Christoffer Petersen Blog

I’m late with my daily blog post, so here’s an “on this day” from October 3, 2011 in Qaanaaq, Greenland. Taken from the living room window.

I wanted to do something different for October. I like the idea of releasing books and stories on Advent Sundays in the holiday season, but they’re in December. I wanted to ‘celebrate’ Halloween in October. So I’ve created the series Hallowed Sunday and intend to release a short story every Sunday in October, once it is suitably dark in Denmark.

Why does it have to be dark? Well, because the stories are supposed to be a little creepy, not out and out horror, but hopefully a little gooey… The first story, Ded Flesh, has zombies in it!

But wait, before you turn away in disgust, let me reel you back in with a free copy of the first story, and the teaser that Petra is the star, ably assisted by Luui. 😉

Without giving too much away, let me just say that we’re inside Petra’s head – again – and all is not well.

As mentioned above, the first story is free, the following four stories will be released one each Sunday on Patreon, available at the lowest tier.

Chris

Here’s a different angle on behind the scenes. You might already know, but Seven Graves, One Winter was ‘the’ book to really kickstart my professional writing career. I had published it independently, what many call self-publishing, but a big French publishing house spotted Seven Graves, One Winter and The Ice Star on Amazon, and they wanted it. Long story short, I went on the hunt for an agent, and I was picked up by a reputable agency in Copenhagen with some big A listers among their authors. Suddenly, I was propelled into stardom (cough, ahem… not quite) and I envisaged rock star moments in my future! Jane wasn’t wild about the rock star moments, or even the red carpet – hey, I was dreaming big – so we agreed I would find suitable stand-ins. Enter Lars for the red carpet, and Christian who was more than a little eager to empty the minibar and trash the hotel room. All we needed was a guitar!

However – spoiler alert – that’s not what this post is about. 😉

The subject of this post is my covers. I was spotted by the French publishing house with cover number #1. That’s a photo I took from close to my house in Uummannaq, Greenland, looking down onto the heliport. Change it to black-and-white, add a splash of blood, and Bob’s your uncle. I had a cover, and I had been spotted. This was May, 2018. I self-published Seven Graves on Valentine’s Day, 2018. Not bad for an unknown author with a homemade cover.

Fast forward to the whole agent adventure, and I was very close to signing away pretty much everything. But, when the agency was caught up in publishing The Chestnut Man, I had a rethink and decided to keep my English rights. Best move I ever made, even though I didn’t know it at the time. I went on to have a mini rockstar moment – minibar, no guitar – and began to appreciate just how glacially slow the publishing industry is, and how they don’t really pay peanuts, more like peanut shells, once they’ve been crushed underfoot on the barroom floor, that is. Oh, and you have to share a percentage of said shells with your agent.

You’re looking for traditional publishing? Yep, they’re just over there. Keep walking!

Anyway, with my English rights grasped in my sweaty hand, I revamped the cover. I chose another photo – royalty free and free to use – from a website (an aside: this is the same website from which my Portuguese publisher sourced at least one photo for one of my traditionally published covers) and I splashed an excerpt on the front of cover #2. I did a variation of this one with quotes from authors I met at Iceland Noir in November 2018. I was still with the agency, but arranged all these events and festival attendances myself. Although, Spain and Portugal were on the publishers’ dime (and deducted from my peanut shells).

I ran with this cover for a few years, and then, discovering 3D art, I went all in with cover number #3. Like it or loathe it, I LOVED it! I felt my time had come, and I could “do stuff” rather than just stick a photo in Photoshop and plonk some text on top of it. Even though, that first one did all right. 🙂 But, I have struggled a little with the 3D images, especially the ones with people. Or, rather, just the Greenland Crime series, really.

However, I have been developing skills (I call them skills, anyway) and have begun looking at things differently. My covers have never been traditional crime novel covers, but then I don’t write traditional crime stories. But I do want to at least lean in that direction. As I’m headed to Iceland Noir again, it feels like the right time to do it. The image above is the rendered image from the 3D software. The icebergs are rocks with a snow shader added to them. The big one above the raven is actually a 3D asset supposed to resemble Uluru in Australia. Add a snow shader and sink it into the sea and you get instant iceberg! 🙂 Add a few fences, a raven, and a background, and, honestly, this looks like a scene from outside our window in Greenland.

One could also say it is almost photo-like.

So, coming full circle from cover #1 to cover #4, it’s a photo with text plonked on top and a splash of blood! 🙂 Yep, I’ve come a long way!

Hmm, as Maratse might say!

Chapter 9 is now LIVE for all patrons, from the “Behind the Scenes” tier for 25 DKK and up, on my patreon page.

There’s a lot to read on my patreon page now, not just Seven Graves, One Winter. Please ask if you want to know more.

Alternatively, you can buy  Seven Graves, One Winter (digital and physical formats) starting from $0.99 USD.

Here’s what’s coming in October! Choosing a tier unlocks previous stories associated with that tier. So, for example, choosing Behind the Scenes PLUS unlocks everything previously posted in 2023.

Ah… taking a breath… that’s quite a lot. 😉

Curious? Please feel free to check out my Patreon page, or ask me a question if you’d like to know more.

Chris

Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t help thinking there’s something either wrong, or incredibly smart about this children’s playground element we spotted on a recent holiday in Sweden.

I just don’t know if it’s for playing or training. And if it’s the latter, I can’t decide if it’s pessimistic or incredibly forward thinking.

I just don’t know.

Chris

Word to the wise, this is not the end of the West Highland Way. It used to be, but no, they want you to walk all the way into Fort William and spend some money. I was yet to discover how much money we had spent – cider ain’t cheap, folks! – but until cousin Stu totted up the expenses, I was blissfully unawares.

I could say blisterfully, but it’s not a word, and although I was still hobbling, the end was in sight.

Just not here.

So we kept going!

This was the end. Although who this fella was, I don’t know. I think he was supposed to represent hikers. But, again, like cousin Stu, he was far too chipper! I was, however, pretty chipper, too, as I had my hiking trousers on for the first time in about nine days. Everything else was packed away. We were back in civilisation, after all.

And… still talking! Just don’t mention those lovely trail shoes (sneakers, really) cousin Stu is wearing. Not a word! As for my wonderful Scarpas – they never failed me. Still in one firm – very firm – piece! UP! was good in those boots. Everything else, especially down – no ‘D’ – was awful. I tore up my toes quite a bit, but despite a black toenail, nothing fell off. It’s actually taken a year for the black to grow out. You didn’t want to know that, but I’m sharing… again. 😉

Highlights of the West Highland Way were definitely the following:

Conic Hill and the football story cousin Stu told all the way UP! and down (lowercase) it.

Cousin Stu’s fabulous tent. Just thinking about how I would dispose of it kept me going for miles, and miles, and miles…

UP! All of it! (Note the “steadying hand” I am applying to cousin Stu in this photo. Note it!)

The humorous, good natured, and, to be fair, as cousin Stu often said, generous use of the finger!

The sheer enjoyment and wonder of nature. (You may note cousin Stu’s enthusiasm documenting said nature, while I’m lying dead in the heather!)

And, not least, the patience of saints! (Please ignore cousin Stu’s steadying hand. Cider was involved!)

Thanks, cousin Stu. Next time, we’re taking MY tent!