Formerly Falling Angels, this anthology will feature a Guardian novella (“Ascension”) and stories by the amazing Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh, and Sharon Shinn, and will be out in October. What do you think?

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Her name is Ash. And, yes - she might just use a boomstick.

*So, ahem, until I know for sure … don’t post it anywhere else, mmmkay? Yay, I’m okay to post it! I’ve linked to the larger size, so if you click there’s a bigger image.

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I’m also a sucker for a great cover, and Kanaxa’s covers have sucked me in more than once. We’re focusing on her steampunk covers today, but you won’t regret heading over to her site, and checking out some of those lovelies. I wish I could post them all.

As Kanaxa, you’ve been creating gorgeous steampunk covers for several different publishers, including many of the covers featured this week. What do you consider essential elements on a steampunk romance cover?

*switching hats from Nathalie Gray to Kanaxa…not much unlike Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*

Thank you! I was thrilled to be able to do so many steampunk covers. It’s such a treat. To me, a steampunk cover needs a central character, because it’s all about personal growth through discovery, romance, and adventure. Then we need some kickass background that’s reminiscent of old world architecture. The more turrets, flying buttresses, and Gothic decorations, the better. Then I like to apply “mood” layers. I call them patinas. Crackled, grunge, anything that makes the overall look darker and with more depth. A steampunk cover takes me about twice the time as another kind of cover. The balance is fine between too techno, or too fantasy, etc.

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Do you also do the font work for the titles? What fonts work best on a steampunk cover?

Fonts. They’re my lovely, lovely madness. I can change fonts on a cover a dozen times, a hundred times, despair, swivel around in my chair like my hair is on fire, then I’ll try one and… Voilà. I wish I could tell you the process in more definite and eloquent terms, but I can’t. You can have fonts that make you think back of the Titanic and art nouveau, with thick bases and thin ascents. Or one that’s more Gothic, with grungy effects and looped descenders. The font is really the bow on the present!

I’m in total agreement — a font can really make or break a cover. Do you have a favorite steampunk cover?

My favourite steampunk cover is the series I did for Samhain (Silk, Steel, and Steam). Because I got to do four!

Click to embiggen. The first three images are from upcoming steampunk romance novellas (we'll learn more about these on Friday) and the final image is the cover that will be used for the print anthology.

Are there any artists whose steampunk aesthetic influenced your own?

I don’t look at what others do because I have a very good memory, and I’m afraid to “emulate” a bit too closely and end up in jail, paired to someone who doesn’t wash and who snores. I don’t want that. A source of inspiration, when it comes to cover art, is…wait for it…video games box art and Asian movie posters. I love their bold and vibrant style, the dynamic feel, the contrast and drama. Love it!

Thank you, Kanaxa! One thing that I’ve heard several times since beginning Steampunk Romance Week is how appealing the covers are (and I totally agree.) So I’m putting it to the readers: What catches your eye (in Kanaxa’s covers, or any other steampunk romance covers?) What do you consider the essential elements? And what are some of your favorites, or covers that immediately scream “steampunk!” at you? (Outside of the romance genre, the cover that immediately springs to mind is Cherie Priest’s BONESHAKER.)

For one thing, it’s gorgeous. And that was part of the eye-catching part. But the smart part? It was that I immediately associated it with the Tudor period. Why? Well, because I’d seen these images in so many places:

I don’t even watch the show, and I made the Tudor association. Was it intentional? I don’t know how it was not (and if it wasn’t — whoa, synchronicity). But that’s awesomely smart marketing, to create a cover that resembles a popular image, and yet still manages to say very clearly: Tudor vampires and romance, everyone!

And, it’s gorgeous.

Airship + Nip! = Steampunk Romance

Hee.

Also — there’s an excerpt for the Iron Duke in the back of Demon Blood. Yet another reason to buy it, right?

So, on Twitter, Maili said: The crucial question is where about on the cover will the little airship be placed?

I’m guessing it will be in the background. As long as it’s not here –

As long as it's not here, it's all good.

– it’s all good.

…the airships in the Iron Seas world don’t look like that, anyway. (Of course, neither do the smokestacks and the jacket, but as long as there are gears and mantitty to say STEAMPUNK ROMANCE, I’m A-OK.)

The background will be changed a little (they are adding an airship) but since it’s a small alteration and may be a while before we see the final version, I’ve been given the go-ahead to post this.

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And just the front cover, w/o the back:

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“With a twisty, edgy storyline, a unique premise and a fascinating heroine, MIND GAMES jumpstarts a smart and original urban fantasy series. A fabulous debut!”

It has a twisted, comic-book feel to it, which pretty much guaranteed that I’d love it, but the smart writing just knocked it out of the park for me.

Over at Lurv a la Mode, KMont has posted the cover for THE IRON DUKE … at least the cover that Berkley used for the catalog. The cover is still undergoing changes (to the dude in the porthole) but you can get a general idea of the look it will have. I love it (and am glad they are tweaking porthole dude )