Meet Cover Artist C.K. Volnek

I'm SO excited to share the cover of my young adult contemporary romance, WORTH THE EFFORT: ELLA'S STORY. Tomorrow is the big day!

 To prepare you for the reveal, I want to share an interview I conducted with  C.K. Volnek, the amazing artist being my new cover (as well as my Beware of the White cover).
C.K. Volnek grew up in Nebraska, enjoying life in small town USA; riding horses in summer and sledding the ginormous hills in winter. She is married to her best friend and together they have three children and four Papillon fur-kids. She likes to write, hike, watch movies, and dream about the 'what ifs' in life, thus spawning the many stories her muse wants to share. 
Welcome, to Strands of Thought, C.K. How long have you been designing book covers?

I have always loved art and have a degree in Commercial art. I actually began designing book covers several years ago, though it has only been within the last five years that I grew serious about it and began designing for my publisher, Muse It Up Publishing.
  
What kinds of things help you to capture the emotion/feel of the book? 

Genre and mood dictate a lot of the design for the cover. I then ask my authors for a blurb so I can get a feel for what their story is about and what ideas they might envision their cover to look like. Then I go on the search for images or illustrations that best conveys their ideas. If they want people on their covers, I love to find faces that hold lots of emotion.

Do you have a favorite genre to design for?

I really don’t have a favorite genre. I have enjoyed certain stories over another, though it’s funny…some of the covers I thought would be difficult to design, have ended up being my favorites. I love it when my author gives me complete freedom without putting any images in my head. I’ve found I can generally please these authors more and have come up with some of my favorite covers.

Is this all you do?

I wish. Ha. No, I have a full-time job… to pay the bills…, a family to love and take care of and am also working on my own writing - a YA paranormal series and a mainstream faith-based story. But I love being able to use my art background and creative side to design covers. It is a great release for my right brain.
  
How can publishers and indie authors learn more about your cover design services?

I’d love to help anyone who needs cover design needs. They can email me at cvolnek at yahoo dot com or visit my web page at www.ckvolnek.com. I have a selection of covers on the sight for authors and readers to view. 

Thank you, C.K. for taking the time to visit with me, and my readers, and for sharing a peek into your cover design process. And thank you for creating such an emotional cover for my first Worth the Effort story. I look forward to working with you on the next.

Readers, on April 30th these lovely blogs are helping me reveal the cover.


They each have a different excerpt from the book, so please take the time to visit the individual blogs, read the blurb, and the excerpt, and thank them for hosting!

Add Worth the Effort: Ella's Story on Goodreads. Subscribe to my newsletter.




Comments

  1. Suzanne de MontignyApril 29, 2014 at 7:35 AM

    Ah, so now we have the story behind the artist! Very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorApril 29, 2014 at 8:11 AM

      I love meeting the behind the scenes people. Hope you'll hop around the blogosphere tomorrow to see C.K.'s amazing work and read my excerpts. Thanks for stopping in Suzanne!

      Delete
  2. Kelly HashwayApril 29, 2014 at 9:36 AM

    I'm excited to reveal your cover on my Ashelyn Drake blog tomorrow! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. CharlieApril 29, 2014 at 11:41 AM

    Thanks for having me on my blog today Kai. It was so wonderful to work with you again and I hope your readers enjoy your story as much as I did creating the covers. Best wishes. And big waves to all your readers. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Heath GreenisApril 29, 2014 at 11:53 AM

    Great interview - Charlie is truly talented. She did the covers for the last two books in my saga, Natasha's Hope and Natasha's Legacy. I LOVE them.She captured the essence of my story. I'm a very happy client.
    Heather G

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorApril 29, 2014 at 12:47 PM

      It amazes me how much she completes! Have your browsed the list of covers on her website? Impressive! Good of you to stop in, Heather.

      Delete
  5. UnknownApril 29, 2014 at 12:04 PM

    Charlie is great to work with. Can't wait to see your new cover!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorApril 29, 2014 at 12:49 PM

      It's hard holding onto fun stuff like a cover! So glad it will finally be out in the world tomorrow. I think it is SO emotional and very different from most YA contemp romance covers. But then again, so is my story, I guess :) Thanks for stopping by, (other) Heather.

      Delete
  6. UnknownApril 29, 2014 at 12:18 PM

    I love Charlie! She's done 2 of the 3 Valendria covers (through MuseitUp) as well as the cover for the novella I am releasing this summer on my own. She asks great questions, really listens to what you say, and does a great job capturing the heart of the story.

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    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorApril 29, 2014 at 12:50 PM

      It truly surprises me when she comes back with a mock up. I go back to my document to see what I said that might have been so GOOD? Lol! Can't wait for your novella!

      Delete
  7. AnonymousApril 29, 2014 at 12:22 PM

    Lovely to find out more about you here, Charlotte. I loved your designs for The Silk Romance and The Antique Love, and so many readers have told me how much they like them. Good luck with your writing!

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    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorApril 29, 2014 at 12:52 PM

      A good eye for color too! That really helps. I love how my Beware of the White cover POPS. Even in thumbnail size it truly stands out. Thanks for visiting, Helena.

      Delete
  8. S. WillettApril 29, 2014 at 1:59 PM

    What a unique way to reveal your cover and build interest in your book. Great idea.

    ReplyDelete
  9. P.M. GriffinApril 29, 2014 at 2:12 PM

    Charlie is a fantastic artist. She has brought my Star Commandos series to life with her cover designs. It is also a delight to work with her.
    P.M. Griffin www.pmgriffin.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorApril 29, 2014 at 3:52 PM

      You're right, she is lovely to work with. She has one more cover to do for me (for now, at least) and I'm so excited to see what she comes up with!

      Delete
  10. Beverly Stowe McClureApril 29, 2014 at 4:59 PM

    It's so interesting to see how artists work. Looking forward to the cover reveal, Charlie and Kai. (I love Ella's story.) :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorApril 30, 2014 at 8:42 AM

      Thank you, Beverly! Can't wait to hear what you think. :)

      Delete
  11. MarshaApril 30, 2014 at 7:27 AM

    Loved learning about you Charlie. I'm one of those lucky recipients of her great covers. Two now. I didn't realize how much other stuff you do, Chalrie.. Wow! Busy lady. So glad you're able to allow your creative side out for our benefit and that of our readers. The cover you did for Kai is filled with atmosphere. Love it. Congrats, Kai and Charlie

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Kai Strand, AuthorApril 30, 2014 at 8:43 AM

      "Atmosphere" - I like that! Perfect description. Thanks for visiting, Marsha.

      Delete
  12. J.Q. RoseApril 30, 2014 at 10:45 AM

    So glad to learn more about Charlie. She whipped up a cover so quickly for me for Coda to Murder, we never had a lot of time to chat. And I loved the cover too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorApril 30, 2014 at 12:26 PM

      It is so great when she hits the nail on the head like that, isn't it? Thanks for reading, JQ!

      Delete

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