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:
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.
Thanks for your input. I will pass your comments on to the publisher.
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.
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
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.
Patricia and Maris,
I'm counting votes and appreciate your reasoning for preferring the original cover.
Loretta,
I think the publisher (Intrigue) will appreciate your comment very much. They do prefer the 2nd cover and paid for it.
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.
Wow, BEAUTIFUL new cover!
Not that the other one wasn't LOL!
Good luck and God's blessings
PamT
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.
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!
Jan,
Thanks for commenting. My husband says he thinks the second cover is more professional as well.
The second cover looks more professional but I disliked the two faces at the top--they seem too dominant. Congratulations on your new book.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for commenting and offering your views.
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.
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.
The second cover speaks 'mystery' to me more than the first which I think would be more appropriate for a romance.
John,
Thanks for commenting. Since this novel is really a mystery with romantic elements I prefer a cover that does emphasize that.
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.
Thanks for dropping by, J.D., and also for your comments.
I like them both. The second one is a lot steamer, though. Thanks for sharing, Jacqui.
Thanks for commenting, Bonnie. The novel is romantic but not steamy. I avoided that because I wanted to emphasize the mystery.
We are uhe solid first platform for modeling newcomers to achieve there new dreams. The first to train and promote out models at our expense to avoid burden on them. Join the most popular agency if you modelling jobs in Delhi for female freshers, models, students, housewives aiming to start there modeling career. We are top modelling agency in Delhi offering modelling jobs in Delhi for upcoming female freshers or experienced models who want to join lingerie modeling agencies.
modeling agencies in Delhi
modeling agencies
modeling jobs
modeling auditions
model coordinators
modeling jobs in Delhi
Post a Comment