cover reveal – K. M. Alexander

August 27, 2020November 10, 2020

Gleam Upon the Waves Cover Reveal

As it was foretold in bygone days of yore, August 27th has arrived. As prophesied, the cover for Gleam Upon the Waves will be revealed. Let’s begin, shall we?

You can see a bigger version below. Click on the image to view it larger.

The Gleam Upon the Waves cover — The cover for Gleam Upon the Waves

In the lower depths of the city of Lovat, a King Tide rises. On the mantle of this aberration rides a vile stench that permeates the city from root to crown. When a job comes along for Caravan Master Waldo Bell and his crew offering a chance to slip away, it’s easy to be interested. When it comes from the city’s newly elected mayor, it’s impossible to ignore.

Outward bound on an enormous floating casino Wal finds himself out of his element. This won’t be routine caravan work. This job is more diplomacy than delivery, taking Bell Caravans out of the shadowed warrens and off dusty trails to the canals of Empress, the mysterious capital of the hermit-nation Victory.

But, things are never simple in the Territories. As the situation grows increasingly complicated and sinister forces begin to circle, Wal will discover darkness runs deeper than he ever thought possible; reality is not what it seems, and a new apocalypse is closer than anyone predicted.

I’m sure you noticed that like all the previous Bell Forging Cycle covers, the background image was another piece by the late 19th-century French artist, Gustav Doré. I love Doré’s work. Here I used the Plate I engraving from Doré’s illustrations for La Grande Bible de Tours entitled: The Deluge it depicts a scene from the story of Noah’s Ark as humans and animals struggle to save themselves as floodwaters rise. Tides. Floodwaters. Waves. Boats. Lots of nautical themes happening here. Wonder what that means? Hmmm.

Funny enough, Jon Contino nailed down the lettering for this cover years ago—way back when we were locking down the look for Red Litten World. I fell in love immediately, and it’s been hard to stay quiet. Jon’s distinctive approach to typography has always worked perfectly for the Bell Forging Cycle. His visceral and emotional approach to design has helped capture the sense of unease in the series and solidify the tone in a way that helps it stand out. He outdid himself with this one.

From a design perspective, I think it settles perfectly within the series as a whole while maintaining a unique voice of its own. Look how great it looks in the lineup:

Huge thank you once again to Jon for helping me out with this. (Also, he’s got his own book out now and you should go buy it.) There will be more to come in the future. Gleam Upon the Waves is due out later this year (hopefully!), so expect more announcements with launch dates and the like and a sample chapter for you to read. I cannot wait to get this one into your hands. It’s been a long time coming, and I think you’re going to love it.

What do you think of the new cover? Which cover is your favorite? Why? Leave a comment. Let me know!

Need to Get Caught Up?

If you’ve only read a few of my novels, now is the perfect time to nab my previous books and catch up on the series before Gleam Upon the Waves drops. Order from any of the retailers below or support your local indie book shop and have them order it for you.

• Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Kobo • iBooks • GooglePlay •

Did you know you could have gotten a sneak peek early? It’s true! Sign up for Dead Drop, my elusive newsletter. Subscribers get news, previews, and notices on my books before anyone else delivered directly to their inbox. It’s not spammy and full of interesting and relevant information. SIGN UP TODAY →

August 10, 2020August 10, 2020

Gleam Upon the Waves Cover Reveal Coming August 27th

Howdy, roaders. This has been a long time coming. So, set your watches and mark your calendars. I am excited to announce that on August 27th, 2020, I will reveal the cover for Gleam Upon the Waves, Book IV in the Bell Forging Cycle.

“The sea can bind us to her many moods, whispering to us by the subtle token of a shadow or a gleam upon the waves, and hinting in these ways of her mournfulness or rejoicing.”

— H. P. Lovecraft & R. H. Barlow, The Night Ocean

I can’t wait to show you. Once again, Jon Contino lent his incredible lettering skills, and while Gleam Upon the Waves aesthetically fits within the series as a whole, it’s got something a little different going on that sets it apart. I think you’ll dig it.

Remember, those who subscribe to Dead Drop (my email newsletter I rarely send out) will get to see it a few days early. Join their distinguished ranks and subscribe here. In the meantime, the teaser site is still teasing (headphones make it better.) And you can see the inspiration board over on Pinterest.

More details to come.

June 17, 2015

Congratulations To Sharon E.

Congratulations to Sharon E. the winner of my Red Litten World Cover Reveal Giveaway! Sharon was one of over two-thousand entries and she will receive signed copies of both The Stars Were Right and Old Broken Road, a Bell Caravans patch, a bunch of assorted swag, and a $50 Amazon gift card. Not bad, eh?

Thanks to everyone for participating and tweeting and posting comments and spreading the word. It was nice to see so much excitement surrounding the reveal. I’m really glad everyone liked the cover so much. Jon and I both worked hard on it, and it’s always a pleasure to get such a warm reception.

