What's in a Blog?

I haven't written a blog in decades, but apparently it's the thing to do for an author's page. Which makes sense, I should be able to write, right? I'm not going to lie, there are AI generated blog posts available, and it's tempting (full disclosure, I had AI organize the website, but the writing is mine!). But it feels like cheating, and if you're going to read the books, you might want to actually hear from the real me. Or maybe not? The books are well edited, and this won't be! I'm happy to check in here regularly, share my writing journey and maybe add a few bits and bobs from real life as well.

So as an intro, I'll just say that I'm finishing up Chasing Echoes, the first of the trilogy. I'm working on the book cover art, which is harder than I initially imagined. I'd like to keep it personal, and I have friends who are artists that are looking into it, but there's a lot of pressure to look like other books on the shelves, to fit in with the aesthetic of the YA fantasy novel...protagonist in a dramatic pose, about to engage with looming monster/setting/dark hole/whatever. Honestly, though, I don't like book covers with characters on them...they are never how I picture them when I'm reading. Half the time they don't even match with the character description, wrong color hair, body type, age, etc. Not my thing. But even though I would prefer a minimalist approach, I can't choose anything too boring, or you won't like it! So, yeah. That's where I am right now, figuring it out. Here's a homemade sketch idea (more on insta and fb, if you're interested). Waiting for the real artists to weigh in, don't worry not the final product!