City Chronicles

Book Trailer

2012-03-08T03:21:00.000-08:00

I am very excited about the trailer for my book City Chronicles: A Tale of Nine Cities. I have worked with the wonderful design team of Cathy from Avalon Graphics and Bronwen of Lumina Muisc and the result is a super trailer. Have a look!

Getting it Wrong, Then Making it Right: Self-Publishing Lessons Learned

2012-03-08T01:41:00.000-08:00

I did it! I was very happy with myself; I had done what I had set out to do and published my first book. Despite my best efforts – lots of research of literary agents and publishers – I had not been able to find someone to take me on and publish my book for me. I took the self-publishing route. I also took the self-editing and self-proofreading route. The one thing I did do properly was invest in a professional to design my book cover. Apart from writing the book that may have been all I did right!

I have learned a lot since I released the first edition of my book on the world. I have learned most of it from Helen Hollick; she has been a blessing. I first found Helen in the pages of a writing magazine talking about taking on her back catalogue after being dropped by her publishers. In the article Helen mentioned her designer, Cathy Helms at Avalon Graphics, and I bit the bullet and contacted Cathy. The result - a wonderful book cover that gives the reader a visual indication of what lies within. It is a shame that the inside layout did match the exterior promise.

Helen bought my book (I had joined Helen and Cathy writing on a weather blog). She liked the cover. There then followed from Helen several articles about self-publishing and the need for professional editing. Whether they were a direct result of my book, or purely coincidental, it matters not, what Helen said within the articles rang true. I had not edited my book properly.

For a start my layout was wrong. I had line spacing of 1.5 lines. This made my book look all wrong, it was not an inviting read. There were a few spelling and grammar mistakes within. I had edited and proofread the copy I don’t know how many times but I knew what I was supposed to be reading. If I thought ‘Tin Tin’ was meant to be on the page that is what I read, not ‘Tin Tim’ which was actually what sat there. I could not see the woods for the trees.

I have made every effort to address these issues. I reformatted my book which resulted in it losing thirty pages. Thirty pages! It was not a particularly fat read before, now it was positively skinny! But the narrative within is the same. It is still a book of travel memoirs and luckily people who have read it have enjoyed it (see the reviews on Lulu.com). Helen had enjoyed it, it was just the editing that had let it down she said.

There are lots of positives to come out of the process. It is been a steep learning curve and a self-publisher is going to make mistakes somewhere along the line. I made quite a few of them. As a self-publisher you have to be not just writer but agent, manager, marketing director and tea-boy all rolled into one, but don’t be the editor as well. City Chronicles: A Tale of Nine Cities is out in its new, revised format – the second edition. The second book in the trilogy, City Chronicles: A Little Bit of Italy, is a work-in-progress. I am going to employ an editor before it goes to press. I already have the cover being designed by the wonderful Cathy, it looks great. This time I am going to make sure that the inside of the book looks as polished and professional as the cover.

Available from Lulu.com – City Chronicles: A Tale of Nine Cities

Forthcoming titles:

City Chronicles: A Little Bit of Italy – April/May 2012

City Chronicles: Crossing the Bosporus – late 2012

Pompeii Delights

2012-02-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

City Chronicles: A Little Bit of Italy is my latest work-in-progress and I have reached the Bay of Naples and Pompeii. Pompeii was partially destroyed and buried beneath tonnes of volcanic ash, pumice and rock matter in AD79 when Vesuvius erupted. Focused excavations began in the eighteenth century, with a considerable amount of work carried out in the early part of the twentieth century prior to World War II and since. Looking back through all my photographs one thing that struck me was the amount of erotica that we came across.

Street corners sported phalluses in relief. Erotic artwork was not relegated to houses of prostitution but was found in public baths and private houses as well as brothels. Sex and phalluses were seemingly everywhere.

