Friday, August 1, 2014

Friday Flourish: One of the Guys + Play On

Happy Friday Everyone!

Most of you who visit this blog frequently know that as of the beginning of this year, I overhauled the design business I run from home and switched my focus from weddings and related stationery to book cover design. This was a terrifying and exciting (terrifyingly exciting?) change for me since I was essentially starting over and going in a completely new direction, but the past seven months have been absolutely amazing.

I've learned so much in a short amount of time, taking online classes and watching hours and hours of Photoshop tutorials to learn new tips and tricks I never had to use for my wedding design work, and I'm having a blast while doing it. I've been wanting to share some of the projects I've had the pleasure of working on in a more organized way, and when I saw my good friend Mary's Creative Mojo post last week, I got inspired. I would have completely stolen her post title, but I have a thing for alliteration, so I went with the above instead ;-)

On select Fridays moving forward, I'm going to post some of my recent cover designs and their accompanying blurbs so those of you who may not have these books on your radars yet can add them to your lists! This will not be a weekly, or even monthly, feature as I obviously have to wait until the covers are released through official channels first before sharing them, but I have seven covers in various stages of completion currently, so I hope the business continues to grow and I can make this a regular feature in the not-too distant future! *fingers crossed*

I have two contemporary YA covers to share today, both of which are releasing from Spencer Hill Contemporary next year. Let me know what you think in the comments!

ONE OF THE GUYS
Lisa Aldin
Releases February 2015


Tomboy to the core, Toni Valentine understands guys. She'll take horror movies, monster hunts and burping contests over manicures any day. So Toni is horrified when she's sent to the Winston Academy for Girls, where she has to wear a skirt and learn to be a "lady" while the guys move on without her.

Then Toni meets Emma Elizabeth, a girl at school with boy troubles, and she volunteers one of her friends as a pretend date to make Emma's ex jealous. Soon word spreads of Toni’s connections with boys, and she discovers that her new wealthy female classmates will pay big money for fake dates. Looking for a way to connect her old best friends with her new life at school, Toni and Emma start up Toni Valentine’s Rent-A-Gent Service.

But the business meets a scandal when Toni falls for one of her friends—the same guy who happens to be the most sought-after date. With everything she's built on the line, Toni has to decide if she wants to save the business and her old life, or let go of being one of the guys for a chance at love.



PLAY ON
Michelle A. Smith
Releases April 2015


In the small town of Lewis Creek, baseball is everything. Especially for all-star pitcher Austin Braxton, who has a one-way ticket out of town with his scholarship to a top university. All that stands between him and a new start is one final season. But when Austin starts flunking Chemistry, his picture-perfect future is in jeopardy. A failing grade means zero playing time, and zero playing time means no scholarship.

Enter Marisa Marlowe, the new girl in town who gets a job at his momma's flower shop. Not only is Marisa some home-schooled super-genius; she's also a baseball fanatic and more than willing to help Austin study. As the two grow closer, there's something about Marisa that makes Austin want more than just baseball and out of Lewis Creek
he wants a future with her. But Marisa has a past that still haunts her, one that she ran all the way to South Carolina to escape.

As Austin starts to peel back the layers of Marisa’s pain, it forces him to look beyond the façade of himself and everyone he thought he knew in his town. What he sees instead is that in a small town like Lewis Creek, maybe baseball isn’t everything—maybe it is just the thing that ties them all together.



If you want to see more of my work, including some fun fan art posters, you can check out my full portfolio online at Seedlings Design Studio!

36 comments:

  1. Okay, I'm not saying any of these things because I love your face and I'm biased, but holy hell, Jenny! You are one freaking talented lady! I love how these covers are so different from what I've seen on the market lately, and you know that the cover for ONE OF THE GUYS speaks to me because of the water, of course! If I ever ever ever publish, I'm coming to you ;)

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    1. *blushes* Thank you:) Hurry up and publish your amazing books so I can work on covers for you !!! ;-)

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  2. DUDE. I wasn't aware that One of the Guys was YOUR design O_____________O I love it! And you of course know how much I adore Play On which is just perfection! I love that you put so much effort into details and that you don't just take a couple and put some text on it, but you put so much thought and effort into everything and you totally make some of the best covergasm moments for me! I LOVE THEM!

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    1. Siiri, I would like to hire you as my personal compliment-giver. I can't pay you much, but I would love it if you could move to the US and spend your days working with me and providing compliments as we go. That would be amazing ;-)

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  3. I'm with Melissa - my completely unbiased opinion is that these are gorgeous! They make ME want to read contemporary, which is saying something, hah. I adore the font on the first one, such a fantastic choice, and I love that they're both simple and beautiful. There's just enough of everything. I hate covers that look crowded and overdone.

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    1. Yes, I tend to gravitate toward the more simplistic covers when I'm looking for new books to read, so that's what I aim for with my designs overall. I'm so glad you like them Maja!

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  4. Oh I didn't know you were working on covers, I'm so impressed because they're beautiful! I'm glad you shared that with us because it's always a pleasure to learn more.

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    1. YES! I'm in love with designing covers, I'm so glad I finally made the leap earlier in the year:)

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  5. You, Jenny, are simply amazing. I've been working on book 2 in my series and even though it's not even finished yet, I find myself thinking, "BUT I WANT TO TALK TO JENNY ABOUT A COVER." Because not only do you do amazing work, you're fun to work with too.

