Welcome Kai Strand

The making of a
book cover with Kai Strand

I love writing, but I’m not earning
millions, even thousands off the sales of my books yet, so with the help of
friends and family, I’m learning new skills to reduce my costs.

I knew what I wanted the cover of I Am Me  to look like. I had a very clear vision, but I wasn’t sure I had the wherewithal.
What I did have were friends with a good camera and an artist son with Photoshop
(which I gave him, btw!) So, I ordered a new skirt and made a date for a
photoshoot, knowing that the worst thing that could happen was that I would only get
a new skirt out of it. And that’s almost exactly what happened.

We took the photos on a mostly clear
winter day. I think the high was 40 degrees. It was windy, which sent my tulle
in all directions, but I had the tool belt to hold it down. As I strapped on my tool belt a passing lady stopped and said, “Okay, I have to know what’s going on here.” I beamed at her, because already my vision was having the intended effect. I’d scouted a
location that would put me up higher than the photographer with the expanse of sky as
the background. 

The pictures turned out great, except
for one problem. There was dust on the lens and with the bright pink skirt and
blue sky, it looked like black spots all over. OH NO!

But never fear. As I mentioned, my
son has Photoshop, so I sent him the image I thought might work best and said, “Can
you crop most of me out? Cover up the remaining black spots and smooth the wrinkles in
the shirt?” He said, “I can work with this.”

Sure enough, with some smoothing and brightening
and cropping in and out, a book cover was born. I’m so pleased with the end
result. Especially since it was a collaborative effort. What do you think?

I Am Me by Kai Strand

#YA #Contemporary

Despite—or perhaps because of—her fancy car, private school
education, and life of privilege, Lola Renaldi has become a volunteer junkie.
Feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, visiting the elderly—if it’s a good
cause, she’s done it.

Lola’s favorite stint, building affordable houses, puts her
directly in the path of Rodney. He refuses to discuss why he’s doing community
service, but it’s clear he’s hiding something dark about his past. As their
friendship grows, Lola begins to question the true reasons for her obsessive
volunteerism and her view of those she has pledged to help.

She is only beginning to understand how lucky she truly is when
her life falls apart. After losing friends, her boyfriend, even Rodney, Lola
finally recognizes which parts of her life she wants to hang on to and what
specifically she wants to go after. But with all she’s been through, will she
be able to hang onto who she wants to be? Or will she lose all that defines
her?

Get your copy:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

About the author:

When her children
were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family
around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys
were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an
award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to
provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for
young adult and middle grade readers Kai entertains children of all ages, and
their adults. Learn more about Kai and her books on her website, www.kaistrand.com.

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