Lois’s answer to “I know a lot of people ask you when you're going to write another Miles book, but I feel like Corde…” > Likes and Comments
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Well, we of my three favorites out of your body of work aren't war stories, so I think I'm OK with that. In other news, what the HECK with the original cover art for A Civil Campaign? Who is that even supposed to be?
I think it's supposed to be Gregor and Laisa. Because of course they couldn't show Miles and Ekaterin...
I at length decided it was the idea that some, apparently, non-romance readers at Baen had of a romance cover. Without going to actually look at any real then-current romance covers, which divided into two sorts; heaving bosoms and (as the real romance readers have dubbed it, not lovingly) man-titty, with lots of frothing clothing (which, admittedly _ACC_'s cover was better than); and high-end classy covers that are what is called, I believe, graphic; which, in cover parlance, does not means sexually explicit, but quite the reverse. A picture of a flower and a glove, ferex. The picture on the _back_ of the hardcover of _ACC_ would have been in that category -- I think it would have been just fine on the front.
Anyway, about then is where I gave up on trying to get good cover art. It does happen from time to time, but entirely at random, regardless of my input or lack of it.
I also realized that I had a career that my cover art could not kill, no matter how hard it tried, which was... encouraging. And that, if nothing else, the treatments did make sure that my audience consisted entirely of people who did not judge a book by its cover -- making them a sort of natural filter for quality readers, if looked at with the right squint.
I have had some good covers. The original hc of _Memory_ worked for me (it also had cool design and color selection), and of course Dave Bowers's _Paladin of Souls_ was wonderfully painterly. Dave Seeley's original art for my last two Baen titles portrayed some pretty amazing cityscapes, before they got all covered up with lettering. Alan Pollack did a couple of nice ones for recent omnibus editions. And so on.
My foreign covers are a whole 'nother world.
Ta, L.
Paladin of Souls is one of my favorites too, both for the cover art and the content, so I guess there's one where the cover and book came into a happy congruence.
At any rate, thanks so much for taking the time to peruse and respond to my meanderings. I'm very much looking forward to your next project, whatever form it eventually takes.
I'd like to see more Cordelia and Aral from before Mile's story started. The two books aren't enough, they're great characters and you ended their story too soon.
This is very much the book I'd like to read, though writing of Aral's last year's and death has some inherent sadness, I was sorry that his end occurred so far off camera. I'm also curious to learn what he and Cordelia made of Sergyar. And Cordelia is just such a great character that I always want to spend more time with her.
When I was reading Cryoburn I thought there should've been scenes on what was going on on Barryar especially with Ekaterin and the kids. Perhaps a story about that plus Cordelia and the passing of Aral is needed. It does seem a bit sad that such an important even happens "offscreen".
How about this, Miles is busy becoming Count, Cordelia wants to get away for a while, so she go traveling with Mark and Kareen. One of his financial schemes falls apart, and Mark vanishes. Leaving Cordelia and Kareen having to pick apart his schemes and figure out who has him and rescue him, (maybe with some off the books muscle from Quinn and the mercs). Thinking more con, than gun blazing daring-do. 8-D
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Samuel
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Mar 09, 2015 07:13PM
Well, we of my three favorites out of your body of work aren't war stories, so I think I'm OK with that. In other news, what the HECK with the original cover art for A Civil Campaign? Who is that even supposed to be?
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I think it's supposed to be Gregor and Laisa. Because of course they couldn't show Miles and Ekaterin...I at length decided it was the idea that some, apparently, non-romance readers at Baen had of a romance cover. Without going to actually look at any real then-current romance covers, which divided into two sorts; heaving bosoms and (as the real romance readers have dubbed it, not lovingly) man-titty, with lots of frothing clothing (which, admittedly _ACC_'s cover was better than); and high-end classy covers that are what is called, I believe, graphic; which, in cover parlance, does not means sexually explicit, but quite the reverse. A picture of a flower and a glove, ferex. The picture on the _back_ of the hardcover of _ACC_ would have been in that category -- I think it would have been just fine on the front.
Anyway, about then is where I gave up on trying to get good cover art. It does happen from time to time, but entirely at random, regardless of my input or lack of it.
I also realized that I had a career that my cover art could not kill, no matter how hard it tried, which was... encouraging. And that, if nothing else, the treatments did make sure that my audience consisted entirely of people who did not judge a book by its cover -- making them a sort of natural filter for quality readers, if looked at with the right squint.
I have had some good covers. The original hc of _Memory_ worked for me (it also had cool design and color selection), and of course Dave Bowers's _Paladin of Souls_ was wonderfully painterly. Dave Seeley's original art for my last two Baen titles portrayed some pretty amazing cityscapes, before they got all covered up with lettering. Alan Pollack did a couple of nice ones for recent omnibus editions. And so on.
My foreign covers are a whole 'nother world.
Ta, L.
Paladin of Souls is one of my favorites too, both for the cover art and the content, so I guess there's one where the cover and book came into a happy congruence. At any rate, thanks so much for taking the time to peruse and respond to my meanderings. I'm very much looking forward to your next project, whatever form it eventually takes.
I'd like to see more Cordelia and Aral from before Mile's story started. The two books aren't enough, they're great characters and you ended their story too soon.
This is very much the book I'd like to read, though writing of Aral's last year's and death has some inherent sadness, I was sorry that his end occurred so far off camera. I'm also curious to learn what he and Cordelia made of Sergyar. And Cordelia is just such a great character that I always want to spend more time with her.
When I was reading Cryoburn I thought there should've been scenes on what was going on on Barryar especially with Ekaterin and the kids. Perhaps a story about that plus Cordelia and the passing of Aral is needed. It does seem a bit sad that such an important even happens "offscreen".
How about this, Miles is busy becoming Count, Cordelia wants to get away for a while, so she go traveling with Mark and Kareen. One of his financial schemes falls apart, and Mark vanishes. Leaving Cordelia and Kareen having to pick apart his schemes and figure out who has him and rescue him, (maybe with some off the books muscle from Quinn and the mercs). Thinking more con, than gun blazing daring-do. 8-D
