Monsters Among Us Cover

The finished cover for T.M.'s newest book. A lot of work went into this one, mostly looking for a model. Thankfully, Michaela gave up permission to use one of her wonderful stock images. The wall is from the Ford-Green Cemetery in Mineola, TX, & the burial mound and other two tombstones are from New Hope Cemetery in Mineola. There are a lot of mounds out there. It's really neat.  Also, T.M. recently got a post print of this framed and hung it up in her dining room.  It looks awesome.


Kindle

T.M. Simmons: Website & Facebook


Stock Used:

Woman w/ cat - mihaela-vstock.deviantart.com/… (Used with permission)

Rock Mound, Wall, Double Tombstone & Rock Marker - policegirl01.deviantart.com/ar… Exclusive Stock Pack

Book, Candles & Pentagram - www.dreamstime.com/royalty-fre… (Provided by T. M. Simmons)

Flames - redheadstock.deviantart.com/ar…

Fur (for cat) - knathies-stock.deviantart.com/a…

Grass - smokeylittleclover.deviantart.…

Stars - kuschelirmel-stock.deviantart.…

Moon - shutter-shooter.deviantart.com…

Trees - derangedhyena.deviantart.com/a…

Angel - hauntingvisionsstock.deviantar…

Energy Beam - photoncubetutorials.blogspot.c… (tutorial) & freshemedia.deviantart.com/art…

Font - Black Chancery

The Last 40 Days Cover

The Last 40 Days is about a man who travels back in time & ends up witnessing the Crucifixion. I initially did a bit of research to find out what the landscape looked like back then, and found that it was a lot different that it is today. Technically there should be an abundance of trees, shrubs & plants in the background but I was limited on what stock to use & C L really wanted sand dunes. He really likes the way it come out, so I'm glad. The whole time I was working on this, all I could think about was Life of Brian. I even played 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' for some inspiration.

The hardest past was deciding on using either a physical time machine or or use a portal. C L wanted the Stargate...which, as you can guess, isn't going to happen. It would have looked really cool, but I have no desire to see the inside of a jail cell. I looked around for weeks trying to find something use use as a base but came up empty handed. So, I started looking for portals. Typing in 'portal' in dA gave me a wide range of results, from Portal game/logo pics to several misplaced photos of penises (don't ask). Eventually, I stumbled across the one I used. I added in the lines to give it a little more action & depth.


Update 1 - C L decided he wanted the dash out of MP1. I also added in a shadow for the man, which I realized I had forgotten.


Kindle Link: Coming Soon

C L Smothers Site



Stock Used:

Background - greenleaf-stock.deviantart.com… & shiama-stock.deviantart.com/ar…

Sunset - mgb-stock.deviantart.com/art/S…

Man - mindsqueezedesign.deviantart.c…

Crosses - hand drawn by me

Scrub Grass - wolverine041269.deviantart.com…

Time Portal - stock7000.deviantart.com/art/T… & freshemedia.deviantart.com/art…

Font - Cimbrian & Roman S

Living with Dead Folks Vol. 1 Cover

This was a fun cover to do since I finally got to put Trana on the cover of one of her books. This book is basically all of her blog post for last year, and she will do a new one each year will all the collected posts. The general theme for the covers will be candid shots of her doing stuff around the house while the ghosts do whatever in the background.

For this one, we used her office. After taking the screen off & opening the window directly behind her desk, I stood up on a step-stool and took pictures of her looking from side to side. I would have liked to shoot a bit higher but couldn't due to the window. Plus, a few of the pictures came out a little blurred. I still have trouble putting a lot of weight on my knee from time to time, and I was extra nervous standing up on something (last think I need is to fall and mess my knee up again). The overall image ended up being a merge of three, and I had to draw in part of the wall, ceiling, computer monitor & door.


Kindle

T.M. Simmons:  Website & Facebook

 
Stock Used

Background, Foreground & Trana - Photographs taken by me

Ghost

Font - OptimusPrincepsSemiBold

Ghost Hunting Diary Volume V Cover

This one took me a few tries to get it going. Originally, I was going to use a photo of the actual house talked about in the 'Hell House' chapter. The photo was taken years before digital cameras came out and got really messed up every time I tried to adjust the brightness. So after some searching, I found a house that looked very similar and when from there. The shadow person is the same that is used for the team logo, but just in white. I used a few layers of fog brushes for the mist set at 40% to 50% opacity, then erased them down from that at about 42% opacity. That way it lost most of the detail to look like a very light mist. I also painted in the treeline in the background.


Kindle
T.M. Simmons: Website [link] & Facebook [link]



Stock Used

House - [link]

Sky - [link]

Grass - [link]

Lightning - ObsidianDawn.com [link] (bought commercial license)

Treeline (in background) - [link] & [link]

Additional scrub around the house - [link]

Fence post - [link]

Barbwire - [link]

'No Trespassing' sign - [link]

Mist - [link]

Shadow person - [link]

Font - OptimusPrincepsSemiBold

Ghost Hunting Diary Volume II Cover

A slight redesign of T.M. Simmons' Ghost Hunting Diary Volume II cover. Trana did the original version herself and decided that it needed to be updated along with the rest. The original is still up on Amazon if you want to see it.

