All Covered Up!

Aunty is beaming with pride to welcome back her good writer-buddy and Lair favorite Kendra Leigh Castle, who is celebrating the release of her newest book Dark Awakening.

As you probably know, Kendra Leigh Castle writes dark paranormal romance and lives in southern Maryland with her husband, three kids, and a menagerie of pets. Find her online at her website: www.kendraleighcastle.com

Thanks to the incomparable Aunty Cindy for inviting me back to the Lair! In gratitude, I have brought with me a hunk to share. Chocolate covered... my favorite!

So today I wanted to talk about (surprise!) the visual aspect of what makes us pick up a romance novel. I've just returned from RWA 11 in New York City, where I not only had an amazing time and got to sign my new release Dark Awakening, but I also somehow accumulated a duffel bag full of shiny new books even though I promised myself I'd behave on that count this year. Truth is, though, I'm a sucker for a good cover. And if that good cover, along with its story, comes for the price of free, it is finding a spot in my luggage. I'm a cover ho! I'm not ashamed.

At the Grand Central Spotlight, a Q&A where editors and publicists for that house discuss what they do for their books, there was some talk about the importance of the cover. You've got just a few seconds to catch a potential reader's eye so the art department has a HUGE task.

We've all felt the impact of a fabulous cover. And I'd guess we've all walked on by what might be a great book because the cover just didn't do it for us. I got a big kick out of watching readers wandering the Grand Central signing, of which I was proud to be a part this year, and scan the tables. They'd look, look... and then the eyes would dart back. The expression in the eyes was unmistakable, "Ooh. Pretty." I caught a fair number of people with this:

Now, I'm biased but my cover really works for me. Dark atmospherics, check. Cool font, check. Pettable abs framed by a leather coat, check. To me it all says, "This book has a hot, brooding supernatural man in it who totally gets naked at some point and YOU WILL LOVE IT! NOM! NOM! NOM!" But, uh, you know, that's just me. *AHEM* (Note from Aunty: actually, that was EXACTLY what I was thinking!)

Now, it doesn't always have to be a guy on the cover. This is a release coming in the spring, no guy to be seen and even if I hadn't read a most excellent excerpt I'd be dying to grab it. Check this out:

I love the fire and the kickass chick in a dress. It's got the "Ooh pretty" factor in spades. I notice I head for a lot of the female-centric covers, actually. For one thing, I know they're likely to be urban fantasy, which I've suddenly gotten into, but also, the image of a gorgeous, empowered woman who looks ready to take on the world is something that appeals to me. Take, for instance, the cover of Nalini Singh's Guild Hunters series: gorgeous heroine with weapons AND wings? Yes, please! I think maybe this is because we know, as the reader, that we'll be seeing the world through this heroine's eyes. We obviously want her to be as amazing as possible, since for the duration of the story, in some sense, we are her.

So what draws you to a cover? For me, it is less the gender of the person on the cover than the general feel. I want dark, lush, sensual for both paranormal and erotic paranormal. If it's an urban fantasy, I want warrior hawtness. I want the atmosphere of the book in a single mouth-watering shot. Which is why I'm pretty excited about the cover for my January release, Midnight Reckoning. I know, I know, shameless plug, but seriously:

So let's talk covers! What do you look for? Do you have a recent favorite? What makes you stop and grab a book?

I've got a signed copy of Dark Awakening for one commenter who I'll select at random. Aunty will announce the winner tomorrow, so be sure to check back!

A Tale of Two (or More) Covers

by Anna Sugden

I'm delighted to welcome back a Lair favourite and a dear friend, the fabulous Kate Walker. Kate is not only here to share details of her latest wonderful book - The Proud Wife - but also to tell us some exciting news .... and give away an extra-special prize to celebrate! So, without further ado, I'll have you over to Kate.

Happy April Banditas – I really do think that Spring has started to arrive here in the UK. The crocuses (crocii?) are flowering, the daffodils are starting to open out in glowing yellow, and my new (well six month old) ginger and white kitten is out chasing flies and bumble bees in the sunshine.

I'm really happy to be able to be back with you to say Hi again and to share my good news about my newest title – and one of my older ones. Every new book that I have published is a real thrill. It’s a delight and an excitement that never goes away – no matter how many titles I have in my backlist. This latest, brand-new, beautiful ‘baby’ is one I’ve never seen in the shops before. It’s a ‘first’ for this title and seeing it in all its untouched beauty in a new cover, new title is a very special thrill.

It’s one of the best things about being an author. That feeling of seeing your work in print is something that never fades – or it hasn’t for me.

