Monday, July 29, 2013

Secrets of the Ash Tree Cover Reveal




Today is the day for the big book cover reveal and I am so excited to show it to you! Michael Di Gesu stepped in and saved the day when my original plans for a cover fell through. Michael is a wonderful friend and a special kind of brother. He has given me the kind of support and encouragement that only family can give. We may not share the same blood, but our souls truly do connect from Chicago to Norway. Make sure you visit his BLOG  and tell him what you think of his cover design. Maybe he can do yours. He also offers other wonderful services like writing blurbs and intros.

 Michael has a special treat for you today. Not only is he revealing the front cover but he has the back cover illustration posted on his blog as well!

SO HERE IS THE BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATION MICHAEL DID FOR MY FIRST BOOK!
 
A teaser from 'Secrets of the Ash Tree.'


As she approached the closet and slowly opened the door, a stench filled the room. Panic stopped her from moving any further and raised every hair on her body. Through the darkness and inside the shadows lingered a half human shape of what must have been a man. Slowly, with clawlike fingers, it cranked up one of her old toys, and his yellow eyes glowed with evil as he laughed again before singing along in an odd inhuman voice.

"Round and round the cobbler’s bench
The monkey chased the weasel,
The monkey thought ’twas all in fun
POP, goes the weasel!

      Just then, the music stopped, and the small figure of a clown jumped out of the jack-in-the-box, causing Liv to startle and tip over the glass on her desk. Standing there like a puppet frozen in time, she watched as the toy master turned his glowing eyes toward her. Not a single inch of her body listened as she stood there begging to run. Out of the shadows and closer he came, until he stood there in front of her. Pieces of long black hair clung to patches of skin that hung from his head and face. Towering over her, he put his large claws on Liv’s shoulders and drew her near. His foul breath lapped at the air as he said, “So nice to finally meet you, Princess.” He made a crooked bow and then continued to speak with a strange drawl as if half drunk, or as if the words felt strange on his tongue. “Let me introduce myself. I am the one and only blood brother of the almighty Odin, father of all gods. You may call me Loki.” When Liv didn’t say anything, Loki continued to speak.
      “My, you are a pretty little thing. Not what I expected at all.” He paused then took one of his knifelike fingers and traced it slowly over Liv’s breast. “I can feel your heart beating like a scared little rabbit underneath that pale pink skin of yours.” Tilting his head, he leaned over and smelled the small of Liv’s neck, and she shivered as his long tongue swept over her skin, tasting it like a piece of candy. He pushed Liv away, took a step back, and made an attempt to pout.
      “You can make this easy and just give me the necklace. I know you found it . . .” On the verge of tears, he pulled off a chunk of his hair and squawked, “Just look at what’s happening to me!” He then peeled away a small part of his face and exposed an open sore that oozed with puss. Slowly, he composed himself and continued, “My own daughter, Hel, did this to me, and you, my scared little rabbit, are going to help me fix it. All I need is that necklace, and I can get rid of this wretched curse!” Loki backed away and studied her closely, and then tilting his head to the side, he said, “You don’t know what you are, do you?”



Secrets of the Ash Tree available soon everywhere!

If everything goes as planned the Blog tour will run from Monday October 7-14 with a real big birthday FEST on October 9th with Alex Cavanaugh. Giveaways and prizes! Spread the word blogging friends we are in for a big ROCK AND ROLL---LITERALLY! Mark your calendars for party time with Captain Ninja, and the Viking gods! There are some big surprises in store and a treasure chest waiting to explode. If you want to contribute to the secrets in the chest, let me know! Email me at sivmariaottem@gmail.com.
Are you ready to spread the word? Do you love the cover of my book? Do you want to party? Do you have some stash to put in the treasure chest? Offerings to the gods bring good luck!

Have a great week and check back to see what Minnie has been up to, she is in trouble and needs your help!

23 comments:

Unknown said...

Had to repost this due to Blogger formatting problems not getting this out on my blog roll.

Melissa said...

Wow! Great cover and great excerpt! You and Michael both are very talented.

Best of luck! :)

Unknown said...

Melissa, thanks for the kind words. It was great working with Michael!

Karen, I would love your help to promote my book. I will keep you up to date on my blog tour as I get the details together.

Crystal Collier said...

Yay! So exciting, and I hear nothing but awesome about your book from insiders. Here's looking forward to it!

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, Sis,

I left a comment earlier... Hmmm.

Anyway. CONGRATS again on your debut novel!

Thank you so much for your kind words. It was truly special working with you on this...

ALL the best!!!!

Roland D. Yeomans said...

October 9th is our shared birthday, Siv! What a birthday present for me to start it with a blog hop with a friend!

Did you know TODAY is the day in 1954 when Tolkien FIRST published THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING? What an auspicious day to have your cover reveal, right?

And now I hear you have a sequel in the wings, BENEATH THE ROOTS!

Those who visit my site and your cover reveal will see a fantastic Norse Myth video. I just found it!

Unknown said...

Crystal, It makes me happy that you have heard good things about my book already.

Michael, LOL---Your post is still here. Scroll down, I had to post this again because blogger was being mean!

I loved working with you as well!

Roland, That is really interesting about Tolkien...Three years before I was born, WOW. We do have a great birthday date don't we? Will be fun to celebrate it together!

Have not had much time for the sequel of my book as of yet but once I get started I hope it whip it out faster than the two years it took me to write this one.

Anonymous said...

CONGRATULATIONS! I LOVE the book cover and I can't wait to read the book! Save a seat for me on the promo train! I'll use my blog, my FB fan page and anything else I can do to help. :) How exciting! Yay you!

Unknown said...

FANTASTIC excerpt and cover, Siv! Love dark fairytales. :D

I'll be on the lookout for blogtour info, but you know I want in if there's a spot. :)

Best to you going forward, Siv. I hope it's a smash hit!

Unknown said...

Thanks Mimi and E.J. I appreciate all the help I can get!

Plenty of dark fairy magic, witches, dragons, dwarves, trolls in my book to keep everyone happy. Much more than a book about gods alone :)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Siv - that's great news .. looking forward to October .. and yes Michael has done you proud with his art work .. it's just great.

Cheers Hilary

Suzanne Furness said...

Congrats the cover is looking great, you must be very pleased.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

What a lovely cover. Michael is so talented.

D.G. Hudson said...

Good Luck with Secrets of the Ash Tree, Siv! Congrats to Michael for creating a great cover! Looks like a good collaberation.

Unknown said...

What a gorgeous, gorgeous cover! I really love the sound of this and I am definitely putting at the top of my must buy list.

Nicki Elson said...

Congratulations! Beautiful cover and excerpt. Looking forward to that partay.

Summer Ross said...

It looks wonderful Siv.
Heading to check out Minnie's story.
~Summer

Denise Covey said...

Hi Siv. Isn't it wonderful. Great cover, great sounding book. Will look forward to October!

I had major problems getting my blog onto the blogroll for awhile, and I had to go into feedburner and change the number of posts to show. (Just in case anyone else is having this problem.)

Trisha said...

Love the cover art! Well done Michael, and congratulations Siv!

Donna K. Weaver said...

Congrats and what a beautiful cover. Well done, Michael.

Ella said...

Congrats!! YOUR book sounds amazing-I love the concept! You and Michael make a great team~ I love the cover~

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, Sis, HEY, Everyone!

Thanks so much for the kind words! Yes, we do make a great team!

Unknown said...

Thanks everything! Working with Michael was a dream come true! Thank you all for the kind words of encouragement....They mean so much to me!