The Best Bit

The best bit of a new book coming out in my opinion is definitely seeing the front cover art for the first time. It can be a breath-holding moment if you’ve got a definite idea in your head about what it should look like. It could even be disappointing if the end product isn’t what you envisaged. I’ve been very lucky with all the books I’ve done so far in that they’ve all exceeded my expectations.

In my eyes, The Wild Rose Press has done another great job with my next book (to be released 23rd September). I had a really strong idea as to what I wanted to see on the cover of The Curse of Camelot – an erotic mediaeval novella – and it wasn’t exactly like the piccie above, which I think is a lot better than what was in my head.

With some publishers – The Wild Rose Press being one – you can submit notes as to what you’d like the cover to look like. Of course, unless you self publish, the publisher will always have the final say, although it’s important to remember that, in the vast majority of cases, the publisher does know best what sells!

For the Curse of Camelot I knew I wanted a close up of the main character, Guinevere, with a focus on her eyes. I imagined it would just be her, but the cover artist Diana Carlile added the knights in the background, which I think is a really nice touch.

Unless you’re with a publisher who photographs models for your book cover, your artist will normally work with stock imagery and will therefore be limited by the photos available. This means they can’t do things like show the characters from a different angle, or change their outfits.

When I see the email with the cover art attached pop into my email, it’s always with mixed feelings of excitement and trepidation that I open it. Thankfully, I’ve always loved the result, and this one’s no exception. I was very happy when my son said about Guinevere, “She looks like you, Mum.” I was all smug for a minute till he quickly added, “Just a hell of a lot younger”.

The Curse of Camelot – release date announced!

It seems like ages ago I put the final full stop on my latest erotic novella, which had at the time a working title of ‘Guinevere’. I loved writing the story, as it was my first historical/fantasy, and I didn’t hold back at all on the story line or the graphic descriptions.

I wasn’t sure whether a publisher would accept it as it is rather on the racy side to say the least, and is definitely not for readers who prefer a sweet romance, but the lovely folk at The Wild Rose Press took it (after confirming it fitted within guidelines), worked hard at getting everything tip-top and have today given me a release date of 23rd September.

My editor suggested a title change to ‘The Curse of Camelot’, which I thought was miles better, and patiently put up with all my changes, even the last minute ones where I realised I’d made some very stupid mistakes!

The artist is busy working on the front cover now, and I really can’t wait to see it. It’s nerve-wracking as for a change I have a particular idea how I’d like it to look, so I’m hoping she shares my vision. The same designer at The Wild Rose Press created the cover for The Virgin’s Gamble, Ice Hot and Secrets of the East Wing, and I love all of those, so I have every faith this one’s going to be great too!

The Curse of Camelot will be available to purchase on e-platforms (at 30,000 words it’s too short to print) from various websites including Amazon.