But with my latest book, The Proud Wife, a March release in UK, there was an extra edge to the excitement this time around. Because this was my very first paperback edition with the new style UK covers.

I’m assuming that you’ve spotted the new covers on the UK editions of the Mills & Boon books – but just in case you haven’t, here’s an example of how they've changed.

My last UK release, The Good Greek Wife, was out in paperback in this style cover

My current title The Proud Wife is in a UK cover like this.

I’ve had a lot of emails and messages from readers telling me just how much they love this cover – and I have to agree that it is beautiful. Stylish, elegant – and quite a long way from the clichéd clinch covers there used to be. I also love the fact that we now have great new titles – well, some are great and they’re all new titles and a long way away from the Ruthless Greek/Italian/Spaniard/Sheikh’s Blackmail and Revenge on the Innocent Virgin Amnesiac Housekeeper Heroine titles that were used for too long. The Proud Wife is a much better title.

But I have to admit that when I first looked at the cover of The Proud Wife, what I really thought was – huh? This may be a lovely cover - but it isn’t the cover to my book. The heroine on the cover my by lovely – but she’s not my heroine – not the Marina I’ve written about. My heroine is a feisty, voluptuous redhead, a woman of spirit, full of defiance. This woman looks cool, calm and collected - a bit icy perhaps. Can you imagine her throwing the papers containing her divorce settlement in the face of the man she once loved to the point of madness?

No, me neither! So I have to admit that, clichéd as it might be – maybe even a little old-fashioned - but as an author I like the cover of my Presents Extra edition that bit better. At least here my heroine looks as if she has a bit of a spark about her. She also had the red hair that so attracted her hero Pietro when he first met her.

But as a reader, and a buyer, I do like the new covers that Mills & Boon have brought out. I like the way that they have a freshness, a less stylised design. I like the way that the picture of the heroine/heroine/any combination of the two is above the title and underneath the title and the author’s name is another photograph that gives a clue to where the book is set or what happens in it. I love the way that every line – from Modern Romance Medicals, Historicals or the brand new RIVA – all have their own individual looks, designs that tell the reader only too clearly that these books all have their own flavour, they’re own style, they are not just more of the same, ‘cookie-cutter’ stories – which of course they are not.

Thinking about the new covers started me thinking about the way the covers of my books have changed since I started out over 25 years ago. (I was a child author, honest.) My very first cover looked like this (The Chalk Line) and they couldn’t even get the hero’s hair colour right. Then we had the ‘half a heart’ design (Flirting with Danger) The first set of photographic covers , the blue ‘swoosh’ (Good Greek Wife) and now we’re back to photographs again.

Of course, as an author, I have to say I love the emphasis given to the name of the person who wrote the book in the new style covers. And the change in the design of the covers shows how romance writing is a living, growing developing thing. Not just something set in stone and never altering. The new look M&B covers seem fresh and interesting on the bookshop shelves. But then again that Presents cover with it s white cover, the red banner at the top and the image in the circle has become a real icon over time – I know lots of people would hate to have it changed.

What do you think? Do you like the new-style covers? Would you like to see the Presents design given a make-over? Or would you prefer things to stay the same? And what are your favourite covers? Cover designs you really love – or the opposite? What about the ones you hate? Are you one of the readers that journalists claim are part of the boom in ebook buying because you’re embarrassed by the covers on the books? I’d love to know.

Which sort of brings me to my great news and my cause for celebration. Because one of my books with a cover I don’t like very much at all is The Konstantos Marriage Demand. It’s a cover that just doesn’t appeal to me. But I’m very very fond of that book because, as I’m now finally able to announce, The Konstantos Marriage Demand, has just been awarded Best Presents Extra 2010 in the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards. I just wish I could be at the RT convention next week to pick up the award – but I’ll raise a toast to the book – and to everyone who’s going to be there anyway!

And as anyone who knows me knows that when I celebrate I love to share my joy – so to celebrate this award, I’m adding in a copy of The Konstantos Marriage Demand to my giveaway this time. I have two pairs of books – The brand new The Proud Wife and the Award winning Konstantos Marriage Demand - to give away to someone who posts a comment about the covers you like – or not.

You can find out all about Kate's books, and all the latest news by checking out her web site at: http://www.kate-walker.com or her blog at http://kate-walker.blogspot.com/

I Have A Cover!

By Kate

And it’s a beauty! (If I do say so myself!) It’s the cover for THE LIES THAT BIND, my November 2010 Bibliophile Mystery. It comes out barely two months from now!

Much of this book takes place at a fictional books arts center in San Francisco that I call Bay Area Book Arts, or BABA, and my cover depicts one cozy corner of BABA.

