Stumbling around on Facebook one afternoon, I noticed someone who looked awfully familiar. Her name is Renee Alivra, and as it turns out, she’s the cover model for Cady on all the Arcadia Bell books. I promptly stalked her, of course, and I’m so glad I did. Because not only is she lovely and the personification of Cady, she’s also a super nice and charming person. I thought readers would like getting a peek inside how the covers were made from her point of view.
EXTRA! EXTRA!The very talented and hardworking cover artist, Tony Mauro, who’s done all three covers (and is working on the 4th), says Renee is “the best.” He’s kindly donating an exclusive one-of-a-kind signed 9″ x 12″ print of the artwork for BINDING THE SHADOWS to one lucky reader! So take a look at what Renee has to say, then see details below the interview on how you can get your grubby hands on this exclusive promo! [UPDATE JUNE 5: WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN AND NOTIFIED]
INTERVIEW WITH RENEE ALVIRA, COVER MODEL
Renee with her daughter, who races motocross! (Future UF heroine in the making?)
Jenn: What do you do when you’re not being Arcadia Bell?
Renee: When I’m not being Arcadia Bell, I’m a full time student and part time RN. I’m looking forward to going back in the fall for my Master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner. I work on a medical/surgical floor specializing in ortho, neuro, and bariatric surgery. My job is amazing, but very busy. It’s definitely worth it though.
I come from a big family. There are 11 kids in my family, and I’m the second oldest. I’ve been married for 9 years, and have an 8 year old daughter who races motocross. I love watching movies, hiking, camping, and now dirt-biking! I just started riding a dirtbike, and it’s super fun. Unfortunately, I lack coordination, so my attempts at keeping the bike on two wheels are a definite fail sometimes lol! I’m really easy-going, and keep an open mind. I like to try new things, and I’m not afraid to get dirty! I don’t take myself too seriously either. I can definitely laugh at myself when I mess up.
Jenn: How did you get started modeling for Tony Mauro, and how many book covers have you done with him?
Renee: Tony contacted me online after he saw some of my pictures about 5 years ago. He said that I had the right look for a book cover he was working on. I was a little leery at first because there aren’t many legit photographers in the area. After seeing his work, I was really impressed! It was a great opportunity, and I’m excited to see the next covers. I just shot for the fourth cover, and it went really well. He’s such an amazing artist, and very professional to work with. I think the last cover I shot will make 7 books altogether. I also did a Darkness Falls calendar, which was really cool, too.
Jenn: I can’t wait to see the 4th cover! When you modeled for the first Arcadia book, KINDLING THE MOON, did you know anything about Arcadia’s character? For example, did you know you were posing as bartender, or that the books were supernatural? (I guess I’m wondering if you have to get “in character” to pose, or if Tony just says “stand here and tilt your head to the right,” LOL!)
Renee: HAHAHA! Wait, were you there? LOL, I do take a lot of directions like that! The last one I shot, he was trying to capture me naturally walking. In some shots I looked like a caveman because I was attempting to exaggerate my stride! It’s always good for a laugh to see my bloopers, lol! I really try to imagine the character that Tony describes to present that in the shots, but sometimes after doing the same pose again and again, I lose focus and start smiling. I try to tell myself that Arcadia Bell is not cheery, she’s dangerous…. HA!
Jenn: Do your friends and family ever point at your covers in bookstores and tell other customers “I know that girl!”
Renee: I don’t know if anyone has ever done that, but I do know that when a new book comes out I usually take the trip to the mall to get one. I just make the purchase, and nobody has ever said, “hey, that’s you!” I would feel weird to come out and say to anyone, “Look, it’s me!” LOL! Some of the covers they’ve cut my head off the cover too. Oh, btw, thanks for not cutting my head off the cover lol! My daughter just made the connection that I’m on the cover of books. On one cover, I’m chained up. My daughter was like, “mom, why are you chained up in someone’s basement there?” I’m like, “you know, it’s kinda my thing.” HAHA!
Renee and her supercool hairless Sphynx cat! (Would definitely give Cady’s Mr. Piggy the hedgehog a run for his money!)
