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Black Cats and Book Covers

So, the last few weeks I have been working pretty much non-stop on my first collection of short stories,.  (pssst...it is called Hair Baby and Other Weird Tales and I'm shooting for publication in June)  The table of contents is sorted out, the interior looks good, and there's just one last story that needs completion before I hand it to the beta readers. 

From the moment I decided to self-publish a collection, I knew what I wanted the cover to look like and spent countless hours messing with a photo of my cat, Zoey.  She's a great gal, that Zoey, but her image isn't very dark nor disturbing.  I mean, look at that smile!
So I tried making her white spots black and added red to her eyes, which just eneded badly, especially with that grin of hers.  Luckily, this weekend we were in Le Claire, Iowa and stumbled upon a shop with a dark, brooding black tomcat.  My hubby took a picture of that cat, and ba-dah-bing...it is now the cover!  I'm still fine-tuning it, but will post it soon.

Speaking of Sunday, my old nemesis has returned:  sun-induced hives.  Today my eyes, nose, ears, hands, etc. are so itchy I just want to cry.  I think a trip to the doctor and maybe the dermatologist might be in order because I don't want to live my life stuck inside every day of my life.  Until I can get those appointments booked, antihistamines will be my comfort along with a lot of 100 SPF sunblock.  A certain hubby told me I should start wearing all white linen and be like Doctor Moreau, but linen wrinkles too easily and I am not handy with an iron.

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