And pardon me while I gush, but I’m so in love with this room with its wall of beautiful books and its gorgeous view of the Golden Gate Bridge. There's Baba Ram Dass, the cat who lives at BABA, as well as a few clues scattered about. And it’s all as imagined by the brilliant artists at Penguin Books. I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful team working on my book covers.

Here’s the back cover copy …

One bookbinder. One bully. One beau.
Looks like someone has got to go…

When it comes to rare books and antiquities, Brooklyn Wainwright is a master. That's why she has returned home to San Francisco to teach a bookbinding class at Bay Area Book Arts. Unfortunately, BABA director Layla Fontaine is a horrendous host who pitches fits and lords it over her subordinates. With the help of her beau, Derek Stone, Brooklyn manages to put on a brave face and endure.

Unfortunately, someone else is not so forgiving. Layla is found dead from a gunshot wound, and Brooklyn is bound and determined to investigate. But when Layla's past ends up intertwined with Derek's, Brooklyn realizes that the case is much more personal than she thought--and the killer might want to close the book on her for good.

Dare I say it? I love this book! It’s got all my favorite characters: Brooklyn and Derek and Gabriel and Minka and Guru Bob and Mom and Dad, plus a few new ones you haven't met yet, but I think you'll enjoy getting to know them. Plus there’s a lot of San Francisco in this book, which is just about my favorite city in the whole world. There's mystery and romance ... and the occasional dead body, of course. What's a mystery without them?

So … do you ever buy a book based solely on the cover? When was the last time you did so, and what book was it? Who are your favorite ongoing characters in a series, romance or mystery? What city would you most like to read about? And how do you feel about cats in mysteries? :-)

Oh, did I mention that THE LIES THAT BIND is available for pre-order here? :-)

And today I’m giving away an ARC of THE LIES THAT BIND to one random commenter. So comment away!!

It’s all about the Money, Honey!

by Susan Sey

Big news today, darlings: Money, Honey—the book of my heart that I almost didn’t submit anywhere because it was so tragically flawed, the book I’ve been waiting to see in print for nearly two full years—that book? It hits the shelves today. Let the chandelier swinging/shield sliding/rooster grabbing commence!

I personally plan to sit around all day with a stupid grin on my face, nursing a ridiculously strong drink, and making suggestive remarks to the gladiators. I may talk the Golden Rooster into a tango later. He’s divine on his sharp little feet, & I feel like dancing.

But first, walk with me. Come on. This way, while we can still walk a straight line. Demetrius? Grab that torch, will you, darling? Sven? Be a dear & bring along that pitcher of margaritas. Watch your step, now, everybody. The stairs are a bit sketchy, the door jamb’s a bit low…but okay. Here we are, safe and sound.

Welcome to the Cover Art Hall of Fame! Why are we here, you ask? Why are we in a long, stone hall deep in the Lair, lined with giant, gorgeously framed prints of romance novel covers?

It’s the Fabio jokes. They’re killing me.

Okay, let’s back up. I’ll explain.

As you all know, a book release isn’t a book release anymore without the accompanying blog tour. And mine kicks off here, today, as you can see. But a handful of other blogs have graciously consented to host my shameless promo-hoing as well. And I’ll tell you the truth—as much as I cherish my Call Story, I didn’t feel up to telling it ten to twelve times over a two week period. If you’re interested in a fabulous retelling of it, however, RT has been kind enough to offer me their Debut Author Spotlight this week. I go into my Journey to Publication there. You can check it out by clicking here.

For those of you interested in traveling a little further afield, however, welcome to Susan’s Blog Tour in which I will, at each whistle stop, heroically address the Top Ten Responses Commonly Heard when an Ill-Groomed Stay-at-Home Mom Announces her Secret Career as a Romance Novelist. (For the details of where I’ll be next & what I’ll be discussing, see my website.)

And I’m kicking things off here with my beloved gullar sahir. So let’s get started, shall we? We’ll begin, a la David Letterman, with Response #10: A smirky “Hey,will you get Fabio for your cover?”

Yeah, the dreaded Fabio question. This descends with depressing predictability into “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” jokes and a retelling of the time Fabio got nailed in the face with a pigeon while riding a roller coaster. (Okay, I’ll admit, that one’s still funny.)

Now I have nothing against Fabio. In my mind, he ranks right up there with William Shatner in terms of people who’ve parlayed a somewhat limited & outlandish skill set into a career of remarkable longevity. So it’s not Fabio himself. It’s the way his name has become shorthand for the entire romance genre. It’s the way people seem to think that Fabio—and his enthusiastic embrace of the overblown & ridiculous—IS romance. And THAT offends me. It’s about as accurate as saying all young actresses are Lindsay Lohan. “Got a role in a movie, young lady? Well,then, here’s your ankle monitor, a ziplock of prescription pills & a gallon of Red Bull & vodka. Go get ‘em, princess.”

