Congratulations to Any Good Thing & Joy E. Rancatore!

Many of you have heard of The Book Designer and the contest run each month for e-book covers. An author, publisher, or book designer can submit an e-book cover to be critiqued and judged. The winners in Fiction and Nonfiction Categories are featured, and several others in each category who were in the running for the win receive a gold star of approval.

Joy E. Rancatore submitted the cover we designed of her debut novel Any Good Thing.

Isn’t that lovely?

Well, guest judge Dan Van Oss at The Book Designer thought so and awarded Joy a gold star!

E-Book Design Awards, September 2019

A nicely laid out image with well-placed title and author name. The subtle detail of the sun flare through the window along with the muted colors and soft overall feel hint at an introspective story.

Dan Van oss

Congrats Joy!

Here’s the synopsis for Any Good Thing, in case you’re curious:

Witness a young man’s battles of mind, heart and soul and follow his coming-of-age journey from selfishness to true sacrifice and from recklessness toward redemption in this contemporary southern fiction novel meant to reside on your heart’s bookshelves.

Jack Calhoun recovers from one tragedy and its consequential addiction enough to glimpse a shimmer of hope for his future—until the day of the second accident. Instead of heading to college with his childhood sweetheart, Rachael, Jack flees the rural southern town that blames him for every bad thing and leaves his loved ones behind.

His journey for purpose, if not peace, brings Jack face-to-face with war in Iraq’s desert, with his past’s nightmares and with a deeper battle on a mountain peak. Along the way, he both finds and loses parts of himself.

Perhaps it was never purpose he required but the ability to discern selfishness from sacrifice. Will he cast off a lifetime of crippling guilt to rest in redemption, or will peace remain as elusive as any good thing for Jack?

This book lends itself to a lively book club discussion or shared read between couples and friends. While readers who remember 9-11 will have an instant bond with the story, anyone who enjoys a well-paced tale full of larger-than-life characters—with a dash of southern charm and a whole batch of tasty food—may just discover a new favorite book in Any Good Thing.

13 responses to “Congratulations to Any Good Thing & Joy E. Rancatore!”

  1. This is awesome, congrats!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Congratulations to both of you!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. 💐 🌷 🌹 🥀 🌺 🌸 🌼 🌻 🌞

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Congratulations! 📚🎉

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Sarah! How are you doing in life and writing lately? I feel like we haven’t really touched based on a personal level in forEVER.

      Like

  4. Well done! I’ve offered up some of my covers to the cover design awards as well, but not with this stellar result. Congratulations, Joy! And Rachael — that image is one of your designs?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Audrey! Joy took the various photos and I designed the cover, so it was a bit of a joint effort. Joy told me what she imagined and this is what we came up with. It was pretty much a hit for us both from the beginning. We made some slight changes and tweaks to the layout and such, but it was a fairly straightforward design concept wise.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. That sounds like a good way to design a cover — collaboration between the author (who has the vision) and the designer (who has the skills and tools to realize it).

        Liked by 1 person

        1. That’s the goal! Sometimes authors have very specific ideas and sometimes we have vague feelings about covers, but the goal is to always meet in the space between the dreams/feelings and competing with other covers in the same genre that sell on a professional level. I’m always learning and trying to grow in the craft, and it’s always fun when something works out to the pleasure of everyone involved.

          Liked by 1 person

  5. I do believe I fall more and more in love with this cover each time I see it! I am so proud of it and thankful for you!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. It is soft and warm and welcoming. At least, that’s what I think every time I look at it. And I can smell the sawdust floating in the air, the sharp scent of tools, and the comforting feel of warm wood under my fingers. I love what the feel of it evokes and the title promises. Congrats, Joy!

      Like

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