This past month, the book cover design brief has monopolized my time. After sorting through 3,500 Amazon book covers with dragons, I found five that feel like my book. These will inform my designer of what I like.

Which takes us to the next step. For the MiniBuk description on the back cover, a fellow author and I wrestled with words until we settled on this blurb:

Saxon incursions prove invasion looms for Deron, prince of the Britons. He reluctantly accepts counsel from a mysterious enslaved vinedresser, the center of a web of dark rumors.

Despite the pervasive superstition, Deron welcomes her intelligence. But he uncovers her shocking secret. And her dire situation.

Obeying her oracles may steer him to a costly victory. But her curse could drag him to a bitter end.

That’s it. What do you think?

You might have noticed I’m repeating “Winter.” But the three additional seasons wrap up the story in a 12,000-word novella. I think you’ll like it.

And more good news—Jenneth, my cover designer, finishes her art in August. So my next newsletter should be a cover reveal. It’s going to be great.

In the meantime, may you live as long as Melchaiyim, even to the end of the age.