Covenant GIVEAWAY & a Look at the Series Cover Art with Designer Kate Kaynak & author Jennifer L. Armentrout!

 

A Backwards Story is happy to be a part of Stuck in Books' tour for Jennifer L. Armentrout's upcoming novel PURE!  Check out the tour schedule to see the list of events.  On April 9th, check back in with A Backwards Story for my review of the second book in the amazing Covenant series!  Also, drop by the end of this post for a giveaway of HALF-BLOOD and PURE!



 

PURE is the second of four books in Jennifer L. Armentrout's mythological Covenant series.  Jennifer has also published OBSIDIAN, the first book in her Lux series.  Later this year, she'll release the third Covenant novel, the second Lux novel, and her first-stand alone novel, CURSE.  

I adore Jennifer L. Armentrout and will read anything she writes!  
 
Visit last year's review of HALF-BLOOD if you have yet to read this amazing series!


Check out Jennifer's blog and find her on Facebook and Twitter.


Kate Kaynak is not only a talented cover design, she's also the author of the popular Ganzfield series (which I've been meaning to read and haven't gotten around to obtaining just yet!).  In addition to all that, she's an editor with the awesome publishing company Spencer Hill Press!

Check out Kate's web page and find her on Facebook and Twitter.


An interview in two parts

I. With Designer Kate Kaynak

How did you come up with the design for the Covenant series?  Did you go through multiple concepts before creating the design we all know and love?

Jennifer and I sent a bunch of ideas back and forth. We knew we wanted to tie in the flowers (nightshade and hibiscus both have roles in the first book), and we played with the idea of incorporating images of the Greek gods, as well. When we came across the fire flower images, we both had the same, "Yes!" reaction. The only decisions after that were which flowers and colors to use on each cover. 




Do the wisps of smoke forming flowers on each cover have a special meaning?

The flame/smoke imagery worked for us because Aiden can control fire, and he has that WONDERFUL fiery entrance in the first scene of HALF-BLOOD.

Did you have a specific color palette in mind when creating the covers for the Covenant?  Do you know what APOLLYON's color scheme will be yet?

HALF-BLOOD was purple because of the hibiscus, which was Alex's mother's favorite flower. And we wanted the others to have a similar, jewel-tone intensity. As for APOLLYON, the color-scheme matches Seth's eyes. We have the APOLLYON cover ready to go, but it's a tad spoiler-ish, so we're not going to go public with the full version until closer to the DEITY release.

DEITY's cover is unique in that, for the first time, there is more than a wispy smoke flower on the cover.  This time, we see a hint of shoulder, of hair, of a glowing mark.  What made you decide to add these elements to the design?  Will you do something similar for APOLLYON? 

The back cover of PURE has a hint of an image of Aiden, and the hair, neck, and shoulder on the front of DEITY are Alex--that mark on her neck is actually mentioned in the book. We have someone on the cover of Apollyon, too. With each book, the people become more prominent and visible.

What other books have you designed covers for?  What was/were your favorite design(s)?

I really do love the covers for the Covenant books--they're some of my favorites. I do some of the cover designs for other Spencer Hill titles, as well, although we've also been working with artists like Victoria Caswell and Gary McCluskey, who have done some beautiful work for us. I recently did the designs for PERFECTION, PODs, and FINN FINNEGAN, as well as the new cover for the MINDER re-release.



How did you get your start in design?  What have your influences been?
 

I've always loved drawing, and I took a bunch of art classes when I was at Yale. I also worked on one of the campus magazines there, where I first learned the basics of layout and graphic design. 

Is it hard balancing your work as a designer with your writing career?

Actually, the design work is the easiest part of my job, because it's so much fun! We at Spencer Hill make a promise to all our authors: we'll never stick them with covers they hate. So sometimes we go back and forth a couple dozen times--tweaking, rearranging, changing--but in the end, the final cover makes us all happy.
~

It's wonderful to work with Jennifer on her books--they are some of my all-time favorite reads!
(Mine, too!)


II. With Author Jennifer L. Armentrout

Did you have any say in the art concept for the COVENANT series?  What has the process been like?

I did have say in the process, but ultimately it's the publisher's decision. It was really fun seeing the cover go from concept to an actual cover.

Which cover is your favorite so far?

APOLLYON.
(Oh, between you and Kate, I REALLY can't wait to see APOLLYON's cover.  Who's with me!?)
I love how different DEITY is from the previous covers.  What went into this?  Can you tell us a little about the mysterious mark on the girl's shoulder? 
 
DEITY still has the flaming flower design, so we wanted to make sure that cover tied in. The "girl" is Alex and it's a Mark of the Apollyon.
(Haha, I DID know it was supposed to be Alex on the cover, but I never think of the models as actually being the characters, so I never refer to them as such.  As far as the Mark of the Apollyon, duh, I feel stupid.  I should have known that.  I always envisioned it differently, lol!)

Is there anything you want to add about the cover art or the design process?

It's really fun, like I said, to see and hear the concepts and watch it actually become a cover. The team at SHP is great and they do value any input I have.

Ladies, thank you so much for stopping by and teasing us with hints of what's to come as well as giving us a backstage look at how the existing covers were created!

Bookworms, stop back at A Backwards Story on April 9th for my review of this novel!


Now, it's your turn!
 
You have THREE chances to win great prizes!