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    1. YES LET'S DESIGN BOOK TWO!!! Might help if the book was finished first though. Minor details ;-) Can't wait to work with you again!

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  6. I had already seen the cover for Play On and LOVED IT before I knew it was yours!! Wow girl, I knew you were talented but I'm so impressed!! You are brilliant, Jenny!!
    I cannot wait to see more covers as you can share them, and I hope your bussiness will continue to grow and grow!!

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    1. THANK YOU! I'm super excited about how the business is going thus far, and I'm cautiously optimistic about where it's headed:)

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  7. Both are yours? Cool :D They look professional. The same thing can NOT be said about 60% of covers out there

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  8. I had no idea that these two covers were designed by you, Jenny!
    I love cute covers like One of the Guys. I especially like the photo you used and the cute font for "Guys".
    Play On is also fabulous. I love the sporty theme and the cute little heart.
    I can't wait to see more your works! :)
    You seriously are talented, Jenny!

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    1. Thanks so much Nick! I've been keeping fairly quiet about my covers so far since I wasn't able to reveal any of them yet, but I'm excited to share these and hope I get to share the rest relatively soon!

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  9. Day-am, Jenny. These are gorgeous. GORGEOUS, I SAY!! You've got such a great eye and I love that these covers are going to be out there in the world so everyone can see how awesome you are. Can't wait to see more of your designs!!

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    1. I love you Mary. That is all:) It's been surreal to go to Amazon or Goodreads and see one of my covers there. Still doesn't quite feel real:)

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  10. I always knew you were awesome but girl you are reaching new levels of awesome. I love both your designs! But you designed Damsel Distressed!!!! :OOO That one is gorgeous! WOW I'm just going to spend some time at your website now. Great post, Jenny :)

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  11. Oh wow!! I had NO idea those designs were yours! 0__0 You're so talented!! I absolutely LOVE them!! I actually had One of the Guys up as a WoW post a few weeks back. I wish I had known the cover art was yours, I definitely would have given you praise!! Amazing job! I'm so excited about this new feature. I'm eager to see more of your work. :)

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  12. You are so talented, Jenny! So amazing that you have been able to turn your love of reading into a business. Both of these are great covers! I love that you took a graphic approach to the second one, while maintaining the baseball feel. So clever! And the first is adorable. The books looks cute too. (I had to read the blurb to make sure no love triangles). Maybe just for me, you could start sneaking a TRIANGLE FREE or BEWARE OF TRIANGLES label on your cover designs. ;).

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  13. Gosh Jenny I love them both. They are simple and pretty and they catch the eye. I would definitely pick up either title in a bookstore. You are crazy talented and I am so happy your new venture is taking off!

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  14. I think you are simply AMAZING!!

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  15. You are so talented and this career change is perfect for you!

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  16. Oh the covers are amazeballs! I especially love Play On. It is simple and elegant while telling you what is in the story perfectly! Tech me Obi Wan! Love your work!

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  17. I loooooooove this feature! I'm so glad you'll be sharing these with us as you're so incredibly talented, Jenny. I have to admit, the cover for One of the Guys is my favorite. I love covers with sunlight and water and reflections and you've somehow combined all of those together in such a fresh and innovative way. Plus, the font is gorgeous! Terrific post, Jenny! :)

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  18. What a great post! I'm absolutely in love with the second cover! And I think it matches perfectly with the blurb and story (?--guess I have to read it!) The first one...I'm not so sure because I would have liked to see their faces, if only as a water reflection. But overall that one is good as well. :)

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  19. This is so awesome, Jenny! Good for you! I wish I am more creative like you.

    One of the Guys sounds like a fun, Contemporary novel and I am immediately taken by its blurb. And your cover for it so...love it! Also, the Play On cover was beyond amazing. The font, the color!

    You have serious talent, Jenny! I can't wait for more of your Friday Flourish post.

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  20. These are awesome, Jenny! I can't wait to see more of these posts in the future. :)

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  21. Jenny, I love this new feature and the One of the Guys cover is especially cute. Congratulations!

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  22. I'm so glad for your new and exciting business adventure. You have such a talent for capturing with an image, what the book's blurb is trying to relate. Beautiful work, Jenny! I'm so happy to see these covers by you and can't wait to see more of these post. :)

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  23. Oh I'm so glad you're sharing with us because I have clicked over to your site to check them out in the past (I was also recommending some authors to you) and love what I have seen so far. I love these too! You really are amazingly talented! I can't wait to see what else you do!

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  24. Ohh yes! Play On needs to go on the wishlist right now. Love YA books that have sports as one of their main themes. Thanks for sharing :)

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  25. What gorgeous covers! You know I'm a fan of your cover artistry, but I'm still so impressed with your creativity and the way you make each cover fit the story so wonderfully. These both sound like cool stories, especially One of the Guys - that one's going in my TBR pile now. :-)

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  26. Jenny you are so talented! Amazing covers!!

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  27. You can't see me right now, but I have hearts in my eyes upon viewing these covers!! Sooo fantastic, Jenny! Especially love the fonts! And the prospect of this becoming a semi-regular feature is an exciting one indeed :D

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