Monday, January 19, 2015

Monday Meandering - January 19th

First Meander

We had SO much fun at Disneyland last week. The weather was wonderful. Since Christmas is over, can we have April now? But I'm exhausted. I'm glad today's a holiday for me.

My daughter, oldest granddaughter, and me. Oh, and Minnie.
Second Meander

A couple of items about Torn Canvas, Safe Harbors #2.

First item--new cover.

It's important to pay attention. I've noticed a few comments that the old cover for TC made it seem like a steamy story. Expectation is huge when you're trying to decide on a book to buy. It made me wonder if perhaps my target audience--people looking for a clean read--might not be picking it up because of the cover.

I posed the question in two "clean read" groups and a third one with a broader readership. The overwhelming response was that the old cover with a guy wearing an open shirt implied steam. And the vast majority said they would not pick up the book because of the cover--though my discussion about the book made it sound like something they'd like to read.

So, I went to work with my cover designer and this is the new cover. I've also tweaked the cover copy to give less emphasis on the romance since it's not really a romance. It's really a tale of redemption.


Modern-day pirates took more than Jori Virtanen’s friends; they stole his face. Not only does the twenty-four-year-old former model have to confront months of reconstructive surgery, he discovers his previous life was as superficial as his looks. Up-and-coming talk show host Olivia Howard wants an interview. She, like the rest of the press, expects a hero, but Jori knows the truth. His beauty masks a beast. 

In seclusion and evading the press, Jori struggles to make a new life as an artist. But he can’t hide from himself; more than his face is damaged. How can Jori possibly make amends for all that he’s broken? When Olivia finally tracks him down, he must decide if he can trust her. Could this unlikely woman be a key to freeing his heart and healing the beast?

Second item about Torn Canvas.

The audiobook is in production! I've approved the first two chapters and am loving how the narrator is doing. *sigh*


Third Meander

A Season of Change, Safe Harbors 2.5. is getting close to its release date. It's time to share the gorgeous cover and a bit about the story.





It’s a time of change for Jori Virtanen. The former playboy model is about to be married. He juggles wedding arrangements, a bachelor party, and plans for keeping the ceremony secret from the press. 

But Jori has another problem. He has to figure out how to tell one of his best friends, Marc North, that his girlfriend may not be what she appears.





24 comments:

  1. Glad you had a good time at Disneyland.
    Both covers are great! Really like the paintbrushes in the first one.

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  2. Glad you had a great time, a vacation day is nice indeed to rest I bet. Both covers look great, I can see how some would view open shirt as steamy.

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    1. Haha Five days about killed me, wonderful as they were. I must be getting old ...

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  3. I love that you were proactive with your cover change. The new cover definitely implies some sort of alteration or change. The brushes do it for me. :) glad you enjoyed Disney!

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    1. It's amazing what a different cover does for the expectations, isn't it?

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  4. I like the new look! I changed Healing Summer for the same reason. The first cover looked hot and steamy.

    Glad you had a great time in Disney!

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    1. Yeah. A friend mentioned that she couldn't host the release on her blog because her hubby would throw a fit. Um, that should have warned me. lol

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  5. LOVE the covers! :)

    I think it's funny that you and I did the same thing - for opposite reasons. People thought my romance was a clean/sweet one and then BAM (sorry for the shock!). So I put a kissy couple on the front and am re-releasing it to see if it can get a bit more traction.

    Can't wait to read the 2.5 Yay Jori!! :D Great job on the covers, Donna.
    (Sorry if this posts twice, the first one disappeared)

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  6. Glad you had such a fun trip. And awesome covers. It feels like they are a good match too. When your book releases, don't forget to send me a copy of the cover with a two sentence blurb and a few links so I can post them for you.

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  7. Love the photo! Four lovely ladies! Er...3 lovely ladies and 1 lovely mouse :) The covers are beautiful.

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  8. Lovely family photo and nice book covers! I'd only change one thing: when you have two photos on a cover one has to have a bigger focus at least a bit, it has to be either bigger than the other one, or the image in its centre has to be in larger focus. You should not have both of them vague or bland

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  9. The new covers are gorgeous.

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  10. I recently did a book cover change for some books. Getting the inside scoop behind the changes is always so enlightening.

    And Congrats on the progress being made for the audiobook and your next-in-series :-)

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    1. I really did love that first cover but because of the scene in the book. But if it doesn't appeal to my target audience, that's a problem.

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  11. Yay for Disneyland!!! We usually make it to Disney World twice a year, living only 3 hrs away from Orlando :-) And yay for an awesome new 'clean' cover . . . both of those covers really draw you in.

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    1. Do you do season passes then, Jamie? That's what my daughter did this year since they're planning to go back again in December.

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  12. The new cover for Torn Canvas works. Should solve the misconception problem. Love the one for Season of Change, too.

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  13. Wahoo for the new cover and audio book stuff! I'm so excited for you, and the second book. it looks awesome.

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  14. I love the covers. It's interesting to see variations and improvements on them. I'm glad you had fun.

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