The phalluses on walls and street corners have been reputed to be directional indicators for brothels, though this is perhaps unlikely. Pompeii would have boasted a high number of brothels if that was the case. My guide suggested they were good luck or fertility charms which people touched to achieve their wishes. Some of them were particularly worn which would lend some credence to his theory. There is only one officially recognised brothel in Pompeii (though there may have been as many as thirty), the Lupanar, which occupies a street corner plot. High on the walls are erotic pictures which have been suggested to be a 'menu' from which customers selected their desired act. Considering the artwork that is on display in other buildings this is unlikely; it is just appropriate artwork for the setting.

Artwork from the brothel, Lupanar, showing a sexual act.

Man with two penises, Lupanar.

Private houses have their fair share of erotic art. The House of Vetti displays a picture of the god of fertility, Priapus, with his enlarged penis, the House of the Centenary depicts a sexual act being carried out, whilst the House of the Faun shows a satyr and a nymph carrying out a sexual act. The public baths though have possibly the most explicit artwork. Discovered in the 1990s the frescoes show amongst other things, a threesome (two men and a woman), the act of cunnilingus, the act of felatio and a woman riding a man. These were on show in baths used by both sexes, so is it likely that they were advertising 'other services available' in upstairs rooms? Once again, I think it is unlikely. The pictures are all shown above what look like painted baskets which in turn have a number. Below them is evidence that a shelf had run along the wall. The original archaeologist arrived at the theory (which seems highly likely as there are no niches in the changing rooms to store belongings)that these were just playful reminders to the clientele as to where they had left their clothes. 'Remember Lucius, I'm the threesome and you're girl on top.'

This was a society with different social mores to those of today, seemingly far more open where sexual proclivities were concerned. Whatever the original purpose of any of the pictures they certainly make for excited chit-chat and giggling among some of the tourists of today, which is almost as interesting to view.

Threesome fresco Satyr and Nymph Cunnilingus

in public baths in House of the Faun in public baths

(Pictures sourced from google, copyright free where copyright not indicated.)

Pompeii - eyewitness account

2012-02-06T03:12:00.000-08:00

In AD 63 an earthquake caused extensive damage to the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Great inroads had been made into repairing the town, and remodelling of the forum was under way in Pompeii, when in AD79 Vesuvius erupted and the town of Pompeii was last to the world for fifteen hundred years.

Pliny the Younger, whose uncle Pliny the Elder died at Pompeii, witnessed the eruption from across the Bay of Naples at Misenum. In letters to Tacitus (see below) some 25 years later, Pliny the Younger gives his eye-witness account of the eruption.

To TACITUS

YOUR request that I would send you an account of my uncle's death, in order to transmit a more exact relation of it to posterity, deserves my acknowledgements; for, if this accident shall be celebrated by your pen, the glory of it, I am well assured, will be rendered forever illustrious...

[...]He was at that time with the fleet under his command at Misenum. On the 24th of August, about one in the afternoon, my mother desired him to observe a cloud which appeared of a very unusual size and shape. He had just taken a turn in the sun and, after bathing himself in cold water, and making a light luncheon, gone back to his books: he immediately arose and went out upon a rising ground from whence he might get a better sight of this very uncommon appearance. A cloud, from which mountain was uncertain, at this distance (but it was found afterwards to come from Mount Vesuvius), was ascending, the appearance of which I cannot give you a more exact description of than by likening it to that of a pine tree, for it shot up to a great height in the form of a very tall trunk, which spread itself out at the top into a sort of branches; occasioned, I imagine, either by a sudden gust of air that impelled it, the force of which decreased as it advanced upwards, or the cloud itself being pressed back again by its own weight, expanded in the manner I have mentioned; it appeared sometimes bright and sometimes dark and spotted, according as it was either more or less impregnated with earth and cinders. This phenomenon seemed to a man of such learning and research as my uncle extraordinary and worth further looking into. He ordered a light vessel to be got ready, and gave me leave, if I liked, to accompany him. I said I had rather go on with my work; and it so happened, he had himself given me something to write out.

