But first, if you haven’t seen it yet, here is the lovely design–© Courtney Milan–for A DANCE IN MOONLIGHT, my novella that was first published in the anthology MIDNIGHT SCANDALS.
A DANCE IN MOONLIGHT is now available as a stand-alone, for the special, limited time price of $0.99. You can buy the e-version at Amazon, Amazon UK, Apple, Nook, All Romance, Google, and Kobo. The print version should be available from CreateSpace in a couple of days.
And now, what you came for. 🙂
I really enjoy the color palette. Now I should probably add a green dress to Louisa’s wardrobe. 🙂
And since a blog post should be just slightly more substantial than two covers–not that it had ever stopped me from putting up two-cover posts before–I am going to include another snippet from THE BURNING SKY.
Those of you who have heard me give my subtext workshop know that I have always admired the way TWILIGHT was packaged. Not so much the cover, cuz I am more or less impervious to covers, but the back blurb. In particular, this little excerpt:
About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him—and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be—that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.
That was what got me to open my wallet and buy my copy. So for the THE BURNING SKY, I wanted to do the same thing, but I wasn’t sure whether I could dig up such a passage that so succinctly encapsulates the entire romantic conflict.
In the end I copy-and-pasted a bunch of candidates and sent to my editor. This is the one she chose. Not sure if you will actually see it on the back cover, since the jacket is far from finalized, but at least you can see it here.
“Every place out there is dangerous for you. Have you not realized this yet?”
She wished he wouldn’t speak so quietly and reasonably. “More dangerous than here? You will lead me to my death.”
“I will lay down my life for you. Do you know anyone else who will do that?”
I will lay down my life for you. The words had a strange effect on her, a pain almost like a wasp sting to the heart. She shut the valise. “Can you promise me I will live? No? I thought not.”
This is actually my second favorite among the candidates. Next time I blog, I’ll post my top favorite snippet that would get me to open my wallet.
Hmm. For whom the microwave beeps? Ah, it beeps for me. My late lunch calls. Toodles. 🙂
Beautiful covers! I really loved the article Courtney wrote about covers a while back when she was working on the Midnight Scandals one–now I look at my kindle covers in a totally different way.
And I like the blurb they chose–makes me want to know more about the relationship and what’s going to happen.
You mean the article I wrote? 🙂
Oh my gosh–yes! The article you wrote. Sorry! 🙂
That’s a beautiful cover for The Luckiest Lady in London. If it’s not too late, I think it would be great to include a green gown in the book. Readers assume that the cover will match a scene in the book or be an apt representation of a character’s looks, when in actuality, a cover rarely does.
BTW, you had a great attitude about the RITA finalists, but I still say Ravishing the Heiress deserved recognition. That was a beautifully constructed story.
I agree about the RITAs–so shocked that Heiress or TtB were not included. Most of my favorite books last year were overlooked–sad!
That’s the nature of the RITAs. It doesn’t make anyone’s win/nomination less valid, but by the same token, non-win/nomination also doesn’t take away from a book. DELICIOUS was never nominated and that doesn’t change my opinion that it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. HIS AT NIGHT was a winner, and still I look at it with a bit of a jaundiced eye. 🙂
I don’t think Ravishing the Heiress went unrecognized. It was one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Reads of Summer 2012. Good enough for me.
On the topic of blurbs that cause readers to open the wallets…
The blurb below works for me. 100 %. Brilliant! There is no way I will *not* be buying the book…AND I read it before seeing your post here about the Twilight back cover copy.
Just before the start of Summer Half, in April 1883, a very minor event took place at Eton College, that venerable and illustrious English public school for boys. A sixteen-year-old pupil named Archer Fairfax returned from a three-month absence, caused by a fractured femur, to resume his education.
Almost every word in the preceding sentence is false. Archer Fairfax had not suffered a broken limb. He had never before set foot in Eton. His name was not Archer Fairfax. And he was not, in fact, even a he.
This is the story of a girl who fooled a thousand boys, a boy who fooled an entire country, a partnership that would change the fate of realms, and a power to challenge the greatest tyrant the world had ever known.
Expect magic.
Hi Tessa,
I’m so glad it did.
That bit came about because I was still having trouble opening the story after some dozen or so attempts. Then I finally decided to look to see how I open my romances. Very often I tell the reader exactly what kind of story they are going to get, so why not do the same with the YA? 🙂
I’d rather hoped it might be put on the backcover, but I think everyone prefers it on the first page, where it is right now.