My experience using 99Designs to create my book cover
It’s true what they say, people do judge a book by its cover, that’s why it’s essential to have your cover created by someone who knows what they’re doing. For most authors, that’s not you.
Let’s be brutally honest. Unless you’re a cover designer, you shouldn’t try to design your own cover, no more than a designer should try to write his own book. Unless, of course, you’re one of those prodigies who’s an author and a designer.
So, I’ve decided to share my book cover design experience (the good, the bad, and the ugly) in the hopes it will help others who are about to embark on this journey.
Journey beyond the boundaries of your imagination in this collection of plot-twisting short stories reminiscent of the classic Twilight Zone TV series.
From a half-century old murder, to a condemned heretic on trial for his life.
From a beast that’s escaped its prison, to a man pursued by a mysterious woman.
From a school for gifted children that’s hiding a dark secret, to a pair of lost time travelers hoping for a rescue ship they’re not sure is coming.
Androids, hooded figures, and one big, bad monster roam the pages of this captivating treasury of intelligent speculative fiction from award-winning author, J.L. Pattison.
Known for his twist endings, J.L. Pattison has been compared to Ray Bradbury and M. Night Shyamalan, and has been hailed as “A 21st Century Rod Serling.”
Can you guess how each of these stories will end?
A Journey For The Ages
When two scouts from the year 2080 travel fifty years into the future, a catastrophic malfunction occurs and they’re forced to crash land their time capsule. But once safely on the ground, they discover they’re not where they thought they were, and their situation is about to get much worse.
Chasing Her
A desperate man trying to catch a mysterious woman doesn’t realize that he, too, is being pursued, but his pursuer has far more nefarious intentions.
The Zoo
Two anthropomorphic tigers comprise the cast of this cautionary tale about choosing wisely the life we lead—and its impact on not just us, but also the world we live in.
The Blue Lake Conspiracy
A hot summer day, a dusty trail, and a simple signpost providing wrong directions sets the scene for a chance encounter between a swimmer and a fisherman. But as you’ll soon see, these two men face far more than just a fork in the road.
The Monster In The Well
Jack has a secret. In an old well he keeps a monster, and as long as the monster stays in the well, it’s harmless. But if it escapes, it will destroy all of mankind. The monster has remained captive for generations, until the day Jack makes the mistake of telling a neighbor about his secret.
The Little Engine That Couldn’t
An innocent conversation between a father and son turns bad when an inconvenient truth is unintentionally discovered.
The Day Benny Died
Fifty years, two women, and one dark secret are the ingredients to this tale, revealing the bitter truth about the day Benny died.
Consider The Ant
Under a sweltering South American sun, a chance encounter between ants provokes a debate over who’s the greatest of them all. But this debate is finally settled when something greater than all of them unexpectedly arrives.
Swan Song For A Paper Tiger
A desperate man tries to hold together a fractured heart and despairing soul, all with the weight of the world on his shoulders and the fear of eternity in his eyes.
The Inquisition
A man on trial for challenging the prevailing thoughts of the darkened times in which he lives, stands alone against the self-proclaimed gods of his age who hold his life in their hands.
Twelve White Tulips
An old woman recovering in the hospital from an injury is delighted to have a visit from her daughter, until her husband arrives with news she doesn’t want to hear.
The Gifted
Charles Beaumont High School sets its gifted students apart. But being set apart doesn’t mean what the students think it means.
Have you hugged you kids today? I don’t mean hugged them, I mean really hugged them.
It doesn’t matter the relation. Biological, adopted, foster, or guardianship, the question remains the same: have you hugged your kids today?
Not like it’s an obligation and they’re an inconvenience, but like it’s an honor and they’re a blessing. And I’m not talking about the usual fleeting hugs you give them as you rush off to work, I’m talking about the hugs that remain with them long after you’ve left.
Do you hug them with such singularly focused determination that they feel completely safe, loved beyond measure, and blissfully unaware of their own mortality? Hugs that help them rise above all the fears and insecurities that their little hearts secretly harbor?
Do you grip them so deeply that they feel nothing bad could befall them as long as they remain in your embrace? That they are sheltered from the chaos of a wicked world that’s gone mad around them?
Do you hug them so passionately that in your arms is the only place they want to be? That when they grow older they’ll look back on those hugs and long to be in that moment with you again?
When people woke up on this day, 34 years ago, after enjoying the previous night’s fireworks, little did they know the comedy genius that was about to be unleashed upon them.
Hey, dads. I know you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, and battle with things no one knows about. And sometimes you even feel like a complete failure. But don’t give up. You’re not alone, and your kids love you—imperfect as you (we all) are.
Author J.L. Pattison 