for your help, by the way!
I like the first one the best. I think the 2nd one looks oddly bisected and the 3rd one contains images that though perhaps interesting looking probably aren't that relevant and are just distracting. I don't like that bootle font. A curved warped font perhaps in psychedelic colors used on "The Age of Freedom" might be more evocative.
ReplyDeleteIMO the best one is the third one: I like that mysterious flight of stairs. I think the word THE over "age of freedom" can't be clearly made out.
ReplyDeleteIn pictures 1 and 4, what are those things hanging on the right?
Hi Orage and Madmonkey! Thanks for your input! Hi too NonVictorian Chick! I'll get to your comment later, prob tomorrow as getting late here (well, sort of early tomorrow - or is that today?).
ReplyDeleteMadmonkey first, then: I did consider a warped psychedelic font but the tale starts in an unspecified point in the early sixties (although there is a plaque visible in a couple of versions stating 1963 it is not necessarily that particular year). Had it been set in the late 60s I'd have gone for a little more psychedelia.
Orage: The thing on the right in images 1 and 4 is supposed to be the shadow thrown by an old-style street lamp. I am starting to think Madmonkey is right and a little less is more, in the respect that perhaps I should get rid of the distorted lampost shadow.
I am fairly confident the definite article 'The' will be OK on the print copy. It reads fine on my two screens here and the book will be 'trade paperback' which is 9 inches by 6 inches.
Sorry if I sound a little disjointed here but I'm doing a whole heap of things at once here while trying to get to bed. The 'other half' has bought a sort of 'store-all-your-CDs-in-one-box' machine (a kind of miniature home juke) and its my job to load her CDs on to its hard drive. True, she hasn't got that many CDs - not a huge collection - but what she failed to mention is that most of her CDs are actually multi-disc compilations!!!
Anyway, night-night all those lucky enough to be getting some shut-eye! (Ever wished you hadn't volunteered for something?)
"Ever wished you hadn't volunteered for something?"
ReplyDeleteAs time passes you get much more wary of that!
Somehow I didn't notice that there were 4 different versions and only thought there were three. In that case it is the 2nd one from the top that I think looks best, the 3rd one that is oddly bisected, and the 4th one that has jumbled images (though this also applies to the first).
ReplyDeleteConfused yet?
Confused? Yeah... but I get the gist. Less is definitely more.
ReplyDeleteBit disappointed at the paucity of feedback though.
I've just been notified you've added me to your circles and invited me to join Google +.
ReplyDeleteNow, that's very kind of you, apart from the fact that I can't really see the use of Google + since we're already in contact on this blog and also by mail, and anywayI'm wary of google, facebook and twitter. So there!
I'm not sure what it's all about either, Orage. I just did what Google suggested, but I don't know how it's supposed to work. I thought it would be useful to someone, somewhere. I'll remove you from my circle of friends if you want; just as soon as I suss out how.
ReplyDeleteI'm, pleasec to be in your circle of friends, Garth even though I don't understand it either...)
ReplyDeletewant to join my not on facebook group.)?
Well no, don't remove me from your circle, that would be a harsh blow. Just tell me how it works...when you know how it works ;)
ReplyDeleteHi WIP Fan! Yeah, why not?
ReplyDeleteI'm finally commenting on this. Life has been a madhouse...
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I like cover #3, where you can sort of see the whle front of the building stretching off into the distance. It looks very Gothic and forbidding.
As for Google plus, I'll have to do some password recovery. I haven't logged into Google in so long that I've forgotten my password.
I've been reading the book and will comment later. It's got a slightly different feel from Institutionalized. It moves a little faster, for one thing. I'm liking it a lot.
The Non Victorian Chick
Ok, so I'm finally commenting. I like cover #3 better. You can see the whole front of the building stretching off into the distance, Very Gothic and forbidding.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to do some password recovery to set up Google +, since I haen't logged into Google for so long I don't remember my password.
The Non Victorian Chick
Ok, so my last post that vanished has reappeared, or something.
ReplyDeleteMeaning no disrespect, I tried to sign up for google +, and two things happened. First, I can't stay signed in, because the password I create won't work more than once. I think the problem is that I keep my privacy settings high enough that google can't plant their spyware all over my computer. Second, when I try to sign up, the first thing it does is ask my for a lot of personal information I don't really feel like giving out.
Google's motto is "Don't be evil". Google is evil ioncarnate, and they've basically turned into a private spy service.
The Non Victorian Chick
Oh, Hi there 'The Non Victorian Chick' and Hi to you, too, Orage!
ReplyDeleteNon Victorian Chick; I've been meaning to comment on your comment,too (the one you left on my last posting) - and for so long. But stuff keeps happening; and I wanted to be able to devote a little more time to it. But I have had to do the school-run this week, which takes up more time than you'd think, and I've been struggling with LULU the last couple of days.
I tried to add one of those covers / marketing images to the already published files and all hell broke loose! All of a sudden there was something wrong with one of the text files; now suddenly something about it was not good enough!!! Now there were too many chapters or someting? Why? There hadn't been too many previously!
It's a little like your disappearing and reappearing comments - a bloody mystery!
As is Google+ to me, what it stands for and what it is supposed to do for me - but I thought I'd try it anyhow.
Glad you're liking the book, but hope it doesn't get too 'samey'; there are some familiar ideas explored in it, and of course all those references to Paddington, London and Clfton, Bristol owe much to Richard Manton in his 1980s Janus tale: 'Whips Incorporated'.
Your comment on the 'fat appreciation' piece was interesting. The central chap interviewed was all about control - and wasn't shy of almost admitting as much to camera. That sort of gross obesity does nothing for me... but a little fattening up here and there... well...
And then there are those that have proposed and advocated disciplined weight-loss dieting and exercise regimes - backed up with a good healthy dose of the cane or the strap... and tied in with a little surreptitious dietary manipulation aimed at achieving precisely the opposite; notably within the reader's letters pages of Janus magazine et al.