I took the original image and centered it, then added a brighter sky & clouds after adjusting the colors/brightness/contrast. I also used a different font as well.


Kindle Link: [link]

T.M. Simmons: Website [link] & Facebook [link]


Stock Used:

Background - Photo credit T.M. Simmons (provided by T.M. Simmons)

Cloud - [link]

Font - OptimusPrincepsSemiBold

Forever Angels Cover V. 2

The original cover was just the background image. I added in the couple and didn't have to do a whole lot editing to them. I added facial & body hair to the guy, but you can't see most of it. I also added in some wrinkles to make him a bit older, as well as some grey hairs on his sideburns.


Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Angels-ebook/dp/B006LD1XYC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354997924&sr=8-2&keywords=forever+angels

Trana Mae Simmons: Website http://www.tranamaesimmons.com & Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001080912099


Stock Used

Background - Dreamstime (provided by Trana Mae Simmons)

Couple - Hot Damn Stock (provided by Trana Mae Simmons)

Body/Facial Hair - http://www.deviantart.com/users/outgoing?http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=27688-0

Wrinkle Tutorial - http://www.photoshoplab.com/aging-people.html

Font - Pristina

Mountain Magic Cover V. 2

Updated cover for Mountain Magic.

I removed a tattoo on the guy's shoulder & added various bits of body/facial hair. I redid the woman's hair and also extended the vest down to cover her middle.


Kindle Link: [link]

T.M. Simmons: Website [link] & Facebook [link]


Stock Used:

Mountain - [link]

Man - Hot Damn Stock (privided by Trana Mae Simmons)

Woman - Hot Damn Stock (provided by Trana Mae Simmons)

Hair - [link] & [link]

Chest Hair - [link]

Font - Pristina

Montana Surrender Cover V. 2

Well, the first version I did proved to be a little too hot. So I did a toned down version.

I didn't have to do too much with the guy except some body and facial hair. I also removed a tribal armband tattoo on his arm. The only thing I really changed on the woman was the hair. I wanted to cover up her mid-drift but nothing really worked.


Kindle

Trana Mae Simmons: Website & Facebook

Stock Used:

Couple - Hot Damn Stock (provided by Trana Mae Simmons)

Background - Dreamstime (provided by Trana Mae Simmons)

Hair - redheadstock  & vaia

Chest Hair - http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=27688-0

Font - Pristina

Dead Man Hand Cover

Who would have thought that they would ever see an elk playing poker?  This one was super fun to do since I made almost all the stock used. 

Special thanks goes out to Carls & Amanda for letting me borrow their poker set, and to Trana for bringing over the whiskey bottles.

Available: Kindle
T.M. Simmons: Website  & Facebook

Stock Used:
Skeleton - twins72-stocks
Elk - gsdark-stock
Table, cards & poker chips - The Poker Pack Exclusive Stock Pack   dA | Blog
Bottles - Jack Daniel's Bottles Stock Pack   dA | Blog
Stools - hand drawn by me
Font - BONES

MP-1 Cover

CL told me it need to have a planet with two moons, & everything else was up to me.  I love it when I can go crazy on covers.  I used the same nebula & font from the first cover to keep up with the sort-of theme.  The hardest part overall was finding the flares.  I saw several good packs with PNG files but were way too expensive.  The pack I went with were on a black background, so I edied out as much as I could and screened them.  After adjusting the brightness/contrast a bit, everything blended right in.

There are a total of three flares layered at various opacities (is that even a word?).  I was going for a light effect where you would be seeing the light washing over the view-port/screen upon entering the atmosphere or on approaching the planet.  It also (unintentionally) gave it a bit of a 3D effect.
The moons are also the same moon, just reversed with altered color and added shadows.

Kindle Link - Coming Soon

Stock Used:
Planet - : superiorgamer
Flares - hakeryk
Moons - theedeonknight
Nebula - ineedfire
Title/Author Font - Super Retro M45

Ghost Hunting Diary Volume IV Cover

I went out and took stock pictures at Dry Creek Cemetery so that I wouldn't have to hunt all over for stock this time around. 

Kindle Link: Coming Soon
T.M. Simmons: Website   &  Facebook

Stock Used
Background & Tombstones - policegirl01
Building - cyborgsuzystock
Grass - fairiegoodmother
Font - OptimusPrinceps

Montana Surrender Cover v.2

This is the new cover for Montana Surrender, a romance novel by Tran mae Simmons.  Like the original Bittersweet Promises cover, this one was only the background image to start.  Trana wanted something attention grabbing and spicy, and I think I pulled it off.

The guy, or really body in this case, didn't need much done.  I added on some hair on both the chest and arm.  The woman, on the other had, had a lot of work done.  First, I had to move the corsett up a bit and then paint out the black & white tube top.  Then I darkend her hair, then added in fallway locks on both sides.  Next, I added in the eyelashes then adjusted her overall skin tone.  The last bit I did was to extend the grass down in the background a bit so that the tree sat a little higher.

