The 78th Copper Mountain Rodeo

By Jeannie Watt

Hey everyone and Happy Wednesday! I am so totally excited for the upcoming Tule Publishing Copper Mountain Rodeo series! The 75th Copper Mountain Rodeo was the first series published by Tule and were the books that had me coming back for more.  Now I'm part of the more! Crazy how things work, eh?

The 78th Copper Mountain Rodeo series goes on sale in September and I want to share the fantastic covers-- which Lee created. I'm a little in love with all of them.

Catch Me, Cowboy by Jeannie Watt  - September 8


She will not be his second choice…

When champion bronc rider Ty Harding returns home after four long years on the road, the first thing he does is look up Shelby O’Connor—the woman who begged him to stay. The woman he still loves.

Horse trainer Shelby O’Connor truly believes she’s over Ty—until he shows up on her family ranch and turns her world upside down. Shelby isn’t a big one for second chances, but she’s all about proving that she and Ty are done. But when she discovers that Ty plans to head back out on the rodeo circuit, despite his injuries, she has to come to terms with the fact that maybe she isn’t as over him as she thought she was. And now she has to decide what to do about that.

Will history repeat itself, or will Ty and Shelby get another chance at love?


Protect Me, Cowboy by Shelli Stevens -- September 15

With his competing days behind him, Wyatt Marshall has settled into ranching life in Marietta, Montana. But with the Copper Mountain Rodeo, his only exception, just around the corner, the last thing he needs is a distraction – especially one in the form of a pretty, yet vaguely familiar country singer.

For Claire Miller, it’s been almost a year since she fled Las Vegas with only her purse and the clothes on her back, and she’s been laying low in Montana with a new image. When she and her country band travel to perform in the small town of Marietta, she doesn’t plan on getting stranded there for several days. Or for an innocent offer to stay at a nearby ranch to turn out to be more than she bargained for: she recognizes its owner to be the same sexy cowboy she got hot and heavy with – then stood up – in Vegas.

With the passion flaring between them and Wyatt getting closer to putting the pieces together, Claire is ready to run again, not knowing the danger that sent her fleeing in the first place is close on her heels. 

Want Me, Cowboy by Sinclair Jayne -- September 22

All around cowboy Luke Wilder only came into Grey’s Saloon for a beer. Instead he ends up in a fight with a brother he never met and dumped by a fiery red haired bull breeder he only asked to dance. So much for keeping a low profile. But Luke is stubborn. And no woman’s ever said no to him twice, in business or pleasure.

Tanner McTavish is more focused on breeding bulls at the next level of IBR than in making out with cowboys, unless that cowboy is Luke Wilder. She’s secretly pined to catch his eye at several rodeos, but this Copper Mountain Rodeo is Tanner’s chance to chase a stock deal with the IBR. Things look to be all business, but looks can be deceiving, and Tanner’s never played it safe…

Can Tanner lasso her cowboy home for good?

Love Me, Cowgirl by Eve Gaddy  -- September 29

Disillusioned with love, Dr. Sean Gallagher returns to Marietta to join its expanding medical facility. Marietta’s newest, most eligible bachelor isn’t looking for long-term involvement – especially not with his brother’s much-younger former girlfriend, Honey Jordan. But short term? That’s another matter.

Escaping a toxic relationship with her father, barrel racer Honey spends as little time as possible in Marietta. Home for the 78th Annual Copper Mountain Rodeo, a brief fling with the town’s hottest new doc might be just the thing to distract her until she can leave again.

But when a riding accident strands Honey in Marietta, an affair meant to last a few nights turns into something much deeper, leaving both Sean and Honey torn between the safety of saying goodbye and the heartache of losing what they dare not admit they’ve found — one true and lasting love.

Does anyone have a favorite out of these four? I have a hard time choosing, so I'm going to go with my own. Thanks, Lee, for such a great representation for our stories!

The Title Game

       I was recently interviewed by our regional newspaper in preparation for a library event that was featuring 3 romance authors talking about our books, writing and all things romance and publishing. The journalist, who also covers very hard-hitting stories like political corruption, seemed to be having a fun time during the interview which made me very nervous about the outcome. He did have a great sense of humor as the article showed, but he was very surprised about one thing in romance novel publishing -- that authors have little or no control over coverart and TITLES. 

