Minimalist Cover Art

Why is minimalist cover art surging in popularity right now? I have a theory. I think that there's so much information out there and so many images vying for our bleary, weary eyes that we're all craving something restful. Something simple. Something harmonious and serene like these fantastic examples of minimalist cover art that I've found for you to rest your tired eyes on. Enjoy.

Interview with LDS Author Amber Gilchrist

I had the good fortune to interview Amber Gilchrist, author of Glitch, an LDS romantic comedy. She's funny; you'll like her. Here's a peek into this LDS author's writing world:

What made you start writing for the LDS audience?

I've always been a writer and when i joined the church in 1993 at the age of 18 I started writing LDS books immediately, but I only finished one all the way through and it was ridiculously over dramatic and not worth following through, though I may rewrite it some day.  Over the years, I've started several LDS books, most of which are probably half finished.  I've been working on my career as a YA writer, but now I love to use NaNoWriMo to write LDS books just for something different.

Do you think there is any subject matter that is off-limits to LDS authors?

Uh...exotic dancing bar owners who set fire to elementary schools?  Unless, of course, they're taking the lessons and then that would probably be okay too haha.  

How would you write differently if you were writing for a general audience?

Well, I do also write for a general audience.  I write upper YA, for teenagers over the age of 16 or so, and for adults I write series mysteries.  I think the only real difference is that the LDS books have characters who allow me to explore the day to day life of an LDS person.  Religion is rarely mentioned in my other books. 

Do you write from an outline? Or do you start writing and see where the story takes you? Or some other method?

I'm definitely a panster to start.  I think about my characters and then I just let them tell me their story.  Now, if the story starts to drag, usually towards the second part of the middle chunk, I might very vaguely plot out the rest to both avoid a sagging middle and to make sure that everything pulls together at the end.  

Do you think independent publishing will change LDS literature?

You know, I really do.  There's very few LDS publishers and most of them publish the same kind of thing.  Anyone who still has a good story to tell, but colors a little outside of the lines had no chance before.  For those of us who are generally unimpressed with the more dramatic style of traditional LDS novels, indie published books are a breath of fresh air. 

You can catch Amber on Twitter (@amber_gilchrist) or on her website. I agree, LDS indie published books are a breath of fresh air.

E-books and LDS Lit

How will e-books change the face of LDS literature?

Since its inception, there have been only a handful of LDSpublishers, and they’re general run on shoestring budgets because the readership of LDS fiction is so small. Because of this, the books themselves are expensive, and the quality of cover design, page set-up, and so on is sub-par, compared with books produced by publishers with national reach.

Also, self-published books have never garnered the respect that traditionally published books have held because there’s no filter for self-published books. There are no editors to sift through the heaps of manuscripts and pick the very best.

But now we have e-books and Kindles, and I have a feeling that LDS literature is going to be blessed--as we would say at church--by these developments. Distribution can be much wider, and cover and page set-up quality will not be as important. There will be lots of mediocre e-books out there, to be sure, but some will rise to the top, and we’ll get to hear some new voices and maybe even some new styles and themes.

It’s an exciting time to be writing and reading in Mormondom.