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Today’s the big day—the long awaited cover reveal for The Final Book: Gods!

It’s been fun, lots of posts on social networking. Big thanks to Juniper Grove Book Solutions that coordinated a bit of publicity—I was getting tweets all day! I took the book on a road trip across the Southwest and stopped at a bunch of unique spots for a picture–kind of like my version of the traveling gnome. It’s been neat. Kind of different and more fun than just tossing up the graphic.

I’ve been sitting on the cover for more than a year—I knew what I wanted and how it was going to look a long time ago. However, it’s been fun seeing the response. There were probably only 3 or 4 people who had seen the cover prior to today, so I wasn’t sure of what kind of reaction it would get. So far, people seem to really it—the biggest surprise being on the back of the book and that I incorporated Cloe’s letters. Everyone who has read the book absolutely loved that element—they really got excited when they saw her words to Josh, haha. The letters also seemed to generate a lot of interest and intrigue from those who haven’t read the book, so hopefully it hooks them too.

The 12-pointed star on the front is simple, but entrenched with symbolism (just like the entire book); each point representing a pillar of Olympus and Zeus’s Pantheon. The meaning behind the star is quite important to the Gods and shows up several times throughout the book. The magenta glowing ball of light shining through the star is the only part of the front cover that is in color—but works well and really makes things “pop.” The artwork contrasts in such a way that the center of the star actually seems blindingly bright—like you’re staring into the sun and can only look at it for a second. I really like how it came out—it’s a “logo” that can certainly carry the weight of the entire series.

The “dust” around the edges and the swirls in the lower right aren’t just for show—it all ties very closely with key elements and characters. That will make sense when you get into the book, but for the casual observer it adds a feelings of grit and grunge—a bit of dirt to suggest that the Gods aren’t as pristine as one may think—which Dr. Hork would be the first to admit.

It was a bit of a process to create the design. Starting out, I knew I wanted something celestial and I wanted something twelve. Twelve was important. But I also wanted simplicity. I wanted to strip everything away, which is what this book is all about—the foundation of who and what we are.

A few important dates on the horizon:

Thursday, April 13—Cover Reveal

Sign up for the Facebook Event and be sure to watch the new trailer that premiers alongside the cover reveal!

Thursday, April 20—Goodreads Contest: Signed Advanced Hardcovers

Sign up to win one of ten advanced hardcovers! Get your copy months before the public!

Tuesday, June 13—Release Date, oOoOo!

Pre-orders for Kindle and iBooks will be up soon. Hardcover and Paperback will be available to order on the release date.

June 23-25—Amazing Comic Con, Las Vegas!

Stop by artist alley and say hi—might even get on a panel or two. Can’t wait for the craziness!

Lots happening in the next few weeks—follow me on Twitter and Facebook for updates as they happen. Can’t believe it’s all finally coming together…

Sean

Lots of big news on the horizon, but here’s what’s been going on:

The Final Book: Gods is complete! I have a hardcover proof in hand. I’m basically just making sure that the dust jacket prints well and that there are no disastrous formatting issues within the text. I have to say, things look good—I’m happy with it! That’s a big admission seeing as I was quite skeptical before holding the physical copy. I think the cover conveys the proper tone, adds a bit of intrigue, but more importantly lets the reader know what they’re getting themselves in for. I suppose you, the public, will be the judge to say if I've accomplished those things—the big cover reveal being just around the corner!

The Final Book: Gods will be available in hardcover, paperback, Apple iBooks, and Amazon Kindle versions.

Next, I’ve been working on the press kit and video promotional trailer. My goal is to have all of these elements complete prior to really beginning any sense of advertising or promotion. I’m basically a one man band here, so it’s a lot of work and I don’t want to promote a release date and then miss it—that would be extremely embarrassing. So, I’m working a bit backwards compared to how normal a normal release would be handled—racing toward a hard deadline—as I’m making sure each version of the book is complete and all of promotional elements have been created prior to announcing the release date. After 6 years of writing, there's no sense in putting out a rushed product just to meet an arbitrary self-imposed deadline.

With that said, my spidy sense is telling me that the book will officially release in June. Advanced copies for review will begin shipping the day of the cover reveal—hopefully within the month.

If you would like an advanced copy for review, please email me: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Beyond that, the calendar is beginning to fill up with Comic Con appearances. I am registering booths, mostly in the Artist Alley areas, at con’s throughout the western states.