science fiction

Evolution: SAGE

April 6, 2014 By Starla Huchton Leave a Comment

Evolution: SAGE (the Evolution series, book 2), by S. A. Huchton

“Devastated by her choices, Candace Bristol is on the brink of losing it all: her mind, her hope, everything she thought she was.

But from the ruins rises new purpose. An enemy has emerged and it will take everything to combat this new threat. Broken as she is, picking up the pieces and carrying on might be the hardest battle to win, but it’s either fight, or lose what little she has left.

Amongst the wreckage, hope still burns. The flicker of a flame kindles something within her she thought was dead.

Love can break you.

So, too, can it bring you back to life.” (via Goodreads)

I’ve already posted about book 1 in this series, Evolution: ANGEL, and now it’s time to show you the second in the series!

I established the series look with the first book, and, where that one is water (to speak to Candace’s hydrokinesis ability), this one had to be equally representative. It wasn’t hard for me to pin down what element to feature on this cover, and folks who have read book 1 will know exactly who the cover speaks to.

A hand is featured on all three of these covers (spoilers, lol), and that’s for a very good reason. The superheroes in these books all have enough power in one hand to destroy everything. Their actions and decisions are magnified beyond what most normal human beings experience, but these characters are just as flawed as any normal person, so mistakes happen. What makes them heroes is what they choose to do after their worlds crumble to the ground.

This book is about picking up those pieces and finding a way to keep going.

Releases May 6th, 2014. For more information, as well as an excerpt, see this post.

MONSTER WHISPERER

February 9, 2014 By Starla Huchton Leave a Comment

Monster Whisperer, by Nobilis Reed

“Whether your tentacle monster is listless and unresponsive, or if it’s molesting the wrong sorority sister, there’s one woman who can help.

Meet Dale Clearwater. No monster is beyond her skill; she rejuvenates monsters, and educates the people who love them.

She is the Monster Whisperer.

This ebook is the first episode of a continuing serial.” (via the listing on Amazon.com)

***PLEASE NOTE: This story is very NSFW and is not meant for anyone under 18!!!***

And now for something completely different.

Nobilis Reed never fails to surprise me in the things he commissions me to design. You can definitely mark this one under the “Things Starla Never Thought She’d Be Creating Artwork For” category.

Tentacle erotica? Sure. Why not? Challenge accepted!

Admittedly, I enjoyed creating this one. SpecFic always present a problem in that the stories within contain elements that don’t exist in reality (that we know of yet), and so are not photographable. Basically, it’s my job to present a visual for the make-believe using special effects and bits and pieces from things that do exist. I get to make the unreal, real. Who wouldn’t enjoy that?

I also had to take into account the fairly recent rash of online retailers taking down content they deemed “unacceptable”. This cover had to conform to certain guidelines about what is allowed to be on display. Basically, I had to create an image that hints at the highly sexual nature of this story, as well as include the monster element, all without being blatant with the imagery. It’s another one of those things a designer has to be aware of when going into any job.

So, that’s that then. I wonder what new challenge Nobilis will send me next?

Evolution: ANGEL

February 6, 2014 By Starla Huchton 1 Comment

Evolution: ANGEL by S. A. Huchton

“Candace Bristol has always been obsessed with comic books, but in a world where the nightly news often mirrors these inked stories, her dreams of becoming a real superhero could actually come true. After being rescued by members of the government’s AdvaNced Genetic EvoLution (ANGEL) Project four years ago, getting recruited for this elite team is all she’s wanted.

Now 18, she’s finally reached her goal after years of study and physical training, but little could have prepared her for life as a genetic experiment. As though coming to terms with her new ability to manipulate water isn’t tough enough, she never expected to be swept off her feet by one of her fellow recruits.

With genetic alteration, the threat of physical and mental instability hangs over every superhero like a shadow. When one of their own tumbles over the edge of madness, Candace will have to choose between protecting the world, and saving the one who holds her heart.” (via Goodreads)

I am really excited about this one. This is the cover for the first in the new series of Superhero Romance novels I’ll be releasing this year! March 6th is the release date for this one, and books 2 and 3 will follow on its heels at two-month intervals!

I sometimes struggle with concept ideas for my covers, and this was one of those times. While it is a Romance, the story has a much wider appeal than that audience only. I wanted to come up with a design that reflected that, something that gave it the softness of an emotional story without plastering it with half-naked people almost kissing. That’s not what kind of book this is. A design like that would do the story a disservice.

What I came to was what you see above. It’s a hint at the other-worldly nature of what the characters become, with a specific focus on the main character. This concept also easily carried over to a series concept, which was pretty crucial as I knew going in that there were three books to this.

The execution was much higher on the difficulty scale for me, so I went in search of tutorials and tips on how to get the watery look for this hand. If you’re curious, this is the photo that I altered for the Evolution: ANGEL cover:

female hand, stock via despositphotos.com

So how does the above hand turn into the one on this cover? Well, if you’re up for a challenge, and want to learn some new Photoshop skills, you can find a tutorial for this effect right here. Be warned, however, this one is time consuming and not for a first-time PS user. I did tweak that tutorial for my own purposes, so keep that in mind as well. Your results may vary.

I will say this about the other two books: they did not require nearly the work that book 1 did. But I think that’s generally the case with series books. Sometimes the hardest part is coming up with the idea. Once you’ve got that, the rest will usually fall into place.

You can read the prologue and view teasers and other extras for this book at starlahuchton.com.

BETWEEN EARTH AND ARCTURUS

December 6, 2013 By Starla Huchton 2 Comments

Between Earth and Arcturus by James Prescott

“Between Earth and Arcturus is a 28th century adventure following Commander José Aguire of the Exploration Corps, and Lynda Stokes, an heiress who has a bad temper and superhuman strength, as their Captain’s mind slowly becomes unhinged.

The Earth government has been taken over by a ruthless, evil power, and the Captain conspires to start a rebellion. The one thing nobody counted on was running into an alien civilization, which becomes a game-changer, and further pushes the captain’s sanity towards the brink.

The alien king needs contact with Earth, but the political opposition in the alien government will stop at nothing to ruin his plans and take control. Commander Aguire and Lynda Stokes are the last hope for both the aliens and the suffering people of Earth.” (from the page at Amazon.com)