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Alternate Reality... The genre includes almost anything. There may be ghosts, ghouls, dragons, shapeshifters, aliens, alternate universes... Anything. Amazing! And what opportunities for the imagination. For writers, cover artists as well as readers.
We are happy to have gotten a lot of nominations throughout the year (Thank you! But don't forget to nominate covers for next year's contest! :-)). Below you see the top ten covers that made it through our voting process and how they placed in the online contest. The top five covers were distinctly separated. The covers in sixth to eighth place were very close, with only three votes separating them.
The 2008 Cover Cafe Contest Alternate Reality winner is The Boundless Deep by Kate Brallier! This fascinating cover with its underwater feeling really caught the voters attention and won the AR category with a safe margin to second place.
Forge |
KristieJ was one who voted for this cover and said “I love the ethereal quality to this one - the dress that appears to be floating in the water. This cover makes me want to read this book - and isn't that what a cover is supposed to do?”
Perla: “Wow!! I like the underwater effect and the shades. How it seems that it is night time or close to night. The woman in the white dress just sets the whole thing into place, it caught my attention!” Iris: “The mystery of whether she is floating on clouds or stepping out of the water is intriguing. The play of colors and the movement of her dress is very realistic.” Kristy: “The mystery of not being able to see her face. The halo of light coming into the water. Perfect.” Simplicity attracted voters. Linda said: “clean and simple cover. Really evokes the underwater feeling!” And Maya: “No frilly distractions, reflects the title perfectly, stunning use of light and shadow.” Maria: "A simple concept but so beautifully executed that it definitively stands out among the nominees. I love the shades of blue and the impression that the water is making her dress move a little." Andrew admired the “beautiful use of a single color, tasteful yet inviting imagery, and appropriate font choice. This cover has everything going for it.” Shelley: "I like the blue color and the fact that the cover is all one color. You can't see the woman's face which is another plus (she could be me!) And the image is romantic rather than silly or cartoonish (which too many covers are.) Actually, the figure and the drapery of the gown are very sensuous. It is a cover I wouldn't mind framing and hang on the wall.
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The second place winner was Fallen by Erin McCarthy. This sensual cover of a stone angel and the woman embracing him caught many voters eyes, and had quite a safe distance to third place. Tilezanj elaborated “The light vs. dark contrast in opposition to the usual word association of Angels with Fallen. One would expect the Angel to be in light and the Fallen (the woman?) to be in dark. Also the hard statue vs. the soft woman with loose hair and draped fabric, back exposing wings. Very intriguing.”
Elsie: “I love the look of the art work in this...a mortal embracing a statue that is turning mortal due to her embrace.” Maggi chose between this cover and The Boundless Deep but finally chose Fallen because it “just had more imagery that spoke to me. Statue of the angel with the flesh and bone woman - i loved it.” Mary: “This cover draws me like the art work of Thomaz Rut (a Michaelangelo of today). Females tattoo. Which symbolizes a promiscuous girl. The Angel to her rescue his arms unsure as hers grasp on tight. Shameful way she is not looking up at him but away and down. Tastefully done to match the title.” Suzy: “Something about this cover draws a gut-level response from me. It makes me want to read the book even though I don't know what it's about.” Cover Cafe's Lee voted for this cover and said: "Reminds me of the legend of Icarus flying too close to the sun." Anna B was captured: "Although this book isn't on my personal reading list, I've gone back to 'pet' the cover several times. Maybe it's the woman embracing the statue, maybe the colors, maybe the tilted title and tagline, but there's something magnetic going on here." Cover Cafe's Mary Lynne: "It's a really stunning cover, with the humanness of the woman played against the unearthliness of the angel. I love the way this cover plays with the traditional romance 'clinch' cover by giving it an AR bent. Here we have the heroine hugging . . . a statue of a winged angel. But then you look at his hands, and they seem real. So what's going on here? I'd pick up this book right away to find out more!" |
