The Art of Book Cover Design for Historical Fiction

I had the pleasure of speaking on The Art of Book Cover Design panel at the Historical Novel Society conference last June with Emily Victorson from Allium Press, Sarah Johnson from Reading the Past, Anna Michels from Sourcebooks, and Kris Waldherr from Art and Words. We each presented on different aspects of designing historical fiction covers, and my task was to discuss my approach and trends in the genre. In case you missed it, or if you attended and would like to have a copy of your own, here is my portion of the presentation!

L to R: Anna, Kris, myself, and Sarah

The first thing I do when working on a cover is determine the genre or subgenre and the target audience, and then I spend some time browsing through the bestsellers to see which covers are selling books and what they look like. It’s important that you pay attention to cover trends when creating yours. You may think your cover is going to stand out because it’s so different from others in the genre, but that approach can often backfire. Cover trends exist in the first place because they sell books. Readers of a genre are used to seeing a certain style of cover, and if your cover doesn’t even come close, they may very well skip over it, thinking it’s not the type of book they like to read. So the trick is crafting a cover that falls within the trends in the genre while standing out and catching the eye of your target reader. 

So with that being said, I want to briefly touch on some popular trends in today’s historical fiction covers. A significant portion of the historical fiction market is targeted toward women, so that’s where we’ll begin.

So let’s start with the trend readers either seem to love or hate: The Headless Woman. This trend is popular because the heroine in a reader’s imagination rarely matches a real-life depiction on the cover. So it gives us a chance to envision what her face looks like and also adds an air of mystery. (Check out Sarah's portion of the presentation for the original headless woman cover that started the trend!)

Taming Beckett

Please join me in congratulating G.K. Brady on the publication of her debut contemporary romance novel, Taming Beckett! I had the pleasure of working with G.K. on a developmental edit and a copyedit, and I designed the cover of this refreshingly realistic and meaningful sports romance! Here's the book description:

When thirty-two-year-old Beckett Miller is caught supplying the drugs that nearly kill his latest one night-stand, the dominoes of his high-octane celebrity life tumble one after another in spectacular fashion. Now a pariah in the pro hockey world, Beckett is without his multimillion-dollar job, his assets, and his self-respect. What remains is a yearning to pull himself out of his self-made sinkhole, and he begins a grueling climb toward deliverance and grace. Along the way, he grasps at a single lifeline in Paige Anderson, the reluctant real estate broker Beckett coaxes to sell his Denver home—and the only woman who’s ever told him “no.” 

Thirty-one-year-old Paige has built a thriving business since first setting eyes on Beckett—and spurning his advances—ten years ago. But her marriage is floundering, and when their paths collide, Paige resists her attraction to Beckett and his leading-man looks. A working relationship blossoms into an unexpected friendship, and Paige is surprised to uncover the hidden side of hockey’s bad boy. But another, far less pleasant surprise blindsides her when she discovers her husband’s betrayal.

For the first time in his life, Beckett falls. Hard. He wants Paige more than he’s ever wanted anything. Shaken by her failed marriage, unable to trust herself, Paige battles giving in to Beckett’s charm. Slowly, she lowers her guard, and their relationship gathers steam. Rebuilding his life on shaky ground while dreaming of a future with Paige, Beckett finds his old habits still have him in a stranglehold, and he must confront his past before it shatters everything he’s fighting for—including Paige’s heart.

Taming Beckett is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit G.K.'s website for the scoop on her upcoming projects!

Need an editor or cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

Vivaldi's Lost Concerto

Please join me in congratulating Jennifer Mackenzie Dunbar on the publication of her debut historical novel, Vivaldi's Lost Concerto! I had the pleasure of designing the cover. Here's the book description:

Vivaldi's Lost Concerto is inspired by the 2010 discovery of a Vivaldi flute concerto in the archives of a medieval Scottish Abbey...

