Meet Fiona Jayde - cover artist extraordinaire!

How did you get your start in Graphic Design?

FJ:  I’ve always wanted to be an illustrator – my inspiration was fantasy cover art by Michael Whelan. Later, I fell in love with fantasy artists like Boris Vallejo and Luis Royo. Problem is, I couldn’t draw.  I went to art school and still I can’t draw a stick figure. I can paint landscapes a la Bob Ross, but even those are questionable.

When I was in art school, I discovered that I could make images on the computer and somehow my pencil clumsy hands could do wonders with a computer mouseJ I started learning more about web design, graphic design etc, all under the banner of “art”. And I discovered that I don’t need skills with a pencil to achieve my dream of producing fantasy covers. I still wish I could draw though.

What are your favorite sort of covers to do? (erotic, fantasy, etc.)

FJ: My favorite covers are edgy moody dark fantasy/sci fi. Give me a hero and a pair of wings and I’ll be happy J Give me a setting where I have to make things blow up or drip with bubbles (or blood, I’m not picky), and I’m in heaven. Give me something metal, and I’ll make it shine (and that can be a pair of handcuffs or a gun… like I said, I’m not picky) I love high contrast colorful dramatic images that draw the eye.

You’re now one of our house cover designers. Do you remember the first project you did for Decadent Publishing? (you can also elaborate into the other stuff you’ve done for us, like the RT magazine layouts)

FJ: I believe the first cover I did for Decadent was Long Hard Ride. I still remember trying to find the perfect cannon with Keta Diablo.  I think I didn’t officially become a house cover designer until I did wings for Deena Ramiel for her Angel series (Deena – when am I getting more angels to play with ???), and we formed a beautiful friendship J

What are a few of your best or favorite Decadent Publishing covers? (we’ll post an image and URL)

FJ: My favorite covers are the ones where I get feedback along the lines of “the staff was speechless for full five minutes”. Hell yeah, I’ll take that compliment!

I already mentioned my winged angels for the Brethren series by Deena Ramiel. A couple more are:

Handcuffs & Silk

The Middlesex Suite (I was afraid Facebook was going to ban that image when it was uploaded!)

I also love the Absinthe series images I’ve done for Azura Ice:

And of course, we can’t forget the awesome Run Devil Run covers (and can I just say I behaved like a mature adult and didn’t giggle like an idiot when I met my cover models? That’s my story and I’m sticking to it)

Do you have other creative outlets besides designing? (good place to talk about your own books!)

FJ: Oh man, what creative outlet don’t I have? I’m a writer as well (and by the way, I hate doing my own covers because I’m my own worst client). When I do drag my rear away from the computer, I paint happy little landscapes a  la Bob Ross,  play a mean F Blues Boogie on the keys (I just bought a gorgeous old upright and already  have a story brewing about it), and I practice martial arts when my long-suffering hubby manages to drag me to class.

Have you won awards for your covers?

FJ: Brethren Trinity was #2 favorite cover at You Gotta Read Reviews. And one of my covers – A Captain’s Order, A Duke’s Command  won favorite historical cover at the Australian Romance Writers Association.

What would you advise authors in terms of communicating their vision to you in creating cover art?

FJ: Authors are my first line of defense in understanding the mood and feel of the book. Give me adjectives that visually describe what your book is about – a dark angsty feel is something I can visualize, while  “a book about revenge” isn’t quite as graphic.

And then,  the best thing an author can do is leave me to my own devices. Authors are emotionally invested in their works – as they should be – and don’t see the marketability aspect. It doesn’t matter that the heroine’s cheekbones/jaw line is different than the stock image, or that a certain scene is the “key” in the book. My job – as is the job of every cover artist – is to create a compelling commercial piece that will show the reader what the book is about and make the reader want to find out more. (This is why I can’t do my own covers, by the way, because I can’t unhinge myself from my own emotional investment to let my non-verbal artistic side come out and play)

Find out more about Fiona, her artwork and her books at FionaJayde.com

Spotlight Sunday with Deena Remiel

 

What makes you happy?

What a loaded question. I shall try to be succinct, but my answer runs from the simple to the complex. Watching my kids laughing with each other makes my heart soar. Waking up to the sun shining makes me smile. Knowing that my husband and I can provide for our family gives me peace of mind. Working my passion, writing, truly makes me happy.

When's the last time you played that musical instrument?

The last time I played my piano was last year, when I actually had the house to myself for a few hours during a school break. I played all of my favorite songwriters’ songs, like Carole King and James Taylor, and show tunes, like Pippin. Played well, sung very poorly!

