For instance, this is my first book cover. Gorgeous, isn’t it? The blouse even matches the descriptions of Rosa’s hand-embroidery work and drawstring neckline.  The one problem we had was that this series takes place in Caldwell County, Texas – a real location that just happens to look nothing like a desert.

Before:

After:

Those sandy dunes and mountain ranges were replaced with wheat fields and some…well, smaller mountains. This picture could possibly be in central Texas, while the other could not.

My Caught in the Middle cover is absolutely adorable, but this was the second attempt.

Guess what changed?

Before:

After:

It’s not that I dislike straight hair, but Anne has curly hair and it was too late to change that part of the story. Caught in the Middle was the third book of the series, and Anne had already been described as having curly hair in both Sixty Acres and a Bride and Love in the Balance.  And as you should be able to tell from the boots, she wasn’t the type of lady to iron her curls out straight.

It does seem that most of my requested changes have been about the hair. Here’s the cover for my novella An Unforeseen Match:

This is the story about an Grace O’Malley, a schoolteacher who is going blind. One description of her (which is significant to the plot) is that she has very striking coloring – fair skin and black hair.

This was the first attempt:

I understand the name Grace O’Malley sounds like a redhead, but in this case, she wasn’t.

Second attempt:

Well, it’s not red anymore, but it’s still a long way from black. At this point I told them I could rewrite the story to go with a redhead, but having fair skin and brown hair isn’t usually consider dramatic coloring.

Finally,

It is black, for the most part. 🙂  Funny story – while discussing the cover with my editor he told me one of the earliest drafts had her with a newspaper in her hand instead of an parasol. Blind schoolteacher, remember? He was able to catch that one early. You can see that they have a very strong commitment to accuracy and working with their authors.

And now for my last cover which has perfect hair and no odd geographical formations in the background: 

Isn’t it cute? A Most Inconvenient Marriage is now available for Pre-Order! I can’t wait to share it with you. Here’s a short blurb:

With few options of her own, nurse Abigail Stuart agrees to marry her patient, a gravely wounded soldier calling himself Jeremiah Calhoun. They arrange a quick ceremony before he dies, giving Abigail the rights to his Ozark farm and giving Jeremiah the peace of knowing someone will care for his ailing sister after he’s gone–a practical solution for both of them.

After the war, Abigail fulfills her side of the bargain–until the real Jeremiah Calhoun shows up, injured but definitely alive, and wastes no time in challenging Abigail’s story. Abigail is flummoxed. After months of claiming to be his widow, how can she explain that she’s never seen this Jeremiah Calhoun before? How can she convince him that she isn’t trying to steal his farm? And will she find a way to stay, even though this practical arrangement has turned into a most inconvenient marriage?

What do you like to see on book covers? Please share!

The post Before and After: Book Cover Changes appeared first on Author Regina Jennings.

So imagine my delight, when a very nice lady contacted me through this website and told me that she was the seamstress who created the lovely red dress on the “Caught in the Middle” cover.

Having already used the dress for a cover shoot, she was ready to sell it and wanted to give me first chance at it. I confess I thought it over longer than I should’ve, but in the end, I decided that if I was ever going to buy a dress, this one was perfect.

True, I did have some misgivings. Before I got the dress, I was a little concerned about the quality. After all, this was made for a photo shoot. Maybe it was only basted together. Maybe the fabric wasn’t of the best quality. But when I got the dress I was astonished. Not only was the dress a great example of craftsmanship, but it also had many extras that I didn’t expect.

On the cover, you can’t really see the bodice that well, but it is reinforced with boning that keeps it snug when laced up tight and also keeps that longer panel flat over the skirt in the front.

 And did you notice the neckline? Look closely at the cover and then at the mannequin. At first I thought that the seamstress had changed the lace on the neckline, but she was much more clever than that. 

Instead she wove a strong thread through the collar that could be gathered up and tied, giving more coverage over the chest. Probably a good idea for this Christian romance cover. 😉 The neckline also had a drawstring in the back, allowing the dress to be worn either off the shoulders or cinched up for a more modest look.

I was also surprised by how short-waisted the bodice was, but it’s meant to end at a woman’s true waist, not just above her hips like we’re used to nowadays.

And speaking of waists, I don’t really know how to describe the stays in the back. Rubik’s cube? IRS tax code? Theory of Relativity? There are just some things I can never untangle.

Here’s what we did find out: From the waist up to where you see the strings’ ends, those tighten on the outside. From the neckline down to that same point, those tighten on the inside. If you’re picturing Mammy yanking on Scarlett’s stays – eh, no. There aren’t any eyelets which means these strings don’t slip. That’s great for keeping it tight, but tough for adjustments. And there was no way we were going to unlace it completely, even to get it on. Instead we loosened the laces as much as possible and then I did a combination tugging, jumping, and scootching move. When that failed I looked up Harry Houdini and learned how to dislocate my shoulder….not really, but it was almost necessary to get the waist portion over my shoulders. (I think I broke my collarbone.) Once in place, each junction had to be carefully tightened and for the top half they were tightened from the inside by my long-suffering mother, then tied on the inside. (Notice those strings are hidden inside the bodice? The bow you see is from the bottom laces.) It took my mother a full half hour to lace me into this dress and nearly as long to get me out of it.

This experience taught me a few things I’d never learned in all the research I’ve done:

#1 – A character wearing a dress like this would not be involved in any sort of hurried clothing removal, no matter what romance books tell you.

#2 – It does make sense to have the strings meet at the smallest part of the waist, because it allows for maximum shaping.

#3 – Having a lady’s maid with warm hands would be essential.

Either way, my mom and I were able to figure it all out for the “Caught in the Middle” book launch. I had a fabulous time in my dress and have probably never had better posture.

There was one mistake I made. I didn’t choose the right corset to wear with this dress. With the boning and laces in the bodice, it ended up being unnecessary and I went sans, but since I do have the corset (and if you’re curious) I’ll post about it next time.

Thanks for playing dress up with me!

P.S. Do you see one other difference between the cover and the dress? The seamstress added one change before she sent it to me. Do you think it looks better?

Have you ever dreamed of wearing clothes from another era or are you happy with our comfortable wardrobes today?

The post Say “Yes!” to the Dress appeared first on Author Regina Jennings.

Join us for an entertaining and informative evening at the Kanon Gallery in the historic “Auto Alley” of Downtown OKC. At 7:00 award-winning floral designer Mark Erickson will be demonstrating the art of floral display, while author Regina Jennings will be in attendance from 6:00-9:00 to visit and sign books. You’re also invited to browse the Gallery’s collection of fine Amish furniture, and Western and African art. This will be a fun evening to kick-start the Spring Season! Hope to see you there!

www.kanongallery.com

The post Shop Hop in OKC! appeared first on Author Regina Jennings.

on Saturday, March 22nd, 2:00 – 4:00

at Wild Hero Coffee Company

331 N. Mustang Rd.

Mustang, OK

There’ll be autographed copies of Caught in the Middle, door prizes and sweet treats in a Wild West setting that would earn Anne Tillerton’s approval.                                                                     

We’d Love to See You There!

The post Caught In the Middle Launch Party appeared first on Author Regina Jennings.

But you don’t have to wait that long to get a sneak peek! Follow the Link and enjoy!

Caught in the Middle Excerpt

The post Caught in the Middle Excerpt appeared first on Author Regina Jennings.