Fiona Sinclair knows she must do all that she can to earn her release from prison. A childhood of neglect, years of drug abuse and homelessness have all but eroded the good in her. When she is given a battered flute as part of her music therapy, she begins to hear a tune that has both haunted and enchanted her since childhood, and she draws from it the strength she needs to carry on. By chance she learns that her mysterious tune is the second movement of a recently discovered Vivaldi concerto that has lain hidden in Scottish archives for three hundred years. But Fiona doesn’t ever listen to classical music, and this piece has not been played for centuries.

As Fiona tries to solve the mystery of Vivaldi’s Lost Concerto, the novel takes the reader back to 18th century Venice and into the lives of the composer Antonio Vivaldi, his lover Paolina Giro and Lord Robert Kerr, the young nobleman who buys the concerto while on a Grand Tour away from battle weary Jacobean Scotland.

Vivaldi's Lost Concerto is available now in paperback on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Jennifer's website to learn more about this book and her upcoming works.

Need a cover designer?
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jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

Silent Water

Please join me in congratulating P.K. Adams on the publication of her new historical novel, Silent Water, the first book in the Jagiellon Mystery series! I had the pleasure of designing the cover. Here's the book description:

It is Christmas 1519 and the royal court in Kraków is in the midst of celebrating the joyous season. Less than two years earlier, Italian noblewoman Bona Sforza arrived in Poland’s capital from Bari as King Zygmunt’s new bride. She came from Italy accompanied by a splendid entourage, including Contessa Caterina Sanseverino who oversees the ladies of the Queen’s Chamber.

Caterina is still adjusting to the life in this northern kingdom of cold winters, unfamiliar customs, and an incomprehensible language when a shocking murder rocks the court on Christmas night. It is followed by another a few days later. The victims have seemingly nothing in common. Gossip, speculation, and suspicion are rife, but the perpetrator remains elusive as the court heads into the New Year.

As the official investigation stalls, Caterina—aided by Sebastian Konarski, a junior secretary in the king’s household—sets out to find the killer. With clues beginning to point to the queen’s innermost circle, the pair are soon racing against time to stop another murder.

Silent Water is a story of power and its abuse, and the extremes to which a person may go to find redress for justice denied. Although set at the dawn of the Renaissance era, its themes carry uncanny parallels to some of the most topical social issues of the 21st century.

Silent Water is available now in print and ebook format on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit P.K.'s website for more information on all of her books, historical articles, and book reviews!

Need a cover designer?
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jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

Montana Vagabond

Please join me in congratulating Ramona Flightner on the publication of her newest historical romance, Montana Vagabond, book eight in the Bear Grass Springs series! I had the pleasure of helping Ramona design the cover. Here's the book description:

A destructive secret. An honorable man. A plea for forgiveness.

Jane Keith has known little kindness in her life. When she finds herself abandoned and starving after venturing to Bear Grass Springs, the warm welcome by the MacKinnons surprises her. Although she is now an integral part of the bakery staff, with no concern for room and board, she frets about her younger brother, Duncan. He's reckless and wild, and she fears what will occur if he continues to frequent the saloons and gambling tables. And she is terrified of what will happen should Duncan reveal her long-held secret.

Ben Metcalf is accustomed to living alone. He works hard as Ewan MacKinnon's foreman, but he tires of being the only single adult at their family gatherings. After Jane Keith's arrival in Bear Grass Springs, he is drawn to her devotion to family, her inherent kindness, and the intelligence she attempts to hide. Frustrated by Jane hiding behind work and her concern for her brother, Ben worries Jane will never return his feelings.

When Ben steals Jane away in the middle of the night to save her from her brother's unscrupulous plan, Jane's relationship with her brother is irrevocably altered. Suddenly, she is a married woman. Soon, Jane must decide who deserves her loyalty: her husband or her brother. 

When her fiercely held secret is revealed, will Ben look past anger and his sense of betrayal to focus on his love for Jane or will he allow a secret to destroy what he most cherishes?

Montana Vagabond is available in ebook and print editions on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iTunes. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and check out Ramona's website for the scoop on all of her books!

Need a cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

On a City Street

Please join me in congratulating Pat Wahler on the publication of her newest novel, On a City Street! I had the pleasure of working with Pat in designing the cover. Here's the book description:

The cure for a painful breakup requires drastic measures. And quite often, a moving van...

