Writing Wednesdays: Cover Reveal - A Honeyed Light

It's the big day! Well one of many upcoming "Big Days" I hope, but this is the big day that the cover for my December novella A Honeyed Light is released into the world! 

The cover was done by Aisha Akeju, my absolute favorite cover artist, and I'm just so enamored by it! 

Here's the book's blurb:

Kunal, relative newcomer to the strange town of Harmony, has his hands full preparing for Diwali. That should be enough to keep anyone's mind preoccupied, but Kunal can't really ignore that he's nearly thirty, single, and still buried in the closet.

Out of town at a gay club one night, he bumps into Oscar, proprietor of Harmony's only sex shop, and figures his secret is now officially out. What he doesn't expect is a slow seduction, or to have to decide what it is he really wants in life.

Read on to see the finished cover as well as a little cover breakdown. 

Ok, I am too impatient to build this up any longer so here it is!

Isn't it stunning? So what do I love about it? Hell what don't I love about it?Let's break it all down, shall we? First of all: the color scheme. The warmer tones of the reddish golds at the top into the cooler night-purples toward the bottom sets the perfect tone. The book is about Diwali, a Hindu festival of lights, which is reflected in the warmer tones, but a lot of the celebration takes place at night, in a town called Harmony that's maybe just a bit haunted (spoiler - more to come from me about this weird town) so the darker tones hint to that as well. 

The font treatment hints to the fact that the MC is Indian-American, similar to how the designs evoke thoughts of henna. The flowers are typically used in Diwali decorations; you can see carnations, marigolds, orchids and more used to make stunning designs for the celebrations. The oil lamps are also used in Diwali celebrations, to light the path for the gods to return home, as well as to banish evil spirits. And finally, and this was something that struck me upon a second look. the one lone flower off to the side represents to me, the main character Kunal, who feels alone even when surrounded by people, until he realizes loved ones are truly all around him.

So there's the cover breakdown! What do you think? Aisha did a stunning job, didn't she? Leave some love in the comments and don't forget to preorder and add A Honeyed Light to your Goodreads shelves!