Saturday, September 21, 2013

The Saturday Spotlight featuring Katie Carroll and Giveaway of Elixir Bound

Welcome to the Saturday Spotlight, a weekly feature that shines the light on Indie and Debut authors. This week I have the pleasure introducing readers to:

KATIE CARROLL
~Author of Elixir Bound~




Thank you so much, Tina, for having me and Elixir Bound on your blog today…and for letting me gush about the cover! There’s a bonus giveaway, too, for this post. One commenter will win the ebook version of Elixir Bound.

One of the most exciting things about becoming an author is seeing your first book cover. Though I’ve seen the cover of Elixir Bound plenty of times in digital form, I still can’t wait to be able to hold the physical book in my hands and gaze lovingly at the cover. I’ve had so many readers compliment the cover and it even took second place in the You Gotta Read Reviews June cover contest.

But really I can’t really take credit for how the cover came out. All that credit goes to my cover artist C.K. Volnek. It is true that as a MuseItUp author, I had a little input (mostly in the form of an author questionnaire) when it came to the cover of Elixir Bound. But I only provided some of the details of the story; C.K. took all those little details and made it a cohesive whole.

She was able to take my thoughts on what types of covers I like (I mentioned the American cover for Melina Marchetta’s Froi of the Exiles as one that had caught my eye of late) and a few key elements of the story and integrate them into an engrossing and detailed cover that in no way looks crowded or busy. If I knew how she was specifically able to do this, I would probably quit writing and become a cover artist myself (not really, I would never quit writing).

What I can tell you are some of the details I gave her about character, plot, and setting and how they showed up in the cover. (I’ll be honest, this post is really just an excuse to let me point out all the cool things on the cover!) Elixir Bound is essentially about Katora’s quest to retrieve the main ingredient to her family’s secret healing Elixir so she can take over as guardian.

Let’s start with character. Katora is definitely the central element on the cover. I expected to be asked about how she looks, but what I didn’t expect was to be asked about her personality. The three words I chose to describe her: stubborn, confident, independent. I think the model depicting Katora was a great fit. Her expression and body language were just right. So character: check!

Let’s move onto plot. The subject of the quest is the Elixir, which is prominently represented in the left-hand corner near the title. The objective of the quest is to find the Elixir’s main ingredient, which just happens to come from the tiny white flowers vining their way along the edges. So plot: check!

Now on to setting. Most of the journey takes places in a forest. The background gives you a sense of the rustic setting with the tree to the right and the mysterious doorway-type thing behind Katora (is it a cave, the entrance to a tomb?). I like how it sets a mood, but doesn’t get too specific because when I read, I like to let my own imagination fill in those details. Have you noticed the mountain range at the bottom of the cover? Did you notice its shape? The mountain range is aptly called The Sleeping Giant and I was so thrilled to see it included on the cover. So setting: double check!

And finally, my favorite aspect of the cover…my name, of course! It’s been my dream for so many years to see my name on the cover of a book and I couldn’t be more pleased with the result.



Katie Carroll began writing after her 16-year-old sister unexpectedly passed away. Writing was a way for Katie to help her sister live on in the pages of a story. It also made her realize that she wanted to pursue writing as a career. In addition to penning novels for teens and kids, she edits novels, plays soccer, and collects signed copies of books. Katie lives in Connecticut with her husband and son.



GIVEAWAY

Today Katie is giving away one eBook copy of Elixir Bound! Everyone is welcome to enter. Please just fill in the copter for your chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Katora Kase is next in line to take over as guardian to a secret and powerful healing Elixir. Now she must journey into the wilds of Faway Forest to find the ingredient that gives the Elixir its potency. Even though she has her sister and brother, an old family friend, and the handsome son of a mapmaker as companions, she feels alone. 

It is her decision alone whether or not to bind herself to the Elixir to serve and protect it until it chooses a new guardian. The forest hosts many dangers, including wicked beings that will stop at nothing to gain power, but the biggest danger Katora may face is whether or not to open up her heart to love.

Thanks Katie for being on the spotlight today to learn more about this author check out:

Goodreads~Web

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Posted by Tina~ at 10:28 AM

11 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for having me on today, Tina!

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  2. It's always so fascinating to hear the story behind the cover. Congrats on the paperback--how exciting! (I would enter the giveaway, but I already have a copy. :-) )

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Anna! And yay for already having a copy of Elixir Bound! :)

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  • I have always wondered how book covers are created, thanks for the great post! It is great to know that the author does have some input in the artwork. I am excited to read Elixir Bound.

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    1. Hi, Danielle! One of the perks to being with a small press is getting some input on the cover. I know other authors who have had zero say in their cover, though most end up pretty happy with what the cover artist comes up with.

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