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Friday, November 11, 2016

A Tale of Two Covers: THE INHERITANCE by Jacqueline Seewald

My latest novel, THE INHERITANCE, will be published by Intrigue Publishing on December 1st. The novel is a mystery that combines elements of the cozy with romance and suspense. As of now, the novel is available as a Kindle book on Amazon for pre-order as well as in a print edition:
Also available at:
as well as many other booksellers.
The date of publication was pushed forward because the publisher decided to change the cover art. I’ll display both covers here for comparison. Here is the original cover art:


Here is the new cover that the publisher intends to use:


Here is a little about the novel:
Jennifer Stoddard, a thirty-five-year-old widow with an eight-year-old son, receives a surprising letter which will change her life. Jennifer’s grandmother has passed away and named Jen as sole heir to her estate. To claim her inheritance she must return to Bloomingvale, the town in the Midwest where she grew up. Jen is informed by her grandmother’s attorney that to inherit she must meet the condition of living in her grandmother’s house for two years. Since the estate is substantial, she agrees. However, there are those who will stop at nothing to make certain that Jennifer does not inherit.
Excerpt:

Late that afternoon as Jen left the house and started to drive away, a strange sound whizzed across the open front car windows from the driver’s side through the passenger side. She was startled by the sound. Her heart began to pound. Jen glanced over at the thicket of overgrown shrubs and trees to the side of the grounds that led back into woodlands. Had the sound been a bullet? If so, it had nearly hit her. Her hands shook on the driver’s wheel as she took off at high speed.
One block away she heard the police siren and saw the flashing lights. She groaned. Not again! He signaled with his hand, pointing his index finger for her to pull over. It was all she could do not to burst into tears.
Grant Coleman approached the car like a gunfighter in a spaghetti western. “I thought you learned something the first time,” he said. “Guess I was wrong. License and registration.” He held out his hand with a bored, impatient gesture.
“I have a very good reason for speeding.”
The smile was more of a smirk. The man was infuriating! “I’ve heard them all, but you can try.”
“As I left my grandmother’s house, a bullet passed through my car. I had the windows rolled down. So they weren’t broken, but it just missed hitting me.”
He stared at her. “Maybe it was a kid with a Beebe gun. Are you certain it was a bullet breezing by you? How familiar are you with weapons?”
“Not familiar at all, but I know what I heard.” Jen swallowed hard. “I think someone might have intended to shoot me.”
He let out a loud laugh. “In Bloomingvale? I doubt that very much.”
“So you’re not taking this seriously?” She folded her arms over her chest.
“Admit it. You’re just looking for an excuse to keep me from writing you another ticket.” His intense gray eyes bore into her like the steel blade of a dagger.
Jen raised her chin and stiffened her spine. “You are so wrong. Why don’t you check the area near the house, just to see if you can find anything.”
“Waste of time.” He leaned toward her and she felt his breath on her cheek which caused her to shiver. “Tell you what I will do though. I won’t write you a ticket this time because that’s the most creative excuse I’ve ever heard.”
“So glad I managed to amuse you,” she said.
Jen watched him drive off. He was probably still laughing, the sexy jerk. Several people had come out of their houses and were staring at her. Jen managed to restart her car and drove off before others gathered. She certainly didn’t want to make a spectacle of herself. Letting out a shaky breath, Jen wasn’t certain now if she’d really heard what she thought she had. A professional law enforcement officer didn’t think anything of it. She supposed it might have been nothing at all. Maybe it was a child with a Beebe gun as he suggested. But try as hard as she might, Jen couldn’t convince herself.

Which cover as a reader would attract you more?
Which cover seems more appropriate for the novel? 
Your thoughts and opinions appreciated!


23 comments:

momofemmett said...

Sorry, but I like the first one. The second is too much like every other romance cover. That's why my daughter likes to design covers with objects rather than people...makes them stand out in the crowd of "people" covers.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Thanks for your input. I will pass your comments on to the publisher.

