I’ve remade the cover for Shearwater many times, but I’m pretty happy with this version.
Most people still prefer the original cover, which I will continue using for Part One.
But I wanted something dark and moody. I’ve also revised the blurb, and focused less on mermaids, and a little more on one part of the book that I know is particularly strong. Some people may say this looks too much like a thriller/murder mystery, and not enough like a mermaid fantasy romance… but it doesn’t really matter. Plus, I think the first cover would attract young teen mermaid fans, and most mermaid books in that category are pretty different from mine, which is a lot darker. And all that really matters is how well the new cover and blurb are converting new readers. So far, this is working better than what I had before, which is why I changed it.
Here’s the new sales copy…
They found the dead girl on my birthday.
And I’m not entirely sure that her killer isn’t the boy I just tried to kiss.
The longer I spend in Ireland, the deeper my life seems to unravel. Whisperings of a dark secret that caused my mother to flee from her homeland. Run-ins with a pair of undeniably handsome and strangely mysterious guys. A sleep-walking adventure that nearly got me killed. The nearness of the moon and the ocean would be almost romantic, if I wasn’t being hunted for powers I didn’t know I possessed.
Not everything in mythology is just a story.
Not every fairy-tale is harmless.
Magic is very, very real… but so are the monsters from your worst nightmares.
Now I’m being chased by immortals, hunted by wizards, and forced to pick sides in a supernatural war I want no part of.
I might be the only one who can stop it.
But it will mean giving up the one thing my heart can’t bear to lose.
A couple years ago I started plotting a vampire dystopian fantasy… kind of Hunger Games meets Van Helsing. This is the cover…
I put the first few chapters of Taste in the YA anthology I helped publish last year, That Moment When (it’s free, go download it!). But now I’m trying to finish the whole story. Hopefully it’ll be epic and you’ll love it… I’ve actually agreed to join a boxset of fantasy/scifi books called Dominion Rising, and I THINK the full novel will be exclusive to that boxset for the first three months, until I publish it on its own. There’s a chance I’ll include another project, I need to get busy writing to see what I can finish this spring.
I’m really excited about writing vampire book, but I think I may need to brand better… even though Taste is actually a dystopian/post apoc setting and the “elites” are not true, supernatural vampires (they have a scientific basis), I’d also like to have a more traditional urban fantasy/supernatural thriller with vampires, werewolves, fae, dragons and magic… something more stereotypically vampire.
I’m working on a plot for that too, and believe I’m going to call it Vampire Magic. Today I was playing around with some art. I’m not quite sure if I’ll use the above cover for Taste, or rebrand it with a better title and some fancy art like those below… or if I’ll save the art below for the new series I want to start.
I’ll probably ask for some cover feedback once I have the story finished and send out ARCs to see which cover you thinks fits the story (though, that doesn’t actually matter as much as which covers make you want to read the story).
Some of this art was made by the amazing Consuelo Parra.
Anyway, go download That Moment When (it’s free) – and let me know if you like the first few chapters of Taste… and if you want to read more, check out Dominion Rising (20+ full-length novels for 99cents).
Hi there! I’m Derek Murphy. I’m a book designer turned YA author with a PhD in Literature. I also founded the Young Adult Authors Alliance, and run lots of book giveaways and joint-promotions to increase visibility.
If you haven’t had the chance to read my books (mostly fantasy / scifi) you can get started with my free starter library. After you sign up, you can grab four free books and see if you like my stories.
More about me
I’ve been designing books and helping authors reach their readers for the past decade… when I started publishing fiction, I took all the advice I’d been giving writers and applied it to my own books. Things are going well. Although I just started publishing fiction in 2016, I’ve gotten over 50,000 downloads and 500+ reviews.
I love writing, and I am trying to produce meaningful, entertaining, fulfilling books that leave you with a book hangover. My fans are my #1 concern, so I’ll listen to feedback, ask your opinions and try to keep you involved in my writing process.
I’ll continue to make each book free for subscribers when I launch; and I’m organizing a “starter library” so you can read my books for free. I don’t believe I deserve to get paid until I’ve proven my value – if you enjoy my free books and want to continue reading the series, you can buy them on Amazon for less than a cup of coffee. If I can’t hook your interest, you don’t owe me anything. All I ask is you give me a chance.
If you want updates, free books, contests and giveaways and more, make sure to sign up to my email list.
PS) I don’t think the starter library is all set up right now, so you may have a little trouble finding all the free books – I’ll fix it asap! In the meantime, sign up to my list so you don’t miss out.
Thanks for visiting my site! I’ll keep this post updated with current news and announcements so you can see what I’m working on.
