Dear Readers,
The moment has come, ladies and gentlemen, to drop the veil, to part the curtains, to open the box and reveal in all its, what I hope you will think is, glory. Here is the full cover of the new Amanda Cadabra cozy paranormal mystery sequel! (Ta-daa)
The Artist
Now, I can introduce you, if you don’t already know about, the artist Daniel, and give you a little peep behind the scenes at how he is able to create such visual wonders. First, Daniel is Daniel Becerril Ureña, Bachelor of (Digital) Arts (BA) and Animation, about to complete a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Oriental Painting. Daniel’s quest for knowledge, perfection and artistic development has spanned the globe, taking him from his home in Mexico across to Europe and over to Seoul in South Korea. Here are a couple of clips of Daniel at work.
If you’d like to see more (for interest or, indeed, to watch and learn), you can find Daniel’s work here:
Cover Story
This cover, in a sense, began earlier this year when I saw … First, allow me, please, to provide some context. This is how we work. I send Daniel a detailed synopsis of the story. (Once I know what it is!) Then after a little percolation, Daniel sends me 6-8 sketches. And the better he gets, the harder it is to choose just one. They are dazzlingly beautiful, and I feel profoundly moved looking at them. Somehow he brings the characters to life on the page, and, I think you’ll agree, Daniel has Tempest down to T!
For the last book, Amanda Cadabra and The Hanging Tree, there was one sketch that I immediately wanted for this new 
sequel. In fact, it inspired a scene at the climax of the book. That was a first. A sort of creative reverse-engineering event.
So, when it came to the cover of this book, I mentioned this to Daniel, who adapted that particular image for this tale and included that in the 6 sketches. And much as I still love it, there was another that I thought you would like even more. All I can say is, see if you can guess what the scene was when you read the new book. Oo, and please let me know, in the comments, on Facebook or email me (my favourite).
Feedback so far on this cover:
‘I like it!’ ‘Loved it!’ ‘Love it.’ ‘It looks fantastic! Daniel has done a great job.’
I hope that you enjoy seeing it just as much.
What Next?
Coming up: on Sunday the launch date will be announced. After that: the trailer. This will be a video about 1 minute long to further whet your appetite. I am also planning to read aloud and record the first chapter. As I say, that’s the plan. We shall see. But thrilling times are afoot.
After that, there’ll be the launch day video and Letter to Readers to prepare. I promise to announce the date as soon as I know what it is. All I can say at this point is ‘soon.’
As I write this, I live in hourly expectation of the arrival of the edited manuscript from Kim. This is, in a way, a breathing space, in that I am away from the text, to write to you and to create some accompanying images for your pleasure. Off now to conjure the aforementioned visual delights. Back soon.
Happy November,
Holly
PS If you want to start the series now:
