Take a look at these covers, from a Jacqueline Frank series I adore:

Now, it’s always been a personal pet peeve of mine when a book cover has nothing to do with the characters within. It’s a little thing, mostly. Unless the cover can’t even be bothered to depict the appropriate race.

In the books, the Shadowdellers are described as “nut brown, mocha, coffee”. They are Middle-Eastern in feature. Any hair color other than black or very dark brown is extremely rare. So what do we get for covers? Buncha white guys. Wouldn’t want to put off those pale-faced readers.

The first time I ran into this, I was particularly conflicted, because the cover was by a favorite artist, Chris McGrath:

C.E. Murphy created a fantastic, strong, female lead, whose race was most assuredly non-white. I guess sort-of Asian was as close as they were willing to get. I will say I was grateful that the third cover in the series was much better. It doesn’t make me think less of McGrath; he was doing a job. I do wonder what the whole process was like. Was the character misrepresented to the artist? Was it correct initially, then altered?

I know the author has little say beyond describing the characters for portraiture. Covers are a marketing tool, purview of the publisher. I’m here to add a voice of protest. Fine, change the tattoos, tweak the hair color, get the clothes wrong, but messing with the race of the character is what it is: racist. Because only white people can be romantic heroes.

It makes me glad I’m now reading these books on a Kindle, where I only have to look at the cover once: when I buy the book. I’d stop buying the book, but I’m not going to punish a good author for a marketing mistake. But I am going to speak out.

First beaded rope

Originally uploaded by frykitty

30 minutes back and forth between The Wedding Present and Trashcan Sinatras, then, suddenly, Journey! I think my iPod is exercising a sense of humor I don’t understand.

Maybe I just want a bracelet.

This is a quiet, soothing activity, once the swearing part is over.

Would a house even burn at 365 degrees? Maybe he meant Celsius.

needle felted flower

Originally uploaded by frykitty

Spent the afternoon with my friend Marj, eating Chinese food and showing her needle-felting by teaching her how to make a flower with embellishments. I should have taken a picture of hers, as it turned out much nicer. And I *like* this flower.

brown flower pendant

Originally uploaded by frykitty

This is my favorite thing to do with resin right now–layer vintage fabric and lace.

I actually used the less-interesting part of this fabric; it has scenes from the Wizard of Oz in that same sepia tone.

The pendant is 1″ square.

I Can’t Tell You What I’m Thinking

Originally uploaded by frykitty

Painted this in my 20s–don’t remember exactly when. It’s a portrait of my then-husband’s niece, at our wedding. She was kind enough to post a pic of the painting so I could see it again.

Magic

Originally uploaded by frykitty

Collage under resin. Illustration is from an ad in the back of a 19th century copy of Little Women.

Trying to get better about photographing the stuff I’m working on, even if it’s not finished or not perfect. I’m pretty happy with this piece.

YouTube – Solomon Kane Movie Trailer HQ Official.

This looks like good fun.

tiny swirly monster

Originally uploaded by frykitty

First project on the embellisher. TSM is about 8″ tall. I didn’t stretch his wings out properly for the photo–there is a little more to them.

I tried a commercial case for my Kindle, but it just wasn’t what I wanted, so I decided to make my own.  I dug out some vintage fabric from Knitt’n Kitten, a button from a batch I bought garage saling last summer, and some roving from my friend Marge, who had saved it from her mother’s stash.  I did use new felt to line the case, and I bought some hemp strapping.

It isn’t perfect, as I’m no seamstress (I’m taking my first class this Saturday, in hopes of remedying the situation), but it does fit the Kindle like a glove, and it looks pretty darned good.

The only minor disaster was the button.  I started out with a hand-stitched button hole.  It ended up looking like a surgery scar, and the button sagged.  I replaced it with a velcro closure, but I couldn’t part with the button, so I felted a little background for it, and used it to cover the horrible button hole.

I’m especially happy with the flower.  You can’t tell from the pic, but the petals turned out with a nice shape.

I actually used my sewing machine, and the world didn’t end.  I have ordered an embellisher, and have plans for the two machines.  Together, they will make me pretty things.

Here is what I remember about Brad.  He always got my Star Trek references, no matter how obscure.  He even understood when I referred to some godawful book.  Now who will understand when I slyly quip about Romulans separating their food?

Thanks for touching my life.

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