No, stop, don't roll your eyes. Don't click on to your next blog stop. This isn't yet more about the making of covers or about my covers, this is a HEADS-UP that the 2007 Cover Cafe Best Cover voting is open. (This is the one that used to be on All About Romance.) I have oohed and aahed over the beautiful covers; I have wrinkled my nose at the ones I think a bit meh; and I've looked at the "worst cover" category and felt for the authors who had no say while also thinking, I've seen plenty worse.

Toughest category to pick my favourite: Alternate Reality. Also contemporary single title had a couple I really loved and found hard to pick between.

Slightly disappointed that the series (category romance) is top-heavy in non-peopled covers. Not saying they're not gorgeous covers, just that I'd have liked to see some variety which included, for example, a gorgeous traditional romantic cover a la Harlequin Romance. I was also going to say, and a Desire (who me, biased?), but after a quick hunt I couldn't find one from 07 that I loved. Same quick hunt revealed these enticing examples from Harlequin Romance without breaking a sweat.

Guess I'm a bit of a fan of the traditional couples after all. :-)

Labels: covers, other blogs

There's a fabulous post at Liz Fielding's blog by a freelance artist who does cover work for Harlequin. I linked to another by the same artist at Pink Heart Society a few months back, but if you missed that one and are interested in the process of how a cover comes into being, go take a look.

Labels: covers, other blogs

In the comments to my last post about cover art, Dena asked how I felt about my covers and whether they'd been true likenesses to my characters. (She didn't ask that exactly, but her comment led me to that question.) I decided to put my 14 covers to date into one image and in the long, fiddly process--graphic artist, I am not!--thought about that question.


I haven't had any real shockers, in terms of wrong hair colour etc although when I analyse them one by one I see how few matched the image in my head. My first cover, In Bed With The Boss's Daughter, is still one of my favourite covers even though the cover model is too elegant and not brawny enough for how I imagined my slightly-rough-around-the-edges Jack Manning. But I love the cover because of its subtle sensuality.

The best likeness, by far, is A Tempting Engagement. That is Mitch and Emily, just as I pictured them. The worst? Zane is absolutely not right -- he has longer, lighter hair and is NOT Mr Clean Cut. The title is Zane: The Wild One, after all. Most of the others are, to quote Randy Jackson, "just okay" as far as character likenesses go.

The only cover that I hated on sight and still despise. The Rugged Shadow. Is that ugly or what?


To counteract that *shudder* horror, two of my all-time favourite covers are for foreign editions of The Rugged Loner. The character likenesses in these two are perfect for Tomas and Angie, yet I imagine they came out of the stock file. I wonder if they got it right by chance, or if they read the character descriptions?

Labels: covers

Dorchester author, Marianne Mancusi, is a TV producer for her day job, working on a show called Better TV. Recently she and Better TV partnered with Dorchester Publishing to do a story on how a romance novel cover is created, from concept to final product. Haven't watched it myself yet (need to connect some speakers that work because it's really not the same without sound!) but I will. I'm always fascinated by behind-the-scenes stuff and thought I may just share that fascination with some others out there. If you do watch it, let me know what you think.

Labels: covers, other blogs

Have just caught my first peek of the cover of my April release. I've been wanting a hero-only cover forever (remember those Man of the Months covers Desire did for years?) and included this scenario as my first choice on the Art Fact Sheets year after year. Finally gave up when Man of the Month was scrapped but, here it is, my first hero-only cover. On my 14th book!!!


What do you think? Do you like the man only, or do you prefer to see a couple on the cover?

Labels: covers, Tycoon's One-Night Revenge

I've just been taking a sneak peak at the covers for the March Desires and there are some absolute crackers. Here's what I'm talking about....




What do you think -- hot or what?

Labels: covers, Silhouette Desire

Vows & A Vengeful Groom will be out in Australia and New Zealand in February 08 and this is the cover. What do you think?

Labels: covers, Vows and a Vengeful Groom

Labels: covers, foreign translations

Yesterday I received my copies of the Lithuanian translation of Just A Taste. Or, as they like to call it in Lithuania, Tik Viena Bucini. The characters look nothing like Seth and Jillian...which is okay because in Lithuania they're known as Setas and Lilijana. LOL. What IS that thing growing on his chin???

Labels: covers, foreign translations, Just A Taste, Lithuania

Just received the cover of my January 08 book, the first in a super glamorous new series called DIAMONDS DOWN UNDER and I love it! I'm showing the whole spread because the scattered diamonds on the back are so pretty, although the clarity of the pic doesn't do it justice.


HIS LOVER OF TEN MONTHS.
HIS WIFE OF TEN DAYS.
HIS EX OF TEN YEARS.

Ric Perrini, chairman of Blackstone Diamonds and Sydney's sexiest bachelor, still had one elusive prize to catch... Kimberley Blackstone. Luring her back to her estranged father's company, back to her birthright, would be Ric's toughest job ever. Luring her back into his arms, his most pleasurable. Ric had laid claim to part of Kim before; this time he'd accept nothing but her total surrender...

DIAMONDS DOWN UNDER
The cut, clarity & cost of family

Labels: covers, Diamonds Down Under, Vows and a Vengeful Groom

Labels: Bought-and-Paid-For Wife, covers, foreign translations

Labels: covers, foreign translations, The Rugged Loner

The annual poll to find the best romance novel covers of the past year is now open for voting. This is the one previously hosted by All About Romance but which now has its own dedicated site. It's always fun to see which covers the committee has chosen as finalists, how many I agree are fabulous and how many do nothing for me. Voting closes May 11. I tried to vote but for some reason am getting error messages. Hope you have more luck!

Labels: contest, covers, poll

Last weekend in Toronto, Harlequin held an open casting house for "real men" who wanted a chance at becoming a Harlequin cover model.

"We're looking for some guys that are not your usual models, but have that iconic look that women go for--sexy, sensitive, beautiful and fit," said Harlequin spokeswoman Marleah Stout. According to this article, 200 men answered the call and several were called back for cover shoots.

"Some of the heroes are captains of industry, billionaires," said Deborah Peterson, a Harlequin creative designer and a judge at the audition. "A lot of the models were too young, men in their twenties...and our audience likes men a little bit older, a bit bigger, than the runway models."

Hear, hear, Deborah! Although this dude on Michelle Celmer's upcoming Desire pretty much fits the bill, don't you think?

Labels: covers, Harlequin, Silhouette Desire