Check this out:
Isn’t this lovely? It should be very close to the actual cover.
HOUSE OF SHADOWS will be coming out next spring. If you get the impression from this cover that it’s got a kind of geisha thing going, you are correct! I had just read Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden and Geisha by Liza Dalby and that gave me ideas.
The world in HOUSE OF SHADOWS has a scattering of details that might evoke Japan, but only to a minor extent. My keiso are not exactly like historical geisha, either. I thought it would be fun to pick up the idea of geisha as accomplished artists and professional companions, but I went even further that that — I completely separated the geisha role from prostitution and then had fun fitting the “flower world” into the wider world of the novel. I think it turned out rather well — I’m looking forward to seeing what readers think!
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That’s an absolutely gorgeous cover, although my first impression was Indonesian, rather than Japanese–perhaps a good thing, if the culture is meant to evoke Japan only to a minor extent! Love the color and textures; this is definitely a book I’d pick up off the shelf.
Though given how delighted I was with the Griffin Mage trilogy and CITY IN THE LAKE, I probably won’t wait for the shelf–your books are going to be automatic ‘Amazon Pre-order’ for me!
That’s just gorgeous.
Looking forward to this one — the excerpt at the back of Law of the Broken Earth was far too brief.
She does look Indonesian, doesn’t she? I probably thought of geisha simply because I know the plot and the world.
Either way, I’m going to have a tough time picking my favorite cover after this one hits the shelves. The artist did a wonderful job, and I also love the beautiful lettering of the title.
It is absolutely gorgeous. It also reminds me of the covers of Libby Bray books. Is it the same artist, do you know? Would it make sense to aim the book at that market?
I can’t tell from the excerpt, and I’ve only read the first Bray. (It was only ok.)
They’re making up for the lousy cover they put on the hardcover of CITY, with all your other covers, I think.
I’m afraid I’ve only seen the “rough sketch” (not very rough, as you can see) and don’t yet know who the artist is. When Orbit does their cover launch post, maybe we’ll all find out! If I wanted to bring a book out independently, I would definitely think about contacting this artist.
I hadn’t seen the Bray books, so I just went and looked them up and I see what you mean, though I like my cover better. Although HOUSE OF SHADOWS is not technically YA, there’s no reason YA readers wouldn’t like it, so if the cover appeals to that audience, great!