On a funnier note, I've noticed that this one seems to be a little too hot for many of the groups on dA.  It's been accepted then removed from three so far.

Kindle - Amazon
Trana Mae Simmons: Website & Facebook


Stock Used:
Man - Hot Damn Stock (provided by Trana Mae Simmons)
Woman - Dreamstime (provided by Trana Mae Simmons)
Background - Dreamstime (provided by Trana Mae Simmons)
Hair - lpdragonfly Set 1, Set 2 & Set 3
Body Hair - CreativeMac
Eyelashes - redheadstock
Font - Pristina

Bittersweet Promises Cover v.2

This is the revamp of the Bittersweet Promises cover.  The original version of the cover only had the background image and title/author text, and was done quick since she had to get the book up with a limited amount of time. 

For the most part, there wasn't a lot to be done with this one except some clean up.  I added in facial and body hair on the man and evened out the woman's skin tone.  The hardest part was making the sweat.  I'm not overly satisfied with it, but I'm hoping to go back at a later date and fix it.

Kindle - Amazon

Trana Mae Simmons: Website & Facebook


Stock Used:
Couple - HotDamnStock  (provided by Trana Simmons)
Background - Dreamstime (provided by Trana Mae Simmons)
Stubble - galagraphia
Body Hair - CreativeMac
Sweat - PlanetPhotoShop - Beads with Sweat Effect tutorial & RetouchPro - Sweat tutorial
Font - Chancery Cursive

The Wormhole Project Cover

The finished cover for the upcoming science fiction release of The Wormhole Project by CL Smothers.  This one was fun, mostly since CL had a very clear idea of what he wanted.  The hardest part was finding good star brushes.  The apple was my own creation, and I was super happy that I got a chance to create my own stock for a change.

Also, the binary code says 'The Wormhole Project', repeated several times.

Kindle Link - Coming Soon


Stock Used:
Apple - policegirl01 (me)
Nebula - ineedfire
Stars - kuschelirmel
Blood drop - dark-dragon-stock
Lines - iz-person
Leaf - thepurpleyard-stock
Fonts - Super Retro M45 (title/author) & Shruti MS Font (binary)

Winter Prey Cover

Cover for Trana's upcoming Mystery/Thriller release, Winter Prey.  I have been waiting ages to do this cover, and I'm glad that she is getting the book out.  I helped edit several of the chapters, along with our Writer's Group, and can't wait to read the finished book. 

The most difficult thing on this one was finding the eyes to use for the creature.  After a lot of looking here in dA, I went over to Dreamstime since Trana still had some credits left.  I was originally going to have the eyes just under the title, but they didn't show up well on the mountain background.  The reflection effect on the lake is much better and gives it a good bit of creepiness. 


I've already gotten a lot of greats comments on it, so I'm very excited that it has gone over well so far.

Kindle Link: Coming Soon

T.M. Simmons:  Website & Facebook


Stock Used:
Mountain/Background - wyldraven
Lake - ascenciok
Ice/Boulders - lucieg-stock
Snow Plants - blackstock 
Eyes -  Dreamstime  Provided by T.M. Sommons
Fonts - Times New Roman (slug) & Copperplate Gothic BT Roman (title/author)

Mountain Magic Cover

Another book cover for Trana. This one is for one of her romances that she is re-releasing for Kindle. I'm not too sure what this one is about, but I'll update the info once it's up on Amazon.

Kindle Link: Coming Soon
T.M. Simmons: Website  & Facebook   

Stock Used:

Mountain - xxmynightmarexx 
Drums - Provided by Trana Mae Simmons
 Font - Chancery Cursive

Ghost Hunting Diary Vol. 3 Book Cover

Another book cover commission for Trana!  This one is for the third volume of her ghost hunt diaries.  All of these stories are true, and I'm in a few of them.  Like her other books, this one will be available to download on Kindle.

Anyway, she just needed something simple for this one.  I originally had gone out and taken pictures of the tree that is featured in one of the hunts, but I couldn't get the image to darken enough without distorting it.  The stock image used is actually fairly similar, so it worked out in the end.

Kindle Link: Coming Soon
T.M. Simmons: Website & Facebook


Stock Used:
Tree -- PhoeebStock  
Fog -- moonchild-ljilja  
Font - Optimus Princeps SemiBold

Book Covers for T.M. Simmons

My good friend Trana commissioned me to make some new book covers for her Dead Man series, which she is getting ready to re-release on Amazon as Kindle books.

The most difficult part of making the covers was finding stock images on deviantArt that would allow commercial use.  I tried looking through a few of the stock websites, but the prices they ask for stock is ridicules.  iStockPhoto wanted almost $200 for one.

The stories themselves are a mix of supernatural mystery and humor.  I tried to get that across with the covers.  The first one, Dead Man Talking, came out okay, but I really love how the Dead Man Haunt cover came out.  I was lucky to find the skunk image.  

Stock Used: 

Dead Man Talking

•  Skeleton - Marcopolio-Stock
•  Title Font - Bones

Dead Man Haunt

•  Skeleton - Twins72-Stocks
•  Skunk - shd-stock
•  Title Font - Bones
•  Necklace - hand drawn by me