As he was coming out of the house, he received a note from Rectina, the wife of Bassus, who was in the utmost alarm at the imminent danger which threatened her; for her villa lying at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, there was no way of escape but by sea; she earnestly entreated him therefore to come to her assistance. He accordingly changed his first intention, and what he had begun from a philosophical, he now carries out in a noble and generous spirit. He ordered the galleys to be put to sea, and went himself on board with an intention of assisting not only Rectina, but the several other towns which lay thickly strewn along that beautiful coast. Hastening then to the place from whence others fled with the utmost terror, he steered his course direct to the point of danger, and with so much calmness and presence of mind as to be able to make and dictate his observations upon the motion and all the phenomena of that dreadful scene. He was now so close to the mountain that the cinders, which grew thicker and hotter the nearer he approached, fell into the ships, together with pumice- stones, and black pieces of burning rock: they were in danger too not only of being aground by the sudden retreat of the sea, but also from the vast fragments which rolled down from the mountain, and obstructed all the shore. Here he stopped to consider whether he should turn back again; to which the pilot advising him, "Fortune," said he, "favours the brave; steer to where Pomponianus is." ...

[...] Meanwhile broad flames shone out in several places from Mount Vesuvius, which the darkness of the night contributed to render still brighter and clearer. But my uncle, in order to soothe the apprehensions of his friend, assured him it was only the burning of the villages, which the country people had abandoned to the flames: after this he retired to rest, and it is most certain he was so little disquieted as to fall into a sound sleep: for his breathing, which, on account of his corpulence, was rather heavy and sonorous, was heard by the attendants outside. The court which led to his apartment being now almost filled with stones and ashes, if he had continued there any time longer, it would have been impossible for him to have made his way out. So he was awoke and got up, and went to Pomponianus and the rest of his company, who were feeling too anxious to think of going to bed. They consulted together whether it would be most prudent to trust to the houses, which now rocked from side to side with frequent and violent concussions as though shaken from their very foundations; or fly to the open fields, where the calcined stones and cinders, though light indeed, yet fell in large showers, and threatened destruction. In this choice of dangers they resolved for the fields: a resolution which, while the rest of the company were hurried into by their fears, my uncle embraced upon cool and deliberate consideration. They went out then, having pillows tied upon their heads with napkins; and this was their whole defence against the storm of stones that fell round them.

It was now day everywhere else, but there a deeper darkness prevai1ed than in the thickest night; which however was in some degree alleviated by torches and other lights of various kinds. They thought proper to go farther down upon the shore to see if they might safely put out to sea, but found the waves still running extremely high, and boisterous. There my uncle, laying himself down upon a sail cloth, which was spread for him, called twice for some cold water, which he drank, when immediately the flames, preceded by a strong whiff of sulphur, dispersed the rest of the party, and obliged him to rise. He raised himself up with the assistance of two of his servants, and instantly fell down dead; suffocated, as I conjecture, by some gross and noxious vapour, having always had a weak throat, which was often inflamed. As soon as it was light again, which was not till the third day after this melancholy accident, his body was found entire, and without any marks of violence upon it, in the dress in which he fell, and looking more like a man asleep than dead. During all this time my mother and I, who were at Miscnum—but this has no connection with your history, and you did not desire any particulars besides those of my uncle's death; so I will end here, only adding that I have faithfully related to you what I was either an eye-witness of myself or received immediately after the accident happened, and before there was time to vary the truth. You will pick out of this narrative whatever is most important: for a letter is one thing, a history another; it is one thing writing to a friend, another thing writing to the public. Farewell.