If you’re interesting in picking up copies of the other books in The Bell Forging Cycle just hit any of the links below. Ebook copies of The Stars Were Right are usually selling for below $2.99 these days and I’ve seen copies of Old Broken Road as low as $4.75.

The Stars Were Right

Paperbacks:
• Amazon • Barnes & Noble • My Store •
Ebooks:
• Kindle • Kobo • iBooks • Nook • GooglePlay • My Store •

Old Broken Road

Paperbacks:
• Amazon • Barnes & Noble • My Store •
Ebooks:
• Kindle • Kobo • iBooks • Nook • GooglePlay • My Store •

June 8, 2015

Thank You Bloggers

Last week was the cover reveal for Red Litten World, the third book in The Bell Forging Cycle. I worked with CBB Book Promotions to do a cover reveal tour and I couldn’t be more pleased wth the results. (Highly recommend them.) The response was wonderful. I was really happy to see so much interest generated in the book and a big part of that success due to the efforts from those bloggers who participated. So I wanted to extend a big thank you to:

Candace at Candace’s Book Blog
Tamara at The Avid Book Collector
Maureen at Maureen’s Books
Natalie at Book Lovers Life
Ravyn at Ravyn Rayne
Melissa at Books Can Take You There
Daniela at Daniela Ark
Laurie at Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews
Hope at Hope to Read
Cristina at Remember the Books
Mary at Mary’s Cup of Tea
Debra at 3 Partners in Shopping
Katy at Glorious Panic
Jen at My So-Called Book Reviews
Lisa at My Favorite Things
Vidya at Books Are Magic
Alecia at Chosen By You Book Club

I really appreciated everyone’s willingness to help out. I loved reading the kind word and the comments. It was fun to see everyone get so excited over the giveaway as well. The giveaway is still going on, (almost two-thousand entries!) and there are lots of ways to increase your chances to win. Just hit the link below and you can enter for a chance to win a prize pack that includes: signed copies of The Stars Were Right and Old Broken Road, a Bell Caravans patch, a bunch of book-related swag, and a $50 Amazon Gift card.

ENTER TO WIN →

June 4, 2015June 4, 2015

The Red Litten World Cover Reveal

Hooray! It is June 4th! As I promised it’s time to reveal the cover of my next novel: The Bell Forging Cycle, Book III: Red Litten World. Let’s get to it:

The city of Lovat is dying. It just doesn’t know it yet. Trapped behind blockades, its citizens starve. Only the wealthiest can afford to snatch up what food does slip through, leaving the poor jostling for scraps. But money only goes so far. Inside their gleaming towers, the well-fed elevated are being killed off one-by-one.

Caravan Master Waldo Bell—only a few months removed from the harrowing events along the Broken Road—just wants to keep his head down and be left alone while he waits for the blockades to break. But when familiar symbols written in blood appear at a crime scene and an old debt comes calling, Wal finds himself thrust into chaos.

Now, forced onto Lovat’s blood-soaked upper levels, Wal faces his most dangerous challenge yet: within a city on the verge of self-destruction, he must fight to save not only his own life—but the life of every Lovatine struggling below.

Isn’t it lovely? Once again, Jon Contino returned to lend his considerable talents by creating the lettering for Red Litten World. I’ve always been an admirer and fan of Jon’s work and there is something with his focused Arts and Crafts approach that captures the feel of the Bell Forging series. He nails that looming sense of unease prevalent throughout but adds an undercurrent of approachability which I really appreciate. As always, I am honored to have his help. Thanks a ton, Jon.

The background image comes once again from the late 19th-century french artist, Gustav Doré. (Sensing a theme, perhaps?) I love Dore’s work, and I’ve used his illustrations on the last two covers as well. This time the engraving was selected from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, in this case, Inferno. There Minos stands, centers on the lounging former Cretan king, Minos, now judge of the damned at the gates of hell. As with the previous books in the series, this illustration was selected specifically for Red Litten World. There’s a hint on the cover at what lies inside the pages.

I like scattering Easter Eggs throughout my work, and not only in prose. Each of these little details add to the overall experience when a reader picks up one of the Bell Forging Cycle novels. From the choice of the background image, to the little symbols I place along the spine. Everything is selected to give readers a little more depth should they go looking.

So there it is! The cover for Red Litten World is revealed! I think it fits perfectly within the series while bringing its own unique look. Check out how great Red Litten World looks in a lineup with the other two books:

Perfect right? Red Litten World is due out later this year and there will be a launch announcement coming soon along with a sample chapter. I cannot wait to get this into your hands. I think you’re going to love this one.

What do you think of the new cover? Which cover is you favorite of the series so far and why? Leave a comment. Let me know!

June 3, 2015

I Knew Nothing About Writing

“I have been successful probably because I have always realized that I knew nothing about writing and have merely tried to tell an interesting story entertainingly.”

—Edgar Rice Burroughs

Came across this quote today and figured it’d be worth sharing. It resonates a lot with me. In the end, when all is said and done, the important thing is that you told the best story you can tell. Keep at it.

Oh! Remember the Red Litten World cover reveal and giveaway is coming tomorrow!