A Launch Meeting

The photo is of me with some buddies starting out on a whitewater rafting trip. I'm in front wearing the blue helmet. I firmly believe in wearing a helmet while rafting, skiing, biking, and engaging in any other sport where head injury is a risk. Do I look excited and happy?

Recently Midnight Ink staff had the "launch meeting" for the first book in my new series with the press. A fitting name for a book featuring whitewater river rafting, I must say! Anyway, Terri Bischoff, the acquisition editor, met with other staff, including the art department, and some sales/marketing/publicity folks, I think. They decided that "Wicked Whitewater, the first in the Mandy Tanner whitewater river ranger series, written by Beth Groundwater" had too many "waters" in it. After repeatedly asking Terri if Beth Groundwater was really my name :) , they decided to pick a new book title and series blurb.

I later explained to Terri that Groundwater became my last name when I married my husband, who has a Scottish family history. It is a more common name in northern Scotland than in the USA, and family legend is that it came about because the family made its living farming on the "ground" and fishing from the "water". So, yes, it's my real name!

As a result of the launch meeting, the first book in my series will be titled Deadly Currents and the series blurb is the "Rocky Mountain Adventures mystery series". After discussing the changes with Terri, I realized they made sense. The more general series blurb will allow me to take Mandy into other adventure sports besides whitewater rafting and onto whitewater rivers in the Rocky Mountains outside of Colorado as the series continues.

Another big part of the meeting was discussing the concept for the cover art. Terri wanted a picture of a cataraft to appear on the cover, which is the type of boat the river rangers use to patrol the upper Arkansas River in Colorado. To see a photo of what one looks like, go here. I suggested a picture that represents the opening scene of the book, a whitewater raft spilling over a class 4/5 rapid and dumping its passengers. The art department said both of these concepts may be too difficult to represent. They suggested a scenic landscape shot of a whitewater river, but I've told Terri that it should be of a really hairy rapid and not of placid water. The art department plans to mock up at least two covers, so we'll see what they come up with.

This is just a peek at what goes on behind the scenes in the book publishing business...