When veterinarian Carolyn Becker catches her fiance cheating, her problem-solving skills come to the rescue. She swears off love and leaves suburbia for a fresh start in St. Louis to launch a low-cost animal clinic...and bury the past.

But new beginnings can be complicated. Secrets surface when a mysterious man, a troubled teenager, and an injured dog enter her life. Before she knows it, Carolyn's best-laid plans unravel, and solutions are farther from her reach than Mars. Sometimes even a problem-solver can use a little help.

Especially when it comes to mending a broken heart.

On a City Street is available now in ebook and print formats on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Kobo! Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Pat's website for the scoop on all of her books.

Need a cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

Lacewood

Please join me in congratulating Jessica James on the publication of her new historical novel, Lacewood! I had the pleasure of helping Jessica design the cover. Here's the book description:

Sometimes love is just too powerful for one lifetime…

MOVING TO A SMALL TOWN in Virginia is a big change for New York socialite Katie McCain. But when she stumbles across an abandoned 200-year-old mansion, she’s enthralled by the enduring beauty of the neglected estate—and captivated by the haunting portrait of a woman in mourning.

Purchasing the property on a whim, Katie attempts to fit in with the colorful characters in the town of New Hope, while trying to unravel the mystery of the “widow of Lacewood.” As she pieces together the previous owner’s heartrending story, Katie uncovers secrets the house has held for centuries, and discovers the key to coming to terms with her own sense of loss.

The past and present converge when hometown hero Will Durham returns and begins his own healing process by helping the “city girl” restore the place that holds so many memories. As the mystic web of destiny is woven, a love story that might have been lost forever is exposed, and a destiny that has been waiting in the shadows for centuries is fulfilled.

Rich in emotion and poignant in its telling, Lacewood is an unforgettable story about love and loss, roots and belonging… and spirits of the past that refuse to be quieted.

Part love story, part ghost story, Lacewood is  a timeless novel about trusting in fate, letting go of the past, and believing in things that can’t be seen.

Lacewood is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Jessica's website for more information on all of her books.

Need a cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

Byzantine History in the 11th Century

Congratulations to Eileen Stephenson on the publication of her first nonfiction book, Byzantine History in the 11th Century! I had the pleasure of working with Eileen on a copyedit, and I designed the cover too! Here's the book description:

The formidable Byzantine Empire lasted over a thousand years, but the fruit of its greatness and the seeds of its destruction can be found in the 11th century. This book is a brief introduction to the leading figures and events of those pivotal years – those who brought the empire to its pinnacle; the others who carelessly wasted its military might and treasure; and the hero who began its slow recovery. The drama of a hundred years of rebellions and murders, romance and political scheming will bring this fascinating civilization to life for the reader.

Byzantine History in the 11th Century is available now in ebook and print formats on Amazon! Add the book to your shelves on Goodreads, and check out Eileen's website, where she blogs about all things Byzantine. 



Need some help with your WIP?
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jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

The Spymaster's Brother

Please join me in congratulating Anna Castle on the newest installment in her Francis Bacon mystery series, The Spymaster's Brother! I had the pleasure of helping Anna with a copyedit, and I designed the cover. If you're a fan of historical mysteries with a touch of humor and tongue-in-cheekiness along with fun and memorable characters, this series is for you! Here's the book description:

Anthony Bacon is home with a wealth of foreign secrets — and a few of his own.

Though seldom strong enough to leave his rooms in brother Francis’s house, Anthony’s gouty legs never hinder his agile mind. He’s built the most valuable intelligence service in Europe. Now the Bacon brothers are ready to offer it to the patron with the deepest pockets.

Before they can open the bidding, Francis finds a body lying in the weeds near Gray’s Inn. The abandoned coach beside it belongs to Anthony. The clues point to his personal secretary. Worse, the murdered man was heard spreading rumors that could destroy Anthony’s reputation -- and his market value.

