Cover Stories: Sasha Wagstaff
A brand new feature on Chicklitreviews.com is Cover Stories! We have noticed that book covers are a huge part of a books appeal whether we like to admit it or not, and the age old adage “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” is less relevant now than it has ever been! Therefore, we’ve taken it upon ourselves for this new feature to quiz a whole lot of chick lit authors, some who have been around the genre for a good few years, some debut authors, about the importance of their book covers, and what they mean to them. We hope you like the feature!
Our first Cover Wars “star” is the lovely Sasha Wagstaff, author of Changing Grooms and Wicked Games. Please let us know your thoughts on Sasha’s book covers in the comments, the pictures of them are located underneath the article!
“I can still remember how ridiculously excited I was when I first saw the cover proofs for my debut novel ‘Changing Grooms’. All those months of writing and editing the book – not to mention getting a publishing deal in the first place – had now reached the thrilling stage of seeing an actual cover, one that would be seen sitting on store shelves all round the country. All of a sudden, my soon-to-be-published novel felt very real – and the cover and how it looked seemed doubly important!
Would it be how I imagined it, was my first thought. I had toyed with the idea of something wedding-themed but I hadn’t got much further than that in my head. I wondered if an elaborate, tiered cake might be used…or bride and groom cake toppers fighting, perhaps. I really had no idea, nor did I have a clue what sort of colours would be used. All I hoped for was a cover that wasn’t too girly. Don’t get me wrong; I love a pastel cover and a good chick-lit read as much as the next girl, but I didn’t feel it would be right for Changing Grooms, somehow.
When I finally saw the stark, white background with the striking gold wedding band with little horns and bejewelled tail, I was over the moon! I loved the Jilly Cooper-esque feel of the cover and I thought the tails and horn hinted perfectly at the naughtiness within the book. And I thought the back cover blurb set out as a wedding invitation was brilliant…a stylish touch that really seemed to pull the main elements of the novel together, as well as giving the reader a sense of the characters and the part they might play in the story. I was told the cover really stood out on the shelves, which was fantastic.
As Chick Lit Reviews noticed, the cover for my second novel, Wicked Games, underwent a dramatic change. The original version was a lovely blue one with pink writing and a glittery star – very different from Changing Grooms. It was really pretty and maybe a little younger in feel but after the release of the hardback, my publishers had a change of heart and reverted back to a white background with a single, key image. Whilst I liked the original blue one, as soon as I saw the revised version with the title picked out in orange flames and the gorgeous ruby-red heart beneath it, I was sold. The jewelled heart 
reflected Ace and Iris’s Romeo and Juliet-style romance and the gold ring / halo above the heart was both a nod to Changing Grooms, as well as hinting at the wicked / angelic themes running through the novel. I think it’s perfect for the story and I had received extremely positive feedback about it.
Personally, I believe book covers are incredibly important – all of us judge a book when we first see it and it plays a crucial part in whether or not we buy and read a novel. As for me…I think I’ve been very lucky. I love both of my covers and believe they match the tone and content of my novels beautifully. And I really can’t wait to see the next one!”
Thanks so much Sasha!
- Digg
- Stumble it!
