Tag Archives: misadventures

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography (Part the Eighth, Being But a Few of the Further Adventures of Candy Cane Guy)

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Congrats to Lynn, Anita, Patti, Linda, and Wanda, who all won copies of A Black Tie Affair!

Crap. I’ve gotten behind in the Candy Cane Guy posts and now have enough pictures for two or three new posts. Workingest guy in stock photography?!

While we were otherwise engaged, Candy Cane Guy went through a tartan phase.

Which also included his tattoo and tanning phase.

I really had no idea how similar a kilt was to a tiny hand towel. Did you?

Candy Cane Guy thought that maybe he gained a little weight while he was recovering from the no doubt arduous tattoo removal. His plummeting self-esteem sent him out advertising himself in less-than-subtle ways… O_o

Then he got sort of skinny, but he felt a lot better about himself and was putting his …sign to other uses.

For reference, here’s what he looked like before his weight started to yo-yo:

Looks like he also picked up a few things at the store… probably too much to expect him to have any clothes in those bags, eh?

Oh oh, I spoke too soon… Although he did buy some clothes (hmm, nothing to cover his infamous chest and abs and belly button*, I notice), he bought guns! And a home cloning kit! This can’t end well…

Tune in at some indeterminate future point to find out what happens next!

*Yes, his unusual belly button is the key to identifying him on covers. Now you all know my secret. Woe.

“Mom, I just don’t understand why this boy is so naughty. It must be because he has thumbs. The big kitty would like to be really wicked, but he can’t be because he doesn’t have thumbs.” -Mayhem

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography: Burning Questions

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Several of you have wondered if Slouching Guy and Open Black Jacket Guy (OBJG) are the same person.

Hmm. Good question. I can’t quite tell.

What do you think?

I think they both have the same… belt.

And is this the same guy, or just someone else wearing that same jacket (now with bonus cop’s shield)?!

Discuss.

“These are my pink sparklies. Mine. MINE!!! You stay away, you big kitty, you.” -Mayhem

I think it’s safe to say she likes them, Nicole – thank you!

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography: Part the Seventh (OBJG)

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Happy Release Day, Mia, Bronwyn, Brynn, and Dakota! (Dakota? Don’t read the rest of this post, ‘k? Um, no reason. Really.)

In Part 4, I mentioned that we would see Open Black Jacket Guy again. That, kids, is what’s known as heavy-handed foreshadowing. Don’t try it home, ok? SoC accepts no responsibility if you do.

To refresh our memories, here’s Open Black Jacket Guy (OBJG), hanging out with his pal, Slouching Guy. Both have been growing their hair, to ill effect.

Fortunately, OBJG came to his senses, got his hair cut, and ditched Slouching Guy. However, he couldn’t give up on those long-haired boys just yet.

But the emo finally got to him, so he moved on.

Then it turned out that the brooding emo bit wasn’t tied to hair length.

Woe! Woe! Woe! Poor OBJG. He kept trying…

…and trying, but even the most promising turned out to have some fatal flaw (that demonic possession was just the worst), so he decided maybe he’d had enough of the boys.

And that he needed to spend a little time on his own, forgetting.

That was boring, so he got a cat, but there were… complications.

So he ditched the cat, but…

…the girls, they were just as much trouble as the moody boys.

And combining the girls and the moody boys?! Bad, bad idea.

Then in a freak karaoke tattooing accident, his head and body got sort of distorted and cropped; thereafter, everything was a-ok with him.

The end. Until I find a bunch more covers of him. 😉

“Still not forgiving you for letting that mysterious unmoving interloper sit on top of the bookcase.” -Chaos

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography: Part the Sixth (Neck Crick Guy)

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Let’s start off with a bit of bait and switch, shall we? (But wait, you’re thinking… What?)

See the guy in front? Nope, he’s not the focus on this post. However, he leads us here…

…to that guy in the background. Whatever shall we call him? How about Neck Crick Guy, or NCG for short? Works for me. (And hey, you’re stuck with it!) I know NCG is sort of hard to see in this next cover, but he does have a lovely tattoo now.

Oh, so you’d like to see that tattoo a little more clearly? Can do… but you’ll have to hold that thought for a few more pictures, ‘k?

Run, NCG! Run! Run! That guy has a mutant flashlight saber and things do not look good!

O noes, NCG! What happened to your head?! Did the mean man with the mutant flashlight saber carve off part of your skull?!

I’m sure the nice naked lady will make you all better.

Or maybe this nice naked lady will make you all better…

Fine. Be that way. Maybe this nice naked boy will it make you all better.

Ok, now you can get another glimpse of that shoulder tattoo… Wait! Who stuck a sword through your head, NCG?!

I guess those nice naked bois weren’t so nice, huh? How about a nice dressed lady for a change?

Anyway. What is it with vampires, bloody faces, and an attack of blond hair growth? It’s not the first time we’ve seen this phenomenon – remember when it happened to poor Candy Cane Guy?

Be careful out there, kids. This cover modeling stuff is

and obviously not for the faint of heart.

Keeping that in mind, I’ve saved the most dangerous aspect of cover modeling and vampirism for last. Brace yourselves…

Yeah, I have no idea WTF, either.