Jenn: Ha! Best thing ever! Okay, one last question: which is your personal favorite Arcadia cover so far, and why?
Renee: The newest cover is my absolute favorite so far. Binding the shadows has a really cool feel to it. I love the colors, and can’t wait to get a copy when it comes out. I think it keeps getting better and better. I love Arcadia’s dark side, too! Keep em coming!
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EXCLUSIVE GIVEAWAY!
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WIN THIS. (The print is WAY nicer in person. I’m a shaky photographer. )
For a chance to win this exclusive 9×12″ print of BINDING THE SHADOWS beautiful artwork starring Renee as Arcadia, signed by Tony Mauro himself, comment and tell us which is YOUR favorite Arcadia cover: KINDLING, SUMMONING, or BINDING.
THIS IS THE ONLY PRINT LIKE THIS ON EARTH. As Jupe would say, hel-lo! That’s pretty darn exclusive. And it’s beautiful and glossy, and about the size of a magazine cover, and Tony was kind enough to donate it. You definitely want this.
Random winner will be chosen on June 5th! [UPDATE JUNE 5: WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN AND NOTIFIED]
This is such a great interview. I love these covers but the latest one, Binding the Shadows, is by far my favorite. I love the colors, pose, shadows, and the symbol in the background. Really a very cool cover. I think my second favorite would be the first one for Kindling the Moon. Love those tiki masks!
Lais Roque Gonçalves (@laisroque)
May 29, 2013 @
10:19 AM
Wow LOVED the interview really creative to talk to your cover model!! she seems so cool!! I hope more authors continues to do this specially with the male ~shirtless~ models! lol
My favourite cover is Summoning the Night because we can see Cady’s hair better,behind her we think what is all this destruction? and the colors are great like something is catching fire!!
This is a great interview! I haven’t seen any cover model interviews like this before. Thanks so much!
All the covers are great, and it’s so hard to choose one, but I would probably go with the most recent one. I like how the pose and the background symbol all come together, and admittedly, purple is my favorite color.
What a great interview!!! I always imagined that cover models were just… models. I’ve never really thought of them as complicated people with fun lives that do the occasional book cover. Awesome!
Binding the Shadows is definitely my favorite cover. I love the purple and the tattoo-like dragon!
11 kids? Holy moly!! I’d have loved to have had a big family 🙂 I love all of your covers, they’re all so beautiful, but the last two have definitely been the best. Binding is my favorite, out of all of them thus far. The colors really pop and the pose seems pretty natural!
I can’t wait to see the 4th cover as well. Thanks for coming onto the blog and sharing with us!! This was fantastic!
Hey, awesome interview! And thanks for the competition. I think my favorite is BINDING THE SHADOWS because of her pose and the background and the colors. It just looks awesome together.
Great interview. It’s nice to meet the model on the book covers and Renee sounds like a sweetheart. I love the picture with her daughter.
I’m with Renee on this one, Binding the shadows is my favorite cover so far.
Even though she’s headless, Kindling the Moon has to be my favorite. I love how with just one pose she’s able to say ‘I can kick ass’. Great interview, thanks for sharing!
While I am a fan of all three cover designs and the books themselves, I have to say Summoning the Night is still my favorite cover. I love the new Binding the Shadows and it’s a close second, but there’s something extra sexy and strong about her pose on Summining that makes her really stand out and you get a real feel for who Arcadia is as a person. very cool to actually meet the model..thanks for sharing. Amazing artwork too… Overall just really wonderful covers for such awesome books!
Gah, you expect me to narrow this down to one? Um…gee…overall probably the third, I think, for its gorgeousness factor. The second has my favorite color combinations and the first is such an archetypal UF cover, it’s the perfect introduction.
An cover model interview is such a unique idea. I don’t think I’ve heard of another author doing it and adding the contest is a nice touch. Thank you for this! Now that we know what Cady looks like, I want to see Lon and Jupe. 😛
I really like the second cover since it has a slightly romantic-hijinks-in-Egypt feel to it that reminds me of the movie The Mummy (I’m not as cool as Jupe; I like the newer version. Not at all because I have a girl crush on Rachel Weisz. I prefer to forget the sequels exist, however. As, I’m sure, do some of the cast.) But I’m going to have to go with the majority and say Binding is my absolute favourite. The purple seems to suit Cady for some reason and the cover image is the closest to my mental image of her. And that is one wicked cool dragon.
