This is K.M. Wilent and you are listening to the 437th episode of The Helping Writers Become Authors Podcast. I got my first round of cover options for my Gas lamp fantasy Wayfair back from my cover designer this week and in a word they are fabulous

this is the first time I've ever gotten back a first round in which I would have

been equally ecstatic with any of the four choices. The only problem is, not it's really hard to choose.

After throwing the covers over to my word player group on Facebook and getting back the votes,

I finally narrowed it down to the one I think is the one. It's also the first cover I've ever

gotten back that I'll have to ask for zero adjustments. On that's great news as far as the publication

schedule, since I may have the finalized full cover back within as little as the publication schedule, since I may have the finalized full cover back within

as little as a week.

I can't wait to share the cover with all of you soon, since I think it's easily my favorite

of all my book covers to date.

And now I hope you enjoy this week's podcast How to Write Unique Themes.

Here's a mind vendor for you. The best story themes are both universal and unique. But how does that even work? How can you learn how to write unique themes that say something fresh and new and yet are

resonant to every person on the planet?

Good question.

This is something I've been mulling lately after a comment from

Chris Babu on my post how to intertwine plot, character, and theme in every scene. He

pointed out the last several books, bestsellers, I've read, have had themes that were so obvious

and time-worn.

Four hundred pages of story just to make a point everyone agrees with.

This drives me nuts. Give me something timely, teach me

something, make me look at something a new way, make me think or decide. Say

something controversial, but for crying out loud, don't let the moral of your story be something everyone

...