By the time I finished writing I was too tired to bother with the author photo. Even thinking about it made me feel itchy and unhappy. In the end I found the publicity shots for Breeder, some random photobooth pictures, and twenty or so photographs I’ve snapped myself with the digital camera.
I had a hunch that it was best to make the decision by committee; my own inclination is always to remain invisible. The family made the first cut, then I sent the remainder to James for his professional opinion. He picked an image I took sitting on the side of the bathtub back in Seattle, because he said it makes me look like an extraterrestrial mermaid.
I emailed Gabriel to check the decision and he replied It looks like you, almost. And it is one of your questioning gazes, almost. In other words it is probably perfect for the book as it looks good without being alienating or quite giving away what you actually look like thereby providing a certain amount of anonymity. Of course, I could be wrong.
Essentially, they are both saying that the image is an improvement on reality, which is true. The point of this particular photograph is to appear not scary.
In real life I am awkward, unkempt, with a facial expression that discourages idle chit-chat. It is fascinating that photographs can tell a different story.