The amount of the snow and the road's elevation (peaking at over 10,000 feet) result in the only road through the Snowies being closed for more than six months each winter.
No cars are allowed, but that doesn't stop winter sports enthusiasts from coming. During the snowed-in months, the Snowy Range is a mecca for skiers and snowmobilers.
You'll find me at home, drinking cocoa and waiting for the snow to melt and the road to reopen.
Did you ever wonder how a book cover is created? Today I'm going to share the process talented author and designer L.A. Sartor followed when she designed the cover for Brides of the Old West.
It all started with this photograph.
Even though the novellas are set in Cheyenne, I thought this picture from a trip my husband and I took to South Pass City exemplified the old West and wanted it for the cover.
L.A. had some concerns, but she agreed to see if she could make it work. When she showed me her first design, she was afraid I'd hate it. I didn't. In fact, I LOVED it. Oh, there were things we both knew had to be changed, but the overall look was perfect.
We worked together to choose type fonts and colors, but because the original design was so good, that didn't take long. This was the cover that would appear on ebooks.
The next step was to create a cover for the print version. That involved designing the spine and the back cover.
As you can see, there were some problems, the biggest of which is that I had written too much back cover copy. It was time for me to do some cutting.
Besides cutting the number of words in the copy, we made a few changes along the way, including adding the sunflower spray. At this point, we both thought the cover was finished. But ... There's always a "but," isn't there?
When I received a proof copy of the book and saw the back cover by itself, I realized there was a minor problem.
It may not have bothered anyone else, but it looked too plain to me. Furthermore, there was nothing tying the sunflower spray to the rest of the cover. The solution was easy.
By making the novella titles the same blue as the flowers in the spray, the back cover was more appealing. And so we had the final version of the print cover.
Both L.A. and I are thrilled by the way it turned out. I hope you agree with us that it's a beautiful cover and one that will intrigue readers.
Have I convinced you to detour off I-80 to visit the Snowy Range the next time you're crossing Wyoming? I hope so, because it's a special place.
Dotted with small lakes, evergreens, and the white mountains that give the area its name, it's a wonderful place to camp, hike, or picnic. Best of all, at least for me, it's an easy drive from Cheyenne.
It's true that I've participated in other collections, but this is the first time that there's one with only my stories. All four of my novellas set in nineteenth-century Cheyenne will be available in a single book.
You may have read one or more of the
stories, since they were previously published, but for the first time they're
together and at an affordable price. To say that I'm excited about Brides of the
Old West is an understatement.
What's it about? Here's a hint:
Four unlikely couples.
Four
unexpected chances at happiness.
Four
unforgettable stories of love and faith in the Old West.
Brides of the Old West will be available in both ebook and print format
exclusively on Amazon. The ebook is available for preorder now; print will be
available on the official release date of September 14. Here's the link.
I hope you'll share my excitement about the book and what I consider to be a
truly fabulous cover.