Sophie Jordan's Firelight is about a girl who can shift between human and dragon forms... which might have been quite a cover challenge!Here's Sophie to talk about the process:
"Early talks revolved around maybe a silhouette ... and my protagonist's striking red hair. We wanted something to hint to her 'dragon qualities, like wings, but we wanted to make certain no one saw the cover and thought 'angel' since she's not that!
"They kindly asked for my input, and I remember just being so excited about some of their thoughts (mentioned above) that I didn't have too much more to contribute. There never seemed to be any doubt it would be Jacinda, the protagonist, on the cover. We were in accord for so much of the cover concept that I knew Firelight was in good hands.
"I was shocked when I first saw the cover because it wasn't a silhouette at all but rather this amazing close-up. The red hair was there, of course! And she had this hint of cool, scaly skin around her eye... but I still thought something was missing. It was maybe too subtle, so I made a suggestion ...
"I persuaded them to try elongating her pupils into a vertical slit. My protagonist's eyes alter this way when she shape-shifts into a 'draki,' which are what dragons have evolved into over the millennia.
"The art department listened! I was so excited. They had reservations that the slit pupil on the protagonist might make the book appear sci-fi/fantasy, and I even worried about that, too, but I guess we all figured we could go back the other way if it wasn't the look we wanted.
"It's perfect now! They changed the eye to what you see now, and it just gave the cover that extra something I was looking for. I'm so lucky to have a publisher who actually listened and took my comments to heart.
"The cover was shot with a model. A rather extensive photo shoot, from all the accounts I've heard. Thousands of shots were taken, so they will have those to delve into for the second and third book of the Firelight series.
"The more I study my book cover, the more I see the magic and romance within it - and Firelight is all about magic and romance... and even suspense. I think there is something haunting about the cover model's face/expression that reflects what's in the pages of Firelight."
Thanks, Sophie! I think this cover is riveting, and I agree that it's the eyes that draw me in most. What do you guys think?
PS-Here's the trailer:
sophie jordan