In 2018, I embarked on a new journey with my creative career by writing my first book titled Sun Night. Five years later, and several awards to its name, I decided to update the book with new passages to improve the closing chapters and update the cover with an iconic moment in my relationship with my brother.
If you have ever thought of writing a book or have even tried it, you know that storytelling is not an easy task. This journey started a little over 40 years ago when my brother was killed in a tragic accident. My brother could have survived the accident if it wasn’t that the woman who ran him over tried to escape the scene and dragged him under her car. This incident destroyed my family, it further broke the already inadequate relationship I had with my father due to his alcoholism and unacceptance of my brother’s death. My brother was taken away from us too soon, he had just turned 11 years old.
As I got older and found my passion in the creative arts, I kept the memory of my brother close to me and tried to find a way to let his memory prevail forever. I decided to start writing passages about us growing up together the last year of his life. It wasn’t easy. I had put away so many of those painful memories for so many years. But remarkably, as I began to uncover them, I also comprehended so many other things about our special relationship and this helped me embark on that journey of celebrating my brother’s short life.
In the new version of Sun Night, the hardcover has been updated to better fit the story. The dust jacket depicts the two brothers at the beach. The composition shows them running toward the sun as it shines in an almost dreamlike scenery over them, representing the essence of the book. The sun rays above the children, which was coincidentally the artwork used in the original release of Sun Night, reflect out toward the edges of the book cover, an iconic element of the story. The back of the dust jacket includes pictures of our youth, a selection of reviews, and award recognition.
To further embellish the book, I also created a bookcase that protects the interior of the book. The background is deep black with an image of the title with sun rays fanning out in gold foil. The back of the bookcase has a description of the book and an “about the author” section.
Self-publishing Sun Night was much more of an adventure for me. Having never published a book, I searched the internet for resources and quick tips. After reviewing all my options, I decided to produce the book myself, a job that was not only fulfilling but also very educational. One thing is for sure, it is a true example of perseverance to go through releasing a book and exposing myself as an author sharing such personal emotions and events of my past.
In my next blog entry, I’ll share my self-publishing adventure with tips and things I learned the hard way.