Francis thinks his brother ordered the deed done. His assistant Thomas Clarady thinks the secretary did it, with or without such orders. As Tom investigates, he hears one story after another about what happened that night. Which version is the truth? The closer he gets to finding out, the more danger gathers around Anthony. Will Tom and Trumpet, his very pregnant confidante, sort through the lies before disaster strikes?

The Spymaster's Brother is available now in print and ebook formats on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and check out Anna's website, where she blogs about her research and writing historical fiction set in England.

**Right now all of the books in this series are on sale for $2.99 or less, and you can download a copy of the first book in the series, Murder by Misrule, for free on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes!**

Need an editor or cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

Severed Knot

Please join me in congratulating Cryssa Bazos on the publication of her second historical novel, Severed Knot, companion to the critically acclaimed, award-winning Traitor's Knot! I had the pleasure of working with Cryssa on a developmental edit and a copyedit, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:

Barbados 1652. In the aftermath of the English Civil War, the vanquished are uprooted and scattered to the ends of the earth.

When marauding English soldiers descend on Mairead O’Coneill’s family farm, she is sold into slavery. After surviving a harrowing voyage, the young Irish woman is auctioned off to a Barbados sugar plantation where she is thrust into a hostile world of depravation and heartbreak. Though stripped of her freedom, Mairead refuses to surrender her dignity.

Scottish prisoner of war Iain Johnstone has descended into hell. Under a blazing sun thousands of miles from home, he endures forced indentured labour in the unforgiving cane fields. As Iain plots his escape to save his men, his loyalties are tested by his yearning for Mairead and his desire to protect her.

With their future stolen, Mairead and Iain discover passion and freedom in each other’s arms. Until one fateful night, a dramatic chain of events turns them into fugitives.

Together they fight to survive; together they are determined to escape.

Severed Knot is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and more. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and check out Cryssa's website, where she blogs about 17th century history. Cryssa is also an editor of the English Historical Fiction Authors blog.

Need some help with your WIP?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

The Astral Shore and Dark Angels Prey

Congratulations to Elizabeth Genovese on the re-release of The Astral Shore and Dark Angels Prey! Elizabeth and I worked on covers when the novels were first released several years ago, but she felt they needed an update to better reflect their themes. I had the pleasure of helping her with their redesign! Here are the book descriptions:

He has the fame … she has the power 

Self-seeking model, Laurel Ariss hires a parapsychologist to prove that she and British rock star, Mark Grant, are sharing the same dreams. Laurel wants Mark in the real world and risks sanity and soul to get him there. But when the astral lovers finally meet at an exclusive Toronto party, psychic, Michael Johnstone warns her that dark waters lay ahead. 

The Astral Shore is a supernatural love story about the misuse of power, and lust mistaken for love. Set in Toronto, Malibu, and finally on the Brighton shore—Laurel gets what she always didn’t know she wanted. 

Happiness on this side of the curtain comes with a price, and if they want to stay together, Laurel and Mark must pay it. 

Miracles drive him. Demons stalk him …

After a crushing loss, empath, Joe Ross, accepts a strange, hypnotic priest's invitation to recover at a Quebec monastery, a place infested with supernatural blight and demonic cutthroats. 

"A child waits for you there," the priest says, "a child who's waited a long time to meet you."

At Marianlake Dominican Monastery, Joe bonds with Alain, the mystical child, battles with Carol Ann, love of his life, and connects with Maggie—the great catalyst, the artist whose paintings hold the key to a startling secret and a world-rocking document. 

And in a land more inscrutable than Marianlake, events explode in a surprising climax when Joe unlocks the secret and discovers a gift for humanity. 

But he must outwit the forces of Hell to get it.


DARK ANGELS PREY . . . a standalone tale of supernatural suspense.

The Astral Shore and Dark Angels Prey are available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Add them to your shelves on Goodreads, and be sure to check out Elizabeth's website!

Need a cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

Unbridled Montana Passion

Please join me in congratulating Ramona Flightner on the publication of her newest historical romance, Unbridled Montana Passion, book seven in the Bear Grass Springs series! I had the pleasure of helping Ramona design the cover. Here's the book description:

A scandalous past. A long-held secret. Will they trust in their love?

