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Welcome, Romance Lovers! Hot hot hot cover artist Syneca is here!
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Welcome, Romance Lovers!
Ever heard that old saying, 'You can always tell a book by its cover'? Well, you are about to meet a wonderful lady who brings a totally new meaning to that statement! I would like you all to meet one of Romance's most proliferous and highly acclaimed cover artists, the fabulous Syneca Featherstone!
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m blissfully married to a man I fell in love with at 16, have two great children, three grandchildren and live in Florida. I’m an artist, photographer and videographer and have never been able to decide which I like best so I try and do them all. I’m Graphic Services Manager for Ellora’s Cave and adore my job.
What was the inspiration for you to become a cover artist? How on earth did your lucky publisher(s) find you?
Darrell King, Executive VP for Jasmine Jade saw a couple of my works I’d won awards on and offered me the chance to do a test cover. It was on from then. I worked as a freelance artist for Ellora’s Cave for eight months and then they offered me a position on staff as senior cover artist.
Four months later they promoted me to Graphic Services Manager, heading up the Cover Art Department.
You have a huge number of covers to your credit. Can you show us some of them?
You bet! Here they are…I hand-picked these as my favorites...
Covers by Syneca
Wow! you do fabulous work...I hear that one of your covers just won the prestigious New Covery Cover Awards for May!
Yes. Normally they give two separate awards, one for "Most Eye-Catching" and one for "Most Artistic Cover". I was thrilled to learn Blind Fortune had won both! Blind Fortune is a Cerridwen Press release.
Congratulations on your wonderful success as a cover artist! How many covers do you have to your credit?
I lost count at 2000.(1).jpg)
What do you love most about your job as a cover artist? (Besides getting to work with hot cover models?)
I love everything about my job. Darrell King and CEO Patty Marks are, without a doubt, two of the most creative, innovative people I’ve ever known and such a joy to work with. I have a stable of enormously talented artists, designers and photographers who are fun and easy to get along with, and I get to collaborate with VP of media, Susan Edwards on special projects, which is a pure joy. Syneca Kickin' back...
Being a cover artist is not as easy as most folks think. What's your typical day of shooting like? What’s your typical day of work like?
Typical shooting day? 16 -18 hours of busting butt. I and the lighting specialist, Will Duke, along with Darrell King, start an hour or so before the models arrive, setting lights and sets/props. We shoot for about 8-10 hours and once shooting is done we spend about 5-6 hours downloading memory cards, going through the photos, backing them up to hard drives and organizing them. Shoots are great fun but pretty tiring.
Typical work day: I start at 5:30-6am. I like getting started early before the rest of the world is up and about. I get an enormous amount of administrative tasks completed and out of the way before the work day for others begins. And fortunately for me, EC lets me set my schedule. (Didn’t I say it’s the best place in the world to work?)
I do between two and four covers in a day, normally two e-Book covers and two print covers. I’m usually finished by 2 pm and I head out to the gym for a couple of hours. Upon my return I check email, update schedules and assignments and call it a day.
You routinely shoot photos of some of the hottest bodies in creation. Can I be your apprentice? Please?
LOL, I do seem to get a lot of requests for that position.
Many readers bluntly state that the “cover sells the book”. Do you agree or disagree with that?
I think a cover draws a reader’s attention to the book. That’s its purpose. Once a cover catches a reader’s eye, it’s fulfilled its role. Then it’s up to the blurb and the strength of the author’s name to make the reader decide whether to purchase the book.
What is your advice to those who might want to become cover artists?
Stick with your strengths. While there are artists who are adept at many different genres, most of us are like writers, we specialize in one genre or another. If you’re best at sci-fi, then seek work in that genre. Don’t try and do erotic romance. Chances are, you won’t have a good feel for the genre and the cover won’t have the impact it needs.
Take a look at covers, see what works and what doesn’t and get a feel for the genres. And finally, have a thick skin. Chances are some manager or director is going to take a look at your cover and ask for changes or revisions. If you’re married to your cover then you’re going to be unhappy. Cover art is work for hire. You’re not doing this for yourself, you’re doing it for whoever hired you and they are the ones who have to be pleased with the result. In short, have a professional attitude.
Finally, remember that this piece of art is going to grace someone’s book – someone who is an artist in his/her own right. The writer has put their heart and soul into the book and artists need to keep that in mind. It’s not simply your artwork, it’s your artistic interpretation of someone else’s ideas. Give it the respect it deserves.
Where can we find you on the web?
I want to thank you for being here this morning. And please...if that apprentice job ever opens up, I'm available! Really...I'm packed and ready to fly to Florida...or Akron...or wherever...
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