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!
This week on ‘Cover Stories’ is debut author Christine Stovell, whose book Turning The Tide was released earlier this year and which I really enjoyed! Take it away, Christine!
“My heart was pounding as I waited for the file marked ‘Turning the Tide – Visuals’ to download. This was the moment I’d dreamt of for years; my first sight of that all-important cover art for my debut novel. Months of work going into … what? I’d expected a few tears, but not of disappointment! My initial reaction was that even Katie Fforde would struggle to shift some of these, let alone a complete unknown like me!
Nipping a potential Authorzilla moment in the bud, Lyn Vernham, Choc Lit’s Marketing Director, quickly explained that these were concepts, initial thoughts on how my novel might be represented. In fact, one of the joys about working with the Choc Lit team is how much care goes into creating the right cover. A couple of weeks later, when the final design arrived, I couldn’t have been happier. I’d always visualised Harry, my heroine, as a lone figure fighting to preserve everything she holds dear about her sleepy seaside town, and there she was, bless her, sitting on a rock gazing towards the place she loves. I also love the colours which perfectly evoke the mood of the book.
What the photo can’t convey is how well-produced Choc Lit books are; the matt silver font used for the title of Turning the Tide looks beautiful and the novel’s something I’m really proud to show off. When I held a copy of my book for the first time I shed a few more tears – but this time they were of pure happiness!”
Lucy Streeter thought she had her life pretty sussed out. She runs a clothes shop, where she also gets to show off her own designs that she does in her own spare time, she’s mum to her grown up son Nat who is at University, and she gets on really well with the other occupants of Paradise Street, where their shops are based. However, Lucy decides to pay a visit to a fortune teller one day, and finds out a bit of shocking news… she has just days to live. Lucy is horrified that her time on Earth is nearly up, and makes some radical decision and changes that the old Lucy never would have done. Is Lucy going to be able to make the most of her last few days with her family and friends, or is it just too little, too late?