What books have most influenced your life?

When I read Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, its principals changed my life. Making these habits a part of my daily life is what keeps me sane. They keep me grounded and help me deal with difficult situations as well as the mundane. It reminds me of what is important in life and how to make my life the best it can be for me and my family.

If you could be an animal, what would it be?

I think I would like to be a cat. A cheetah, to be exact. The beauty and grace of a cheetah is breath-taking, and its speed is quite impressive. Being an asthmatic, I can only dream of running like others do. If I were a cheetah, I would run, and run, and run. And I wouldn’t be wheezing and coughing anymore. 

Tell us about your favorite character from your books.

Can I actually call one of the villains, Agremon, a favorite? I think so. He’s so evil and… well… sarcastic as hell. I like sarcasm. Especially when it’s dished out by him. Once a Brethren himself, Agremon didn’t just become a fallen angel. He metamorphosed into the most base, evil bit of darkness you could ever imagine. In order to create him and his words, I had to get into a particular mindset. I wrote his scenes mostly at night, late at light. 

Tell us about your current release.

I’m thrilled to introduce Trinity, A Brethren Novel to the world. It is the first in the Brethren Series. Have you ever noticed there are times when Evil seems to be everywhere? That every day there are more and more reports of people behaving badly. And then, there is a period of relative peace. Here’s a blurb from the story:

One way or another, terror will reign tonight.

School teacher and single mom, Emma Livingston, has been through hell—and back so she thinks. While dealing with the night terrors and active imagination of her five-year old daughter, Hannah, she attempts to lead a normal life. That is, until the demon from those nightmares pays her a visit, too, and threatens both of their lives. Desperate, she reaches out for help—and finds Michael waiting.

Michael D’Angelo is known to everyone in Prophet’s Point, Arizona, as their loving elementary school principal. But to The Brethren, he is the most powerful Protector. Immortal and angelic does not mean he’s without doubts or fears, as protecting Emma and Hannah from Evil tests his ability to fight his tortured past. 

As the Trinity is formed, ancient secrets are revealed and faith is tested. When a prophecy is exposed, Hannah becomes the main target and Emma wonders if a normal life will ever be possible again. Hope is like an anchor, but can a mother, her daughter, and an angel overcome the evil determined to annihilate the world?

                                 

Tell us about your next release.

Next to release from Decadent Publishing will be Relic, the second book in the Brethren Novel Series. It begins where Trinity ends. Do you believe in past lives? How about possession?  Relic focuses on Raphael, Brethren Savior, and a well-hidden past. Here’s a peek:

Raphael, an immortal Brethren Savior, an angel with a forgotten past, has lost his power to heal and is on a self-imposed guilt trip trying to get it back.  Powers be damned, he winds up enmeshed in a web of attempted murder and resurrection all thanks to a woman he’s only seen in a photograph and by chance on his hiking trail.

Serena, a young woman with a promising future, yet presently with unfulfilled dreams, is a wanted woman. Wanted for a stolen relic and its suspected healing powers, she is hunted down in the Arizona desert and left for dead.

Raphael and Serena are inexorably bound together, for locked deep within the relic’s heart is the soul of Raphael’s long, lost wife. Danger lurks around every corner, as Raphael is determined to keep both Serena and his dead wife’s soul alive and lustful temptation at bay.

Three souls bound together by an ancient relic, bound by a timeless gift, and bound by a love that is eternal.

Three Way Thursday - I Thank, I Think, I Thirst

By Deena Remiel

It’s a forgone conclusion that anyone asked what they are thankful for will say their family, friends, job, etc. I will not run the risk of sounding redundant here. Instead, I am thinking outside the box and providing a thoughtful and meaningful response.

I am thankful for the Superstition Mountains of Arizona.

What? No, I have not fallen off my rocker just yet. The Superstition Mountains can be seen from most everywhere I live. I turn down a street to go to the library, and there they are, standing majestically in the distance. You should know I go to the library a lot. When I first moved to Gilbert, Arizona, I knew no one and the library became a second home for me. Besides the books providing comfort and a burgeoning inspiration to write, as I sit by the floor to ceiling windows of the library, I can see those towering mountains in all their beauty. They whispered to me one day, “You have a story to tell. Go write it.” And I listened. TRINITY, A Brethren Novel, was born. Now I wonder if I should sacrifice my first born novel to the mountain. No, I think I’ll present it to the world instead.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the state of public education and public opinion.

