My addiction to designing book covers (or having them designed)

I have a confession to make... I stopped window-shopping a long time ago, but I can't stop myself from trawling premade book cover sites and/or downloading stock photos that I could one day turn into book covers. I have at least 10 ideas for stories to write in the next year or two and I have just as many ebook covers waiting to accompany those stories, if not more. In some cases I haven't written a  SINGLE LETTER yet and still I do have an ebook cover :) And truth is, I'm so eager to show them off to the world!

So... I've dediced to share a few today. Please don't email me and beg me to write these stories ASAP, because the voices in my head are doing a pretty good job putting me under pressure already. I know: I should lock myself in my house for the next two years and only allow myself out again if I've got something to show for it. But for now, without further ado, I give you some of 'the covers that will inspire me to write their stories this year or the next!'

New Year resolution: BLOG MORE OFTEN

Because let's face it, why am I so quiet on here? In real life I'm anything but, I can assure you :) So from now on, I'm dedicating myself to posting on my website more often. I'll probably post stuff about bookish things, traveling (because that is my greatest passion next to writing), and music/movies. Today I'm kicking off by posting some pics from a party I attended last night: The YA Book Bash.

Organized by Storm Publishers in the Netherlands, this party was part award ceremony and part YA fun get-together. The winner of Storm's writing contest was announced, and the story that won was one of my personal favorites, so I was thrilled Mascha Schoonakker was chosen. She's won a book deal and her work will be published in Dutch and English in 2016 and 2017. Did you know that Storm Publishers publishes original YA fiction from the Netherlands in both Dutch  and English? They acquired the rights to my book 'The Boy from the Woods' last year, and they also published the first-ever Dutch new adult novel in 2015 ('Heat' by Lis Lucassen). Much more is in the pipeline, so keep an eye on them: they'll be a 'Dutch treat' for YA fans around the globe!

Some photos of last night:

A visit to the setting of my Dartmoor Chronicles!

It's been a while since I took the time to post here about my 'book location travels', but I actually visited some places from my latest book this very summer! Some of these towns and locations were already mentioned in The Deep (Book 3 of the Island series), but in Beyond the Fence, the first installment of the Dartmoor Chronicles, we get to see much more of Dartmoor, the region under President Jacob's rule.

This is the entrance to Dartmoor Prison. In my book, this is the city gate - the survivors of the Great Wars started a new community here, within the walls of an old prison surrounded by wild moorland.

This is what it looks like from above. A true walled city n modern times (and future times, in the Dartmoor Chronicles!)

Just to give you an idea of how desolate the land around 'Dartmoor City' looks - here are some pictures of me and my family doing a hike across Dartmoor! Also: sheep. Sheep are everywhere!

Me in Dunsford, the 'border town' where Sarah crosses the fence with Jinn. In my book it's a lot less quiet here!

The 'fence' running through the town. (just a school fence IRL!)  ... and the main street of Dunsford.

And this is the blue building in Moretonhampstead where I imagined the main library to be.

I think the blue looks quite dashing!

The monument for the fallen of the 'Wars of Yore' in Moretonhampstead.

And that's it for now! The next book in this series will take place on Tresco, Lundy and Exmoor. I don't have any plans to visit those places anytime soon, but if I do, I'll be sure to post it here :)