Mocha Latte Reads and Stuck in Books are both offering tour-wide giveaways.  You get an entry every time you comment on someone's tour post.  If you leave a comment for Kate and Jennifer today, you'll receive an extra entry!



and...I'm offering up my own ARCs of both HALF-BLOOD and PURE for you to win!

3) Enter to win by filling out the following form!

Contest ends at the tour's end on April 14, 2012!


Comments

  1. I like the interview with the cover designer. I wish there were more interviews about book covers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You might want to follow author Melissa Walker, who features a lot of Cover Stories where the authors talk about their books, and/or That Cover Girl, who has a lot of interviews.

      I wish there were more interviews like this out there, too. This is my third or fourth, but I'd love to do a lot more in the future!

      Also, the post has now been updated with pictures! Sorry for missing it earlier!

      Delete
  2. Thank you so much for doing interview with cover designer! I must say that cover of Pure is my all time favourite cover! Simply amazing, and I really hope that I'll have it on my shelf one day!

    Really great interview!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

      I can't wait to see the back of PURE after hearing Kate's remarks!

      Also, the post has now been updated with pictures! Sorry for missing it earlier!

      Delete
  3. Thanks for the giveaway and interview!!!
    Alyssa S.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome!

      Also, the post has now been updated with pictures! Sorry for missing it earlier!

      Delete
  4. thanks you for the interview and giveaway.
    I love the covers of this series and i'm niot sure which one is my favorite between half-bood and pure

    all the best

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome!

      I'm not sure which is my favorite, either. Possibly HALF-BLOOD because I love purple! I can't wait to see the back of PURE!

      Also, the post has now been updated with pictures! Sorry for missing it earlier!

      Delete
  5. I really enjoy these covers. Definitely on the more neutral side. Anyone could pick them up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree! That's one thing I really like about them!

      Also, the post has now been updated with pictures! Sorry for missing it earlier!

      Delete
  6. Dah, I *NEED* to see the Apollyon cover before I explode! :O

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, right???? Me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      I wantssss it. *impatient*

      Also, the post has now been updated with pictures! Sorry for missing it earlier!

      Delete
  7. hey bonnie! has the post been updated with pictures??? :P :P :P
    :)

    the PURE cover is my favorite of these- it's FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC! i also really, really like the PODs one. it makes me want to know what that metal building is. and the re-imagining of the MINDER cover is simply perfect for the story. good work miss kate!!!

    and hooray for jennifer armentrout!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It has! Can you not see them? *worried*

      Wait...you saw PODS and MINDER, but not the concept images? I'm seeing them on my end...Oh boy, what is Blogger doing now? *wince*

      Delete
  8. I already have PURE so I entered to win half-blood (only have ebook of that!) .. thanks so much.

    If I don't see the cover for Apollyon soon, I may have a heart attack! I'm just glad I don't have to wait a year or more in between book.. 6-8 months is more than enough time to keep me hanging!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for letting me know! :) Although I will warn you that HALF-BLOOD is an ARC edition, so your ecopy may be better!

    I want to see APOLLYON's cover sooooooooooo badly now!!

    I agree, 6-8 months is PERFECT. Major studios, listen up!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Replies
    1. Oh!! I thought you were serious! ^^;;

      I was really worried because I didn't know how to fix it again. I was having SUCH struggles with Blogger yesterday!

      I was thinking of you today, by the way!! Spencer Hill sent me an ARC of ELEMENTAL!! I was like, "Yay, Vic designed this!"

      I never even PICKED UP on the fact that it was you when I saw Kate Kaynak refer to you (Can you believe that? You're mentioned in my interview, yay!!), so I'm really glad you told me! <3

      Delete
    2. I totally exasperate everyone at work with this, too. I'm very literal-minding and don't always pick up on teasing, lol!! ^^;;

      Delete
  11. Nicely done girl! Thanks for being part of the tour.

    Valerie
    StuckInBooks.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love the interview with the designer. I love YA book covers and her work is amazing! I think I like Pure the most because of the color :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for the great interview. It's awesome that you also had the designer of the cover included in your post. I loved it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's interesting to see how the cover for Pure evolved to what it is today. It's one of my favorite covers it's so simplistic yet stands out from the others I've seen.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks for the interview and giveaway (and making the contest international!). I've never really put much thought into how all the YA books I've drooled over got their gorgeous covers, so the interview with Kate Kaynak was really interesting. Also, I checked out her website, and her Ganzfield series looks seriously amazing! Thanks again! :D

    ReplyDelete
  16. Apollyon cover? Spoilerish?!! I have a sinking feeling that's not going to go well for Aiden fans
    :'(

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks for sharing both interviews!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great interviews! I love the covers. They are definitely the most artistic of any YA books I have seen recently.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Bonnie thanks so much for this awesome giveaway, I am just dying to read Pure-- what an interesting interview too! I especially loved looking at all the drafts of the different covers :)

    Lea @ LC's Adventures in Libraryland

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thanks for the giveaway and for making it international :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I actually own PB copies of Daimon and Half-Blood but I've yet to read them. I won't be getting to them until I get my hands on Pure so I can read them back to back! I hate waiting between books so if I can help it I will! :)

    I also love the covers. It's one of the biggest reasons I was drawn to the books in the first place! I can't wait to see what the 4th one will be :)

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I really like the cover of Deity! It's very pretty and the red colour is just amazing. <3 Love the interview with the author and the cover artist! It's very interesting to see how they end up choosing the final cover for Half Blood (which is TOTALLY awesome)! x)

    Thank you for the amazing giveaway! :)

    ReplyDelete

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