What a fun blog entry, it’s exciting to hear/see more about the process that goes in to designing the covers and the people behind them. I think Renee makes a great Cady! Summoning the Night is my favorite cover, I just love the colors and I have been tempted to buy them in paperback just to collect the covers, black and white on the kindle just doesn’t have the same effect. I like how she’s had her caduceus staff for the last two covers, some book covers seem so unrelated to the series, these are just lovely!
All of your covers are great but my favourite is Kindling the Moon. Arcadia looks really strong and it’s got the tiki bar elements! Thanks to you and Tony Mauro for such an awesome giveaway! And thanks for such a great interview. I’ve always wondered what it’s like to be a cover model and how that happens…
Oh what a wonderful idea! It’s a great giveaway. So I think my favorite is equally Kindling and Binding. Well maybe more Binding. I really love them both with the colers and everything. And thanks for the interview it was fun to learn a little more like that.
I have loved all the covers. I think Tony does a slamming job. As a graphic artist myself I have a real appreciation for the way he thinks about his covers. I believe my favorite published cover is Summoning the Night so far. But last year I did contact you about the original cover to Kindling the Moon that I had happened to see while looking for Cady artwork and how I liked the original cover better. And now lo and behold you have it here. I’m so glad to see that original art represented here and to see the actual model. She’s great. Of course your great too Jenn !
I’m torn, here. TORN. I love all the covers! But I think I’ll say that the colors on Summoning the Night make that one stand out for me. Plus, Cady looks so able. She’s a total ass-kicker.
May 29, 2013 @ 8:07 AM
This is such a great interview. I love these covers but the latest one, Binding the Shadows, is by far my favorite. I love the colors, pose, shadows, and the symbol in the background. Really a very cool cover. I think my second favorite would be the first one for Kindling the Moon. Love those tiki masks!
June 4, 2013 @ 10:58 PM
Those tiki masks ARE pretty awesome. 🙂
May 29, 2013 @ 10:19 AM
Wow LOVED the interview really creative to talk to your cover model!! she seems so cool!! I hope more authors continues to do this specially with the male ~shirtless~ models! lol
My favourite cover is Summoning the Night because we can see Cady’s hair better,behind her we think what is all this destruction? and the colors are great like something is catching fire!!
June 4, 2013 @ 10:59 PM
Re: the shirtless models…AGREED. LOL!
May 29, 2013 @ 11:32 AM
This is a great interview! I haven’t seen any cover model interviews like this before. Thanks so much!
All the covers are great, and it’s so hard to choose one, but I would probably go with the most recent one. I like how the pose and the background symbol all come together, and admittedly, purple is my favorite color.
June 4, 2013 @ 10:59 PM
(Psst: Purple’s my fave color, too!)
May 29, 2013 @ 12:07 PM
What a great interview!!! I always imagined that cover models were just… models. I’ve never really thought of them as complicated people with fun lives that do the occasional book cover. Awesome!
Binding the Shadows is definitely my favorite cover. I love the purple and the tattoo-like dragon!
May 29, 2013 @ 12:08 PM
11 kids? Holy moly!! I’d have loved to have had a big family 🙂 I love all of your covers, they’re all so beautiful, but the last two have definitely been the best. Binding is my favorite, out of all of them thus far. The colors really pop and the pose seems pretty natural!
I can’t wait to see the 4th cover as well. Thanks for coming onto the blog and sharing with us!! This was fantastic!
June 4, 2013 @ 11:00 PM
(I wish I had a big family, too–so jealous of that!)
May 29, 2013 @ 1:35 PM
Hey, awesome interview! And thanks for the competition. I think my favorite is BINDING THE SHADOWS because of her pose and the background and the colors. It just looks awesome together.
May 29, 2013 @ 3:50 PM
Great interview. It’s nice to meet the model on the book covers and Renee sounds like a sweetheart. I love the picture with her daughter.
