Deeanne Gist - www.deeannegist.com - Inspirational Romance Author

Friday, November 10, 2006

New Cover Art Is In!

The new cover for my June 2007 release, Courting Trouble, is in!

This is one of the most exciting parts of the publishing process for me. It is much like getting a sonogram of that precious baby inside your womb for the very first time. All of a sudden, you realize, this is really happening. There really is a real, live baby in your tummy.

Same thing (well, okay, not exactly the same, but really, really close) when you receive that email with "Cover Art" in the subject heading. Your heart starts beating, your hands get clammy, your tummy tightens up.

You open the email, double click on the image and **WHAMMY** There it is, in full living color.

The adrenaline rush is unbelievable. My work day is totally shot. I print it out. I carry it around, pressed to my chest, while I thank and praise God for giving me yet another incredible cover.

I call my husband. I call my parents. If I wasn't praying so diligently for God to grant me humility, I'd probably run up and down the street knocking on the neighbors' doors crying, "Look! Look! Isn't it beautiful!?" Instead, I call my editor, Dave Long, and gush. Then I contact the Art Director, Paul Higdon. This year I sent him this e-card. (He wrote me back and told me I was "courting trouble" to send him these kinds of cards. Ha!)

Cover art really can make or break a book and I have been so incredibly blessed. As I've mentioned before, the author has no control over her title or cover art. Bethany House is wonderful about asking for suggestions, but never in my imaginings did I expect covers like these last three. God has truly anointed the art department of Bethany House and I am honored to reap the benefits!

An exciting footnote to all this is ... for the first time ever, the cover model googled me and contacted me! Yes! The girl you see on this cover is a delightful young lady who has graciously agreed to let me interview her. I will do a three-part post of our Q&A session all next week.

So ... stay tuned!

posted by Deeanne at 11:24 AM

14 Comments:

Jenster said...: It's beautiful!! You truly are blessed to have such pretty covers.

At first glance the girl on the front sort of reminded me of your oldest daughter.

Well I know what I'll be asking for my anniversary in June. :o)

Jen
Jenster said...: Oh. I forgot to add. I initially picked up "A Bride Most Begrudging" because of the beautiful cover. lol then the back blurb drew me in further.

Kind of like how I pick my favorite football teams. "They have such pretty colors."

Jen
Jezreel said...: Dee, it's gorgeous! Absolutely, without a doubt, GORGEOUS! This will definitely be a must-have for me (to add to my Deeanne Gist collection, of course).

Hope all is well! (Oh, and if Bethany house needs another reader for the galley version, let me know! Hehe)
Deeanne said...: Jezreel! Hi! How are you, girl? Have you been lurking all this time?? In any event, it's great to hear from you and ... I'll let them know you're ready and willing if they need anyone! Thanks. (And, yeah, I think it's gorgeous, too!)
Deeanne said...: LOL, Jen. I pick my football teams the exact same way! Ha!
Jezreel said...: I'm doing fantabulous! Thanks for asking. I've stopped in a few times without saying anything, but I've been so busy most of my frequented blogs have been dropped to the way-side.
Meg said...: I love it! And what a great idea, to interview the model. Can't wait to read it.
Barb said...: That is a cover worth celebrating! Really beautiful! Looks like an ambitious main character too!
Belinda P. said...: Dee, what an awesome cover.!!! How could someone walk by the shelf and not pick your book up? Then they'll read a great story and you'll have a fan for life.

I'm loving Measure right now.
Katybug said...: This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
Katybug said...: Oh Deeanne,

It's SOOOOOOO LOVELY--VERY eye-catching!!!! ALL of your covers are beautiful. Now I know what to watch out for as I wait on pins & needles for your book to come out. :-) Any idea when it might show up on Christianbooks.com so I can sign up for email alerts for your book?
Katybug said...: One more thought: while showing only from the neck down does add a bit of mystery to your books, it would be nice to see the model's face. :-) You will be posting her picture for the interview, right?
Deeanne said...: Thanks, girls. I'm just as thrilled with it as y'all are. I'm not sure when it shows up online for pre-ordering. I know there is a big sales conference this week, so I bet it won't be too much longer, but I'm not at all positive.

And the model was gracious enough to send me a photo of her. She's adorable and I will definitely post it next week.
One More Writer said...: You have THE BEST cover art anywhere! It made me originally want to read your books--although hanging out with you at ACFW helped alot, too! I've enjoyed the other two. Can't wait for this one!

D'Ann