      And I know that readers are sometimes surprised by that, too. Most long-time readers are aware of that, but it's hard for most people to imagine that the person who creates the work has little or nothing to do with what it's called or how it's presented to the public. 

     It was a hard fact of writing-and-publishing life that I had to learn. . . and learn quickly! 
 
     I started out keeping my first title - A Love Through Time - but not my second one. Kept the third and fourth and then it went downhill from there! My 50% keeper rate continues to drop steadily.... DISHONORED-FORBIDDEN - BETRAYED became The Dumont Bride, The Norman's Bride and The Countess Bride. (Bride titled books sell really really well among Harlequins - LOL!)  Taming The Beast became Taming The Highlander, Tempting the Viking became Surrender to the Highlander and The Peacemaker's Bride (LOL) became Possessed by the Highlander. (Highlanders sell really, really, really well everywhere!) 

  So now, I simply call my books by a working title -- like MacLeries - Book 3 or Warriors of Destiny - book 1. And yes, it did backfire on me once -- I was calling my work-in-progress by the honorary title of the heroine who was the eldest daughter of the MacDougal clan -- she was and is referred to as 'The Maid of Lorne'. My editors liked that one and it stuck when I was expecting to have to change it...actually planning to! 

  And it hasn't only been with my Harlequin titles -- my Kensington STORM series all were changed...and the last one changed several times...ending with Mistress of the Storm...and then they had to change to cover to match the title...! LOL! 

   Really, the bottomline about titles (and covers) is that their purpose is to attract a potential reader's attention and drag them over to browse the book - whether in a store or online. Sometimes, they match the story perfectly and other times, well, not so much. So the next time you think a title or cover doesn't match or doesn't work, remember, the author may have been the only one not involved in it! 

    BTW - There is an exception -- now that many authors are self-publishing, they ARE in charge -- for good or bad! Everything is under their control...including titles and covers. I recently republished my first time travel romances with new covers -- so the first book went from this:                                                      

 To this:

  What do you think? 










   Did you know that authors don't always choose their titles or covers? Do you like the newer, longer titles that seem to be out there now, or do you prefer shorter ones? Any titles that are your favorites? 

Terri is now working on the first book in her WARRIORS OF DESTINY series for NAL and is thrilled that her May book (print release April 17th) YIELD TO THE HIGHLANDER will be a FEATURED AUTHOR edition at many retailers!  Stop by her website or watch her FB profile or page for lots more info! 
  

Brighter Days - with Kate Walker

There’s a strange thing happening today – the sky which has been grey and cloudy and miserable  for – well, for ages it seems,  is suddenly blue with just  tiny bits of wispy clouds here and there. And there is a strange golden thing shining high up there in the blue   . . . and it’s warm! I’m told it’s called the sun!  I haven’t been outside when there was any warmth  -or any sun  shining in I don’t know how long.  Last week, the clocks changed here in the UK and it seems like at last spring is finally  on its way.

After a cold, difficult few weeks,  suddenly things look so much brighter.  And there has been  a good week on the books front that have added to the brightness too.  Sometimes I can go for weeks and weeks with no  sign of any books being delivered –then suddenly there’s a whole rush of them.   Believe me, even when the days are bleak and cold that can brighten things up instantly.

And it’s even more fun  when the deliver brings a collection of foreign editions, translations into different languages,  all with different cover designs. It always intrigues me how  differently the same books can be presented all over the world.

Here’s a few of the books I’ve had this week.
There was the Norwegian edition of The Twelve Month Mistress.  The USA edition was  sexy and sensual -  the Norwegian copy (in a 3 in 1 collection)  has this pretty, spring like edition.

One of my favourite  things about the Czech editions is the way my name change – I become Kate Walkerova!  Not quite as much fun as my fellow author (Historical) who becomes Elizabeth Rollsova  but it’s still fun. And the cover of this edition of  The Konstantos Marriage  Demand has just the right atmosphere (and the suggestion of sun and heat to make me sigh even on this milder spring day.)