(Letters of Pliny, translated by William Melmouth and revised by F.C.T. Bosanquet.
Courtesy of Project Gutenberg)

Pompeii: Plaster casts of bodies as they had fallen

Where I write

2012-01-21T02:39:00.000-08:00

I have a desk in one of the bedrooms of the villa I rent in Spain, it is covered in research notes, books and, shamefully, dust. Next to the desk is a bookcase crammed with books, travel journals, brochures from galleries and various paraphernalia I've picked up on my travels. The printer sits proudly on top of the bookshelf but it is rarely called into action. It can scan and copy as well but rarely does either of those things. The bookcase has spewed some of its contents onto the floor - there just isn't enough storage.

Good thing I took this picture - I've rediscovered the dogs' brush!

Lack of space is just an excuse really; the truth is I am seriously disorganised. Every once in a while I will become overwhelmed with the mess and clear up; but not often. The resultant disorder means there is little space for me to put my laptop on the desk, or squeeze current writing book and research notes onto the desk, so I rarely write in this room anymore. When I first moved here, with the sole intention of writing my book City Chronicles: A Tale of Nine Cities, I wrote in that room everyday but with the advent of spring I slowly moved outside. The weather in Andalusìa is too good to waste sat in a bedroom. As I write longhand, with an inkpen in an A4 notebook, I can do this wherever I like. I can be found on the steps of my verendah scribbling away, or at the dining table or on cold nights on the sofa in front of the fire. I can, and do, write anywhere.

The dining table gets the morning sun - a good place to start the day.

I carry a notebook and many pens everywhere I go. As a travel-writer each visit I make to a city, gallery, place of interest is note-worthy. Even if I return to a place frequently each visit is different. I see different things, the weather, smells, sounds are different and I usually eat in a different place each time. I can build a picture of the place.

For travelling purposes any pen will do. The first draft of a book has to be written with my Parker inkpen. Stationery is ridiculously expensive over here. The Chinese bazaars do a roaring trade with their cheap notebooks and disposable biros with me but the cost of ink is prohibitive. I brought cartridges back from England in August and a trip to Spoleto, Italy saw me re-stock after finding a quaint, old-fashioned toy and stationery shop where the prince of ink was not greater than that of oil, gold and saffron combined.

For Christmas I received a rather fancy notebook which has sections for hotels, sights, cities etc, with each page having handy headings. I have used it twice already - Seville and Antequera. It is all rather organised for me, but it did prompt me to put things down that I often forget - the cost of coffee and entrance fees being two of the main culprits. I like the spiralbound notebooks with plastic and cardboard pockets from Paperchase. they are very useful for keeping pamphlets, tickets and other bits and bobs in one place and relevant to the writing. Just looking at a ticket can bring back memories of a trip.

Ernest Hemingway said that you should only write about a place once you've left it, to give you perspective (I paraphrase). He's right, but keeping rough notes and memorabilia are essential for someone with a disorganised cerebrum. And so I continue to write, in any place I can find space, about the places I have been, surrounded by my aide memoirs.

The palace at Caserta, one of the places in my next book
City Chronicles: A Little Bit of Italy

Bring my Book to the Screen...Please!

2012-01-01T06:33:00.000-08:00

I have finally got round to reading the November issue of my writing magazine within which was an article about getting your book onto the big screen. The long and the short of it was that you need an agent, always take a healthy option fee, but don't expect ever to see it made into a film, TV programme or stage production. Hmmm. That should be enough to make me discard that little dream, especially with a self-published non-fiction work to boot - but it isn't. I think my book would be brilliant as a film. There is action, hilarity, pathos and any other term you may care to use a-plenty (except bathos, I hope there is no bathos). The pages are full of history, architecture, travel and sex that could easily be translated into wonderful cinematography. I'm not even bothered if I'm portrayed as a desperate, hard-drinking, heavy-smoking slapper (well maybe a little) if it gets notice for the book. Of course, what I would like is a portrayal that is close to who we really are, or were as we have grown up a little since then.

