Contemporary Romance
Date Published: 10/18/2013
The Kincaids Book #2
By the author of the bestselling Escape to New Zealand series--
When you wish upon a star . . .
Alec Kincaid has never met the obstacle he couldn’t overcome—or the woman who could resist him. And it’s not going to happen now, not with his star shining more brightly than ever in the high-stakes arena of San Francisco’s software industry.
Desiree Harlin doesn’t believe in fairy tales, and she doesn’t waste time wishing. She’s learned the hard way that dreams don’t come true. And with her reputation and hard-won security on the line, succumbing to temptation isn’t an option.
But things aren’t always what they seem. And even stars sometimes fall.
Excerpt
She’d spooned up every bit of the rich broth, the chunks of
beef and vegetables, had dipped a second and then a third piece of bread in
olive oil. Alec had watched it all without comment, while dispatching his own
dinner with an alacrity that confirmed to Desiree that he really hadn’t had
dinner yet tonight.
And when they’d finished, he’d insisted, together with
Giuseppe—of course the waiter’s name was Giuseppe, because this wasn’t romantic
enough, the white tablecloth and the single red rose and the candle and the
worn brick against her shoulder—he’d insisted that she order cannoli for
dessert.
“Just one,” he coaxed. “If you don’t want it, you don’t have
to eat a single bite. But I think you need to taste whipped cream tonight.”
“Don’t you think she needs some whipped cream?” he demanded
of the waiter, who smiled back at him, sensing,
Desiree thought through a satisfied haze of red wine, succulent beef, and way too much potent testosterone,
a truly magnificent tip.
“Definitely, the signorina
needs whipped cream,” Giuseppe agreed. “And we have the best.”
She wasn’t sure how you had better whipped cream than anyone
else, but when the dessert arrived, she had to concede that this was the best.
Amaretto, one
still-sane corner of her practical brain suggested, but that sensible voice was
drowned out, oh so rapidly, by the sensation on her tongue, the silky
smoothness of cream, the almond sweetness of the liqueur, the delicate drift of
pastry and the deep dark pleasure of chocolate. And Alec, watching her as she
allowed the rich concoction to drift between her lips, over her tongue, down
her throat. Watching her, enjoying the sight of her enjoying herself, as if it
were his tongue. His throat.
By the time he’d slapped a hand against the door
of the cab that had again been waiting when they’d stepped out of the
restaurant’s front door, leaped back onto the sidewalk and raised that same
hand in farewell, she’d been so lost in fatigue, wine, and lust that she could
only sit back against the scarred leather and thank heaven that she hadn’t
actually kissed him. Or begged him.
Creating Your Book
Cover
So you’ve written a terrific book. You’ve edited and
polished it to a fare-thee-well, and are ready to send it out into the Big
World. But first, it needs a–gulp–cover. Oh, well. People aren’t buying the
cover, they’re buying the writing, right? You can just do it yourself, right?
After all, you’re pretty artistic. Right?
Wrong. Everybody is going to judge your
book by its cover. You have a split second to convince your target buyer that
this is her type of book, and that it’s a good one. Guess what does that–or
doesn’t? Yep, your cover! Your book may or may not sell with a kickass
cover. Without a kickass cover, it’s pretty much guaranteed
not to sell.
The tips below, gleaned from ten years in marketing for the
publishing industry, helped me create my own covers. I pass them along in hopes
that they help you too.
1. Hire a professional. It
isn’t as expensive as you may think. My initial three eBook covers cost me less
than $100 per book, a small investment that paid for itself within days.
2. Choose the right professional.
I did a web search to find designers in my genre (Romance), then looked at
their websites and portfolios. Who designs covers that appeal to you and make
you want to buy the book? When you’ve found somebody whose work you like, ask
for a quote.
3. Know your market. Think
about bestselling authors whose books resemble yours. Those authors have
succeeded in attracting your market. Look at the covers of their books, and
you’ll see trends. (Shirtless heroes? Flowers? An ornate font, or a simple one?
Big, bold block letters on a red background, for a thriller?) Copy the links to
your favorite covers. You’ll want to share them with your designer.
4. Define the effect you want to
achieve. Your cover is your brand. Even if you only have one book out there
now, you’ll want a “look” that people identify with your style. A good designer
excels in translating “feelings” into art. This is the direction I gave my own
designer (Robin Ludwig): “I want a simple, tasteful, intelligent cover (no
half-naked heroes!) Something that still says ‘romance,’ but not
‘embarrassing.’ The books are funny, playful, sexy, and occasionally
tearjerking. Not completely frothy, a serious story in there too. I want to
convey that–plus ‘exotic New Zealand locale.’”
I also had three books, with more to come, so I needed to
tie the covers together. The designer achieved that with the use of color and
layout.
5. Research stock art. You’ll
get better results and help your designer if you take the time to find stock
imagery that conveys the look you’re going for. I used Dreamstime. The designer used the images
I found for Just
This Once and Just
for Fun, but found different (better!) images for the other books.
6. Work the design, and get
feedback. After you get the designer’s first pass, ask people who have read
your book for their reactions, then evaluate the feedback and give ONE response
to the designer. If it isn’t quite right, keep working. (It took me three or
four rounds to get it right.) Don’t give the designer specific direction
(“could you put the title under the picture?”) Instead, try to explain the
“feeling” that isn’t quite right (“It doesn’t look playful enough”).
7. Admire your beautiful
book cover! I hope it sells great!
Author Bio:
Rosalind credits her rapid success to the fact that “lots of people would like to escape to New Zealand! I know I did!”
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