After escaping years of abuse, Fidelia Evans is finally content. She is proud of her job working in her sister’s bakery while tatting highly sought-after lace in her spare time. She finds comfort in knowing she has a safe place to live. Fidelia attempts to forget her past, although her frequent nightmares provide a constant reminder of her past ordeals. As she settles into her new life, her fascination and attraction to Bears grows. Afraid of repeating the mistakes of her past, Fidelia hesitates yet yearns for more than friendship with Bears.

John Runs-From-Bears Renfrew is a patient man. He enjoys his work in the livery with horses for company and accepts his status in town: outcast to some, acceptable to others. However, from the moment he meets Fidelia, Bears knows she is the woman for him. Bears bides his time as she heals after her rescue from the Boudoir. He watches with patient understanding as she shies away from any contact with a man not of her family. Bears admires her desire to rebuild her life as a respectable woman. And yet, the more time he spends with Fidelia, the more he longs for her to trust him. To see him as a man she would marry.

When an unexpected stranger arrives in Bear Grass Springs, Bears and Fidelia are forced to confront long held fears. They must discover what they truly value as they overcome ghosts from their past.

Will the love growing between them be stronger than their fears?

Unbridled Montana Passion is available in ebook and print editions on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iTunes. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and check out Ramona's website for the scoop on all of her books!

Need a cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

The Gates of Eden

Please join me in congratulating Nadene LeCheminant on the publication of her debut historical novel, The Gates of Eden! I had the pleasure of helping Nadene design the cover. Here's the book description:

Inspired by a true story ... 

When Josephine Bell discovers how quickly one can descend from middle-class Victorian comfort to the slums of Liverpool, she makes a fateful decision.

Seeking escape from desperate poverty, the sixteen-year-old joins a community of kindly strangers and embarks on an epic journey across a treacherous ocean and into the North American wilderness, pulling a two-wheeled handcart over the Rocky Mountains to a remote desert kingdom.

In her new home, a Mormon settlement in the Utah Territory, Josephine is pressured into a polygamous marriage with a man almost four decades older than herself. She struggles to find her own path amidst a backdrop of rising violence and haunting tragedy. 

The Gates of Eden explores the timeless mysteries of faith and doubt, fear and love through the eyes of a girl on the cusp of adulthood.

The Gates of Eden is available in ebook and print formats on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Nadene's website to read more about the inspiration for the book and her posts on historical research.

Need a cover designer?
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jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

Antonius: Son of Rome

Please join me in congratulating Brook Allen on the publication of her debut historical novel, Antonius: Son of Rome, first in a definitive and painstakingly researched trilogy about fascinating life of Marc Antony. I had the pleasure of helping Brook with a developmental edit and a copyedit, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:

"​​[The] suspenseful, insightful, and beautifully written story of how the unlikely young Marcus Antonius grew into the Marc Antony of history."  ~Margaret George, bestselling author of The Memoirs of Cleopatra and The Confessions of A Young Nero

For over two-thousand years, Marcus Antonius—Marc Antony—has been one of history’s most controversial men. His story was buried with him and written by his enemies. Now his entire saga is revealed in a compelling trilogy by Brook Allen.   

After young Marcus Antonius’s father dies in disgrace, he yearns to restore his family’s honor during the final days of Rome’s dying Republic. Marcus is rugged, handsome, and owns abundant military talent, but upon entering manhood, he falls prey to the excesses of a violent society. His whoring, gambling, and drinking eventually reap dire consequences. Through a series of personal tragedies, Marcus must come into his own through blood, blades, and death. Once he finally earns a military commission, he faces an uphill battle to earn the respect and admiration of soldiers, proconsuls, and kings. Desperate to redeem his name and carve a legacy for himself, he refuses to let warring rebels, scheming politicians, or even an alluring young Egyptian princess stand in his way.

Antonius: Some of Rome is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Brook's website for her posts about traveling for research and all things 1st century BC Rome.

Need an editor or cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

After the Fog

Please join me in congratulating Kathleen Shoop on the re-release of After the Fog with a brand new cover! Originally published in 2012, Kathie wanted a new cover to tie this book into her new Donora Story Collection.

