What Makes a Book Physical?
What makes a book physical, beyond the pages and the ink, the screen scrolls and the stars?
This post gathers the creative, visual, energetic, and collaborative threads that shaped the trilogy’s physical form. For me, it’s the long weave of art, energy, collaboration, and place. These images trace the creative ecosystem behind my trilogy’s new covers—from painting and Reiki to early influences, editorial partnership, and the studio where it all comes together. I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge all the people who helped to make the physical product of the trilogy what it is becoming today. The books have been connected to my art-making and Reiki process throughout their development.
The new covers, designed by Vancouver graphic designer and artist Laurie Landry, celebrate my art even more, literally turning the books into a package to rip into, with edges mountain-like, almost as if presenting a visual and geologic ridge to traverse, with the art colors splashing across header and footer. The art takes precedence while also setting a frame. Working with Laurie also grounds the work in the greater Vancouver, BC area, my original and home-again in Canada, and new base of publishing press ASEI Arts, having moved along with me from the US.
I’m taking a new approach to reviews and have sent the third novel to book reviewers for their consideration. They’re reading now. One reviewer spans the trilogy and I’ll share her words here, though you won’t read them on the new book covers. Raya Ani says:
“Building on The Erenwine Agenda, Rail expands the conversation between architecture, environment, and responsibility—moving from personal conflict into global systems and their consequences. This work reads as a natural progression of Amalia’s journey, where questions of sustainability, ethics, and agency are embedded in the realities of large-scale infrastructure and its impact. The trilogy holds a consistent thread of care—for people, for place, and for the decisions that shape both.” —Raya Ani, Architect and founder RAW NYC
In previous editions of The Erenwine Agenda and Otter Coast, the good guidance of Lori Dalvi and words of Raya Ani and Janet StraightArrow went into the covers, all while I was developing my own parallel path in painting. The paintings became the background of the covers and every print run and edition. In that sense my painting friend Lucia Vaca-Izurieta has had a huge influence on the physical covers, as she’s been by my side in the world of art expression, both as a co-exhibitor and a sounding board.
Early conversations and exposure to others’ work helped to boost my confidence around what was possible. Connecting with Ann Frommer in a creative writing class led me into both reading my work aloud, and also showing my art in public, starting through the Art League of the Chathams, in Chatham, New Jersey. I was influenced by Louise Hay’s early independent publishing model for Hay House—seeing what she built made me realize that a small press could be both personal and powerful. I was inspired to pursue independent publishing after communicating with Midge Raymond of Ashland Creek Press, and Randy Davila of Hierophant Publishing.
My Reiki practice has been part of the unfolding art and writing, influencing the way I work with color, gesture, and energetic presence on the canvas, as well as the flow of words and character development. Two Reiki teachers, Aimee Leban Witmyer of West Orange, New Jersey, and Jennifer Staib of the Reiki Peace Center on Long Island, New York, now in upstate New York, shaped my energetic and creative path in ways that continue to influence my work today. Sandy Broadhurst in the UK, with her powerful rose-centred healing work, supported the deeper energetic grounding that carried me through the many stages of this trilogy.
Throughout this book creation process has been my editor Jillian Magalaner Stone. Without Jillian the books would be much messier, more raw, harder to follow; now they’re streamlined, fresh, and cohesive. This cohesiveness is translated into the new visual language of the book covers, to be released soon. I am hoping to share more about our working process in the future, which I think will be interesting for anyone wanting to learn more about ecofiction and team work.
As I write and collect the images I associate with this post, I am reflecting on the profound influence of my ex-partner-in-crime, Tom Gilman, without whom the hikes, talks and travels that underlie the creative currents of my life, the trilogy would not have come into being. Though not reflected in the book covers or the new launch, he remains a steadfast part of the core work. Similarly, I have to reach out a virtual embrace here on the screen to my mom, Sheila Chowdhury, who was an “early and every” reader as well as art companion, cheering me on through the many changes of my life.
The books will be going offline for a week or so while the new book layouts, interiors, and covers are formatted and uploaded to POD distributor Ingram. I’ll let you know when we are good to go on re-ordering the first two, The Erenwine Agenda and Otter Coast, and of course I’ll let you know as we get down to the release day for Rail. Thank you all for following along on this journey and thanks to those not mentioned here, for your invaluable support over this 15-year literary ride.
This whole journey—the lineage, the art, the energy, the collaboration—is what makes the physical book. If you’re wondering, each can be read as a standalone novel. If you’ve already read one or two in the trilogy already and want to know how you can help in the meantime, it would be great to have you leave a starred review on Goodreads. This helps future author sales more than you know! Authors often ask for a review, and the reason is simple: reviews are the single most powerful way to help a book find its future readers.
Book covers next!
-Maia