There was a great delivery from Japan -  the new Japanese edition of The Devil and Miss Jones     and a fabulous Manga reprint of a book that came out  12 years ago – The Hostage Bride  - that now has a great new lease of life in this specialised art form.  Don’t you think the illustrations are just great  - and the cover is wonderful.

But perhaps the best delivery was the box full of my brand new title – A Throne For The Taking,   There’s nothing to beat that  moment when you open the parcel and first hold your  printed and bound book in your hands. If I open it and read the pages, I can remember writing those words – the  moments of inspiration and the places where an editor  gave her input! But it all seems so different now  a real book rather than a work in progress.  I only have the  Presents editions right now, but the M&B Modern  one will arrive soon.  And then in a few weeks it will be publication day.  Now there’s something  to brighten the days – no mater what the sun is doing!

I hope you have some brighter  days to make  you smile now.  And  I hope to brighten someone’s days today too.  I have to apologise that life  rather exploded which meant I never managed to pick the winners of my giveaway last month. I originally had one book to give away but because of the delay, I got Charlie to pick two winners – and they are Linda Henderson and Mary Kirkland.  Mary and Linda will you please email me ( kate AT kate-walker dot com) and I’ll sort out the books for you.

Kate’s latest hero is Alexei Sarova, a black sheep prince who has to face up to a new and unexpected destiny. A Throne For the Taking will be published in the Royal and Ruthless miniseries on May 21st in Presents and in June in UK

Other up to date news and details of all Kate’s books can be found on her web site and in her blog.

 

 

 

 

 

Cover art

For twenty years – ever since my first book, An Image of You, was published — I’ve been obsessing about cover art. That first cover was so pleasing that it would have been difficult for any of those that followed to match it.

The hero was suitably mature, the heroine had the right colour hair and the African backdrop was perfect.

Since then, covers have been a bit of a roller-coaster. One or two have brought tears to my eyes — and not of joy.

Now, with three of my early books reverted to me, I’ve been on a cover image hunt of my own and suddenly I’m feeling a lot more sympathetic for those guys in Toronto who have to produce 50+ every month. It’s a bit like a car assembly line; you don’t want to be the last one of the day.

The three books I’m working on were a mixed bag. Old Desires was pretty enough, although the hero was too young. Dangerous Flirtation was cute and got everything right. A Stranger’s Kiss was a disaster with a heroine so hard-faced that any man would have run a mile and the hero wasn't wearing one of those ridiculous collars and I was really looking forward to giving that one a makeover.

Replacing them with something that truly appeals to me has not, however, been the piece of cake I fondly imagined it would be. Flirting and kissing are just about nailed, but Old Desires? How on earth can I demonstrate that in a cover appealing enough, sexy enough to have the reader hitting the one-click!

Any suggestions gratefully received – and downloads of Eloping With Emmy for those that inspire me, or make me laugh!

Riva is back...

After a long summer, when those of us in the UK have had to endure the coldest, wettest season in history (probably), we have also been deprived of our favourite Riva reads - fun, sexy, flirty, romantic - while Mills and Boon gave it a cover makeover.

With the kids about to go back to school the relaunch couldn't be better timed. Wave them off in the school bus, or drop them at the gates, make a cup of coffee and put your feet up for a blissful break with one of books in the relaunch package.

There will be fifteen books available in this first tranch.

It's a sort of test run, to see which covers grab the passing reader's attention. They'll be exclusive to W H Smith in the retail sector, but will be available to download, too, from Mills and Boon and from Amazon.

Some of them are books that have been released before. You'll find my RNA Rose Award shortlisted romance Flirting With Italian in there, so if you didn't catch the first time round, now's your chance.

There's a brand new author Leah Ashton who is getting fabulous reviews, and fan favourite Kelly Hunter.

There will be books by Nina Harrington, Jessica Hart, Kimberly Lang and Ally Blake.

So, what do you think of the new look?

Don't hold back - the whole purpose of this exercise is engage with the reader, get feedback. Enquiring minds wants to know!

And for those of you in the US who want some of this new series/new cover action, the Riva titles will be available in a new series called KISS in the Spring!

Meanwhile, The Last Woman He'd Ever Date (to be released in Riva next year) is on sale now in the US, along with the reissue of Eloping with Emmy as an ebook - there are excerpts on my website.

