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Monday, March 11, 2013

Book Blitz: Transcend Time by Michelle Madow - Interview


Remembrance
by Michelle Madow 
(Transcend Time Saga #1)
Released |July 27th 2011| 
Genre |YA Time Travel|
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Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.
Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?
Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.
Vengeance
by Michelle Madow
(Transcend Time Saga, #2)
Released |December 8th 2011|
Genre |YA Time Travel|
How far would you go to get revenge?
When Chelsea Givens discovered that her ex-boyfriend Drew dumped her to be with her former best friend Lizzie, she'd never felt so betrayed in her life. Then her new friend Shannon tells her she can help set things right. Chelsea's willing to listen, but what Shannon wants her to believe -- that she shared a past life with Drew -- is impossible. And what she wants her to do to get him back … well, it's downright crazy.
Could Shannon be telling the truth? And if she is, what lengths will Chelsea go if it means making Lizzie pay?
Find out in Vengeance, the second part of the Transcend Time Saga.
*Vengeance is the short story that bridges the events in Remembrance and the final novel in the Saga.

Timeless
by Michelle Madow 
(Transcend Time Saga #3) 
Released |November 14th 2012|
Genre |YA Time Travel|
IT'S A RACE AGAINST TIME.
In Remembrance, Lizzie and Drew changed the course of fate so they could be together.
In Vengeance, Chelsea set fate back on its original, deadly path.
Now, strange things keep happening to Lizzie. Things that are omens of darkness to come. A curse has doomed her to die an early death, just as she did in her past life. To make matters worse, even if she can figure out who cast the curse, it's irreversible. There's only one option left for her to save herself. It's crazier than anything she's heard yet, and to do it, she'll need Drew and Chelsea's help.
Because to make things right, they must go back to when it all began ... and Lizzie discovers that the final events in her past life were more sinister than she ever imagined.
Remembrance is only $0.99 and Transcendence is available for free download! Here is the download link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/266571

COVER DESIGN INTERVIEW

Bonnie from A Backwards Story interviews Michelle Madow on how she designed the covers of the Transcend Time Saga


Bonnie: I love the covers for the Transcend Time Saga.  They're what made me first sit up and take notice of this title.  Since you designed the covers yourself, did you always know what you wanted to do?  Did you go through multiple designs before deciding on your final covers?

Michelle: Thank you! The big thing I knew when I started looking through images on stock photography websites was that I wanted Lizzie’s face to be on the cover. I spent hours searching through images on iStockPhoto of “girls with curly blonde hair.” I discovered a model who was PERFECT for Lizzie, but none of her photos jumped out at me as “the one.” Then I went to Dreamstine, saw “Girl in a Mask,” and knew I’d found my cover. 

Bonnie: What are the easiest and hardest things about designing your own covers?

Michelle: The easiest (and the most fun) is searching for the perfect image for the first book in the series. The hardest is making sure the covers of the other books of the series match the theme of the first, while still being unique to their own story.


Bonnie: Which of the three covers is your favorite?

Michelle: The cover of Remembrance will always be my favorite. I can’t believe I found an image that perfectly embodied the story. The girl looks exactly like Lizzie, and she’s wearing a gold mask similar to the one described in the book. I love how she’s looking straight at the viewer, and the contrast of the light on her face against the jet black background. The mask symbolizes the mystery of the past life that Lizzie discovers throughout the story.  

Bonnie: Have you always been interested in graphic design?  Would you design covers for other authors in the future?

Michelle: My interest in graphic design started when I taught myself how to use Photoshop during my senior year of high school to create icons for LiveJournal. I made hundreds of 100x100 pixel icons for my favorite television shows and books. Then when Twilight came out I joined the Twilight Lexicon discussion forum, and started making Twilight icons for members of the forum.

As for designing covers for other authors, that’s probably not something I would do. It takes time to design covers, and my number one priority is writing and getting my books out to readers. There are many graphics designers who have graphic design as their number one priority, and who are more experienced than me, anyway. (My capabilities are limited. When I realized the ribbon under Lizzie’s nose in the original image for Timeless had to be removed, I had to outsource that task to a more experienced graphic designer to make sure it was done well.)


Bonnie: What, to you, are the components that make up the best, most eye-catching cover?

Michelle: I am partial to the “pretty girl in a dress” covers, even though I know it’s a bit over done! I think the best covers are simple. If too much is going on in the cover, the viewer doesn’t know what to focus on. Also, the text must stand out and be easy to read, so the person looking for a new book doesn’t have to struggle to see the title and author for the book.

Bonnie: What book covers do you love so much that you wish you'd designed them?

Michelle: Some of my favorite covers are:
Matched by Allie Condie
Firelight by Sophie Jordan
Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
The Selection by Kiera Cass
Tempest by Julie Cross
Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Purchase Links
Remembrance

Vengeance
Timeless




1 comment:

  1. Interesting interview! I still havent gotten to the third book yet! Thanks for sharing!
    - Farah @ MajiBookshelf

    ReplyDelete