The Cover Girl Story

I’ve often been told that my books have fabulous covers. And you’ll get no argument from me – They do!!! No thanks to me, but to the creative team at FaithWords who’ve surprised me with each book by creating the most gorgeous covers.

To me, the best covers are the ones that invite you in because there’s a story unfolding on the cover. It leaves enough to the imagination that the reader is curious as to what exactly is this story about. While I won’t go into each of the covers on my previous books, I want to tell you the Cover Story of Sweet Dreams. Which releases in ONE WEEK!

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First a bit about the book:

It’s 1962, and Dusty Fairchild, daughter of a self-made millionaire and oilman, wants to go to college. Instead she is sent to a private finishing school in East Texas. Although she’s never wanted for material possessions, Dusty longs for independence and adventure. The only upside to attending Miss Fontaine’s is having her cousin and best childhood friend, Paisley, join her. Paisley has traveled the country with her bohemian mother, but she dreams of putting down roots and living a settled life. At Miss Fontaine’s, their loyalty to each other binds them, but when they fall in love with the same handsome young man, their relationship teeters on shaky ground. Only after a tragic accident do they learn where their true hearts-and dreams-lie.

Or as I sometimes say, “Going to charm school wasn’t what cousins Dusty Fairchild and Paisley Finch dreamed of. Not. Even. Close.”

My fabulous editor and I talked about the cover – something to do with charm school. Perhaps have the girls on the cover balancing books on their head as they practiced posture. Or having them sitting in a circle, one of them (Paisley, of course) not quite fitting in.

What ended up happening is that FaithWords had just added a new person  to their creative team (Waving to JuLee) who shares my love of all things vintage. So . . . she went shopping, scouring the vintage clothing stores in Nashville for just the right dresses for Dusty and Paisley – dresses that would set off Dusty’s jewelry since the turquoise necklace is mentioned several times in the story. Next up was hiring the models that fit the dresses, one blonde like Dusty, the other brunette like Paisley. What they didn’t know was that the personalities of the two models fit those of the characters to perfection. Model K had the ankle crossing and prim posture down perfectly just like Dusty while Model SG was laid back and carefree like Paisley. On the cover, you’ll see Paisley’s elbows on the table – yes, she has a ways to go if she’s going to make it at charm school. And Dusty’s holding up her pinkie while sipping her tea.

I’m astounded at the thought and the work that my publishing team put into the cover, but here’s the real clincher. Christina (my editor) even took her own china cups and saucers to the photo shoot to make sure that everything was just right. They ended up using just the saucers, and if you look closely, you’ll see the lovely delicate flowers. Goodness.

My only regret – I wasn’t there to watch the shooting of the cover, to see the stories of Dusty and Paisley unfold at the the little bakery in Germantown in East Nashville. But I have the beautiful cover as a reminder.

Of course, JuLee still had to work her magic on placement of the title and my name, choosing which photo from the shoot was the best. The final product, though, makes my heart skip every time I see it. And I hope the story inside the cover does that for you!

Mark your calendars for May 14! Only ONE WEEK until release day. I’d be so honored if you would tell your friends and family, pick up a copy for yourself, and then please come back here and tell me what you think of Sweet Dreams. And even better, leave a review on any of the sites that you frequent.

Also look for a SWEET GIANT GIVEAWAY right here on release day!

Do you judge a book by the cover? What sort of covers appeal to you?