Enjoy the last week of summer. See you in the autumn!

Love, Liz

A Tale of Two Covers - Kate Walker

This week I've enjoyed one of the best things about being a published writer of romance-. That's the experience of seeing my brand new book (The Proud Wife) in the book shops for the first time. It's always a thrill, a feeling of excitement  and achievement that never goes away even though this is the  58th title I've had published ( the 60th, if you count my  how to books The 12 Point Guide and A Straightforward Guide to Writing Romance.)

This was also a different sort of first for me as here in the UK this was the first book I've had published since Harlequin Mills and Boon  changed to covers and put out the new designs for all the different romance lines. I was at an event in a bookshop last night - to celebrate World Book Night   - and the books they'd got hold of for me to sign really showed this  change to strong effect. 

You see, my last book  looked like this  in the UK  ---->

And my new title  looks like this

<----

I like both of them, they're both attractive, appealing covers.  But the cover of The Good  Greek Wife  is much more representative of the story in the book that I wrote.  And I suppose, as an author that is important to me.

But the cover of The Proud Wife is a beautiful cover - don't you think? Lots of people commented on it last night, and other people have said how much impact it has had when they've seen it.   It is beautifu l - but  it's not my heroine, Marina . She doesn't appear in an elegant silvery silk dress,  she's been  working, earning her living, since she separated from her husvband - not reclining elegantly on an ornamental couch, looking like she hasn't done a day's work in her life.   And she's also a feisty readhead, with green eyes - and a voluptuous figure.

In fact, she looks a lot more like the Marina who appears on the American, Presents Extra edition of The Proud Wife  which is coming to the shops in April. That's it's cover here ----> 

That's much more like the Marina I saw in my head as aI wrote her story - and I like the fact that this cover has the husband  she's separated from in this picture too. (Yes, I know  they don;t look very separarated - but this scene isn't from the beginning of the story. Things move quite quickly from the moment they first meet up again. If you want to know what happens - read that book!)  After all, this both Marina and Pietro's story so I like seeing them together.

But if I'm honest, I have to admit that the UK cover of The Proud Wife is the one that would make me reach for the book if I saw it on a shelf.  It looks intriguing - and it is very attractive.  But I can't help wondering if it makes Marina look calm and controlled . . . or cold and distant. 

At least it seems to be selling very well. Over on the Mills &Boon site, this book has been a #1 in their best selling list for a couple of weeks now!  I don't know yet how the USA cov er will attract readers - the book isn't out until April       . Over on the eHarlequin site, the ebook version is selling well, but that  doesn't need the cover to draw people in.

I suppose the answer is that, no matter how hard the art department works, they must rarely,m if ever, produce a cover that matches up to the image  of the characters that an author has in her head when she's writing.  We just have to be grateful if we don't really hate it!

So what do you think? Do you like the new style Mills & Boon covers? Or  love the  long-established and so familiar Presents version?    Do you think the USA covers need a makeover like  the UK ones - or would you  prefer it if they stayed the same?

You can read more about The Proud Wife  over on my web site  and you can learn all about my news and get all the really up to date stuff on my blog.  I have some really great news that I'd love to be able to share with you there - but I can't quite yet. Maybe next month.

Say What? - Lynn Raye Harris

Dear Reader:

As a relatively new Harlequin author, I've been so excited every time I realize one of my books has been translated into another language. It's almost like being published all over again -- though not quite. ;)

Even more exciting is when a reader from another country contacts me to say how much she enjoyed my book. I always wonder how the translation differs from what I wrote in English, but how can I ask that? I can't, of course; I have to be happy with the knowledge that someone enjoyed my book and hope it still says what I think it says. *g*

Another thing about translations that interests me are the variety of covers. Sometimes my cover is changed. Other times it remains the same. I never know why.



The cover above (left) is for The Prince's Royal Concubine, but it was actually Penny Jordan's cover first. In Brazil, Robyn Donald and I share the cover for our two royal themed stories. (I have to admit I coveted this cover when I first saw it with Penny's name on it!)

Here's the original North American cover (right). As you might imagine, this cover was not so popular in some countries. :)



India changed it altogether. So did Italy.