Patricia Gligor's Writers Forum said...

I hate to say this but I like the original cover best. It entices me to want to read the book, which is the purpose of a cover. I hope your publisher agrees to go with it.

Loretta Wheeler said...

Oh, well, I'm the odd gal out. I like the second one better :) I thought, oh my...that looks interesting... :)

Wishing you good luck with the sales, Jacqueline :) Lo

Maris said...

I also like the first (original) cover best. It tells so much more than the second cover. Also, I've seen way too many covers with a similar design to the second one. I think your book (if it has the second cover design) might get lost in the crowd.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Patricia and Maris,

I'm counting votes and appreciate your reasoning for preferring the original cover.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Loretta,

I think the publisher (Intrigue) will appreciate your comment very much. They do prefer the 2nd cover and paid for it.

Unknown said...

The second looks more professional. The first looks a bit like a self published book with a collage of clip art. The second is more polished and I could imagine it on bookshelves.

Pamela S Thibodeaux said...

Wow, BEAUTIFUL new cover!
Not that the other one wasn't LOL!

Good luck and God's blessings
PamT

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Thanks, C., for the input. I'm certain the publisher will be pleased with your analysis.

Pam,

Thank you as well. You also clearly prefer the new cover.

Jan Christensen said...

Jacqueline, I like the second cover better--it is more polished, I think, although I didn't particularly like the two faces at the top for some reason. Perhaps because tyhey showed up on the screen before the rest of the cover before I scrolled down. Good luck with your newest offering!

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Jan,

Thanks for commenting. My husband says he thinks the second cover is more professional as well.

Susan Oleksiw said...

The second cover looks more professional but I disliked the two faces at the top--they seem too dominant. Congratulations on your new book.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Hi Susan,

Thanks for commenting and offering your views.

Gary Val Tenuta said...

The new cover catches my attention and piques my curiosity more than the old cover. As a cover designer (http://YourBookCoverDesigner.webstarts.com), I think the overall gold tones of the new cover have a subtle but powerful psychological effect in terms of the perception of wealth. Book covers are all about "perception" and "first impressions". The all-upper-case title on the new cover gives the impression of "significance" and "importance". The fact that it's in red against a white background just adds to that psychological impression. Whereas the mostly lower case title in blue against a dull gray background on the old cover has little, if any real impact at all and is almost instantly forgettable. In terms of "first impressions", I have to say it leaves me thinking if the story isn't any more impactful than the cover then I'm definitely not interested. Also, as someone else mentioned, the original cover has the look of a cut-and-paste job. It's not awful, by any means. In fact, it was done pretty well, compared to some that I've seen. I'd give the execution a C+. But that still leaves a "perception/impression" of falling just short of polished and professional which, of course, leads to the perception that the story and the writing might fall short, too. But hey, this is all just my opinion. As we all know, opinions are like belly buttons. Everybody has one. ;-)

I'm curious about one thing. Do either of the homes portrayed on the covers actually correspond to the way the home is described in the story? There's a huge difference between the two. So it just made me wonder.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Hi Gary,

Thanks so much for your insightful comments. I get the feeling you do excellent cover art. The second cover has a much more accurate rendering of the house that the main character is inheriting.

jrlindermuth said...

The second cover speaks 'mystery' to me more than the first which I think would be more appropriate for a romance.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

John,

Thanks for commenting. Since this novel is really a mystery with romantic elements I prefer a cover that does emphasize that.

J. D. Webb said...

I like the second as well. It caught my eye more than the first. More intriguing and after reading the blurb it seemed more in tune.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Thanks for dropping by, J.D., and also for your comments.

Bonnie Tharp said...

I like them both. The second one is a lot steamer, though. Thanks for sharing, Jacqui.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Thanks for commenting, Bonnie. The novel is romantic but not steamy. I avoided that because I wanted to emphasize the mystery.

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