So who would play me? It can't be some wafer-thin, stupidly attractive actress because that is just not me. Preferably a UK size 16, average-looking, tall bod would be the order of the day. Does such a creature exist in the acting world? Maybe they could get Kate Winslet to pile back on a few pounds, and some; she comes from the same part of Berkshire as me so no need for her to learn a new accent. Kate is a bit on the short side but then a lot of actors are, so she can look tall compared to the others in the cast. That's that problem surmounted.

And who will write the screenplay? Who will direct? Who will play my friend and travelling companion Sara? What will I wear on the red carpet? How will I fit all those interviews into my working day and still find time to write?

I'm getting ahead of myself. But one can only dream and, according to the article, that is probably as far as it will get particularly if all I do is sit and dream. So to work. First, I need to let the production world know there is an option on my work. Second, I need to get an agent to promote such, get me a good option fee and do all the hardwork. Third, I need to promote my book some more, finish my second and third books and do some more travelling in order to write yet more. Easy. See you at Cannes in 2014!

Christmas Book Sales

2011-12-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas is one of the boom times of the year for book sales (The Bookseller tweeted that sales soared by £8.8million last week), and quite rightly so. Giving a loved one something that they can cherish until the end of their days has to be considered as the ultimate present. I do not think there has been a year when I have not been given books or book tokens so I can make my own choice. A book will always make me smile once unwrapped.

And this year I can contribute to somebody's happiness. My book is available via lulu.com at the very reasonable price of £7 (plus p&p). In fact, if you are very quick you can purchase it at a 30% discount by the end of tomorrow (Wednesday 7th December 2011).

If you live in the Axarquia region of Spain you are also able to buy my book from one of the following shops:
Todo Papel, Competa
Marco Polo, Competa
W H Smiffs, Nerja
The English Shop, Puente don Manuel

Don't just take my word for the fact that this is a good little book. Here are some of the reviews received.

Nov. 25, 2011 By casahoya

A Ripping Yarn. If you were hoping for a conventional travel book, you are going to be bitterly disappointed. Deborah Cater and conventional are not on speaking terms. If, however, you would enjoy a jolly good romp through some of the greatest cultural centres in Eastern Europe in the company of two healthy young women with a robust sense of humour and very few inhibitions, you will love this book. Warning, do not read this if you have no sense of humour. You can test this by reading the section on Amsterdam entitled 'The Last Chicken in Sainsbury's,' something, incidentally that I have never seen in real life and which has left me with a feeling that I've missed out on something. Well-written, very funny and a very good read. I'd buy it if I were you.

Nov. 1, 2011 By dawn764

Such an honestly written account of two friends on their journey. A Tale of Nine Cities is not just a story of friends travelling and their experience. The writing cleverly combines a description of fine architecture, culture and character of all the cities visited, leaving an ambition to visit those you have not and relating to those you have. A simple burst of hilarious encounters and an honest approach to friendship along the way that any friends could relate to but in a way that leaves you in absolute fits of laughter waiting to read the next chapter. cannot wait for the next journey :)

Nov. 2, 2011 By Helen Carver

I very quickly ripped through this book and at the end wished it had been longer. I loved the whirl around Amsterdam as it brought lots of good memories back for me. And as for Budapest, I may also go back there after all, because I found parts of that city very seedy but Deborah help me see there may be more to it. I thought Deborah's description of Auschwitz was particularly poignant. Even though we have all read accounts of this horror, they are usually written by people or even historians with a great deal of knowledge of this place, but Deborah's writing came straight from the heart. I liked both ladies non politically correct ideas on smoking and drinking. We all should be able to choose what we do in life. An entertaining bit of writing; well worth a read.

A book is a wonderful present, fits nicely into most Christmas stockings, or looks nice wrapped under the tree and then later on someone's bookshelf or bedside table. Give a book and make someone happy!

