Summer Dates and Summer Nights by Kara O'Neal

My husband and I celebrated our 24th anniversary this month. I told him that I wanted to ride the ferris wheel with him, so we traveled to Kemah. It's a gulfside town in Houston. They have a boardwalk and rides and shops...all the things you would need to have a day of summer fun!

This is us at the top of the ferris wheel and there's a Texas sunset behind us. We had a lot of fun.

My husband is absolutely my prince charming, and I'm so glad I get to do life with him! He's steady and strong, and always so very patient. I've never met someone who's more patient than my husband.

He's quite talented, too. He's an artist. My hallway is covered with his artwork -- and our children's -- and my cupboards are filled with pottery he's made.

I'm always amazed by how he sees things. He looks at objects very differently and pulls out nuances that I hadn't noticed. When we visit art galleries, he's able to explain why a Jackson Pollock painting is worth so much. (And I think that's quite a feat!)

And, of course, he's designed my book covers for me. (And always with a smile on his face no matter how hard it was.) Here they are.....

They're like a rainbow, huh?

I could talk forever about my husband. About all the little facts he harbors, his never-ending knowledge about history and the presidents, his jokes and his athletic ability. But I won't.

Instead, I'll end with saying that I love my hero, my prince charming, my reason for living and my inspiration for the romances I write. Thank you, honey....I'll love you for forever.

KARA O'NEAL

LOVE & LONE STARS

To Recover or Not To Recover by Paty Jager

I have two series I'm trying to decide if I need to put new covers on. As a reader, how much do covers help you make a decision? Do you get upset if an author changes a cover and you realize after you purchased the book that you already have it?

Authors, why do you change covers on books? To get new eyes on them, try new marketing? Because the covers are outdated with what is on the books in that genre now?

I'm on the fence. When I said something about changing the covers on my Isabella Mumphrey Adventure series, a marketing person said my covers were perfect for the Adventure/Romantic Suspense that I didn't need to change them. Yet they are my slowest selling series. But one of my favorites. One that if the sales picked up I would write more books in that series.

The other is my first historical western romance series- The Halsey Brothers.  The first four books have had two different covers already, book one has had four different covers. The three books and a novella in the Halsey Homecoming series that follows the Halsey Brothers could be made to look more like the fist five books if I recovered. But since sales of Historical western romance is so slow, I'm finding it hard to pay for the covers and do all the changes at all the ebook vendors and the print books.

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My time is better served writing the books that are selling. But would it bump my income to do this?

This is me talking it out as I write. Something I find helpful. But if any authors or readers want to chime in with your thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 43 novels, 8 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

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Book Covers Then and Now by Suzanne Rossi

Hi everyone!

By the time you read this the house will have closed and I'll be on my way to our new home in Germantown, Tennessee. It's been a very busy month. A few days ago I decided to go through my incredibly large number of books and weed out those I no longer needed, especially the "how to" books. Many were bought when I first started writing. I used them to learn, but now is the time to let go.

I was being ruthless when I came across a unique little book I'd forgotten I had. It's called The Art of Romance, and is a compilation of cover art from Mills and Boon and later, Harlequin. The book was published in 1999 as a tribute to Harlequin's 50th anniversary.

Cover art is the first thing that leads a reader to pick up that particular book before flipping it over to check out the back cover blurb. Like writing, the art work has also changed with the times. I thought I'd take this opportunity to share some of them with you.

The first thing I noticed about The Girl Who Saved His Honor was the fact it was written by a man. The publication date is listed as 1914, so maybe the author was a woman using a pen name. I'm not sure about the social mores of that time, but the covers depicted in the book prior to 1930 have either male authors or authors who used initials instead of a name. Perhaps it wasn't considered proper for a woman in those days to write romance. Whatever, I found it interesting.

This cover dates back to 1937. We can see the evolution of style. No Other Man is written by a woman and the art has that Art Deco flair. In those days, Jean Harlow was the goddess of Hollywood. She wore slinky, satiny dresses and nothing underneath. Definitely, a woman ahead of her time. It was a time of elegance in clothing. Remember the 1930's movies with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers? They dressed in formal wear to eat dinner! And when Fred danced, he always seemed to wear a tuxedo.

By the 1960s, heroines had careers, albeit not in male dominated occupations. They were secretaries, nurses, and teachers. This cover is from 1964. Harlequin was now the premier romance publisher in the world. Many of those early books in this era had settings in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. At the same time medical romances were gaining steam, yet for some reason, they were almost always set in Holland. I clearing recall reading this author when I first discovered Harlequin.

The 1970s introduced new Harlequin lines. The heroines were trying to break through that glass ceiling and the story lines took on a much higher sexual tension than in earlier years. The 70s and 80s also introduced the uber-alpha male hero. He was strong, authoritative, and hid his real feelings until the final chapter. However, it was the heroine who softened and brought him to his knees in the end. This cover from 1970 is one of the first from the new line of Harlequin Presents. I think I may have read it since I loved Anne Mather.

When the 90s rolled around, the romance world had taken huge strides in addressing social issues. Men were not afraid to show their softer sides, and women now held jobs in the in the board room. The sexual tension had ratcheted up considerably, and the deed was often consummated between the hero and heroine--occasionally resulting in a baby. New Harlequin lines like Intimate Moments, Temptation, and Blaze had been introduced as was the suspense line, Intrigue. The cover art had also taken giant steps forward. A more realistic, life-like depiction of characters was presented. And as seen below, cowboys were as popular in 1997 as they are today.

I decided to keep, The Art of Romance. Those covers are a stroll down so many memory lanes--writing, romance, clothing styles, and social outlooks. I just can't give it up.

Hope you all got a kick out of this blog entry. See you next month.

Suzanne

UNDERCOVER MYSTERIES

Have you ever bought a book because of the cover?  Have you ever rejected a book because of the cover? Deciding on the perfect cover for your book can make or break your sales. I know traditionally published authors rarely get to choose their covers and I've seen some strange choices.

One of my favorite authors had a few titles reissued. It was a medieval historical romance set in Scotland. So why were Texas bluebonnets gracing the cover? If I hadn't already been familiar with the book, I would have thought it was a western.

Another well known author did have a contemporary western set on a ranch outside Houston. Some editor, probably in New York, designed a cover of a cowboy riding his horse down a dirt road along side a ranch house with beautiful mountains in the distance. Huh?  The nearest mountains are over six hundred miles west in Big Bend. These were obviously somewhere in Colorado.

I have to admit, I've put down a book because of cover models who look like teenagers. Who wants a hero who looks like he's fifteen? Even the guy who is prettier than the female model turns me off. Yeah, I know, everyone has their preference.

The sad thing, is, these authors had little or no say in these disastrous covers. I hope it didn't affect their sales, but prolific readers know what's right and what isn't.

With e-publishing, you at least have a little control.  Of course, a professional cover can cost quite a bit. Is it worth it? Readers are quirky. Many do judge a book by its cover.

Choose wisely, ask friends and critique partners, the hope for the best.