Jove |
Delta |
The stormy and sexy cover Unleashing the Storm by Sydney Croft is our third place winning cover. Many voters commented on how sexy the cover was. Rebecca was one and stated: “It's plain HOT AND SEXY.” Nikki: "This cover just seems more SEXY than alternate reality. The blue hue softens the lovers and made me want to just jump right in on this one." Sam admitted that “the striking blue of the cover immediately grabbed my attention. It's easy for alternate reality covers to be silly rather than sexy, and that's what we see from many covers, but not this one! It's hot and makes YOU want to be one of the people on the cover.” – I totally agree! ;-) This was also my choice. The cover caught my attention when I first saw it, and I still keep coming back to it. Can it be that their passion is "unleashing the storm"? ;-) Jeanne: “It looks like they are in a storm, but yet they are both unleashing their storm or love for each other.” Lea: “I think the color is beautiful and it amplifies the storm so wonderfully. The couple embracing in the wave is just spectacular.” Blanche: "Beautiful color and it reminds me of the beach scene in From Here To Eternity......in a rainstorm kind of way!!" Linda: "I love the beautiful color and the couple look so romantic. The cover picture fits the book title perfectly." |
Our fourth place winner is Sea Witch by Virginia Kantra, with the mysterious woman coming out of the water. Voters associated the cover with words like beautiful, evocative, and sensual. Stephanie: “This gets my vote because not only is the cover beautiful it actually goes with the story. So many times a cover has nothing to do with the story, but this one is sensual without being over the top.” Rafael: “It's mysterious and beautiful. I can feel the atmosphere of the place.” Kim confessed: “It reminds me of a mermaid.” Tracie: “The artwork is hauntingly beautiful.” Carolyn: "It's just gorgeous. And that medallion! Cool!" Warren: “Love the drama, lighting and the caught moment aspect.” Peter was thrilled: “It’s alive !!!!!!!!! breath taking and she’s hot.” Cover Cafe's John said: "It's sexy but simple in an AR way." |
Berkley |
Samhain Publishing |
Fire Drake by Bianca D'Arc is our fifth place winner. This beautiful cover and its dragon was praised by a lot of voters. A.G. Boggs was one: "I love dragons. So any cover with a dragon automatically gets my vote." Betty loved the “fiery colors from pale tan to red gold to hot white. And I'm always a sucker for a dragon on a book cover.” Jill: “It's not just a picture of a gorgeous gal...also loved the colors used, light details, and the fire drake, which ties into the title.” Author Bianca D'Arc declared cover artist Anne Cain a genius and said: “It's gorgeous! And it's my book! :) Hope it's okay to vote for my own cover.” – Absolutely! :-) Anna: “The rays emanating from the fireball spread out like gauzy fabric of reds and gold, almost like "the painted veil" separating the seen from the unseen world. The composition on the diagonal also appeals.” Chrystal: “There is more than just beauty in this cover. There is action, sensuality and a great use of light.” |
Only three votes separated the covers placing sixth to eighth. The beautiful cover of The Night Bird by Catherine Asaro came in sixth place. Loisa voted for this and said: “What really caught my eye was the outfit: loved it! She has nice accessories to go with it too! I also liked how it didn't scream alternate reality/fantasy as much as the other ones. I liked how she seemed relaxed and confident without a lot of posturing.” Heather confessed: “Alternate Reality are my favorite covers and The Night Bird is probably my favorite cover this year. It's mystical, mysterious, and the colors are beautiful. In my opinion, it's what alternate reality covers should be.” Rachel: “I love the mandolin/stringed instrument, and I love how the drape of the scarf over her shoulder suggests wings/flight. The wallpaper in the background is sort of bird-like as well. Interesting.” Sara said: “Honestly, I just like the bright colors. AR covers are so often visually dark -- sometimes far out of proportion to the thematic darkness of the story itself. It's refreshing to see something so cheerfully exotic, so evocative of old-school fantasy.” Cover Cafe’s Karen: "I love the vivid colors on this cover. It really pops out compared to the dark covers that are so common in AR. My second choice was The Boundless Deep , which is also unique and would make me pick it up to discover more about it." Teri: "The reference to music has me intrigued, I also like the soft feminine background, the mist that denotes a mystery perhaps, and the exotic clothing. Makes me wonder what type of a world this character inhabits, and her role in that world." |