I’ve been an educator for over twenty years now, and never in my career has public opinion towards teachers been so negative. So negative, in fact, that state governments are systematically dismantling a structure that I’ve depended upon to provide for my family. Laws have been passed by legislators in Arizona to address the “deadwood” in public education that is creating a ripple effect through the entire system, and a new poverty class is born– the educator. Since moving to Arizona and securing a position here, I have not had a raise, health insurance has risen, and the security I once had in terms of tenure is now gone. Now I don’t want to hear from all the business people out there tell me there is no job security in the “real world”.

Let me say this. I have been trained well to educate your children to be productive, viable citizens. I would think society would want to secure our jobs given the amount of education and training many of us have been through. I counsel your children when they come to me about serious family and friendship issues. I am with your children more than many of you are with your children on a daily basis. I directly influence the future of our society by being the best role model possible for your children, so they may be inspired to make goals, reach for the stars and grab them. I do this because it is my calling, it is my career. But that doesn’t mean my services should be freely given. I, too, have a family that I must provide for. From my vantage point, if you value your children, you must value education, pay educators a decent wage, and treat us like human beings, not slaves. When my own children have to be on reduced lunch, it is a crime. When I can’t afford to live where I teach, it is a crime. When I’m expected to do more and more without being paid for it, it is a crime. I am an educator, and I make a difference in your family’s life. But I have had to sacrifice my own family’s well-being for yours.

Now that I have begun to work my other passion, writing, I can see a more positive outcome for my family. And yet, what about the hundreds of thousands of others whose only passion is teaching? What of their families? Something must change. Educators do not deserve to be treated as second-class citizens.

I thirst. I thirst for the guy in the leather pants and wings.

Yes, he has wings. Indeed, I have a major-league crush on Michael, my Brethren Protector from TRINITY, A Brethren Novel. He is one beautifully sculpted man, er angel. I’m so very glad I get to look at him every time I open my laptop. Maybe one of these times he’ll fly right off the screen and into my life and answer my wicked prayers…

Kismet, Fate, and Destiny- A WILD BUNCH

by Deena Remiel

Isn’t it WILD how certain events happen and certain people enter our lives at poignant points? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I am a strong believer in making my own way, being proactive rather than reactive, and yet I can’t help but notice that my seemingly independent decisions and actions are being influenced by something beyond me.

Let’s start with my husband’s and my decision to move from New Jersey to Arizona. How often do we find ourselves in complete accordance with our spouses? But one fateful day, we looked at each other and said the same thing: Let’s blow this clambake! And from that day forth, until we moved, every day there was some comment heard or picture seen that related to Arizona. A little freaky, no? These ‘signs’ further solidified in our minds that our decision to move was a right one.

Now let’s look at something really WILD. My father passed away in 2005, and since that time, I have felt his presence around me quite often and have been comforted by it. Over the past few years, however I have noticed that there are clusters of time when I hear or see his name everywhere. Now, his name is not a common one, Fred, so it gives me pause. Soon thereafter, something big occurs – good or bad. I have come to rely on Dad’s visits. I perk up and take note, becoming an acute observer, taking more time with decisions, and ready myself for an inevitable or destined event.

Most provocative, in my opinion, have been the chance meetings of people who have become dear friends and the ensuing opportunities those friendships have created. And conversely, opportunities that I chose to take advantage of have led to wonderful friendships. But were these meetings really by chance? Was it purely my decision to join RWA and the local chapter, to submit poetry for publication, or to join Decadent Publishing? In all cases, my friends and I keep joking around saying how these events and meetings were meant to be, fated, kismet, destined to happen.

As much as I would like to think I am the creator of my own destiny, I have come to believe that I have had some help along the way from beyond. Yes, my husband and I chose to move. Yes, I wrote Trinity, Relic, and Brethren Beginnings. Yes, I joined RWA and Desert Rose. Yes, it was only my finger that pushed the ‘send’ button. But my life, I have come to accept, is fated. And all the people I have been meeting on this journey, all the friendships that have developed, all the opportunities that keep presenting themselves are placed before me to either accept or decline.

I could list all the ‘what-ifs’ and the answers would be astounding- starting with what if we didn’t move. I had no time back east to read, let alone write. Yes, my life would look very different right now. If I remain wise and open to the signs set before me, I can make smart decisions that lead to positive results. And just who is offering these signs? Kismet, Fate, and Destiny, a pretty WILD bunch.

Are you reading the signs they’re setting out before you?

Hugs,

Deena Remiel