Here's the before and after:

 

A love story wrapped in historical drama…

In the steel town of Donora, Pennsylvania, site of the infamous 1948 “killing smog,” headstrong nurse Rose Pavlesic tends to her family and neighbors. Efficient and precise, she’s created a life that reflects everything she missed growing up as an orphan. She’s even managed to keep her painful secrets hidden from the love of her life, Henry, her dutiful children, and large extended family.

When a stagnant weather pattern traps poisonous mill gasses in the valley, neighbors grow sicker and Rose’s nursing obligations thrust her into conflict she never could have fathomed. Consequences from her past collide with her present life, making her once clear decisions as gray as the suffocating smog. As pressure mounts, Rose finds she’s not the only one harboring lies.

When the deadly fog finally clears, the loss of trust and faith leaves the Pavlesic family—and the whole town—splintered and shocked. With her new perspective, can Rose finally forgive herself and let her family’s healing begin? Will love be enough?

After the Fog is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Kathleen's website for more information on all of her books, including more in the Donora Story Collection.

Need a cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

The Strongman and the Mermaid

 

Please join me in congratulating Kathleen Shoop on the publication of her newest historical novel, The Strongman and the Mermaid! I had the pleasure of helping Kathleen design the cover. Here's the book description:

2019 Donora, Pennsylvania

Ninety-one-year-old Patryk Rusek hides in his attic, hoping the searchers think he’s escaped. When Lucy finally bursts in, she discovers her beloved grandfather clutching a fat, hand-drawn, antique book. In it is the story of Donora, the town that shaped America, its people, and Patryk himself. Before long, Lucy and her son Owen lose track of their goal to get Grandpa Patryk somewhere “safe” as they’re drawn into the book, back in time, into stories that read like real-life fairy tales born of purpose, hard work, and chance.

1910 Donora, Pennsylvania

In the early dawn of Donora, Pennsylvania, the mills make and shape the steel that builds America. Mary Lancos lives in a home on the hill overlooking the town and its mighty Monongahela River. That tiny house bursts with her siblings and boarders. Wind whipping through the walls and windows makes Mary determined to marry well and create a better life.

Shy Pole Lukasz Musial arrives in Donora seeking the clear blue skies, green lawns, and better life he’d seen pictured on a postcard. Settled in Donora’s Polish community, Lukasz secures a coveted job in the wire mill. Life is set on course to achieve the American Dream. All he needs is a wife who believes in him, in his mighty, quiet, strength.

After a series of casual, friendly meetings, fate brings Mary and Lukasz to the river under a snowy, pink moonlit sky, and everything changes. Their attraction is sudden and consuming, turning the pair onto an unexpected path. With mounting disapproval from Mary’s parents, she and Lukasz must decide if love is enough to risk losing everything else that matters.

The Strongman and the Mermaid is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Kathleen's website for more information on all of her books, including more in the Donora Story Collection.

Need a cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

The California Immigrant

Please join me in congratulating Barbara Anne King on the publication of her debut historical novel, The California Immigrant! I had the pleasure of helping Barbara design the cover. Here's the book description:

An enthralling historical fiction novel chronicling the events of World War II as experienced in one American small town

Seeking a better life, young Martin Petrovich immigrates from Yugoslavia to San Francisco at the turn of the twentieth century. In just two years, he is on the verge of achieving his American Dream when disaster strikes, forcing him to flee and start over again.

Martin rebuilds his life in a small farming community set on the Monterey Bay, populated with characters as ethnically diverse as Croatians, Mexicans, and Japanese. But unlike Yugoslavia, which had bitter ethnic divides, farming brings the people together in the spirit of cooperation, and friendships form.

When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, everything changes. Martin once again finds himself in a place where racial hatred, in all its ugly guises, runs amok.

As the government turns the town’s airport into a naval facility, conscripts his sons, and begins moving Japanese to internment camps, Martin is forced to make a decision. Should he help a Japanese friend and risk the backlash of his neighbors? Or should he take the safer path of least resistance? 

Whatever his decision, it will lead to his destiny and forever shape his American Dream.

