Braxton Woods Mystique Spotlight & eBook Giveaway

C.B.Y. Book Club is running a spotlight and eBook giveaway for Braxton Woods Mystique. You get to read about me, my debut novel, and you even get a chance to win an eBook of Braxton Woods Mystique. Check it out.

Braxton Woods Mystique Official Release

After years of hard work and anticipation, it is finally the release date of my first published work of fiction, Braxton Woods Mystique.

Thanks to my agent from Trident Media Group, Mark Gottlieb.

Thanks to my publisher from Ravenswood, Kitty Honeycutt.

Thanks to my editor, Mary Harris.

Thanks to my cover artist, Robyn Diaz.

Thanks to my wife, Kathy Furgang, and our two sons.

I'm eternally grateful to all of you.

RUN TOWARD WHAT SCARES YOU… After losing everything in a fire, Leo and his mom move into an unfinished development far off in the middle of Braxton Woods. As summer vacation begins, Leo and his new friends set out to explore the land behind their homes. They are alarmed to find sinkholes, horrific creatures, electrical disturbances, and even a buried carnival from long ago. Despite their growing fears, they are drawn toward solving the extraordinary mystery. Little do they know they are about to unearth a sinister force and discover a dark, forgotten secret from the town’s past. Ultimately, they must overcome the willies, heebie-jeebies, creeps, shakes, and shivers as they chose danger over a far greater threat—a dull summer.

Paperback

Kindle

Braxton Woods Mystique eBook Now Available for Pre-order

I'm happy to announce that my novel, Braxton Woods Mystique, is now available for pre-order in eBook format on Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, and Google Play Books.

The book also has a nice home over at Goodreads now. 

Soon it should be on Barnes & Noble, and I will update this post with fresh links as more venues for the book become available. 

Next will be the soft cover print edition! 

Braxton Woods Mystique Cover Development: Part 3

This is the third and final post about the creation of the cover art for my upcoming upper middle grade novel, Braxton Woods Mystique. The novel will be released in spring, 2016. Return to this blog in the future for an exact release date. Read the first post in this series here and the second post here. 

final cover by Robyn Diaz

As soon as sketches began to arrive in my inbox from Robyn Diaz, I was instantly pleased and knew in my gut that the pairing was a good one. Robyn was already familiar with my idea for a buried carnival and how kids would discover the unknown, which was mixed with fantastical elements, darkness, and unseen forces at work. Even years earlier, when the buried carnival idea first came to me, Robyn and I had discussed a children's picture book—one that Robyn would illustrate. That project got away from us, and I decided to complicate the idea by turning it into a novel. It would be almost three full years before I'd finish the manuscript, find a agent, and have it placed with a publisher. Joining forces again with Robyn on the artwork for this project was entirely meant to be. 

I showed Robyn my many cover designs, as well as my sketches, and asked if she could keep the four main characters on the cover, along with a few elements from the story. Robyn loved the idea and got to work straight away, making sketches for me to look over. 

My sketch on the left and Robyn's sketch on the right

My sketch on the left and Robyn's sketch on the right

After Robyn had interpreted my sketches—and moved past my limited compositions—she started to produce fresh ideas and compositions of her own. This is the point at which she took the cover in a direction I'd never been able to do myself. The sketches were way beyond any composition I'd be able to come up with, and I knew that Robyn had cracked the cover conundrum and landed on some incredibly dynamic ideas.

  

Once we decided on one of her sketches as a jumping point, she then moved to color and wowed me beyond anything I'd imagined in my own head. As time went on, I was continually blown away each and every time Robyn would email me an idea, picture element, or work-in-progress during the cover process.

I feel blessed to have such a great cover for my first published novel. Robyn has a gift for drawing, painting, composition, coloring, and that extra special something that can't be taught—combining it all together into a beautiful piece of art that continues to draw the eye in. The anticipation of seeing her art on the cover of my novel has easily eclipsed my anticipation of getting to finally see my own words in print. 

Below are a few more images of the cover in progress. Robyn already has a children's picture book out—Philo & Sophy. You can purchase that here. You can check out more of her amazing art at her website here.