• Home
  • Our Authors
  • Blog
  • Events & Giveaways
  • Privacy Policy

Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

A different kind of cover shoot post

May 12, 2014 By Deborah Raney

SH Page 11I’ve absolutely loved seeing the cover shoot posts that Tammy, Becky, and others have shared recently. I’ve never gotten to be involved in a shoot for one of my own covers, but since I’m married to a graphic designer who’s created many book covers, I’ve been on the other side of the shoot, toting the tripod, fluffing models’ hair, and tilting the reflector just so.

Ken wrote and illustrated two children’s picture books that were published when our kids were younger, and we went through some crazy things getting photo reference for the images of a little boy who discovers a flying stick horse. At one point our youngest son, then five, posed astride a wooden stick horse–which was strapped high atop the jungle gym at the school playground. His big brother held tight to his belt loops and tried to stay out of the frame while Ken directed Trey to scream and kick his feet and pretend he was flying. A little risky maybe. But we ended up with these wonderful colored pencil drawings for Stick Horse. Trey lived to tell the tale and now has his own little boy, our newest grandson.

dinos

SH Page 7

 

Please

 

 


And then there was the photo shoot of our daughter with our pet triceratops for Ken’s children’s picture book, It’s Probably Good Dinosaurs Are Extinct.

Okay, just kidding about that pet triceratops part, but I did pose with our youngest son who had his hand on the head of a dino (okay, it was really a basketball taped to a tripod, but it sure looks like a dino in the finished book.)

 

This page is called “Can I keep him, Mom? Pleeeeaaase?”

 

 

 

 

 

Our grandson didn’t have a clue why his Papa asked him to pose on a pillow flopped over a sawhorse a couple of summers ago…

 

Until he saw his Christmas present the next year–a painting of him riding a fierce T-Rex, of course!

And then there’s the food. I’ve made scones and trifles, all in the interest of getting an image for a cover design. (Of course, somebody has to eat all that yummy food when the photo shoot is over.)

Screen Shot 2014-04-26 at 7.30.15 PM

I think our most interesting photo shoot recently was the day we had “guerrillas” with AK-47s on our back deck. The shoot was for a cover for a graphic novel published by Voice of the Martyrs about the life of Russell Stendal, a kidnapped jungle pilot. The guerrillas were models and the guns weren’t real.
DSCN2596But our neighbors, of course, had no way of knowing that. One of them told us later they watched out the window and wondered if they needed to come and “rescue” us! But look how wonderful the cover for Rescue the Captors turned out:

Rescue
Never a dull moment when you’re married to a graphic artist. Those are my photo shoot stories, and I’m stickin’ to ’em!

The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy LinkedIn profileMy Instagram profileMy Pinterest profile

Deborah Raney

DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Forty books later, she's still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. Her novels have won RWA's RITA Award, the ACFW Carol Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She is also a three-time Christy Award finalist. Deb is on faculty for several national writers’ conferences and served on the executive board of the 2,500-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization for 18 years before retiring in 2022. She is a recent transplant to Missouri, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas to be closer to kids and grandkids. They love road trips, e-biking, Friday garage sale dates, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy LinkedIn profileMy Instagram profileMy Pinterest profile

Latest posts by Deborah Raney (see all)

  • Decade birthdays - May 26, 2025
  • Deb’s Favorites - May 25, 2025
  • We Shopped at Piggly Wiggly - May 12, 2025
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Like this:

Like Loading...
«
»

Filed Under: Family, Reading

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

LINKS IN COMMENTS

Please note: If you include a link or links in your comment (URLs or email addresses), your comment will not post right away. It will wait for a moderator to approve it, which may take some time.

Comments

  1. Tricia Goyer says

    May 12, 2014 at 7:01 am

    So fun, Deb!! So creative!!

    • Deborah Raney says

      May 12, 2014 at 9:37 am

      Tricia, I’ve tried to reply to your comment 3 times now, so sorry if they all suddenly show up later. ANYWAY, as I was trying to say, my husband got the gift of creativity X10, but I think YOU are that way, too, so it means a lot to have you call this creative! 🙂

  2. Dora Wagner says

    May 12, 2014 at 7:47 am

    Those pictures were amazing. I am truly awed by some the gifts, which God gives. Your husband’s abilities to “see” things in a way I would not have dreamed is amazing. You and he are truly blessed with a vivid imagination.

    • Deborah Raney says

      May 12, 2014 at 9:30 am

      Dora, I’ve always told Ken that I wish I could see the world through his eyes just for a day! 🙂

  3. Gail Hollingsworth says

    May 12, 2014 at 8:01 am

    Such an interesting article and the pictures were great! I love seeing how things are created and the end product!

    • Deborah Raney says

      May 12, 2014 at 9:34 am

      Me, too, Gail! I always love watching “the making of” clips re movies and books and yes, photo shoots!

  4. Mocha with Linda says

    May 12, 2014 at 9:02 am

    Oh my! I’m in awe of the way that Ken can use technology. And some of that wasn’t very recent, so he has definitely been on the cutting edge! And how fun for your kids.

    • Deborah Raney says

      May 12, 2014 at 9:36 am

      You’re right, Linda, and our kids could tell you some stories about their creative dad. Some that their mom wasn’t too happy about, like the night the grocery run included 5 foam dart guns for the huge INDOOR “gun battle” that ensued after groceries were put away. 😉

  5. Patti Jo says

    May 12, 2014 at 10:03 am

    What a fun post, Deb. And I am in awe of Ken’s creativity – – wow! 🙂 Loved seeing these photos and getting a behind-the-scenes peek at how these covers were done.
    Just have to add again how HAPPY I am that you’ve joined this blog!

    • Deborah Raney says

      May 12, 2014 at 10:55 am

      Thanks so much, Patti Jo. I am having a blast on the blog and love reading my blogmates’ posts! Thanks for ALL your encouraging words both here and everywhere else I run into you online and in person! 🙂

  6. Andrea Cox says

    May 12, 2014 at 10:09 am

    Oh, what fun, Deb! I’m only surprised your neighbors didn’t call the cops. Boy, would you have had some ‘splaining to do, as Ricky Ricardo always says.

    • Deborah Raney says

      May 12, 2014 at 10:56 am

      LOL! I think after even just a year of living beside us, our neighbors know not to be too surprised when something “strange” is going on at our house. But I DID worry that someone else might call 911. :}

  7. Becky Wade says

    May 13, 2014 at 11:30 am

    Thanks for the Behind the Scenes peek into your husband’s process! I’m in love with the painting on your grandson on the T Rex. My son was crazy about dinos for years — he would have been thrilled to receive that as a gift.

    • Deborah Raney says

      May 13, 2014 at 5:39 pm

      Thanks, Becky. Our two oldest grandsons got T Rex paintings and Ken’s thinking about painting our granddaughter on a giant butterfly some Christmas soon. 🙂

Search Site

Monthly Archives

Blog Categories

Recent Posts

  • Home Again May 28, 2025
  • Garden Time May 27, 2025
  • Decade birthdays May 26, 2025

Disclosure

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the pages on this site may be "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, someone will receive an affiliate commission. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Copyright © 2025 Inspired by Life & Fiction | Website Design by Robin

%d