*Update - Hunter's Hunt has made ARe's bestseller list. Way to go, Chris! :)
Finding a fitting Book Cover
Michelle, thank you very much for
having me. I'm here to talk about my new release Hunter's Hunt, which
was published by Torquere Press on September 18th. It's my first
book with Torquere and I'm excited about it.
I'm a big fan of drawn covers and
usually not very keen on covers with headless torsos. I admit that I've thought
twice about buying books with these kind of covers because in most cases they
don't do a thing for me.
When I got the form I had to fill
out for Torquere regarding the cover for Hunter's Hunt I originally had
a certain scene in mind. I wanted a bar in the background with Hunter holding a
wet Adrian in his arms. Sounded easy in my imagination and would have been a
perfect fit.
Yeah, and then reality crashed into
my nice imaginary bubble. Very inconsiderate of it!
Brandon Clay, the cover artist
responsible for the cover, informed we he couldn't find any fitting photos. So
we mailed back and forth and I told him I'd look for images on http://www.shutterstock.com/. And off I went to this site. Little did I know that
I'd get lost there for several hours...
At first I thought it must be
easy—just type in a word in the search function and the right image will pop
up. Let's say I scrolled through lots of interesting photos but it took me a
while to phrase my search in a way the results suited me. Once I managed my day
brightened up considerably. While I don't usually like headless torso covers I do
like to look at naked or half-naked men. Oh, and there were lots of them.
:)
In the end I settled for a few
images but the one that's adorning the cover for Hunter's Hunt was my
favorite because it depicts a thoroughly drenched young guy. Not only that but
his body fit exactly to the way I described Adrian, who becomes Hunter's love
interest.
Without further ado here's the
cover! What do you think?
Buy links:
Torquere Press: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=78_85&products_id=4016
All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-hunter039shunt-1297338-147.html
Blurb:
Wanted: one bear. Must be burly and hairy, and strong enough to paddle. Hunter Bell is on the prowl, and he knows just where to find his prey: at the Bear Trap, a gay leather bar he’s more than a little familiar with. So many men, so little time. He’s just about to pounce on his choice of the evening when a newcomer enters the bar, turning everyone’s head. Adrian Michaels is everything Hunter despises in a man. He’s lean and boyish looking, and he has the deepest dimples Hunter’s ever seen.
And yet there is an immediate attraction, one that neither man can deny. They’re both too astonished to do anything about this apparent interest in one another, and they waste their opportunity. Now it’s up to Hunter to forget about his stereotypical preference and go for the guy that’s just entered his dreams. If only he can admit to himself that Adrian’s what he really wants...
Excerpt:
It took a moment for the newcomer to absorb his surroundings and, when
he did, he flinched. A few men chuckled upon discovering the baffled look on
the guy's face, which proved that he indeed hadn't known about the nature of
the Bear's Trap. Hunter watched him shift from one foot to the other
while most men turned back and resumed their conversations. The new guy
remained rooted to the spot, dripping water all over the floor, before he
squared his shoulders and pushed through the mass of bodies. At last he reached
the bar, where Hunter was still standing, for some unknown reason interested in
this guy.
The newcomer waved at the bartender. "Is there a phone
anywhere?"
"You don't have a cell phone?" another guy asked, perplexed.
The newcomer shot him a 'drop-dead' look, startling Hunter into a laugh.
The new guy turned toward him with a quizzical look. Hunter was face-to-face
with an irritated man, whose dark blue eyes were blazing.
"Bad day?" Hunter heard himself ask.
"Craptastic."
Hunter pulled his cell phone from his pocket and held it out to him.
"You might better go to the back. Otherwise, you won't be able to
understand anything."
Baffled, the other man took the phone. "Thank you, uh, what's your
name?"
"Hunter." He held out his hand for the other man to shake.
"Last name or first name?"
"First."
"Thanks, Hunter. I'm Adrian."
"Hey, Adrian."
Adrian gestured with the phone toward the end of the bar and raised one
delicate eyebrow. "This way?"
Hunter nodded and beckoned Adrian to go past him. Adrian only made it a
few feet before one of the other men groped him, drawing out a surprised yelp
from Adrian. He shoved the guy aside then proceeded farther into the back. On
his way, he struggled with advances from more guys than Hunter could count. At
some point, Adrian whirled around and, even from that distance Hunter could see
the fast heaving of his chest, the free hand balled into a fist, and the
stressed look on his face.
With a sigh, Hunter pushed away from the bar and strolled after Adrian.
He caught up with him right when another man, a regular customer called Dean,
made a pass at him.
"Hey, knock it off. He's with me, Dean."
"With you? Since when are you going for his type, Hunter?"
Dean asked with a sneer.
Hunter shrugged while he sent a dark glower toward Dean, which caused
the other man to drop his eyes and inspect the contents of his glass
thoroughly. Hunter laid a hand on Adrian's shoulder and pushed him ahead.
Adrian cast him a worried look but walked where Hunter steered him. After
opening a door to a private room at the end, he ushered Adrian through and
switched on the light.
"Go ahead."
Adrian clutched the cell phone in his hands, staring at Hunter with an
apprehensive look. Hunter noticed that Adrian's eyes were of a dark, almost
navy, blue. He swallowed. Even behind the glasses, Adrian's eyes seemed large
and expressive. He had to concentrate on listening to Adrian's question.
"Is this... is this some kind of leather bar?"
"Yeah. Never been in one before, have you?" Hunter asked.
"No. No offense and all, but I'm not very fond of it."
"Scared?"
"Yes."
"Need a bodyguard?"
Adrian eyed him before he obviously came to some kind of decision.
"You free for bodyguard duty for maybe an hour?"
"Sure." Hunter grinned. "I won't even try to molest
you."
Chris
T. Kat
Chris T. Kat lives in the middle of
Europe, where she shares a house with her husband of many years and their two
children. She stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into
it. She divides her time between work, her family—which includes chasing after
escaping horses and lugging around huge instruments such as a harp—and writing.
She enjoys a variety of genres, such as mystery/suspense, paranormal, and
romance. If there's any spare time, she happily reads for hours, listens to
audiobooks or does cross stitch.
Links:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChrisTKat
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Chris-T.-Kat/e/B008FQQH2Q
