Richard Shiver may not be a name familiar to children's authors. But if it does sound somewhat familiar, it's because he interviewed me a while back. His latest novel, All Roads Lead to Terror came out last week.I was intrigued on how he came up with the cover. Here's what he had to say:
As an independent author with limited resources, what I’m
able to save to put into my writing is used to have my work edited before it is
released. As such I’m unable to afford the covers I would like to see on my
work so for the past couple of years I’ve been designing my own, while teaching
myself how to use Photoshop to create covers. I’m pretty damned proud of what I
came up with for All Roads Lead to Terror. I wanted to touch the potential
reader on an emotional level while at the same time showing that the story
within the covers was about leaving your childhood behind as one stepped into
adulthood. Of course what better way of showing innocence lost than with an
abandoned teddy bear. I tried several different routes, all with little
success, until I staged the photo myself.
I picked up the stuffed bear from Goodwill for a couple of
bucks. When I carried him out of the store he was in pretty good shape. Once I
got him home it got a little interesting, even though I look like a grumpy old
man, I can be rather emotional at times. I believe a writer has to be very much
in touch with their emotions in order to properly convey the feelings of their
characters on the page. It was this familiarity with my own emotions that
stopped me at first from doing what I knew I had to do. It’s just a stuffed
bear, I kept telling myself. That might have been but before he went to live at
the Goodwill it was obvious a child had taken good care of him.
In the end I quickly removed his left leg and ear. A bit of
black paint and some hard rubbing gave me the look I wanted for with his fur, a
matted, unwashed appearance. Adding the sling was a final touch to show that
though he had been abandoned at one time he’d been cherished by a child that
shared its sorrow for a world turned upside down.
He has no name, yet. But his sacrifice has earned him a
place of honor in my office, he sits on the top shelf of my bookcase, watching
over my shoulder as I work, occasionally he will sit in my lap as I write, to
help me connect with the emotions that I strive to bring to the page. He will
also appear on every subsequent cover in the series.
He serves as a constant reminder of what I hope to achieve
with The Dreadland Chronicles that will focus not on the brutality of
the world in which they live, but the undying hope of the young as they
struggle to rebuild a shattered world that has been left to them, and make a
better place for those who will follow.
All Roads Lead to Terror can be purchased at the following online retailers:
A little more about Richard and how to contact\follow him below:
Richard was born in Frostburg, Maryland, in the winter of
'58' and currently lives eight miles away. A five-year stint with the military
allowed him to see what he wanted of the world. Married with four grown
children and eight grandchildren, he and his wife provide a home to four pets
that are spoiled beyond rotten.
In addition to writing daily he works a full time job in retail, and piddles around in his wood-shop making one mess after another when time permits.
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Follow Richard on Twitter: @RichardSchiver
Written in Blood is Richard's personal blog where he shares his thoughts on writing, and whatever else might strike his fancy.
In addition to writing daily he works a full time job in retail, and piddles around in his wood-shop making one mess after another when time permits.
Follow Richard on Twitter: @RichardSchiver
Written in Blood is Richard's personal blog where he shares his thoughts on writing, and whatever else might strike his fancy.
He can be contacted directly at rschiver@gmail.com and would be delighted to hear from you.
Sign up to be notified of publishing updates and new releases as they become available. He promises to never share your contact info, nor will he swamp your inbox with unnecessary junk. He’ll also toss in a free copy of White Walker when you sign up.
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