Bread and Circuses

2011-11-28T14:19:00.000-08:00

There is more to Rome, and Romans, than bread and circuses; Juvenal knew that. He was merely commenting that giving bread and circuses to the populace diverted them from, perhaps, more pressing issues. I am trying to cram the history of Rome, and not just its glory days as the centre of a powerful empire, but the whole kit and caboodle, from being to 2006, into a few pages of text. I am writing a travel book; it needs to have interest in the form of fact, but it does not want to be crushed beneath its weight. Enough happened in the five days I was in Rome without thousands of years prior to be included as well. What is worthy of detailed mention? What should only be given a fleeting mention? What, and this is the really hard bit, should be omitted? Do I create the highlights of Rome’s history around the obvious elements of archaeology remaining or, because they are given so much publicity, skim around those times and give more to the lesser known times?

Whichever way I twist I am going to upset somebody. The classicists and lovers of Imperial Rome would be disappointed if I glossed over the events and outputs of their period. Those interested in the Middle Ages would argue that Rome did not just disappear into a black hole, far from it, and the Renaissance in the early Modern period was indeed a time of rebirth. Enthusiasts of later modern and contemporary history would be baying for my blood if I omitted the years of Berlusconi, Mussolini, Vittorio Emmanuelle II and the French influence. And all of this intertwined with the church; the church, the state within a state, and all its influences – good and bad.

I am tempted to sate the tastes of the reading populace with bread and circuses. I would be steering them from some equally tasty treats but it may divert them from noticing the things I have little interest in. What I have to do is base the book primarily around my experiences – visual, aural, oral, touching and tasty – it is after all a telling of MY story.

There will be complaints, no doubt, that is the price I willingly accept for putting my version of the truth out there... but it is difficult to understand someone when they have a mouth full of bread and the party is in full swing.

City Chronicles: A Little Bit of Italy. Due for release in Spring 2012

What is Staunching the Flow?

2011-11-16T04:33:00.000-08:00

I have been struggling a little to get into the groove of this book and many a nightly hour has been spent considering the whys and wherefores. I know that A Little Bit of Italy does not contain the overnight train journeys, numerous countries and cultures and desperate hurtles across countries to make a connection that were evident in A Tale of Nine Cities, but still I visited some magnificent places.

Reading through my journal, looking at the photographs and carrying out the research to make sure I’ve got my facts straight, I remember just how wonderful these cities were. Venice, a floating enigma; Milan with its beautiful Duomo; Siena, an almost perfect medieval town set in the beautiful Tuscan countryside and Rome. Rome, where there is almost too much to see. Rome, the complete and utter assault on all your senses. It was an incredible journey, so why am I finding it so hard to write about it?

The answer came to me last night. The reason I find it so troublesome – I was not happy. Whereas with Nine Cities I had been travelling with a friend that I could not be more found of (despite some rather violent outbursts), A Little Bit of Italy was taken in the company of someone with whom I was in the last throes of a relationship. Throes? The last choking, bilious vomits of our relationship were strewn across this trip. So I need to address these issues. I need to make light of them, turn the murderous look and desire to dash him from the height of the Duomo roof onto the piazza below into a moment of humour (though there is the concern it might descend into bathos).

So that is my intent today - lighten my heart. I found a quote from Ernest Hemingway, “Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.” Very good advice. I am going to put it as the ending quote to my book, it is the perfect summation.

A Little Bit of Italy

2011-11-09T06:12:00.000-08:00

That is the title of the second in the City Chronicles trilogy and I am busy putting pen to paper. I hope to have the book ready for publication by Easter (I hope it is late next year - must check). I've just spent the last five days in Italy, and though the only place I visited on this trip that is the same as the trip I am writing about is the airport at Fiumicino, I have the flavour of the country tingling on my memory's tastebuds. Everything helps in bringing the memories flooding back. Yes, I have my notebooks and photographs and other paraphenalia but there is nothing like setting foot in the country again to aid the synapses.

