Hey guys! I am so excited and onahonoredrd to be chosen to help show the world this awesome cover for The Falling of Grace by Marisa Oldham. Marisa herself created this awesome cover that you guys are about to see. The book will not be out for a while, but I know for a fact that I am so excited to read it! So, with out further due, here is the beautiful cover!
The Story Behind This Beauty
Here is a behind the scenes look at how the cover came together, in Marisa’s words:
Shooting The Falling of Grace cover…
As a photographer, and the writer of The Falling of Grace, I had a definite vision in my mind of what I wanted the cover to look like, down to the colors and mood. I knew pretty much what I wanted the model to wear, what I wanted her hair to look like, the time of day to shoot so that I got what I wanted, and what elements I would use to bring in the concept from the original book cover.
My first obstacle was getting in contact with baby Grace. Although, I did think I needed someone older to play Grace’s part this time around, once again my mind was stuck on one idea. Thankfully my dear friend Heather Smith ended up being the angel that she is and helped me move. This sounds weird, but as a photographer I watch people and when I looked at Heather from behind and at her side profile, I knew she would make the perfect Grace.
The second obstacle was finding the perfect outfit. I dream cast Candice Swanepole as Grace and there was one particular photo of her that really stood out to me as “TFOG Grace.” When we start TFOG Grace is no longer a naive seventeen year old girl, she’s a successful woman of 24, she should dress with style, but in such a simple way that it comes off stunning. I pictured her in leather pants. Heather didn’t own leather pants. That didn’t stop us. The day of the shoot, which neither of us even planned on shooting that day, we stopped at several thrift stores and found the perfect pair of faux leather pants…complete with little G’s – for Grace (really it’s cause they are Guess). I literally paid $5 for these perfect pants…which BTW you don’t even see in the shot I chose for the cover – LOL.
So, like I said, we had no idea we were shooting that day. I just called Heather and asked, “Are you busy? Want to shoot today?” Something in my gut told me it was the right day. I was a tad disappointed because I had decided that the mood for the cover should be dark, this book is not all hearts and flowers, and it was sunny, but the clouds were abundant and I knew this would make for a killer sunset.
After very little preparation, off my sister and I went to the “oak tree” to meet the model. Heather got stuck in traffic due to an accident and the clock was ticking and the light was fading.
After very little preparation, off my sister and I went to the “oak tree” to meet the model. Heather got stuck in traffic due to an accident and the clock was ticking and the light was fading.
As I was shooting, laying on the ground, trying to get the shot right, I can’t deny how disappointed I was. None of the shots looked right. I had Heather too far away from me for one, thanks to my sister Carraine this was quickly corrected, but the light was simply hideous. The colors that were bouncing off the field were reflecting onto the tree and making it yellow and I was just downright pissed. I’m pretty sure I got a little teary.
Then…off to our left we saw lightening and heard the thunder. I’m not kidding, it was like a miracle. I’ve never seen a storm like that in the 9 years I’ve lived here and never in my life have I seen a sky like the one I saw that night. I really don’t have words to describe what the sky looked like and how intense it got as we kept shooting. The wind picked up and the sky seemed to bleed (perfection) and Mother Nature gave me exactly what I was looking for. While her pose didn’t come out how I envisioned it, I think it really expresses the angst Grace feels in this book. As you saw I brought in the star element from the original book concept to signify The Falling of Grace.
Here are some STRAIGHT OUT OF CAMERA behind the scenes shots to show you what the sky looked like without post processing.
Teasers from the awesome book!
About Marisa Oldham
California born author, Marisa Oldham, now resides in Prescott, AZ with her sister Carraine, and their furbabies Winnie and Bailey.
Marisa has been a photographer since 2007 and a writer since 2012, although at the age of 15 she wrote her first novella.
Marisa loves telling stories that “reach into your heart and rip it out.” Her main goal is to make her readers feel all the emotions that her characters go through. She is an avid reader herself and some of her favorite books bring tears to her eyes when she talks about them. She wants to give her readers the same type of experience.
Marisa loves to connect with readers and has set up a group, Marisa’s Groupies, on Facebook where she interacts with members frequently.
Marisa has two more novels in the Falling series, The Falling of Grace – Book Two, and The Falling of Hope – Book Three, currently being edited. She also plans to release a novel titled You Have Such a Pretty Face, a contemporary romance novel that will explore the self-esteem issues of the main female character, with a romantic, witty, and heartwarming story. Marisa has also started working on a spin-off to the Falling series.
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