Today's guest is Dr. Tara T. Green author of Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson as well as See Me Naked: Black Women Defining Pleasure During the Interwar Era. Dr. Green joined me today to talk about black women throughout history, both known and unknown, who brought forth different perspectives, and whose stories remain relevant today.
Putting Together A Pet Friendly Cover for Dog Friendly
I love talking to authors. Our experiences are so similar, yet so very different, that every one of us has a new story to share. Everyone says that the moment you get your cover it really hits you – you’re an author. The cover is your story – and you – packaged for the world. So the process of the cover reveal can be slightly panic inducing. Does it fit your story? Is it what you hoped? Will it sell? With this in mind I put together the CRAP (Cover Reveal Anxiety Phase) Interview.
Today’s guest for the CRAP is Victoria Schade, author of Dog Friendly, the story of a burned-out veterinarian who takes a much-needed beach vacation, where a charming surfer makes waves in her love life, and a unique foster pup renews her passion for her work.
Do you have any preconceived notions of what you wanted your cover art to look like?
A big yes! I love art and graphic design so I always have a vibe in mind. The Nantucket setting in Dog Friendly gave us so many possible themes to use since the island is known for lighthouses, beaches, grey shingled homes, and hydrangeas. Add an adorable dog (or two!) to any of those images and you’ve got the perfect cover!
Did you have any input on your cover?
Yes, I’m very fortunate! With my prior books I was given a bunch of initial options to choose from but I think the design team felt so strongly about the direction for Dog Friendly that they only sent one image to me. I was so nervous to look at it but the instant the photo filled my screen I knew we had a winner. I requested a few tweaks (and yes, I’m such a perfectionist that I asked for Hudson’s plain collar to be changed to a preppy striped collar) and voila, the perfect beachy cover!
How far in advance of the reveal date were you aware of what your cover would look like?
We started talking about design concepts over a year before the publication date, starting with character and setting photos. I also sent a bunch of general “Nantucket inspo” photos with colors and patterns that are synonymous with the island, like the infamous “Nantucket Red” and preppy ginghams and stripes. Nantucket is a place unlike any other, and I wanted to convey the vibe to the design team in as many ways as possible. We had the cover firmed up well in advance of pub date, I think at least nine months out.
Was it hard to keep it to yourself before the official release?
Oh my gosh, yes! Of course I showed it off to my friends and family right away but I couldn’t wait for the rest of the world to see how perfect it was. It’s such a happy, inviting image!
What surprised you most about the process?
I was surprised that this cover was basically an immediate home run. The Berkley team did such a great job capturing not only the Nantucket spirit, but the tail-wagging joy of the dogs of Dog Friendly!
Any advice to other authors about how to handle cover art anxiety?
I think communicating what you hope to avoid is just as important as talking about what you’d like to see on a cover. (One of my requests was “no feet”!) And remember that your team is considering your cover’s marketability in addition to the aesthetic … they know the industry and know what sells, so be open to a direction that might be a little different than what you were envisioning.
Victoria Schade is a dog trainer and speaker who serves as a dog resource for the media, and has worked both in front of and behind the camera on Animal Planet, as a co-host on the program Faithful Friends and as a trainer and wrangler on the channel’s popular Puppy Bowl specials. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, her dogs Millie and Olive, and the occasional foster pup.
Shut Up & Write Founder On Deep Work
by Rennie Saunders
Have you ever noticed that sometimes, when you write, you concentrate so completely that you might not hear a phone ring? You can temporarily forget about the bills you need to pay, or the dentist appointment you should probably make, and instead you become completely immersed in your work. This state of intense focus, or “flow state,” is what I am hoping to achieve every time I write. It’s something productivity expert Cal Newport termed “Deep Work.”
Deep work improves your ability to hold multiple threads of thought, piece together seemingly unrelated topics and bits, and see the root cause of actions. It is the ability to achieve a creatively meditative state for doing a thinking-based activity to the exclusion of all else.
So how do we achieve this state of deep work, especially when it’s so easy to pick up a ringing phone? Critical thinking and analysis practices, meditation, prayer, Tai Chi, and ecstatic dancing are all different forms of mental, emotional and physical mindfulness. By practicing mindfulness in different aspects of our lives, we can train our brains to enter in the mindful state more readily. And when we feel comfortable entering into this space, we can begin the process of deep work.
Imagine that your writing project is a train on a track, speeding towards a destination. When you’re in a state of deep work, distractions fly right by the window as you focus on riding that train. If you are able to recognize distractions and let them go, rather than having them capture your attention, you can focus entirely on your project. In other words, don’t get off of that train!
So, what if the doorbell rings, or your friend texts you? That’s where mindfulness comes in. Because I’ve practiced mindfulness for many years, I’ve learned to prioritize my own focus, and minimize the importance of these disturbances. If the phone does ring, I write a quick note to myself and then set it aside for later. Unless something is a true emergency, I can detach myself from most interruptions and just let them fly past me.
In my experience, the best way to develop a sense of mindfulness and arrive at that ideal flow state is to simply practice. Just as in martial arts, regular practice will help you learn the mental choreography you need in order to focus. You can learn to recognize distractions and let them go, and you’ll remember what it feels like if you find yourself in a state of deep work. By regularly practicing mindfulness as well as scheduling writing time, you’ll find that your focus improves as you become accustomed to a creative routine.
Learning to notice your own writing process, particularly your ability to focus, can be just as rewarding as finishing up that first draft. And it may even put you on a faster track to the finish line.
Rennie Saunders has built an 80,000 -person global writer’s community based on his simple, highly effective formula – Shut Up & Write. Since 2007, SU&W has inspired writers of all genres and experience levels to meet for weekly writing sessions, no critiquing or feedback required. With hundreds of chapters in over 350 cities across the globe, the process is proven to work.