If you are a regular follower of this blog (thank you!), you know that I've been working with Mia Kerick, an LGBT YA author on some promotions for her books. She has a new title, A Hard Day's Night which releases today. So I wanted to share the promos I created for this book.
The two main characters are Lennon (with the glasses, who is obsessed with the Beatles) and Fin. They are best friends, about to graduate high school and both are discovering they have deep feelings for each other. They embark on a day journey to discover if their feelings are more than that of friends. The journey is filled with laughter, self-realizations, and they even experience some backlash. For the two character promos about, I drew them from reference photos Mia gave me and used pastel to color. I use an app called Enlight to create the background and use PowerPoint or Over to add text. I do also use PS Touch, a photoshop app for the iPhone and iPad. Yes, I do all my graphics creation on my phone or iPad.
Mia gives me quotes from the book and I try to create a graphic that capture the words. For example, Lennon and Fin attend a Zumba class because all gay guys like do dance, don't they? Lol.
For the next one, I found a cute storefront that I liked and photoshopped the name onto it.
This one was easy.
The painted boy is from my earlier piece that I cropped and darkened the hair. Poor Lennon. You'll have to read the book to find out what happens!
Finally, Mia decided to have a little fun!
I'm going to be working with Mia again for her next book. She wanted me draw the characters in manga style and what Japanese girl wouldn't want to draw manga?! I've been practicing my manga drawing so I created Lennon and Fin in manga style!
Here is a little blurb about the book.
High school senior Kalin (Lennon) Macready knows several facts for certain: John Lennon is his hero. Beaumont Finley Danforth II (Fin) is his best friend. And—this is the complicated one—he feels more for Fin than mere friendship.
For weeks, Lennon pesters Fin, who like Lennon admits to questioning his sexual orientation, for a commitment to spend twenty-four hours together exploring “the gay side of life.” Fin reluctantly agrees. Each boy will seek to answer the daunting question, Am I gay? Lennon pre-plans the day, filling the hours with what he assumes “gay life” is all about: shopping for fashionable clothing, indulging in lavish dessert crepes, boogying to Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off”, and yes, listening to show tunes.
However, Lennon quickly realizes that in creating his plan he has succumbed to the most common and distorted of gay stereotypes. Can he be gay and not fit them? And more importantly, is it possible that spending one very hard day and night together will help Fin accept that he’s gay, too? If so, maybe Lennon has a shot at winning the heart of the boy of his dreams.
“A Hard Day’s Night” is an amusing young adult contemporary romance about two boys who seek to discover if they must fulfill stereotypes to be together.
In the end, maybe all you need is love.
About Mia Kerick
Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—all named after saints—and five nonpedigreed cats—all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.
Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.
Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.
Mia has published four works of adult contemporary gay romantic fiction with Dreamspinner Press and four novels of contemporary LGBT fiction with Harmony Ink Press. Mia Kerick's books are recommended reads in the LGBT blogging/reading community, have spent many weeks on Amazon Hot New Releases and LGBT Best Sellers lists, as well as other notable bestseller lists, and have won awards for excellence in YA literature.
AUTHOR LINKS
Website (& Blog): www.miakerick.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6474518.Mia_Kerick
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mia-Kerick/e/B009KSTG9E/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1410298098&sr=8-2
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiaKerick
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mia.kerick
Your promos are so perfect- it is like you reached into my brain and pulled out exactly what i wanted! I think I might be the only YA LGBTQ author with ART for promos!! I am lucky and I know it!! And thank you for the shout out about "A Hard Day's Night"
ReplyDeleteWell, so much for my determination to make inroads in my dusty e-shelf reading before buying another book! Love the promos! The artwork is great, as usual and the book sounds like fun! As for the other novellas, this is the only one I will be reading.
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