Cover Reveal for My Debut Novel!!!

The day is finally here!! So much to cover (pardon the pun!), so please bear with me as I ramble and gush! I've got the story behind the cover, a scene from Bleeding Heart, the lowdown on a new blog specifically for the book, a fun themed giveaway, links to blogs participating in the cover reveal, and the reason I'm "dancing like I'm 22!" (If you don't have a ton of time to spare, I recommend just scrolling down to the section(s) you're most interested in. This is going to be a long post! *wink*) Are you ready for this??

A Cover Story

Here's how the cover came about...

The process involved lots of chatting. There was a little bit of time between when Lena Goldfinch - dear friend, talented author, and cover-designer extraordinaire - agreed to be my cover designer and when we really focused on getting it done, so in the meantime I told her about the book and we ran ideas by each other. Lena introduced me to some stock photo sites when we were brainstorming my client Sandra Leesmith's cover and - later - mine, so we e-mailed each other links for a while. 

And then Lena brought me over to the dark side: I joined Pinterest. ;) She created a secret board that only the two of us could see, and that's when ideas really started flying! We pinned stock photos, covers we liked that were in the same genre, pictures we had taken or found that helped us grasp the vision, etc. We ended up with 79 pins total!

To give you an idea of what this board looks like and how our vision changed... Towards the bottom you would find train images and various models in fancy dresses and/or various blondes. Scrolling up, you'd start to see some example covers (among them Courting Morrow Little, Wind Over Marshdale, and Love in the Balance). Then some mock covers with trains in the background, followed by images I found or uploaded to help set the scene and give Lena a better idea of the story. 

The pivotal switch in concept came when I pinned the cover of Thorns in Eden and the Everlasting Mountains by Rita Gerlach. Despite my love of trains on book covers (which the lovely Rel can attest to!), things just weren't coming together, and Lena asked if I might consider going with a sunset-type background like on Rita's cover. Commence pins of sunrises and sunsets (although I still threw in a few trains, LOL.)

But we still had a big problem: none of the models were working quite right with my idea of the heroine and the tone of the book. The board is full of plenty of beautiful models with all sorts of expressions, but nothing really clicked until Lena pinned this photo:

My first comment on the pin: "Aaaaah! Lena - I like, a lot!! It's so perfect!! Oh, do you think we could use this one??"

After that, the rest came together splendidly. (Not to say that everything was easy after that, though, as Lena still had a ton of work left to do on the details for the background, the flowers on the model's dress, the font, etc.) The picture cost $29, which is really not that bad for finding the right model!

While I debated between two California sunset pictures - a hillside scene and an ocean scene (thank you to Twitter friends for the feedback, by the way!) - we ended up going with the hillside. There was something about the mood of the image, with the fog and the trees in the background, that fit the main setting of the story better, and the angle and spaciousness of it fit well with the model's picture. Plus, I figured I could wait to use an ocean background for a possible future story it would work better with, you know?

I won't go into all the details about the finalizing process, but suffice it to say Lena was a joy to work with, and she gave me a beautiful cover that fit my story and included even the little things I wanted. Want to see it? (Finally, right??)

What I Love: The model's expression, caught halfway between flirty and pleading, with something almost "hard" in her eyes. Her posture, which seems both defiant and defeated. Her hair and her figure, which fit Sally so well. The inclusion of some sprigs of bleeding hearts, as the flower is mentioned in the story and the name of the flower plays a strong thematic role. The fog and the distant hills/trees, which fit the darker tone of the story and also match part of the main setting. The hillside, which is similar to the setting of at least one particular scene (I'm still editing, so I might be adding scenes...). The strong lines of the branches she's holding in conjunction with the dividing line between the title and my name. The title font, which is beautiful and matches the genre, along with the simple but lovely dress. The title colors, where "bleeding" is a darker shade. And the whole concept, where the eye is drawn straight to the model's arresting gaze, and then slowly led down to the title "hidden" (but still plainly visible) among the flowers of her dress. 

Meet The Heroine

Want to see why I think the model and her expression fit my heroine so well? Here's a scene from the first chapter of Bleeding Heart:

~ Excerpt from Bleeding Heart ~

Virginia City, Nevada ~ Summer 1886

There was no way on God’s brown desert dirt that Sally Clay was going to marry Rufus O’Daniel.

As she hurried through town to the train station, Sally thought about how she was now in the same predicament she had been in three years ago, back when her whole world had broken into pieces as numerous as the sagebrush bushes on the hillsides. It didn’t matter that Rufus was one of the wealthiest men in the whole state of Nevada – a silver baron who knew when to stop mining, while others squandered their wealth away trying to make the earth give up more riches than it contained. She was through with men’s tricks. This time, she was going to be the one to leave.

As much as she hated Jacob Lawson for selling his business and leaving her jobless, she recognized a glimpse of freedom when she saw it – and perhaps a foretaste of sweet, sweet revenge. The details were still undetermined, but the man had it coming to him, and soon.