I’m with Renee on this one, Binding the shadows is my favorite cover so far.
May 29, 2013 @ 4:03 PM
Even though she’s headless, Kindling the Moon has to be my favorite. I love how with just one pose she’s able to say ‘I can kick ass’. Great interview, thanks for sharing!
May 29, 2013 @ 4:58 PM
While I am a fan of all three cover designs and the books themselves, I have to say Summoning the Night is still my favorite cover. I love the new Binding the Shadows and it’s a close second, but there’s something extra sexy and strong about her pose on Summining that makes her really stand out and you get a real feel for who Arcadia is as a person. very cool to actually meet the model..thanks for sharing. Amazing artwork too… Overall just really wonderful covers for such awesome books!
May 30, 2013 @ 8:08 PM
Gah, you expect me to narrow this down to one? Um…gee…overall probably the third, I think, for its gorgeousness factor. The second has my favorite color combinations and the first is such an archetypal UF cover, it’s the perfect introduction.
May 30, 2013 @ 8:10 PM
Great interview! My favourite cover is Blinding the Shadows 🙂
May 30, 2013 @ 8:15 PM
Cool interview.
And I love Binding the most. The color scheme is just gorgeous.
May 30, 2013 @ 8:29 PM
An cover model interview is such a unique idea. I don’t think I’ve heard of another author doing it and adding the contest is a nice touch. Thank you for this! Now that we know what Cady looks like, I want to see Lon and Jupe. 😛
May 30, 2013 @ 9:09 PM
I really like the second cover since it has a slightly romantic-hijinks-in-Egypt feel to it that reminds me of the movie The Mummy (I’m not as cool as Jupe; I like the newer version. Not at all because I have a girl crush on Rachel Weisz. I prefer to forget the sequels exist, however. As, I’m sure, do some of the cast.) But I’m going to have to go with the majority and say Binding is my absolute favourite. The purple seems to suit Cady for some reason and the cover image is the closest to my mental image of her. And that is one wicked cool dragon.
June 4, 2013 @ 11:03 PM
(Psst: I have a girl crush on Weisz, too, and I personally love that version of the Mummy!)
May 30, 2013 @ 9:16 PM
What a fun blog entry, it’s exciting to hear/see more about the process that goes in to designing the covers and the people behind them. I think Renee makes a great Cady! Summoning the Night is my favorite cover, I just love the colors and I have been tempted to buy them in paperback just to collect the covers, black and white on the kindle just doesn’t have the same effect. I like how she’s had her caduceus staff for the last two covers, some book covers seem so unrelated to the series, these are just lovely!
June 4, 2013 @ 11:04 PM
I, too, think Renee makes a great Cady! And I’m so happy the artist included the caduceus staff.
June 1, 2013 @ 12:52 PM
All of your covers are great but my favourite is Kindling the Moon. Arcadia looks really strong and it’s got the tiki bar elements! Thanks to you and Tony Mauro for such an awesome giveaway! And thanks for such a great interview. I’ve always wondered what it’s like to be a cover model and how that happens…
June 2, 2013 @ 2:22 PM
Oh what a wonderful idea! It’s a great giveaway. So I think my favorite is equally Kindling and Binding. Well maybe more Binding. I really love them both with the colers and everything. And thanks for the interview it was fun to learn a little more like that.
June 2, 2013 @ 3:01 PM
I have loved all the covers. I think Tony does a slamming job. As a graphic artist myself I have a real appreciation for the way he thinks about his covers. I believe my favorite published cover is Summoning the Night so far. But last year I did contact you about the original cover to Kindling the Moon that I had happened to see while looking for Cady artwork and how I liked the original cover better. And now lo and behold you have it here. I’m so glad to see that original art represented here and to see the actual model. She’s great. Of course your great too Jenn !
June 4, 2013 @ 11:05 PM
Yeah, I remember you asking about it. Glad I could finally get my hands on it and give you guys a peek at it. 🙂
June 3, 2013 @ 1:31 PM
I’m torn, here. TORN. I love all the covers! But I think I’ll say that the colors on Summoning the Night make that one stand out for me. Plus, Cady looks so able. She’s a total ass-kicker.