And so with my trusty Parker pen loaded with ink (from cartridges purchased at an old fashioned toy and stationery shop in Spoleto, Umbria) and virgin paper waiting to be penetrated with said ink, I set forth on my tour of A Little Bit of Italy once again.

Soaking up the Italian atmosphere - Grottammare, Abruzzo.

P.S. I am a slow learner when it comes to Twitter et al but today I managed to find three #tags that had not, until now, been used and can be said to relate to my books! I am now using #ninecities for the first of the City Chronicles trilogy, #bitofitaly for the second and #cctrilogy for the set. Look out for them, and use them, on twitter.
Cheers!

OUT NOW!

2011-10-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

City Chronicles: A Tale of Nine Cities

Available through Lulu.com as pdf e-book or paperback.

E-book: £1.99

Paperback: £6.99

A Tale of Nine Cities relates the tale of an eye-opening and inspirational trip taken by two 30 year-old friends around Central and Eastern Europe by train. Cramming nine cities in eight countries into fifteen days this is no mean feat.

Full of fascinating facts and history of the places visited this is more than a cultural travelogue. The tale is also an amusing and frank account of the adventure during which the girls face some hard facts about themselves and their differing takes on life.

I hope you enjoy it!

The second book in the trilogy, City Chronicles: A Little Bit of Italy will be available in 2012.

City Chronicles: A Tale of Nine Cities

Available through Lulu.com as pdf e-book or paperback.

We've got it covered!

2011-09-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

The front design of the cover jacket for City Chronicles: A Tale of Nine Cities is complete. I think it looks fantastic and have to thank my designer, Cathy Helms of Avalon Graphics, for all her hardwork and patience as I umm'd and err'd as to the best look.

I believe the jacket sums up the tale inside...two girls setting out on an exciting and inspiring trip around Europe; that travel stretches the mind, opens the senses and can be a wonderful adventure.

The book will be published in October 2011 and will be available via Lulu.com.

Know no boundaries, go and explore!!

Judging Covers of Books

2011-09-09T03:04:00.000-07:00

‘Never judge a book by its cover’, well that may be so if we are using books as a metaphor for people, but for books the cover is important. I am about to enter the very competitive world of book-selling and I want every advantage I can muster. I have found a cover designer but she needs direction from me, quite rightly. So, as part of my homework on book cover design I have perused over a thousand book covers to see what catches my eye. It was an interesting exercise. Here are a few of the covers that made me look twice.

I like this because of the colours blue and green, the title is clear, it has symbols of WWI without it being warlike, it hints at what is within. The cover is almost in direct contrast to the title, i.e. war in the title but, apart from the darker clouds, a peaceful feel to the cover. Bad points – author’s name is lost at the bottom.

Once again the colour blue is in evidence. The subject matter is hinted at – Algiers represented by fuzzy palms. The title and author’s name are clear and the eye moves down from the title and is captured by the white palms.

These I do not like! Chick Lit is what it says to me and chick lit I do not read as a general rule. I would be put off by this, and so would men. This style would narrow my potential readership I think.

HOWEVER, they caught my eye. I would expect my reader demographic to be female in their 30s and 40s so it might be a good style – still don’t like it though!!

I like the map detail. The title grabs the eye immediately. I like the sub title being a different colour. The use of a pin and string draws the eye and makes it stick. The different colours of the countries also adds interest. Once again shades of blue.

This is a memoir and we can see the history in the young girl. The title is reflected in the cover through use of shape – triangle. Diary scribbles and the edge of the map also refer back to this being a memoir. You can tell from the cover what to expect inside.

You can’t tell that this a biography straight away but the cover is very eye-catching. Once again blue is the colour (definitely a theme here) but with other bold statement colours/pictures to draw the eye in. Bad points – title not clear enough.

This made me laugh; which as it is a humour book is good. Looking at the map there are not country names but words to describe the inhabitants – drunk, robbers, unclean! The titles are clear. Everything is clear. You know what you are going to get from this cover.