Over two weeks had passed since she had been booted from her room on D Street, in “Sporting Row.” She had spent most of her money, as well as some feminine persuasion toward the right man, staying at the hotel for that time. The quiet and the independence were far more of a luxury than the fancy furnishings and the modern conveniences. But Rufus wasn’t taking “no” the way she intended him to, and the desire to bolt had been building up inside of her for a long time. Now she was finally going to give in to the urge.

Spotting a familiar face in the line at the ticket counter once she arrived at the station, she rushed to his side. “Joe?” She touched his arm and put on her best desperate look. It wasn’t too much of a challenge at this moment.

Recognition was quickly followed by disgust in his dirt-brown eyes as he looked down on her. “Whaddya want, Sally?”

She countered his question with one of her own, leaning in ever so slightly as she had been taught. “Where ya headed?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of yer business.”

Peering around his tall frame, she saw another familiar face. For the first time since the day she found herself begging Jacob for a job, shame burned through her. It was a rare day when she blushed with embarrassment anymore.

The red-headed, rail-thin Cornish miner didn’t say a word, but she saw suppressed anger, and perhaps a hint of pity, glaring back at her. She nodded in acknowledgement, and turned her pleading gaze back to Joe.

“I know you don’t owe me any favors, but you and Jacob were friends for a long time. And with Jacob leavin’ and all… Well, I’m out of a job.” She swallowed, longing for some water and a moment to plan the rest of her speech.

“So?”

She flinched. It shouldn’t cut her anymore, these rejections. But they did. Tears welled up in her eyes – real ones, if anyone here at the train station could believe that. “Please – I’m bein’ pursued by a cruel man and I need some help getting out of this two-bit town. Just a little bit of money and some company for as far as yer headed.”

She knew the word “company” was a mistake as soon as it slipped past her lips. Joe’s eyes turned rock-hard and he shook his head vehemently.

Grasping his arm tighter, she let the tears flow down her cheeks, not caring at the scene she was making. It hadn’t taken long to get over the desire to please society. They had rejected her, and so she rejected them by refusing to follow their unspoken rules.

“I don’t mean it that way, Joe. Please! I won’t be any trouble.”

Then he had the nerve to laugh.

Pushing him away, she spun on her heel and marched out of the station. She still had some pride.

But as she forced her way through the crowd and out the door, her heart sank. Rufus O’Daniel was across the street, staring right at her with eyes that promised retribution and enslavement – a frightening look that had haunted her dreams for far too long.

~ End of Excerpt ~ 

What are your first impressions regarding the heroine? Would love to hear your thoughts!

A Novel Home

If you'd like to know more about the book, I'm happy to report that Bleeding Heart has its own home in the blogosphere! For book extras, news, and more visit the Bleeding Heart blog. I hope you find it an interesting and inspiring place to check in on now and again. =)

Huge thanks to Anne Elisabeth Stengl, who not only encouraged me to put together a giveaway for the cover reveal (below), but whose novel blogs served as inspiration and templates for me as I worked on putting together my own novel blog. I so admire Anne's creativity!

A Bleeding Heart Giveaway

To build up excitement (and I think today is a great day for presents!), I've got a themed giveaway for you all! Want to see what you can win?

 Bleeding Heart Note Cards (4-pack) by Cindy Lindgren

Pink and Clear Teardrop Earrings by Belle on a Budget

Just use the form below to enter! Please note that this giveaway is for U.S. residents only. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions about how to use the form!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Cover Reveal Participants

I'm so blessed to have made such dear friends through blogging! To have their support and help in spreading the word at this time is a precious gift, and I'm so grateful to each of them for their time and encouragement! Here's a list of the blogs taking part in the cover reveal:

• Austenitis
• Black 'n Gold Girl's Book Spot
• Christian Bookshelf Reviews
• Christian Novels
• Dreaming Under the Same Moon
• Edgy Inspirational Romance
• Flowers of Quiet Happiness
• i blog 4 books
• Inspiring Daring
• Krissi's Konfessions
• labor not in vain
• My Favorite Pastime
• Philosophy of Romance
• Relz Reviewz
• Sherida Stewart (June 4th)
• Sweet Treats & Inspiration
• Tales of Goldstone Wood
• Tales of Whimsy
• The Librarian's Bookshelf
• The Overweight Bookshelf
• Thoughts on Books
• To Be A Person
• Writing for Christ
• Writer Off the Leash

You might just find the prequel (from another character's POV), some info about me and Lena, and maybe some of the bloggers' thoughts on the cover and whatnot - so I do hope you'll visit them if/when you can!

Party!

I have so many reasons to celebrate today! The main reason has already been explained thoroughly throughout this post, LOL. I love book covers, and I'm so happy for my own sweet piece of cover candy! (*Great big hugs to Lena!*)

But the other reason is that I'm turning 22 today!! So enter the giveaway for presents, grab a piece of virtual cake (chocolate, of course!), and feel free to join me in singing along/dancing to Taylor's Swift's "22" from her latest CD, Red:

Have a delightful Monday, and do please share your thoughts on the cover or whatever is on your mind - I love chatting with you all!