BLOGGING WITH BEVERLEY: Cailin Briste on Bookcovers

This week we’re going to find out a little about author Cailin Briste. April‘s theme is ‘Covers’ so Cailin will be talking about book covers. She’ll also tell us a little about herself and her writing, and answer some fun questions.

Cailin has been writing fiction for five years and non-fiction for two decades. Her non-fiction work has been published in magazines and in a non-fiction anthology. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, the RWA Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Chapter, and the RWA Passionate Ink Chapter.
Cailin likes to flip convention on its head, creating a universe in which each planet is a study in different what ifs. What would happen to alpha men on a matriarchal planet where the women are not Dommes in the strictest sense but certainly have the attitude down pat? How would society handle it if girls born on their new planet developed empathic senses? Cailin throws her characters into these settings, heroes and heroines whose kink is a major defining attribute of their personality.

Beverley: How important are book covers in marketing your books?
Cailin: A good cover is vital to catch the eye of prospective readers and to give an idea of what the book is about. I’ve written two sci-fi romances with marshal in the title. It’s important that the covers convey that the books are not westerns.
Beverley: What elements are important in the design of a cover?
Cailin: Every cover should have an attention-grabbing image and easily read title and author text.
Beverley: What don’t you like on covers?
Cailin: Two of my dislikes are Images that misrepresent what the book is about or that are repetitive of similar titles within a genre. Similar in a series is fine.
Beverley: If you self-pub, do you design your own cover or hire someone? Which ever you do, why did you go this route?
Cailin: I have designed covers for my free short stories and one novel I intended to self publish.
Beverley: Is there a difference between an e-book and a paperback cover? If yes, what is it?
Cailin: A paper back cover requires the spine and back cover, which allows more room for blurbs.
Beverley: Tell us about the cover of your latest book.
Cailin: My latest book, Maon: Marshal of Tallav was designed by April Martinez at Loose Id. Loose Id has a process of providing information to the artist who then creates a cover from that info. The author can express her opinion and request changes. Whether those changes occur is up to the Loose Id editor who makes the final decision.
Beverley: How long have you been writing?
Cailin: I’ve been writing for many years, but only began writing fiction in the last five.
Beverley: What genre do you write in and why?
Cailin: I write sci-fi erotic romance, but will soon be branching out into contemporary romance. I’ve been a big fan of sci-fi and fantasy for most of my life. It’s the what ifs that I love. I’ve had a sci-fi trilogy rattling around in my brain for a long time, but getting down to writing it was daunting. I stumbled into writing romance by first becoming a romance reader. Thank you free Kindle eBooks! Romance novels are shorter and not so convoluted and seemed less intimidating. I didn’t know if there was much of a market for sci-fi romance, but that’s the kind of story I wanted to tell.
The contemporary romance I’m plotting began from something that happened in real life. It was too good to pass up. We’ll see if I can make it happen.
Beverley: Who influenced you the most in deciding to become a writer?
Cailin: My biggest influences came from the many writers who wrote books I fell in love with. I’m one of those people who perennially says, “I can do that.” Not that I thought I could write at the same gifted level, but I believed I could learn.
Beverley: What obstacles did you have to overcome to begin creating your work?
Cailin: Time spent in the seat writing is an absolute necessity, but it’s also the hardest thing to establish doing on a regular basis. If you never write, you’ll never publish a book. I also had to give myself time to learn as I wrote rather than decide on a specific date when I would complete my first draft.
Beverley: What gets your creative juices flowing?
Cailin: Images are a very effective way to prompt the writing muse. When I see a particularly expressive cover, I often find myself imagining the story behind that image. But the actual writing requires more. Some days I have to sit down and hammer out a really dreadful sentence or two before something clicks inside and the words start to flow. I’ve spent entire writing periods dredging up what I thought was sludge only to discover it wasn’t so bad. The bones of a scene were there. Revision would give it the snap it needed.
Beverley: What will stop your creative muse the quickest?
Cailin: Brain slump. This happens when I’ve worked for several hours or when I’m hungry. Or in pain. Or interrupted. It seems there are quite a few things that stop my muse.
Beverley: What do you have for breakfast?
Cailin: Cottage cheese or a chocolate Muscle Milk Light protein shake. When they’re available, I eat donuts.
Beverley: What do you wear when you are writing?
Cailin: Most days my pajamas until about noon. I usually get dressed by then, but definitely before my husband gets home. He likes to make a big deal about me sleeping in all day.
Beverley: Where do you do most of your writing?
Cailin: I write at my cluttered desk on a Dell Touch PC with a 27-inch screen. Ginormous, I know, but I have vision problems.
Beverley: Do you have a favorite cartoon character? Why?
Cailin: I was in love with Aquaman when I was little. So handsome! And he could swim underwater for a long, long time.
Beverley: Who would you love most to meet 'in person' and why?
Cailin: I’m something of an introvert, so I’d rather admire from afar rather than meet in person any of my heroes. But having said that, I would love to have a nice long chat with Queen Elizabeth II. A girl chat where we could talk about her life, her kids, grandkids, and great grand kids, and her memorable moments.
Beverley: If you had an unexpected free day what would you do with it?
Cailin: The same thing I do every day. I don’t have an outside job. I write because I enjoy it. If my husband has the day off too, I’ll do whatever he wants to do. I’m an easy and a cheap date.
Beverley: What are you working on now?
Cailin: I have a novella, It Takes a Cat Burglar, releasing May 7 on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited. A wealthy businessman and cat burglar trains a woman to become his partner in the most important break-in of his life. Falling in love wasn’t supposed to be part of the bargain, not with his sister’s happiness at stake.
My novel-in-progress is the third book in the Sons of Tallav series. This book will be about the third member of a group of best friends. Randolph, or Rand for short, is a sadist who is beginning to feel dissatisfied with life as the owner of a BDSM club. I’m putting him through a host of problems including the murder of his sister before he finds the happily ever after he never knew he needed.

Blurb for Maon: Marshal of Tallav Book

Maon Keefe has always been told he’s doomed to fail as a husband. He decides never to marry instead focusing on living life as a player and becoming a capable marshal of Tallav. When he is shot and the most-wanted criminal he’s escorting escapes, he fears that his career, his one success in life, is doomed. Assigned to ferret out the cause of missing shipments for a VIP aristocrat, he meets Selina Shirley CEO of the House of Shirley. He finds himself inexplicably attracted to her despite her frumpy appearance. When he meets a hooded and masked, scorching hot Domme, Lasair, at his friend’s BDSM club, he’s torn between the two women. Both fire his imagination and call to his submissive nature. Either might be the woman to change him into successful husband material. Selina Shirley organizes her life like she organizes her business, taking control of all aspects of each. She’s concluded that she must marry to get an heir and that her future husband must be totally submissive. Mentored by the sector’s most famous sadist, she learns what it takes to be a proper Domme. Then, hidden behind a hood and mask, as Lasair, she meets Maon and her instant attraction to his full submission at the BDSM club leads her to break her own rules and become involved with him. But he’s also the marshal assigned to investigate thefts at her company. When his broad streak of protective alpha male comes into play, it obvious he’s not a 24/7 submissive. To stick to her plan to marry the perfect husband, she must ignore her heart and dump Maon.