I admit it. I've always judged a book (a real book, not a metaphorical person) by its cover. If I see a stunning book cover with gorgeous colors or an intriguing symbol or especially a European tone, I'm bound to pick it up. And if the description and first pages draw me in, it's a sale. But it's usually always the cover that draws my attention from the start.
That's why, during years of writing, I've looked forward to this day. The day when I see my OWN book cover for the very first time.
So, without further delay, here it is:
I love it. Absolutely love it. For me, it captures the book's tone perfectly. It's cozy and British and it looks like a painting. A painting I want to step into and live inside.
Here's my book's description: When
Noelle Cooke's famous aunt dies, she leaves behind a cottage full of
secrets: a locked room, an old journal, a rich history of eccentricity.
She also leaves behind an art gallery in financial ruins. Noelle never
planned to abandon her life in San Diego, never intended on moving
across the ocean, but the idea is irresistible.
And just when Noelle commits to stay and begins discovering the cottage's secrets, someone from her past reappears—her
first love, Adam Spencer. A barrier stands in their way, forcing her to
make a choice. Will she risk her heart? Or will she bury her
emotions…and lose him all over again?
A thousand thank-you's to Michelle at Red Adept and Glendon at Streetlight Graphics for this book cover. You both outdid yourselves. You have one very happy author, here.
When the publisher suggested that my book needed a new title, I panicked a little. I had already spent hours coming up with the current one, and now I needed to go through that process all over again. Eek!
Choosing a title is hard. It's a bit like trying to write poetry (which is not my forte). It involves choosing just the right words, in the right order. And it requires brevity. A title can't be too wordy. I also didn't want it to be cheesy or abstract or overly-quirky.
So, that night, I spent about four hours skimming through all 400 pages of my novel (I had just gone through content edits, so I practically knew the whole book by heart). I was looking for symbols, descriptions, dialogue -- a phrase that not only sounded good, but that also had something to do with the themes or tone of the book.
I came up with a list of about 40 possibilities (and also enlisted the help of friends and family, so add about 30 more to the mix!).
(By the way, you know how saying the same word over and over again, or looking at the same word over and over again, can render the word useless/meaningless? Yeah, that happens a little when you're looking at a list of titles, too).
Next, I spent a couple more hours checking out my enormous list of titles on Amazon, making sure they weren't already taken as other book titles. Alas, about half of them were (I lost several titles that were in my Top 10).
Finally, I whittled the rest down to about 20, sent them off to my publisher, and waited. She was getting the input of a couple of her editors. A few hours later, I got an email saying they'd all agreed on one title in particular. Thank goodness it was my top choice. I'm so excited!
Here's the new title -- drumroll............
Painting the Moon
I think it's simple, but layered, and it feels a little bit quirky. In the novel, there are lots of "painting/art" references (one of the characters is a famous recluse artist), and there's a scene between the two main characters that involves the moon.
So, I'm happy with the new title. And more than anything, I can't wait to see it on a cover!
Over the holidays, I went through the tedious-but-necessary process of content edits for my novel. I approached it with an open mind and was glad I did. Lots of changes were suggested (mostly regarding the timeline of plot events) and I agreed to all of them. Hard work, with several "passes" between myself and my editor. Finally, after several weeks, we had our clean copy.
My biggest relief was that my editor "got" my book. Even with her suggestions, she never attempted to change the tone, or the characters themselves. HUGE relief. This book, even after content editing, still feels very much like "mine."
And now, off to line edits it goes...
In the meantime, I've had to come up with a new title (that was a challenge!) so it can be sent off for a cover.
Next will be line edits, proofs, a finalized cover, and...I think that's it. No release date yet, but we're getting closer.
