If you’ve been following me on social media, you know I’m evaluating the book cover of The Mist Keeper’s Apprentice. I love my cover. I won’t be changing the artwork.
If you are unfamiliar with the cover, you can see it below.
The cover was made by the wonderful @agent-darkbootie! As a reminder, the art is staying, it’s just the text that might need to be modified.
But, I am evaluating how it appears when someone sees it on websites like Amazon, Goodreads, etc.
While I’ve been posting plenty on IG, Twitter, and Tiktok, the answers have been variable.
Below I’ve made a survey that will hopefully help me narrow down the ideas. Perhaps I am being overly critical, and the cover is fine!
So please, if you have a minute, answer the survey below. It will mean the world to me.
Hi new followers! I wanted to reintroduce my debut novel, The Mist Keeper’s Apprentice, available now!
About
Storytelling was outlawed. Magic had all but vanished.
That all changed when the woman in black came to town.
Branded with the black stamp at a young age, Brent thought he would end up a vagrant like his father. His craft was telling stories, but the Order had long forbidden any weaving of tales. When Brent sees the woman in black, she leads him into a menagerie of tunnels beneath the earth where his life falls into the nauseating, but beautiful, mist of the dead.
He finds friendship in Rho, a young woman who hides her face with a tree branch while roots and vines bow to her every whim. Together, they embark on a journey to explore the world, escape the watchful eyes of the Order, and discover the woman in black’s secrets.
For thousands of years, the mist and the tunnels were under the sole guardianship of the Council of Mist Keepers. But as new monsters enter the mist, and magic is forced out of the shadows, the Council searches for young blood to join their ranks and Brent’s next in line.
Content Warnings
This book approaches issues of sexism, prejudice, and mental illness, and includes mentions of death, violence/sexual assault, adult language, alcohol use, and psychological abuse/trauma.
“I dunno…” His eyes darted along the junction before fixating on Rho.
She recoiled.
“You’re—you’re that Rho girl…from the room. The room with the vines and plants and shite…right?”
“Yeah, I kind of saved you from the invisible woman,” Rho carped.
“Yeah, guess you did.” Brent knitted his eyebrows together and flipped through the book on his lap. “So that—that means that you’re not…you’re not one of them?”
“One of who?”
“The people. The Council or whatever they call themselves…the Death mole people.” He motioned to the empty wall. “They live in here.”
“The wall?”
“No, behind the—the giant door!”
Rho squinted at the wall. A door. Of course.
“Don’t you see it? It’s right here!” Brent’s voice cracked.
“I don’t,” Rho replied. “I’m sorry.”
Brent rested his head against his knees and closed his eyes. Rho understood. She first discovered the tunnels at eight years old while playing a game of Come Find Me in the gardens. After, upon climbing out of the tunnels and rushing to her peers, all they saw was a patch of grass. They laughed in her face and said she was making up stories; they told her to be careful, or she’d end up with the black stamp. They left her panicking that her mind had gone awry. One person stayed with her.
And she’d stay with him now even if he didn’t remember that day long, long ago.
“Hey…” She sat beside him. “Just because I can’t see anything, it doesn’t mean it’s not real.”
“But what if you’re not real? What if…what if I’m crazy?”
“I am pretty sure I’m real.” Rho waved her hand in front of his face. “See?”
“Could be in my head…”
“Trust me,” she said, “I’ve been exploring these tunnels since I was a child, and I’ve been asking myself these same questions. There was no one else down here until now. What if you’re part of my insanity? We have no clue! So, I’d say trust your eyes. If you see something, it’s got to be real…somehow.”
— The Mist Keeper’s Apprentice, Chapter Seven
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I commissioned @varakis to draw Brent and Rho together. Check out their work because this is absolutely GORGEOUS!
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The Mist Keeper’s Apprentice is available for pre-order now!
Storytelling was outlawed. Magic had all but vanished.
That all changed when the woman in black came to town. Branded with the black stamp at a young age, Brent thought he would end up a vagrant like his father. His craft was telling stories, but the Order had long forbidden any weaving of tales. When Brent sees the woman in black, she leads him into a menagerie of tunnels beneath the earth where his life falls into the nauseating, but beautiful, mist of the dead.
He finds friendship in Rho, a young woman who hides her face with a tree branch while roots and vines bow to her every whim. Together, they embark on a journey to explore the world, escape the watchful eyes of the Order, and discover the woman in black’s secrets.
For thousands of years, the mist and the tunnels were under the sole guardianship of the Council of Mist Keepers. But as new monsters enter the mist, and magic is forced out of the shadows, the Council searches for young blood to join their ranks and Brent’s next in line.
Storytelling was outlawed. Magic had all but vanished.
That all changed when the woman in black came to town.
Branded with the black stamp at a young age, Brent thought he would end up a vagrant like his father. His craft was telling stories, but the Order had long forbidden any weaving of tales. When Brent sees the woman in black, she leads him into a menagerie of tunnels beneath the earth where his life falls into the nauseating, but beautiful, mist of the dead.
He finds friendship in Rho, a young woman who hides her face with a tree branch while roots and vines bow to her every whim. Together, they embark on a journey to explore the world, escape the watchful eyes of the Order, and discover the woman in black’s secrets.
For thousands of years, the mist and the tunnels were under the sole guardianship of the Council of Mist Keepers. But as new monsters enter the mist, and magic is forced out of the shadows, the Council searches for young blood to join their ranks and Brent's next in line.
AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW
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After thirteen years of work, the time is getting closer...follow for updates about preorders, ARC reading, and giveaways!
Props to the amazing @agent-darkbootie for this BEAUTIFUL cover!
Storytelling was outlawed. Magic had all but vanished.
That all changed when the woman in black came to town.
Branded with the black stamp at a young age, Brent thought he would end up a vagrant like his father. His craft was telling stories, but the Order had long forbidden any weaving of tales. When Brent sees the woman in black, she leads him into a menagerie of tunnels beneath the earth where his life falls into the nauseating, but beautiful, mist of the dead.
He finds friendship in Rho, a young woman who hides her face with a tree branch while roots and vines bow to her every whim. Together, they embark on a journey to explore the world, escape the watchful eyes of the Order, and discover the woman in black’s secrets.
For thousands of years, the mist and the tunnels were under the sole guardianship of the Council of Mist Keepers. But as new monsters enter the mist, and magic is forced out of the shadows, the Council searches for young blood to join their ranks and Brent’s next in line.
Social distancing got you down? Do you want an opportunity to read the first book in the Life & Death Cycle prior to its release on June 14th, 2020?
Sign up to be an ARC reader with the promise of reviewing the book!
How? EASY!
Either:
Fill out this google form
OR
Join BookSprout.co
Either of these gives you the chance to get an early copy of The Mist Keeper’s Apprentice! I will have a number of ebook and physical copies available if you are interested.
Heads up: Not everyone will receive a copy, it is at my discretion.
And as a reminder, The Mist Keeper’s Apprentice is available for pre-order now!
I made one of these a long time ago when The Mist Keeper’s Apprentice was only on draft 3ish. A lot has changed since then so I figured it was time to revamp it.
Thank you to @incandescent-creativity for creating this idea. As always, I love seeing them.
And thank you to the wonderful artist @agent-darkbootie for creating all this fabulous artwork for MKA!
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The Mist Keeper’s Apprentice is available for pre-order now!
