Facing Front - CRUSH by Alan Jacobson

As I've recently dove headlong into the world of cover designs and ebook formatting, and as a lifelong reader, I've decided to expand Deeply Dapper a bit, as a kind of sister project to my review site. Now, before I start a novel, I'll post the cover (Or covers) here on Deeply Dapper, and comment on any thoughts or feelings I have about that cover. Chime in with your thoughts too!

 

FACING FRONT

CRUSH

by Alan Jacobson

Hardcover Edition (US)

 First impressions, I liked this cover. It's clear and easy to read, and the color scheme is pretty bold. It also seems to fit the theme of the novel, which is about a serial killer in the Napa Valley. Then I looked closer for this post and noticed the way the words were randomly blurred along the edges and how there was a clear liquid in the wine glass, both of which lowered my opinion pretty quickly. But still, as a cover, it isn't bad, maybe a bit simple. 

3/5

Paperback Edition (US)

 Again, I like this cover when viewed in thumbnail form. It has a ghostly feeling to it. But up close, you see little details, like the clip art blood splotch in the corner and the way everything has it's opacity at 80% so that the house is visible through the grape leaves and the gate is transparent. No wonder I thought it looked ghostly! And what's up with the hodgepodge of images here, with no apparent relation to each other? It's like the art director gave the cover artist this order - "There's a lady in a field. Behind her is an awesome house. There's some giant floating ghost grapes, and a semi-transparent gate that's sinking. Also, add some blood somewhere." It also has the words "Bestselling Author" twice within an inch. I think we all know who James Patterson is by now, don't we? But again, a cover that looks pretty good if you don't look too closely.

2/5

Coming Soon - Baby Bugaboos - Chompy

FOR SALE - Baby Bugaboos #001 - Blinky!

 MEET BLINKY!

Number one on a new series of sculptures, Baby Bugaboos, Blinky is now available in the Official Deeply Dapper Etsy Shoppe!

Coming Soon - Baby Bugaboos!

Next up in the Etsy Shop, a line of Baby Bugaboos, each around 1 3/4 inches and ready to add some adorable little horror in your home!

Coming Soon - Deep Peril!

Something a little different in the works here, photo prints of heroes and heroines battling beasties from below. Up first, Yrgthtth Akkakuatu Gets A View, which I just finished inking.

Keep your eyes peeled for the colored version, coming soon to the Official Deeply Dapper Etsy Shoppe!

Now Available - The Flamingo's Trapped Tikis!

        In 1932. Gabriel Flamenco and his wife Maria moved to Te Ika-a-Maui, the North Island of New Zealand. Gabriel was a scientific researcher and had accepted a position there, collecting specimens and cataloging the unique wildlife of New Zealand and the nearby Pacific Islands. He was well known for having a clever eye and steady hand, able to track even the wiliest creature or insect for his studies.

    Nine months into his work, his family mysteriously disappeared from the base camp Flamenco was using while he was out gathering specimens. All that remained was their gear and mysterious, unclassifiable footprints. And blood. All of Flamenco's specimens had been released, the bottles and cages smashed with great force. The only clue he could find was a journal entry by Maria that spoke of oval eyes burning in the forest, of a strange chanting noise that the children were afraid of and one single, hastily scrawled word at the bottom of the page: Tiki.

    The Maori believe in many forms of the Tiki, the legends spreading far and wide through culture and history. Tiki was the first man, carved of wood or formed from clay and blood, springing from the heart of a volcano. Tiki is a guardian of spiritual grounds, the protector of the island. Tiki is mischievous and sneaky, but can also be brave and loyal. Throughout the Pacific Islands, Tikis can be found, supporting structures, watching over temples, lurking in the forests.

    Flamenco became determined that the ubiquitous Tikis, spread throughout the islands and worshiped by the natives, were based on fact, on living creatures of clay, stone, wood and blood living and feeding on interlopers and those that failed to respect the sacred islands.

    Defiant, Flamenco dedicated his life to hunting these creatures down and killing or trapping them, attempting to find some clues to his family's disappearance. He became a legend in the Pacific – the lunatic man intent of capturing the small gods. They called him the Flamingo, and some were convinced he was crazy. Others warned him to beware – Not all of the Tiki were so small or so easily captured, for the heart of the volcanoes beat within them.

    By the Fifties, The Flamingo had amassed hundreds of specimens, most damaged or killed, then trapped within jars of a mysterious liquid he had devised to keep them docile, to keep the magma within cooled. He collected from all around the world, but never again found his beloved family. In 1957, in the midst of a tropical storm, Flamenco vanished too, his home demolished as though by large animals, and every jar in the house was opened, their unusual contents missing.

    In 1983, Deeply Dapper came across a storage unit in Hawaii that had come up for auction, the garage-like structure had been paid for years in advance and just recently run out. We snapped it up when the owner's original name was revealed – The Flamingo himself. Within, we found rows of shelves, filled with specimens, mostly conventional items. Rare and wonderful all the same, but nothing compared to a section at the back of the storage unit. There, we found jars filled with Tikis. Some looked long dead, others looked like they would move as soon as we turned our backs on them and all of them had a snippet of Flamenco's handwriting glued to the back, a kind of journal entry from the creature's capture.

After decades in the Deeply Dapper Vaults, we are proud to announce
The Flamingo's Trapped Tiki Collection
Available for sale now, through private commission and our official Etsy Shoppe.

Coming Soon - Martin

"Martin"

This little fella is still in the final stages of sculpting and sealing, but here's a sneak preview of "Martin" a two headed mooncalf, coming soon to Deeply Dapper!