This is not to say romance novel covers—or what’s between them—are free of ridiculousness. (Christina Dodd’s famous Heroine with Three Arms comes to mind.) But the vast majority of romance novels have perfectly lovely content—and Fabio-free covers. Just here in the Lair, we have some gorgeous—and recent—examples from nearly every subgenre. Walk with me, darlings. Let’s have a look.


In the historical category, we have Christine Wells’ Sweetest Little Sin. Sheer sexiness, literally & figuratively, & not a mullet in sight. Fabio weeps.

In the Category category, we have Kate Carlisle’s July release, The Millionaire Meets his Match. Now this is a Desire, so pretty sexy, right? So where’s all the skin? Underneath that well-fitted tux, I’m guessing. Nice.

In the Romantic Suspense category, we have Jeanne Adams’s Deadly Little Secrets, coming later this year. Dark, dangerous & sexy, the contemporary version of a clinch cover. I get a really noir, old Hollywood vibe here, don't you? I’d be proud to read it on the bus.

And (you knew it was coming, didn’t you?) here in the plain old contemporary category, we have my beloved Money, Honey. Again with the sexy clinch cover but the playful version this time. We have flirt, we have sexual tension, we have a handful of cash for heaven’s sake. What we do not have is cheese. Fabio only wishes he were my Patrick. (I’m biased, I’ll admit it, but my Patrick wears a custom-tailored tux like most guys wear t-shirts. It’s like his native habitat, which makes my heroine a little crazy. In the very best of ways, though. I’d encourage you to pick up a copy if you’re curious about why.)

I recognize, however, that not everybody is as lucky as we here in the Lair. Bad Covers do happen to Good Authors. Unless you’re Nora Roberts, chances are nobody’s asking your opinion when it comes to cover art.

So in the spirit of Laughing So We Don’t Cry, here’s some classic Fabio action for you. Pour yourself a margarita, put on your Snarking Cap and come up with a caption that suits the action. The top three captions (as judged by me in all my subjective glory) get a free copy of Money, Honey! Thanks for playing, darlings!

My Reckless Cover!

by Anna Campbell

LOOK! LOOK! LOOK!

I have a cover for my June 2010 release, MY RECKLESS SURRENDER!

Isn't it sexy? And that yellow just pops! This is going to look fabulous on the shelves of a bookstore!

I love the tagline too -

Seduction is a most dangerous game...

Yet her heart begs her to be reckless!

She has rather a come-hither look in her eyes, hasn't she? Something completely appropriate for the character. My heroine gets to be quite a naughty girl in this story - as you can probably tell from that steamy stepback with all the bare flesh. And he's pretty tsssss hot too, isn't he? Clearly, being reckless has its rewards.

Here's the blurb:

Headlong into sin...

A well-practiced rake, weary of easy conquests and empty pleasures, Tarquin Vale, Earl of Ashcroft, knows women—and his every instinct warns him to beware of this one. Diana Carrick’s brazen overtures have thrown the haunted, sinfully handsome lord completely off his guard. Why, the exquisite temptress stated outright that she wishes to be his lover! But it is neither Diana’s boldness nor her beauty that intrigues him so—it is the innocence he senses behind her worldly mask.

Intent upon the seduction that will finally free her, Diana has set her sights on the notorious Ashcroft—never dreaming that there is much more to the enigmatic rogue than sin and deviltry. His kiss is bewitching, his caress intoxicating—and even the dangerous secret Diana must protect cannot shield her from Ashcroft’s dark allure.

Unwittingly yet most willingly, they are playing with fire. Now the fuse has been lit and there is no escape…except surrender.

You can read an excerpt on my website. Check it out!

And while you're there, why not enter this month's contest which gives you a chance to win a signed trade paperback Aussie edition of one of my books? The question's really easy. Believe me, if you've seen this blog, you'll KNOW the answer, snork!

As has often been pointed out, the Banditas have been REALLY lucky with the cover gods. I think this is another one to add to the roll! You'll notice this is my first cover to feature a girl on her own. In fact, this cover to me is reminiscent of Christine and Donna's more recent releases. Definitely the glint in the heroine's eyes is something all of them have in common!

So what do you like to see on a cover? A clinch? An object of relevance to the story? A girl on her own? A guy on his own? An animal (I love Kate's cats!)? Does the cover ever convince you to buy the book?

And hey, don't you think MY RECKLESS SURRENDER's cover is indeed magnificent? LOL!