I never knew what a mood board was until I decided to enter a couple of X (formerly Twitter) book pitch contests this fall. Because I love tinkering with graphics, I dove into creating my first-ever mood board for November’s #MoodPitch contest — a contest that ended up getting canceled. The volunteer contest organizers decided to pull it from X after a wee bit of controversy, in order to re-group on another platform. They’re aiming for April 2024 on a platform to be announced.
Although the cancellation disappointed many writers hoping to get noticed by literary agents, I already benefitted by learning what a mood board is. It’s now a branding cornerstone of my true crime memoir Chained Birds: A Crimemoir, appearing here and across my socials. So thank you very much MoodPitch organizers.
I hope my mood board makes it patently obvious what my book’s themes are. As this blog post title suggests, Chained Birds will expose penitentiary abuse, prison gang violence, and failures in our criminal justice system. It should also be evident why I’m writing under a pseudonym.
Lastly — because I spelled it out! — it should be clear from this mood board what the book’s overarching theme is: The first step to redress is exposure.
Photo Credits
1. Chained Birds: A Crimemoir – book cover mockup
2. Lewisburg Penitentiary 1947 – photographer Robert Tebbs, courtesy of the National Archives
3. Prisoner – stock photo from subscription
4. United States Penitentiary recreational cage – public domain
5. Prisoner held in “four-point” restraints by corrections officers – U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District Of Illinois
6. Crimemoir definition – original creation
7. Computer-generated magazine cover
8. Female with handgun – stock photo from subscription
9. Courtroom scene – stock photo from subscription
Carla Conti is a true crime journalist, storyteller, and prison reform advocate. Look for Chained Birds: A Crimemoir, her true crime memoir and exposé on federal prison abuse, corruption, and prison gang culture in 2024.