I own this book and the reason I first picked it up…the cover! It stands out – a smoking skeleton. I did not know the author, and the title I missed. Still, I picked it up from the shelf and read the back and a random page within…then bought it.

This has been a very helpful exercise. Scanning through thumbnail book covers, which is what many will do when they buy from Lulu and Amazon, these are what caught my eye. I did look at the chick lit covers but l then dismissed them. They were eye-catching and they told me what I needed to know - so I moved on!!

There were many books with abstract covers which seemed to be predominantly re-published classics. Once a book has its name known this is just a refresh and the publisher can use the cover to attract readers again, perhaps buying books they studied at school or have been lost in house moves. I loved the surreal covers for Kafka’s works (not shown above) but they are not suitable for my little book.

So what can I deduce from my perusal of book covers?

1. Blue as the background cover is what attracts me, but will it attract readers? I like covers that tell me what to expect within (with the notable exception of David Sedaris).

2. I want to be able to easily discern the title – I think red will do the job. As A Tale of Nine Cities is the first in the City Chronicles trilogy I think that City Chronicles should be in red and the sub-title a different colour each time.

3. I need to give an overview of the content of my book but add a little something to make the potential reader wonder, and more importantly, purchase!

Easy then! Over to my cover designer Cathy Helms to work wonders.

I researched the book covers from http://bookcoverarchive.com

Reader Report

2011-09-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

These are excerpts from a reader's report from a potential publisher. I have been allowed to use their comments, without attribution (for which I thank them, even though I have decided not to go with this particular publisher).

Very positive feedback! Not too long before you have the chance to find out for yourselves!!

The author has a lovely turn of phrase and at times her prose sings off the page. Both committed smokers, their favoured method of travel was in the (often full) smoking carriage of Europe’s trains, and so they found themselves “a fag paper away from relaxation”. After a severe row, and fearing her friend may not wish to travel with her anymore, Deborah describes how she made the decision to restore good relations and “screwed my pride into a tight little ball and swallowed it”. On arriving home and taking stock of their adventure, they both decide they had crammed too much into too short a time. “It was a bit of a mad dash. Not so much a Grand Tour as a Grand Prix, trying to squeeze as much as possible out of the vehicle as possible.”

These lovely little nuggets of writing nestle in amongst the vivid pictures the author paints of the architecture, culture and anthropology of the local scene, giving the armchair traveller a multi-sensual taste of the cities the women visited, leaving them hungry for more. Extensively researched, and taken just from scraps of a diary written a decade earlier, the book provides a fascinating insight into the girls’ journey; one not to be read by the parents!

A Tale of Nine Cities is thoughtful and sophisticated, entertaining and nostalgic, and a great memento of an unforgettable journey.

Style points: Beautifully written, this book will require very little editing. A lot of time has been put into this travelogue to make it polished and ready for publication.

Jacket Blurb

2011-09-05T02:54:00.000-07:00

I have been working on the jacket blurb for the book, the words on the back cover of the book. Hopefully it will entice readers to buy the book. Let me know what you think.

A Tale of Nine Cities relates the tale of an eye-opening and inspirational trip taken by two 30 year-old friends around central and eastern Europe by train. Cramming nine cities in eight countries into fifteen days this is no mean feat.

The final edit is underway and I have also sent a copy to my travelling companion to give her a chance to redact (Julian Asange I am not!). So far - silence. Either she has not had a chance to read it yet or is so absorbed she has not had a chance to give me feedback. I hope it is the latter!!

COMING SOON!!!

2011-08-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

CITY CHRONICLES: A TALE OF NINE CITIES

City Chronicles: A Tale of Nine Cities relates the tale of an eye-opening and inspirational trip taken by two 30 year-old friends around Central and Eastern Europe by train.

Whilst full of fascinating facts and history, more importantly it’s an amusing and frank account of the adventure, during which my friend and I face some hard facts about ourselves and our differing takes on life.