For those of you interested in the cover art process for EYE OF HEAVEN, these are the questions the Art Department asked me, followed by my answers (with some editing):
Description of the setting: time-period, geography, etc.
Modern day. Most of the story takes place in Las Vegas. Also, the circus is a HUGE part of the story. The heroine is a cat trainer for a Cirque du Soleil type performance group, and the cats in her act include lions, tigers, and leopards.
Physical description of the hero and heroine: height, build, hair, eyes, age, and any distinctive clothing.
The heroine is a shape-shifter (from woman to leopard). She is a tall woman with pale skin, golden eyes that are rather exotic (large, almond shaped), and red hair that is streaked with various shades of blonde, gold, and auburn. She likes to use a lot of eyeliner. Her skin is pale, with undertones of gold. Round face, highly intelligent, very searching gaze. She is a cat trainer in the circus, and when she puts on a show she wears a very simple white dress reminiscent of something in a fairy tale – still showing off her body, but with more feminine details like lace and swirling skirts.
PLEASE, no whip on the cover. The only reason I say that is the character hates them, and most big cat trainers in the circus do employ some kind of device such as a whip or baton, or something similar.
The hero is a tall man, with black hair that comes to his shoulders (he usually keeps it tied back). Tanned skin, dark eyes, high cheekbones. He is half French and half Middle Eastern (or Central Asian), and has a bit of an exotic look that is very masculine (but not in a gross arrogant way). He is highly intelligent, and somewhat of a straightlace in the clothes he wears. He is an electrokinetic, so disrupting electricity is something he does quite often. Vegas should be a treat for him.
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New interview with Peter Cullen, voice actor for Optimus Prime.