The California Immigrant is available in ebook and print editions on Amazon, and you can add it to your shelves on Goodreads.

Need a cover designer?
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jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

Montana Wrangler

Please join me in congratulating Ramona Flightner on the publication of Montana Wrangler, Book Six in the Bear Grass Springs series! I had the pleasure of designing the cover. Here's the book description:

A fiery temper. A smoldering passion. A raging snowstorm. Is their love stronger than their fear?

Frederick Tompkins enjoys his solitude on his ranch. His rare visits to town result in verbal sparring matches with the annoying Sorcha MacKinnon, and he has vowed to avoid her at all costs. When he finds her, wounded and alone, on an isolated part of his ranch, he rushes to her aid. Devastated that anyone would hurt such a vibrant, spirited woman, he must confront his true feelings for her.

Sorcha MacKinnon is convinced she’ll never have what her brothers have: a committed, loving relationship. When she is stranded at Frederick Tompkins’ ranch, she is faced with the prospect of a marriage of convenience. If she is brave, she will discover the love she’s been searching for.

As winter rages, their unconventional courtship blossoms. As they fight pasts that haunt them, will they have the courage to allow the love growing between them to flourish?

Montana Wrangler is available in ebook and print editions on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iTunes. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and check out Ramona's website for the scoop on all of her books!

Need a cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

The Life and Times of Lilly Quinn

Please join me in congratulating Carolyn E. Cook on the publication of her newest historical novel, The Life and Times of Lilly Quinn! I had the pleasure of helping Carolyn design the cover. Here's the book description:

Fleeing hazardous circumstances in New Orleans, Lilly Quinn arrives in hardscrabble Minden Springs, a thrown-together town on the dry prairie of 1870s Kansas. She plans to continue her journey onward to San Francisco, but her chance sighting of Barnett Swan, the only lawman for miles around, gives her pause. She chooses to remain, at least for the time being. As Lilly says, “It was only the shortest of encounters, perhaps a minute, but on that much alone, I made the rash decision to retrieve my carpet bag from the stage and extend my stay in this dismal place. That marshal seemed worth investigating.” 

Little does she know that the choice will determine the entire future course of her days.

Told in the voice of feisty and independent Lilly, the story flows through decades and introduces numerous colorful characters. It’s full of life and love, heroes and villains, a page-turning saga. Lilly reveals the western myths, its sometimes brutal realities, and how the landscape captures the imaginations and hopes of those who settle there. 

Set in those legendary, rough and tumble days, The Life and Times of Lilly Quinn presents two strong-willed people who, in spite of their differences, embrace a lasting love that stands the test of time.

The Life and Times of Lilly Quinn is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon! Visit Carolyn's website for more information on all of her books, and check out her guest post on the women of the Wild West on my blog, Let Them Read Books!

Need a cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

The Column of Burning Spices

Please join me in congratulating P.K. Adams on the publication of her new historical novel, The Column of Burning Spices, sequel to The Greenest Branch! I had the pleasure of designing the cover. Here's the book description:

The year is 1143. Hildegard, already a well-known physician, has expanded her work to writing not just about medicine but on theological matters as well. Once again, the monks of St. Disibod are there to stop her, citing the biblical passages that admonish against “women teachers.” Also, Abbot Kuno is aging, and it is only a matter of time before he is succeeded in the post by Prior Helenger, who wants nothing more than to see Hildegard permanently relegated to the convent’s enclosure.

Leaving St. Disibod is Hildegard’s only hope of continuing her mission of healing and writing as she sees fit. She has been saving money from the convent's endowments for years, but in order to establish her own foundation she will need the backing of a powerful man of the Church. There are several who could become her champions - from the famed Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux, to the Archbishop of Mainz, to the newly elected Pope Eugenius III. But will they take up a woman’s cause and subvert centuries of established tradition? And will it be enough to protect Hildegard from a betrayal that lurks closer than she could ever imagine?

