Saturday, December 8, 2012

Welcome Cover Model, Jason Aaron Baca, to DIO

I, along with a lot of other authors, received a nice email from Jason.  Before I got my nose all twisted out of joint for the "mass" mailing, I decided that perhaps interviewing him might give us a little insight into the life of a cover artist...especially when we rely on them so much to provide inspiration for people to buy our books.  I promply apolized for my "snarky" response, and he was kind enough to chalk it up to bitchiness and sent answers immediatly.  So, I'm proud to present Jason, and I have a pretty good feeling this won't be his debut or swan song as far as blogs are concerned.  :)






1.  So, Jason, what inspired you to become a cover model?  How did you get a foot in the door, so-to-speak?

Jason - I get asked this often.. Well I happened to be in a bookstore one day and discovered a romance novel that had a guy on the cover that looked similar to me...  It was how I ideally wanted to see myself. From there I sort of became totally absorbed by trying to figure out what it takes to be one of those guys... I quickly found out who the cover artists were and I introduced myself to them..  Out of 20 or so I contacted, about 10 got back expressing interest...

2.  When you are being photographed with sexy women, do you ever feel emotions (tee hee) or is it all strictly business?

Jason - Well no emotions.. But I know when I walk in the studio I put in my head the fact that I will be their ultimate object of desire so its a confidence game at that point. We both know we need to get just the right look. We must feel relaxed.. Some of the most amazing couples photos come at the very end of a shoot... when the photographer says ok is there any other poses you 2 want to do before we call it quits?

3.  Do you come up with concepts for your photographs, or is that the job of the photographer?

Jason - Both...We all put our heads together.. I like to offer my ideas to every shoot. I feel I have a good artsy sense of what they're after out there...

4.  Have you ever entered any contests like those held for cover models at The Romantic Times?

Jason - I wanted to enter the Mr.Romance contest last year but was unable to because I wasn't allowed..  You are not allowed to be on any covers previously to enter.. At the time I'd already been on like 80 or so.

5.  How long have you been modeling?  What's your favorite part?  Least favorite?

Jason - I have been modeling since 1997 but Cover Modeling since 2008. My favorite part is seeing me on the cover and looking the way I'd wanted to or pictured in my head. My least favorite part is when the crop off my head.. It just makes me feel like its unnecessary to go get facials or apply honey almond masques all the time then.

6.  Where can an indie author go to purchase your stock?

Jason - They can visit http://jasonaaronbaca.deviantart.com  and if they find a photo from the 1,400 images in the gallery, then they can just see my instructions in the journal.

7.  Can you briefly describe a day in your life?

Jason - It all depends. If its a day that I'm preparing for a shoot, then I mentally prepare my brain that I'll be the Mountain of Molten Lust. that everything I do will be self absorbed and self flattering. No negativity seeps through my brain canals that day..No! I make sure to lather up with only the highest quality body wash with advanced micro-fillers that will instantly smooth the look of fine lines. I also hydrate my skin with Aveeno's B3 complex hydrate which reduces my appearance of deep wrinkles.

  I always apply a daily moisturizer with green tea over my entire body. For the face, I use Olay's Regenerist Creme', I let that soak for 5 minutes then apply an oil free moisturizer. Oily skin causes break outs. Then I provide my thirsty skin with some much needed Dramatically Different Moisturizer put out by Clinique making sure to get under the eyes and eye lids. Finally after that settles I apply final protective moisturizer put out by The body shop which fights off chemicals and pollution from entering my skin.

   After I've completed all of this, I usually go to the gym for a solid, strenuous workout. After the gym I make my way to the studio for a wild and crazy shoot.

8.  Where do you see yourself in five years?

Jason - You mean where will you NOT see me? I think the way things are going I'll be all over the place.. Better thing would be to ask me in 5 yrs from now what I'm doing.. How's that?

9.  Who has been your biggest inspiration?

Jason - I don't want to name names but there are some pretty successful guys out there. Maybe before I came around, they didn't know me... Now, I believe they do. How could they not? They know that I'm hungry for this, I'm hungry for achieving the next big goal in romance novels. They know that if they let up for even a tiny second.... I'll be right on their tail... They have to keep working if they want to stay on top! They know I'm going to light up the sky like a flame! Yes I feel it coming together...

10.  Is there a favorite genre you lean towards when doing photo shoots?  (Contemporary, historical, fantasy?)

Jason - Not really.. I can do them all and enjoy each of them. I don't do much historical stuff because they don't seem to have that sort of wardrobe available all the time..  Contemporary and Paranormal are the ones I have done most.

11.  This is just for me and my fellow historical western authors:  Do you plan to offer covers that deal realistically with the old west?  We see so many dressed in modern clothes with a cowboy hat.  That just doesn't cut it.

Jason - If I was to get my hands on some clothing that had that cool western look to it, then I'd do them.. I know.. a lot of the clothing can be tough to find! I have a lot of western outfits with jeans, cowboy hat and flannel..  Standard stuff...




I'd like to thank Jason for guesting on Dishin' It Out, and for his candid answers.  If you want to find out more, you can check out his website...and perhaps you'd like to pass this link on to any graphic artists you know:

http://jasonaaronbaca.deviantart.com/

17 comments:

  1. Terrific interview, Ginger. Who would have thought so much goes into a male model.

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  2. Wow, Jason, that's quite a routine you have with the skin care and body care. Worse than women putting on makeup. lol.

    It sounds like you are doing fantastic. Keep up the routine, you'll be modeling for the next 15 years, at least.

    Good luck with your career.

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    1. Thanks Lorrie... I sure hope to keep doing the romance novels for a lot longer. We shall see. And yes, I do what I can to maintain a great face and body at all times!

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  3. Wow! Have I been missing out! And here most of my covers have involved a cat. I need to write a few romances, for sure!

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    1. Hey Heather, Well you know I think it would be a lot of fun to do a cover with me holding a fluffy cat... Hmm, you may have given me an idea...

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  4. Damn, I shoulda been following that skin care regimen myself.

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  5. Jason, you're gorgeous! And Ginger, great interview! Dina Rae

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    1. Dina, Thank you very much! Yes she did a wonderful job in the interview.. A very kind lady...

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  6. Great interview, Ginger. Jason, you have some phenomenal covers out there. It's great to 'see' you again. Wishing you all the best with whatever is next for you!

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    1. Hi Regan~ Nice to hear from you too! Well thank you very much with the wishes! :) You helped me a great deal I must say!

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  7. Enjoyed the interview, Ginger and Jason. Gee, that's a lot of skin care products. No wonder I have wrinkles cause I only slap on two or three. I've heard of cowboys doing alot of things with their boots on but not taking a bath.

    You know, what I hate to see on covers is modern or old west cowboys that wear ripped up jeans. All the cowboys I've seen wouldn't be caught in them. They wear wranglers and often times the legs have a crisp crease.

    Best of luck modeling, Jason. It doesn't sound like it's a easy as we sometimes think.

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    1. Linda, thank you! And yes, I am right there with you on the ripped jeans.. Seems those are more suitable for other types of themes...

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  8. Great interview. Good luck to you both.

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  9. Hi Jason,
    Great interview. That was so interesting to find out about a male cover model. Hope you grace the covers of one of my books one day.

    Thanks for the interview Ginger.

    Cheers

    Margaret

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  10. Nice to meet you, Jason. I checked out your website.

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  11. Great interview with a goal-oriented and handsome man. Excellent questions, and illuminating answers re workout routines and skin care. Thanks to Ginger and to Jason for his candid answers.

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  12. Interesting interview...thanks!

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