GUEST BLOGGER AND AUTHOR SKYE WARREN

I would like to welcome author, Skye Warren, to my blog today as GUEST BLOGGER~ I am so excited to have her here and can't wait to see what she has to talk about!

The Making of a Book Cover

by Skye Warren

Thanks for having me! I’m here to talk about my dark erotica release, Trust in Me, and give you an exclusive, inside peek at how I created the cover for Trust in Me. But first, you should know a little bit about what we’re creating a cover for, so here’s the blurb:

Can love be found between a whore and a knight in tarnished armor?

Mia longs for the daily torture to end, but one last task keeps her holding on. In a betrayal of the crime lord who pulled her from the gutter, she’ll free the shipment of human cargo, and if she’s lucky, die in the process. The alternative is unfathomable, even to a woman well-versed in erotic torture. But luck abandons her yet again when she meets the security expert in charge of the shipment and finds herself face to face with her childhood crush. The man she once begged for help. The man who failed her.

Tyler Martinez is an undercover FBI agent with one chance to right the wrongs of his past. Thrust deep into the seedy world of human trafficking, he must put aside his guilt over abandoning Mia all those years ago in order to save her now.

Someone’s pulling the strings in this sadistic play on trust, but Tyler and Mia may not live long enough to see the curtain fall. Trust in Me is a story of erotic pain and incipient romance, spiraling ever faster toward betrayal or redemption.

WARNING:


This book contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex. It also depicts abuse and captivity situations. Not appropriate for anyone uncomfortable with these situations or anyone under the age of eighteen. This is a work of fiction.


Trust in Me was just a concept in my mind, but as soon as I saw this picture, I knew it would be the cover. I love this model, how she’s pretty and delicate, but at the same time, I think she could also appear plain without the make up or lighting. Her hair is beautiful, etc, but the thing that really struck me was her submissive pose.

All we can see of the man is his hand, but it’s clear that he’s controlling her. Her gaze is fixed on him. Her head is tilted up, at a slightly unnatural angle, just enough to make it clear that it’s up to him. She’s also calm about it, accepting, not fearful. I can’t help but think she’s an extension of him. Like even a subtle shift or flick of his fingertips would trigger her obedience.


While that picture is gorgeous on its own, I wanted something else to set the scene. Trust In Me is set in the seedy part of a large city, except for a few scenes which take place out on an island a small ways away.

This picture was perfect, because of the urban landscape and the road leading to it. I also loved the colors of the sky, and that was how I picked the amber/brown tones to use for the whole cover.


My only concern was that neither of these pictures were overtly erotic. I actually find the first picture very erotic, but if you’re not thinking along the lines of domination/submission, it might not be taken that way. So I was sure to put the series name on the cover, Erotic Nonconsent, to make it totally clear to passersby. I used the same script for the subtitle as from my first book in the series to link them.

I tumbled them all together and came up with my cover…
 
 

 
 

So there you go, an exclusive insider’s peek into my cover creation!

GIVEAWAY


Skye Warren is giving away an eBook  copy of Trust in Me to a commenter from each stop in the blog tour. In addition, every comment along the way enters you in the drawing for a $20 Amazon gift certificate. What do you think – does this cover reflect “dark” themes? Do you get an urban romantic suspense feel? Am I the only one who thinks that girl’s pose is erotic as hell?

EXCERPT:

Carlos looked down at me from his seat with a half-smile. The guy next to him was speaking in low, urgent tones, but I had his attention.

Other whores might try coy smiles or a flash of cleavage, but if you really knew El Jefe—and, unfortunately, I did—then you knew all you had to do was drop to his feet. I knew what he wanted and how he liked it, knowledge born of years of training. As long as I behaved, he wouldn’t kill me. I craved the release of death, but I was too well trained to earn it.

I reached his leather shoes and waited. The same Italian leather shoes that had kicked me only recently, but they weren’t a danger to me now. Carlos didn’t like to get too messy when he had guests. Even though I didn’t like performing, I could be glad this new guy was around today. Then again, I’d probably have to service him next.

Carlos unzipped his pants.

The guy sucked in a quiet breath, as if we’d shocked him.

That wouldn’t stop Carlos. He wasn’t an exhibitionist. He was a sadist, and the only thing better than causing someone physical pain was causing him emotional discomfort. Every pinch was designed to humiliate, every blow to subjugate. You’re not worthy, they said, and I lapped up every blow to my shrunken ego like the masochist I’d learned to be.


Links to purchase book:

Amazon
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All Romance Books

Links to the author:
 
Website
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