Wednesday, January 29, 2014

'Irish Inheritance' - the front cover!

Paula considers what front covers should show.
 
Following on from my post last week about bare chests on book covers, and what they seem to suggest about the content of the book… Last week, I had to make some decisions about the cover of my new release, ‘Irish Inheritance’.
 
Emails flew back and forth between my cover artist, my publisher and her assistant, and me, once Katrina (the artist) produced the first draft. It seemed we all had our own views!
 
We all loved the upper half of the cover which reflected the ‘inheritance’ part of the story, but the title font and the lower half of the cover involved more discussion, and more searches of the stock photos online.
 
I was so happy when I found ‘my’ couple. If the hero or heroine are going to appear on the book cover, then I want them to look something like I imagine them! In this case I hit lucky.
 
There are many Irish coastal and/or mountain scenes in the stock photos, and the one we finally chose shows a wonderful rocky Irish coast with the hills in the background – and also a house (which is important in the story). I’m sure someone will eventually tell me where it is! It might not be Connemara (where the story is set) but maybe that doesn’t matter.
 
In the end, I think we got a cover that looks interesting and also reflects the story.
 
Here’s the blurb:
 
English actress Jenna Sutton and American artist Guy Sinclair first meet when they jointly inherit a house on the west coast of Ireland. Curious about their unknown benefactress and why they are considered as ‘family’, they discover surprising links to the original owners of the house.
 
They soon unravel an intriguing tale of a nineteenth century love affair. At the same time, their mutual attraction grows, despite personal reasons for not wanting romantic involvements at this point in their lives.
 
A local property agent appears to have her own agenda concerning the house while other events pull Jenna and Guy back to separate lives in London and America. Friction builds over their decision about the house and its contents.
 
Will their Irish inheritance eventually drive them apart — or bring them together?
 
And here's the cover!
 
 

19 comments:

  1. Oh, Paula, it's beautiful! I love it and I'm so glad you're happy with it.

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  2. Thanks, Jen! I love it too, as it shows both the past and the present, and really does reflect the story.

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  3. Oooo sound great, can't wait, when is it out? Adele x

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  4. Love the cover too, intriguing! !

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  5. Adele, I'm doing the final edits right now, so barring any major problems, it could be on Amazon in the next couple of weeks. Will let you know!

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  6. Can't wait to read it. The cover and blurb have me intrigued

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  7. Thanks, Sue - I'll let you know when it's available :-)

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  8. It's wonderful! I love the juxtaposition of the past with the present. Even the font is perfect.

    But best of all, as an author, being happy with your cover makes a world of difference. Having so much input is definitely not something to take for granted.

    Congrats!

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  9. I love the "Irish" font in the center. Great cover and blurb. This may become your best seller to date!

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  10. Debra, I also love the past and present aspect of the cover, and it was great to discuss things with the artist and publisher. The artist found the Irish landscape, I found the picture of the couple, and the publisher's assistant gave the artist the link to the Irish font - so it was a real joint effort by us all!

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  11. Ana, as I just said to Debra, it was Laura, the publisher's assistant, who found the Irish font, which is perfect!
    I've liked all my novel covers, but this one is definitely my favourite!

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  12. And, just to share with you a comment that was made on Facebook, when I put the cover and a link to HWH there:
    "Sh**, Paula. I hate romance novels with a passion, but the blurb from your book gave me chills. I might just have to read it... And I love, love, love the cover! Another reason I might have to crack it open ...."
    So far, the cover has 31 'likes' on FB!

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  13. P.S. Ana, if this does become my best seller, all the more reason to move my current WIP to Ireland, don't you think?

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  14. Just amazing. How vintage and chic.

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  15. Beautiful cover. I love the old world look of it. The story sounds amazing.
    I wish you every success.

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  16. Thanks so much, Laura and Sarah. I love the sepia part of the cover, which fits wonderfully with the story!

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  17. What a striking cover, Paula. Gorgeous! And how fantastic to have so much input, a cover is so important, and so personal to the author!

    Congratulations and wishing you much success and a 'best seller'!

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  18. Thanks, Lyn. It's one of the reasons I like my current publisher as I've always been able to have the final say on the cover :-)

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