[Book 1 of the ARC10 Trilogy]
**Winner of the 2017 Watty Storysmith award**
The President created an underground safe-haven for the survivors of the alien invasion.
He built it to save them all from total annihilation.
He protects them, feeds them...
I thought I'd take a second to acknowledge the history of the ARC10 cover – from its early clumsiness to its new, improved, incredibly elaborate beauty, this book's cover has gone from drab to freaking outstanding.
PHASE 1: Primitive Pandering
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Creator: Me and Canva
Looking at this now, it just doesn't do anything for the story. NOTHING. It was just me shoving something in that blank spot. At least I can now be confident in the fact that I will never have a career in graphics.
***
PHASE 2: The Journey Begins
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Creator: @vaepour
I love this cover. It will always have a special place in my heart as it's the first time I realized ARC10 had some freaking action and deserved an action-loaded cover. Badass. Janika's stance, the colors, the planets, and the watermark all collaborated to make this the perfect cover for my attempt at sci-fi. It was one of the few moments I realized--I did it--I wrote this thing. And it's about space. It should have a cover that may kind of hint at that.
This one. Bingo.
***
PHASE 3: Never came to be
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Creator:@FayLane
And now we begin the era of Faera. This creation was one that I truly loved, but after a few rounds of "whaddaya think" with some of my nearest and dearest, the world made it evidently clear that, while this cover is stellar, I had asked for a cover that was not truly selling my story. My fault. I wanted to take the cover in a totally different direction and somehow got lost along the way. Which is why we went back to the drawing boards and Faera dealt with my nit-picky little comments for another forever.
Sorry, love. I'm a monster.
***
PHASE 4: The next installment
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Creator: @FayLane
And here we have it! The final version of ARC10's cover that will set the precedent for the trilogy's look. HMS Valediction will soon become a reality. I wanted a few different elements that will carry on for each cover.
What I love about this (besides the artist's incredible patience with me), is the color and the new look for Janika. I feel that this is more grainy, more realistic, more focused on the Earth. ARC10 is a set up for a journey. We're still at the beginning phases of the mission and I need a cover to explain that. ARC10 is gritty. It's about a hole in the ground where people live, suffer, love, and die. I feel that this art more accurately portrays the struggle as an Earth-bound one.
PS: In case any of you are wondering--the chin belongs to Diane Guerrero. If ever I were to cast a Janika, it would be her. She's been my leading lady in this role for a long time.
PSS: Next step is putting an art page together of other work people have created for ARC10 over the year she's been alive. If you have something, I'd be THRILLED to see it and share it with the world. Send me your art.
I love art.
Thank you, as always, for your love, support, and encouragement ⭐️. I can't wait to continue this journey with you.
