New year, new skin ♥

Poetry is a form of art – inexplicable in its ability to communicate, resonate and provoke.

I said that back in 2014, when I founded Paperfields Press, and it’s a sentiment I still agree with. Words, like artwork, can cause a deep stirring in my heart, mind, and soul. Not all, but some, and not often, but sometimes.

Similarly, a poetry book is a form of art, and it’s important (but not always easy on an indie budget) to match the cover with the content. When I think back to my first book and the cover I envisioned, my budget to commission a cover and my skills to design a cover were zero. As a result, the outcome was disappointing.

But that disappointment also fuelled my desire to start at the bottom and learn everything I could, any way I could.

2020 marks the seventh year of my independent writing and publishing journey

With 7 years in the rearview mirror, I’m grateful for that disappointing start, because I have finally reached a place where I can say that I’ve come a long way indeed. While it has been an uphill struggle at times, and I have lambasted myself plenty along the way, I have persevered nonetheless and trusted the advice I give to my children…

practice leads to progress

Et voilà

Over the Christmas break, with my first novel behind me, I turned my attention to three of my poetry book covers (which all needed a facelift, as far as I was concerned)…and discovered an artist called Anna Ismagilova, whose work really resonated with me. Et voilà, the planets finally aligned—artwork + design skill = beautiful books ♥