Luna |
Samhain Publishing |
A Spell For Susannah by Jody Wallace is our seventh place winner, only one vote behind The Night Bird. Striking colors and the heroine's beautiful dress captured voters. Cali said: “Not only does it have the 'Alternate Reality' look to it, but it's extremely elaborate and GORGEOUS! =)” Kimberly: “I loved this cover the very first time I saw it. The colors are deep and magical, and I adore the dress the heroine is wearing. It's stunning.” Carolan: “It's detailed without being cluttered or "fussy". Conveys the theme and magic of the book perfectly.” Arlene: “The rich colors and the sidelong glance, hinting at something just out of sight; both catch the eye and intrigue the mind.” Monica: "The jewel tone colors are striking and the imagery offers a strong fairy-tale and fantasy element." Edie admired the dress: "It's gorgeous! I'd love a gown like that. What women wouldn't?" |
Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti came in eighth place, two votes behind A Spell for Susannah. The cover's nice painting-like style appealed to Terhi, and Ann loved the Impressionist Baroque art feel. Cora confessed: “I actually nominated this cover and it's still my favorite for this category. I love the color scheme, the detail on the cogs and gears on the wings and the background and finally that the woman looks like a real person rather than a dressed up model.” Suzanne: “Hard choice in this section--blazing colors, waving hair, lovely dresses, and even my own name! Still this one looks the most different and interesting--stunningly artistic and makes me really want to delve into its steampunky goodness.” Amy: “Love the art that seems to mix classical painting with modern elements. The fonts are also beautiful.” Maria: “It makes me want to read the book. I like that it's gritty but evocative. I like that her body is not sexualized: there's going to be a test of character and spirit in the book. I like that she's looking away in a thoughtful, determined way. And the cover supports the words of the title (see clockwork mechanism overlaid on her chest). Beautiful.”
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Juno Books |
Leisure |
Ace Trade |
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In ninth place placed King of Sword and Sky by C.L. Wilson. This intriguing, mysterious cover with that gorgeous man captured voters and hearts.
Sandra: “This is an emotional vote for me. I started this series from the beginning, fell in love with the characters and the story immediately. It's now my favorite all-time series. The covers have been wonderful since the first book, and King of Sword and Sky is no different.” Malvina: “Fiery, powerful and alpha hero image. Say no more...” Amy: “It is the only one of the books with a hot guy on the cover. And it promises magic and epic battles in addition to the hotness.” Laura: “It gives a view of good, evil and war (of course we already know romance) and takes it beyond the standard.” Deborah: "It beautifully encompasses the spirit of the story and makes the main character come to life." Doris: "Hello! A good looking man in leather! Do I need to say more?" |
The Flame And The Shadow by Denise Rossetti, which came in at number ten, was complimented on its capturing colors by several voters. Bonnie admitted: “The art is very appealing and interesting. It is something that I wouldn't mind having on my wall.”
Cassie: “I love the colors and the salamanders or whatever they are and her hair. It just seems that the artist has been able to capture both the flame and the shadow.” Donna: “Every element of the model works with the flames licking upward behind her: her hair, her fingers, the folds of her dress. All echo the flames.” Monique: “It's stunning, sensual, sexy. Just beautiful and mysterious - it makes me want to read it!” Willa: “It's a tough call, they're all so pretty, but I like the juxtaposition of pretty and creepy here, plus the Renaissance look of the hair.” Heloise: “I love how the model has a Botticelli like face to go with the Author's last name. Also just generally gorgeous.”
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