Allie will be giving away the winner’s choice of either the Lost in Paradise audiobook or One Night in Memphis audiobook to one randomly drawn commenter from the tour and to the tour host with the most comments, excluding duplicates or Allie’s responses. So comment away for a chance to win. Now on to the guest post:
Book covers – ah, a delicate topic. As a small press author,
I’m fortunate enough to have some say in what goes on mine (authors who write
for big New York publishing houses aren’t usually that fortunate). But what do
authors request, when the cover art form comes along? Typically, we’re asked to
give physical descriptions of our main characters, along with an overview of
the plot. We’re also asked if there’s anything we really do or do not want on our
covers. I’ve always been really happy with my covers – but I do have a couple
of stories that go along with them.
My first two covers with Samhain Publishing, One Night in Boston and One Night in Memphis, are night-time
city scapes with clock hands imposed on them, suggesting the locale and
intrigue of the plots, which is pretty accurate. They do not, however, suggest
to a casual observer that they are romance novels. I was happy with this at
first, because my stories are sweet rather than sensual or erotic, so I thought
appealing to a wider range of general readers would benefit me. And it has, I
think – to a certain degree. However, it has also, I recently discovered, run
the risk of landing my book in the “wrong” hands. I have found that certain
readers thought my books were more suspense than romance – and when they got
halfway through, didn’t like the storyline after all.
So despite the cliché about not using book covers to judge,
people still do, which means now I do believe that they really should suggest
what genre your book falls into. Now, by the way, Samhain pretty much requires
their covers to have people/faces/figures on the front. So my latest release, One Night in Napa, does. (I’ll admit: I
really, really like it – it portrays the setting as well as the sensuality
perfectly).
When I contracted my books with Audio Lark to produce them
as audio books, I got new covers – how exciting! I love them both, and I think
both suggest perfectly what to expect from the story. They are sweet love
stories – but Lost in Paradise does
have a hunky hero (check out the muscular back on the audio book cover!) and One Night in Memphis suggests the right
amount of suspense and unfolding attraction.
But enough about me – what do you think? I’d love to know.
Check out my audio book covers at http://www.audiolark.com/books/tag/allie-boniface/
or any of my print covers at http://samhainpublishing.com/authors/allie-boniface
and let me know your thoughts! Do covers
sell books? Have you ever felt “misled” by a cover? Will you make a purchase
decision based on the cover alone? Do tell!
About the Book:
What if a woman, tired of broken hearts and bad choices, traveled a thousand miles to the heart of Memphis, Tennessee, and spent a night forgetting her past in the blues clubs of Beale Street? What if a man who lost his wife to cancer ventured to Beale Street's social scene for the first time in over a year? And what if they met and realized love was still possible for them both?Dakota James and Ethan Meriweather have both given up on finding happiness in a relationship. When they meet in downtown Memphis, at a crowded nightclub, neither has romance on the brain. But as the evening unfolds, and small talk turns to the stuff of hopes, dreams, and shared loss, a kinship grows that surprises them.
Before the night is over, though, Dakota's past will catch up with her in the form of a violent ex-boyfriend. As dawn approaches, and tragedy threatens to tear Dakota and Ethan apart, both will have to make a decision that could change their lives forever. Is new love worth putting your life on the line for someone you've just met?
Other Tour Stops:
April 29: Sherry Gloag
April 30: Word Wranglers
May 3: The Life (and lies) of an inanimate flying object
May 4: Liana's Place
May 5: You Gotta Read Guest
May 6: Book Junkie
May 7: My Reading Room
May 10: Marta's Meanderings
May 11: Nicole Zoltack
May 12: Perils of Pauline
May 13: Jacqueline Page
vs. 
(library) 
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova (review/audiobook)
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