Whew! What a summer! As you know from my last couple blogs, creating the cover for my upcoming novel has been a bit challenging. I believe I wrote about covers in the past, but normally while I am writing a new story, a scene jumps out at me and I know that is the cover. For As a Proper Lady Would it was the opening scene when five-year-old Lizzy protects the tree from the bully (see last month’s blog). I sent picture ideas to my artist friend, and she agreed to do it. Then she got COVID which kept her from working on it. Thankfully she recovered, but by that time I realized this was going to be a series and I wanted the covers to have a similar feel (and a little girl hugging a tree no longer worked). She and I played around with several ideas, but it just wasn’t coming together, mainly because I no longer knew what I wanted. I finally admitted defeat and connected her with a friend to work on a different project instead.
About this time, my daughter––who is going to school for production and design––thought she could help me out and we started again. She came up with a picture that I reluctantly selected, but when I gave her the template to actually create the cover, she bailed on me. (Just a fresh reminder not to hire family members.) In the end it was for the best as I still wasn’t completely sold on her image.
Finally, while having headshots done (did you see the new one?), I asked the amazing photographer who has done two other covers for me if she could help me figure out what I wanted. We returned to the idea of an image that stands out from each story and Lizzy’s tree presented itself again. (Because I was afraid we would not be able to find a doll accurate to the era, we did not include Cathy Dahl in the picture.) So, without further ado . . . Here is the cover for As a Proper Lady Would.
Please, share your thoughts below. I have just returned from taking my daughter to college and am finishing up my copyediting class, so the book release is next on the list. Watch social media for the actual date as I do not want to promise one and then have to change it. It will not be on presale.
Thank you, everyone, for your patience. The second book, Son of an Earl, is not giving me the same difficulties so it will be released in time for Christmas.
Congratulations on your newest book! I love the cover. I can imagine a girl high up on the tree. Actually, I took a good look for a girl or a shoe in the branches.
Congratulations on your new book!!! Love the background and as you have shared, looking forward to the story/scenes surrounding this tree.
Congratulations on the release of your book. The cover is lovely! Choosing the art work can be just as difficult as writing the blurb (and harder than actually writing the story)! I was heartbroken when I found THE perfect photo for the cover of my book, Becoming Malka. The expression, the pose, even the costume on the little girl was exactly what I was going for. After much detective work, I found the photographer and was given permission to use his work. The problem was that I also found the child’s mother. She begged me not to use the picture. She regretted ever having allowed the photo shoot to begin with. Naturally, I reassured her and chose another cover. Such is an author’s life…? ? ?? ? ?
Very, very nice! I like it! It makes me want to know what happened at that tree. Looking forward to the release.
Thank you!
I like the cover! And I’m very eager for the book to come out. I have heard other authors talk about choosing covers and how difficult it is. Obviously it is one of the toughest challenges about publishing. I didn’t catch the first blog entry last month so I read it today, and I’m completely charmed. Oh yes, I did want to hug her.
Good luck to your daughter with her first year in college. Best of luck with the book’s launch, Bronwen.
Thank you! I’ve found that anything other than the writing is the toughest part of publishing, but having a creative cover designer really helps.
I love the cover! No preconceived ideas of what Lizzy or Darcy look like and the imagination can run wild.
Thank you! As a reader, I like to create my own image of the characters so I try not to put them on my covers – unless the scene in my mind requires it.
Congrats on your release! Beautiful cover, Lizzy’s tree I like that!
Thank you!
Congrats! That’s a lovely cover. I also sometimes have absolutely clear ideas about what I want and sometimes, well, not. Very not.
I hope your daughter has a great year at college, and all the best for this release, whenever it happens.
It is so good to know I am not alone in this struggle. Thank you!
Congrats on the new release. Your discussion of the process we all go through was quite comforting, for none of us is alone when we spend the day crying because things are not coming together as we had hoped. (Sigh! I digress to my yesterday rather than your process.) LOL!
It’s moments like this that make me realize writing the book really isn’t the hardest part. ? ? ?