India preferred a man in uniform. I kind of liked that. :)







Italy went with the tropical island theme.








Japan has now entered the fray as well. Their idea is totally different than either of these two. I have no idea what it says, but I love it!





So, same book, five different covers thus far. And I'm pretty pleased with all of them! What do you think? Do you like one of these better than the others? I have to say that the Brazilian cover and my original cover most closely fit the image of the hero and heroine that I had in mind when I wrote.

All the best,
Lynn

***

Lynn Raye Harris writes glamorous, sexy romance for Harlequin Presents and Mills & Boon Modern. Her latest UK release, Prince Voronov's Virgin, was the Mills & Boon Book of the Month for January. So far, this book has spent 5 weeks on the M&B bestseller list -- 3 of those weeks at #1! Lynn's next North American release is The Devil's Heart in April, followed by the NA release of Prince Voronov's Virgin, retitled Behind the Palace Walls, in June in Presents EXTRA.

You can learn more about Lynn and her books at http://www.lynnrayeharris.com/.

You can also follow Lynn on Twitter @LynnRayeHarris or visit her author page on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLynnRayeHarris

Can I Tempt You?

by Anna Campbell

I'm really delighted to share the cover and stepback (yes, I have a stepback - be still, my beating heart!) art for my January 2009 release TEMPT THE DEVIL. Isn't that such a sexy picture? That man has such a come-hither look in his eyes, not mention that sensual glint! Wow! Honestly, I'm rapt!

Now, would you like a sneak peek at what's behind that wonderful cover art? I've put an excerpt of TEMPT THE DEVIL up on my website this month and I hope it whets people's appetites for the story as a whole. If you'd like to read it, please go to: http://www.annacampbell.info/tempt%20devil.html

And while you're there, why not enter my contest to win an advance review copy of TEMPT THE DEVIL? All you have to do is answer a really simple question about the excerpt and you're in the running.

Now, what books are you currently looking forward to reading? I've got a wish list as long as my arm. Which is a pity as my to-be-read pile is as high as Mount Everest without me adding to it!

Two September releases I really enjoyed are Christine Wells's second Regency historical THE DANGEROUS DUKE and Tawny Weber's sexy Blaze RISQUE BUSINESS. Both highly recommended!

I've got an order in at Amazon for THE SINS OF LORD EASTERBROOK, the fourth instalment in Madeline Hunter's current historical series - the first three were fantastic and the second one just won a RITA Award. I've also got the new Kathleen O'Reilly on its way - COURTING DISASTER. Isn't that a great title? I just loved the O'Sullivan Brother trilogy that she wrote for Harlequin Blaze. Again, highly recommended. And of course, I'm eagerly looking forward to the latest Anne Gracie, HIS CAPTIVE LADY. She's such an amazing writer.

So plenty to keep me going. What's coming up for you book-wise?

Covering covers

Although we as readers focus on the content of the books, one of the more important parts of book marketing is the cover. People really do judge books by their covers.
Until I became an author, I did not give covers much thought. They simply happened. Some caught my attention and some didn't but I was far more interested in the back cover copy.
However, now that I am an author, I do know that people are influenced to buy books by their covers and a lot of time and effort goes into making the covers as appealling and attractive as possible. They are the setting for the jewel that is the content. I know that there is the whole cult of the cover model. The art department try for a specific feel for a book. If the book is series book, then they are also trying to show the promise of the series.

As a Harlequin Mills and Boon author, I have to fill in an Art Fact Sheet. This is used to help find the art work. Series books and single title books have different art fact sheets. Because, Harlequin Historical is a single title within a series wrapper, historical authors have to fill out a slightly different AFS than series authors.

The art department working with the editorial team has to balance certain factors such as other books coming out that month and how they see the book being marketed versus the author's ideas of the key scenes in a book. Sometimes, Harlequin already owns a piece of artwork which will suit the mood, tenor and marketing hook of the book, and sometimes they commission the art work. For example with my first Roman, Gladiator's Honour, Harlequin did not have any Roman based art work, so they commissioned James Griffin Unfortunately, he does not have much about his process on his website.

But it piqued my interest. How do the artists work? How is the artwork created?