Set against the backdrop of the lush oak forests, vineyard-covered hills, and sparkling rivers of the Rhineland, The Column of Burning Spices is a tale of courage, strength, sacrifice, and love that will appeal to fans of Ken Follett, Sharon Kay Penman, Bernard Cornwell, and Conn Iggulden.

The Column of Burning Spices is available now in print and ebook format on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit P.K.'s website for more about the book, historical articles, and book reviews!

Need a cover designer?
Email us anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

Entrapped

Please join me in congratulating Barbara Kyle on the re-release of Entrapped! Many of you are familiar with Barbara's historical novels, but she's also written a contemporary environmental thriller, and I had the pleasure of designing its new cover. Here's the book description:

When Liv Gardner arrives in the rural town of Spirit Creek, Alberta, she has nothing but her old car and a temporary job as paralegal with the local attorney. But Liv’s down-market persona is a ruse. She is actually in-house counsel of Falcon Oil, a small oil and gas company she co-owns with her fiancé, CEO Mickey Havelock – and they are facing financial ruin.

Their assets are concentrated around Spirit Creek where farmer Tom Wainwright, convinced that lethal “sour” gas killed his wife, is sabotaging Falcon’s rigs. But Wainwright is clever at hiding his tracks and the police have no evidence to charge him. With the sabotage forcing Falcon toward bankruptcy, Liv has come undercover to befriend Wainwright – and entrap him.

But Liv never dreamed she’d become torn between saving the company she and Mickey built and her feelings for the very man whose sabotage is ruining them.

On a rain-swept night, Spirit Creek is stunned when one of their own is murdered. The evidence does more than point to Tom Wainwright . . . it shatters Liv’s world.

Entrapped is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Barbara's website for more information on all of her books.

Need a cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

The Patricia MacPherson Nautical Adventures Series

Please join me in congratulating Linda Collison on the re-release of her Patrica MacPherson Nautical Adventures series! Linda wanted to update her covers with a more eye-catching and creative style, and I had the pleasure of helping her achieve that goal. Here are the book descriptions:

Portsmouth, England,1760. Patricia Kelley, the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy Barbadian sugarcane planter, falls from her imagined place in the world when her absent father unexpectedly dies. Raised in a Wiltshire boarding school sixteen-year-old Patricia embarks on a desperate crossing on a merchantman bound for Barbados, where she was born, in a brash attempt to claim an unlikely inheritance. Aboard a merchantman under contract with the British Navy to deliver gunpowder to the West Indian forts, young Patricia finds herself pulled between two worlds -- and two identities -- as she charts her own course for survival in the war-torn 18th century.






Patrick MacPherson is a qualified surgeon’s mate; but she’s not the man he claims to be.

It's late October, 1762. After surviving the deadly siege of Havana, Patrick MacPherson and the rest of the ship’s company are looking forward to a well deserved liberty in New York. But what happens in that colonial town will change the surgeon's mate's life in ways she could never have imagined.

Using a dead man’s identity, young Patricia Kelley MacPherson is making her way as Patrick MacPherson, surgeon’s mate aboard His Majesty’s frigate Richmond. She's become adept at bleeding, blistering, and amputating limbs; but if her cover is blown, she’ll lose both her livelihood and her berth aboard the frigate. The ship’s gunner alone knows her secret – or does someone else aboard suspect that Patrick MacPherson is not the man he claims to be?

Patricia MacPherson is not the man she claims to be. The Seven Years War is over but trouble in the American colonies is brewing. Maintaining her disguise as a young man, Patricia is finding success as Patrick MacPherson. Formerly a surgeon’s mate in His Majesty’s Navy, Patrick has lately been employed aboard the colonial merchant schooner Andromeda, smuggling foreign molasses into Rhode Island. Late October, amidst riots against the newly imposed Stamp Act, she leaves Newport bound for the West Indies on her first run as Andromeda’s master. In Havana a chance meeting with a former enemy presents unexpected opportunities while an encounter with a British frigate and an old lover threatens her liberty – and her life. Rhode Island Rendezvous is the third book of the Patricia MacPherson Nautical Adventure Series.


All three books are available in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Add them to your shelves on Goodreads, and check out Linda's website for more information on all of her books.

Need a cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com