Cover Reveal: Love's Dream Song by Sandra Leesmith

It is with bittersweet pleasure that I introduce you to Sandra Leesmith's upcoming release and its colorful cover! (I only say "bittersweet" because I loved working with Sandra on her book projects and look back on my time of freelancing for her with great fondness. :))

First, want to hear about this exciting story?

Autumn O’Neill came to Arizona on an archaeological dig hoping to find out what happened to the ancient Anasazi tribes, but her true desire was to discover her own Navajo roots. It didn’t help that the dig was located on Jess Barron’s ranch and that the handsome rancher scorned his own native American heritage and believed Autumn was part of a drug ring operating on his land. 

When the dig is compromised and danger threatens their lives, Jess and Autumn can no longer fight their attraction for each other. They both come to understand that finding answers means listening to the voices of their ancestors and the longings of their hearts.

Sounds intriguing, right?? The setting and the Native American cultural elements certainly catch my attention!

And (*drum roll*) here's the cover...

Paperback version:

Love's Dream Song will release October 17th, but you can pre-order the ebook now on Amazon!

And don't forget to add the book to your TBR shelf on Goodreads!

My Thoughts on the Cover

In a word: dreamy. ;) The stark and gorgeous backdrop, the swirly script in the title, the eagle soaring in the bright blue sky above the swoony hero and lovely heroine, the intense look on the hero's face (and the stubble. of course! this is a running theme!)... Yep, it all comes together to paint a dreamy picture.

What are your thoughts?

Interview with Sandra

Sandra was gracious enough to answer several questions, too!

Amber: Welcome, Sandra! Love's Dream Song is a book that was written and published once before as Dream Song. How did you go about writing the book the first time, and what was it like preparing the book for republication? 

Sandra: Hello Amber, and thank you for revealing my new cover for Love’s Dream Song. This book was actually my very first romance novel. And as so often happens, it wasn’t the first one published. When I was teaching, we were given an assignment by my Arizona State University professor to write “what we loved to read”. I loved to read romance so that summer, I wrote a romance novel. We were camping in Northern Arizona Color Country, hiking around a lot of the Anasazi ruins, so the story evolved from the interesting facts we were learning about the ancient culture.

This has always been one of my favorite stories so I was very excited to re-write it for republication. The wonderful advantage of the new paradigm in printing is we can revisit novels that went out of print. Warner first published it in the eighties, but I have changed it a bit, hopefully using my improved writing skills.

Amber: How wonderful! I'm so glad this story is finding new life with a new audience (and a great new cover!). :)

What was the most interesting thing you learned while researching the Anasazi and/or Navajo tribes? 

Sandra: It has always been a mystery as to what happened to the very advanced and flourishing Anasazi people. They are the Native Americans who lived in the ancient cliff dwellings found in the Southwest. Hundreds of years ago, they suddenly disappeared and archaeologists are not certain as to why. I used one of the less popular, but more intriguing, speculations as part of the premise in Love’s Dream Song.

When I finished writing this novel, I happened to be invited (through my work with ASU) to the Navajo nation to present educational workshops to the teachers on the reservation. Several women I met helped me with many aspects of the culture of Dineh (The People).

Amber: Arizona is a state you know very well. :) What do you hope readers take away from the book about the setting?

Sandra: Northern Arizona and Southern Utah are called by the tourist industry Color Country, and they are called that for a reason. The red rocks in the area are spectacular. The picture on the cover is Monument Valley and it shows you the gorgeous array of color found in the area.

I hope readers become interested in exploring the popular area and seeing the beauty for themselves. The human history is fascinating as well.

Amber: What is your favorite part of the cover for Love's Dream Song? How do the models match up with the characters in the book? 

Sandra: I am an animal lover so I have to admit my most favorite part of the cover is the eagle. The mighty bird shows up at pivotal moments in the story. Animals are a major part of Native American spirituality and I think the eagle helps show that.

I really love how Debora Lewis at ArenaPublishing.org matched the characters to those in the book. When I look at that hero, I have to say “be still my heart”. I really like how she continued with the Love’s _____ theme established by you, Amber, and Lena Goldfinch in my previous books.

Amber: "Be still my heart," indeed! Debora did a wonderful job. 

So, how does Love's Dream Song compare to your other recent releases in terms of the story?

Sandra: All of my books are so different. I know I should be developing a brand or certain type of story, but I have to write what comes to me. I guess I like variety. Love’s Dream Song has a lot of historical elements and a relationship to another culture, which I don’t have in any of my other novels. There is more suspense also. Love’s Refuge had some suspense, but you wouldn’t call it a romantic suspense. I think Love’s Dream Song qualifies for that genre.

Even though all of my books are different, they all are written by a faith-based author so you will not find the bedroom scenes nor vivid violence. I may or may not refer to God directly, but it is understood that the hero and heroine are Christian and live by Christian values.

Amber: A romantic suspense? Awesome! And variety in this industry is a great thing in my book. 

Thanks so much for joining us today, Sandra!

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Readers, don't forget that you can pre-order your copy of Love's Dream Song today! And please do feel free to share any further questions or observations in the comments. :)