Luckily, Larry Roibal is not shy about explaining his process. While he does not historical covers (that I know about) he does do wonderful covers with a highly romantic feel. Donna Alward's Hired by the Cowboy is typical of his approach. He recently explained about his approach to covers on the Pink Heart Society. But still I wondered. Was that how the artists for Harlquin Historical approached thier work?

Judy York did the cover for Taken by the Viking and she spoke to Barnes and Noble about her process, including how she developed Taken by the Viking and some of her other covers. You can see the video here.

It is a slightly different appraoch to Larry's. I was impressed with the effort she put in to get the details right.

Is anyone else fascinated by covers? Or are you more interested in the story?

For authors, Holly Jacobs has a wonderful article in this month's RWR on the whole process of creating covers and tips from the Harlequin Art department for filling out the AFS...

By the way, sometimes authors get to see sneak peaks of their covers and sometimes, they don't. Right now, I am eagerly waiting to see the NA cover for Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife. Will it be the same as the UK cover or not? UPDATE -- I happen to check on Barnes and Noble. They have the VWUW cover up within the last day and it is very different. But now I am wondering - -who was the artist.

Covers That Get Around, by Bronwyn Jameson

It's always fun to receive translations of my books in the mail, or even to find a new translation on one of Harlequin's foreign websites. Sometimes they carry the same cover as the original publication, but even these look new and shiny with the office's own cover treatment. Other times they come dressed in different cover art and I asked the Managing Editor of Harlequin Australia, Jackie Johnson, about the how and why of cover art selection. Here's what the always-helpful Jackie had to say.

"We have a data-base that is open to all of the overseas offices which holds every artwork commissioned for series books. We can, and do, use different artwork when we need to -- this can happen if the artwork commissioned for a particular title is unsuitable, or when we use single title product in the series line, etc. These would be chosen (usually) by marketing after an art brief has been supplied by an editor. In the case of our office, I am in essence, both editor and marketing function for covers, so I take care of this.

Whilst this happens on a couple of titles each month, I order the artwork commissioned for the specific title for the majority of titles from North America or the UK. For duo books I order the most appealing image of the two titles. The only art we select locally from stock photo-libraries appear on Sexy Sensations and Ultimate Collections. These are generic images and are sourced monthly. The only artwork we order from the UK offices are Medical.

Each overseas office has a different art strategy depending on how that particular series performs in their market (eg. The UK use more photographic images on certain series, the French design from scratch for a more sophisticated look etc.)"

It is fun and especially delightful when one of the foreign offices chooses a cover image which captures the characters or the book's tone better than the original. When the cover art is recognisable -- for example, because it's been featured on the cover of a good friend's book or because it's been staring at me from the cover of a favourite on my keeper's shelf -- then that can be slightly strange...but still fun in a different way.

Last week I received copies of the Dutch translations of my Princes of the Outback trilogy, beautifully packaged as a single and a duo under the flag of Love in the Outback. The cover of The Rugged Lover (left, below) is beautiful. This could be Tomas and Angelina. I love it! Next I looked at the duo cover (centre, below) and didn't need to check my keeper's shelf. This is the cover originally used on Taylor's Temptation, Suzanne Brockmann, from 2001-ish. (I'm kinda glad the shorts are cut from mine! *g*)



Recently my Bought-And-Paid-For Wife came out in the UK, using the original cover art from the other book in the duo, Patricia Kay's One-Week Wife. My book's art was used the same month on another Desire Duo, and I have to say it was funny seeing "my" cover on another book (see right).



When another author sent me a link to the German site, where Bought-And-Paid-For Wife is a September release, my eyes were drawn to another familiar cover. First seen on Trish Morey's Virgin For The Taking, this is one of my favourite romantic covers -- and one of my favourites of Trish's wonderful books -- which is why it caught my eye. This time around it's gracing Pat Kay's One-Week Wife and the couple are walking a romantic stretch of Mexican beach, rather than Broome, Western Australia, as in Trish's book. Wherever that beach is, it's gorgeous, isn't it?

Covers, they do get around. *g*

Do you have any favourite cover images which do a fabulous job of depicting the characters and the story inside the book?