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Sunday, March 15, 2015

Cover story by Michelle Styles

My latest cover --Summer of the Viking (out in June) popped into my inbox the other day. Because I have little control over my covers, this moment is always one of dread and anticipation. This time, it was huge relief as I really like the cover.
I was re-doing my website (www.michellestyles.co.uk ) and happened to place it along side two of my other recent covers.

The first thing  I noticed was the colour scheme for all three was similar.  I like the sort of yellow/sunset tinge to the covers.
The second thing was the  male cover model in Saved by the Viking Warrior and  Summer of the Viking appears to be the same. Not that I am complaining. I certainly would not kick him out of bed for eating crackers. I am not sure of the model's name. Perhaps Doug Porter. Does anyone know  for definite? I am always amazed by how many models' names some romance readers know!
I happen to like the background as it does remind me very much of the area around County Durham where the story takes place.
The other cover I have seen recently is the cover for my latest UK reprint. I had thought good when I saw via the computer but when the books arrived, I was really impressed. The lettering of Regency is in gold. 
It is a reprint of An Impulsive Debutante and A Question of Impropriety.  The UK has an on going programme of reprinting Regency/Victorian novels.
Anyway the choice of colour for the dress made me laugh. Originally I had a teal blue gown of this sort in An Impulsive Debutante but my then editor found a lovely cover picture which had a rose pink gown and asked if I would changed it. The model in that cover looked quite a bit like my editor. It wasn't crucial to the story so I did. It is good to have the dress that I had originally imagined on the front (even though I have no idea how it happened!)
The above cover was designed by Becky Gibbery and I think she did a lovely job. In addition to the dress, I really like the necklace but I think it would be difficult to keep good. It looks to be seed pearls.
Michelle Styles writes warm, witty and intimate historicals in a wide range of time periods. You can learn more about Michelle and her books on www.michellestyles.co.uk


2 comments:

dstoutholcomb said...

That is a pretty necklace. I had a faux pearl "collar" style necklace I wore for my wedding--not as many rows as the one on your cover.

Denise

Michelle Styles said...

OH that is interesting. I hadn't thought of seeing about faux pearls. It is good to know the styles to ask for.