“O noes, Mom! Will that poor man’s neck be stuck like that forever?! Wait, what do you mean my face may freeze like this?!” -Mayhem

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography (Part the Fifth, or Hello, Again, Candy Cane Guy)

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I know, I know, I thought we were done with Candy Cane Guy, too! Apparently he’s not done with us…

Remember when he lost his trademark jeans in that tragic fire? Apparently he didn’t have any trouble finding a place to stay after the fire.

But then he learned about the dangers of hunger and got really worried…

…so he had to grab some breakfast.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

…he was up to no good, I’m sure.

And then things got a little crowded and complicated. O_o

But in the end, he was left out in the cold, all alone.

Maybe he’s learned a lesson?! Nah. I bet we’ll see him again someday…

So it’s kind of fun to see some of the original stock images. Does this look familiar?

How about this?

And of course, how could we forget that classic pose that started it all?

“My goodness, Mom, that boy seems very naughty to me. Probably even naughtier than the big kitty.” -Mayhem

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography (Part the Fourth, being an update on our friends from Parts 1-3)

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So I’ve discovered that once you start looking for overused stock photography, it’s a bit like falling down the rabbit hole… Shall we start with our old friend Slouching Guy? Here he is… with long hair, which looks so very natural, don’t you think? *snort*

We’ll be revisiting the other guy in the picture (Open Black Jacket Guy) in a future installment of this series. [Edited: They are the same person! Slouching Open Black Jacket Guy as his own twin?!]

Moving right along, let’s see what Shoulder Guy’s been doing.

I’m not even going to try to guess.

Weirdly, the next book involves a chocolate bodysuit somehow (I didn’t really want to know more on this one, either).

Hey, check out the advanced photoshopping technique below. Shoulder Guy, no longer floating alone in space and chocolate.

Finally, let’s see how Candy Cane Guy’s been keeping busy… Guess he took up vampire hunting. (Nice, um, stake.)

That must not have gone so well for him, based on the next cover. I had not idea that becoming a vampire with sloppy eating habits caused your hair to grow!

Unfortunate, that. Even the other cover model looks horrified.

Somehow he got his blood lust under control and got a haircut.

Whew!

Then, um, he took up macrame.

But was forced to flee offworld due to a crafting misunderstanding.

When he finally returned, he went on vacation and his trademark jeans were lost in a tragic fire! O noes!

He was forced to get a job at a moving company so he could afford new jeans.

The end. I hope. (Although you’ll be seeing Looking Down Guy from the cover above again, too.)

“Taking revenge can be exhausting….. zzzzzzzz….” -Chaos

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography (Part the Third): Shoulder Guy

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I know I’ve seen more covers with this guy on them, but can I find them now? No. No, I can’t. So please, let me know if you find any others!

Looks like a blisteringly hot desert to me. Probably not such a stretch to find yourself in the fires of hell after being in the heat of the desert… right?

But, wait, now he’s looking the other way! Dude, you’re going to miss your train, and I can’t imagine there are a lot of trains out of hell.

Very nice shoulder there, mmm?

“I don’t think you’re doing a very good job describing the pose you want, Mom. This has to be close enough. Besides, I don’t feel like looking over my shoulder right now.” -Chaos

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography (Part the Second)

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Many thanks to Sydney, who tracked down the original stock photo of our friend Candy Cane Guy from yesterday! To sum up, the jeans did have holes and there’s no mole or tattoo being covered. 🙂

Onward. Allow me to present Slouching Guy. You might remember him from such covers as Islands by Samantha Kane…

…Reckless Passion by Amanda Young…

…Lone Wolf (Maxey Wizards, Book 2)…

…and Horsefall: Taste Test by Jade Buchanan.

Is anyone else alarmed about the lusty look in that horse’s eyes?! 😮

So, do you have additional examples of Slouching Guy out and about?

12/9/2009: I found another cover example of our old friend Slouching Guy! Sorry the picture is blurry, but that’s what happens when you expand a teeny tiny picture to make it a bit more visible…

Stop by my contest post or The Thrillionth Page by 10 am CST, December 6, to vote for the Softest Kitteh Evah on Our Street! Again, there’s been more taunting! But I thought this looked promising:

 

Covers, Reading

Misadventures in Stock Photography (Part the First)

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While some book covers probably use original photographs taken specifically for that book, many use stock photographs. Stock photos get used over and over – to the point that you might have a sense of deja vu even when faced with a cover you’ve never seen before. Take a look at this first cover:

Nice candy cane. *ahem* But the smiley face in the next two variation of this photo? Puzzling. (And yup, the second guy back there does mean that this is an m/m title, which Hot for the Holidays is not.)

The hole in the jeans is a nice subtraction, isn’t it? And hey, in the next cover, the photo has been so cleverly disguised that you can’t even tell it’s the exact same cover…

…or maybe you can. 😉 Do the candy cane and smiley face cover a tattoo or a mole or??? Does anyone have other examples of this particular shot used on other covers?

Many thanks to Sydney, who tracked down the original stock photo! To sum up, the jeans did have holes and there’s no mole or tattoo being covered

Stop by my contest post or The Thrillionth Page by 10 am CST, December 6, to vote for the Softest Kitteh Evah on Our Street!

Yes, there’s been more taunting.

“My tummy is super soft, too, Oblio! Plus I have a bikini on my tummy, so there! (Oh, and Mom says if you click on my picture, you’ll almost be able to feel how soft my tummy is.)” -Mayhem