The Art of Book Cover Design for Historical Fiction

*This is an older post, but it remains so popular that I keep it pinned here on the main page.*

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!)

The Daring Mrs. Kent

Please join me in congratulating Michelle Morrison on the publication of her newest historical romance, The Daring Mrs. Kent! I had the pleasure of designing the cover! Here's the book description:

She was not always daring…

Josephine Kent risked everything to escape an abusive husband: a perilous sea voyage, a new life in the Caribbean, and the constant worry that Mr. Kent would find her. She settles into a safe new life in her brother’s house, content to avoid society and serve as her brother’s housekeeper…until her identity is discovered by one of her husband’s henchmen.

Hungerford Spooner walks a careful line among the residents of St Kitts’ capital. As the son of a wealthy English landowner, he has holdings and a successful shipping business. But he is also the son of a former slave, a combination that puts him on the fringes of Basseterre’s high society. When he rescues a young woman fleeing a pursuer, he finds himself drawn to her beauty and spirit. And he recognizes in her a fellow soul carrying a heavy burden.

To save her, he hides her aboard his ship. In such close quarters, their feelings intensify. But just when happiness seems in their grasp, their journey is cut short by a rogue slave ship and now Josephine must overcome her past fears to save the man she loves.

The Daring Mrs. Kent is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon! Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Michelle'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

Shame the Devil

Please join me in congratulating Donna Scott on the publication of her debut historical novel, Shame the Devil! I had the pleasure of designing the cover. Here's the book description:

England, 1643. The Civil War has created a great divide between those who support King Charles and those who would rather see his head on the block. Young Scot Colin Blackburne finds himself caught in the middle when he witnesses Parliamentarians murder his mother because of his father’s allegiance to the king. As further punishment, the family is sent to Yorkshire as indentured servants.

Mistreated by his master and tormented by a Parliamentarian soldier, Colin vows to take up arms for the king and seek vengeance against the men who killed his mother. The only bright spot in his life is his unexpected, and forbidden, friendship with his master’s daughter, Emma Hardcastle.

With her father constantly away on campaign and her mother plagued by madness, Emma is drawn to Colin and his brother, Roddy.  She introduces them to her troubled neighbor Alston Egerton, who has a clandestine relationship with Stephen Kitts, the soldier out for Colin’s blood.

As they all become entangled in a twisted web of love, jealousy, desire, and betrayal, the war rages on around them. Resentful at being forced into servitude and forbidden from being with the woman he loves, Colin puts his plan for vengeance into motion, though it will have disastrous consequences for all of them.

Secrets are revealed and relationships are torn apart. With the country teetering on the brink of ruin, Emma fights to survive, Alston is forced to confront his demons, and Colin must decide whether his burning desire to fight for justice is worth sacrificing a future with the woman he loves.

Shame the Devil is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Donna's website for the scoop on her forthcoming novels!

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

Gauging the Player

Please join me in congratulating G.K. Brady on the publication of Gauging the Player, third book in the Playmakers Series! 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:

Gage Nelson doesn’t do one-night stands. In fact, he doesn’t date. He’s too focused on leading his team to the playoffs. Besides, he doesn’t need more women complicating his life—he’s got enough of that already.

But when a blue-eyed beauty bowls him over, he breaks his own rules and lets himself go with the flow for a night. A night he intends to be the first of many. When he wakes up, though, his dream girl’s gone, and he has no idea how to find her. He’s haunted by the woman he can’t get out of his mind.

Lily Everett is caught in a past she can’t let go. One night of steamy sex with a hot hockey hunk helps her forget—until she wakes up, and guilt grabs her by the throat. She runs and doesn’t look back. And that’s okay because hockey players are, well, players, right? Guys like him aren’t looking for long-term—and neither is she.

When a chance meeting brings them back together, Lily realizes she’s not only misjudged Gage Nelson, but she’s misjudged her own heart’s yearnings. What began as a one-night stand threatens to undo her carefully laced-up world.

Gage, aka Mr. Perfect, is trying to live up to his family’s and his team’s sky-high expectations. A lot’s riding on his big shoulders, but as long as he goes in the direction his moral compass points, he can’t go wrong. Right? As for Lily, he wants her. Period. He sets out to win her the same way he wins at hockey: with patience and persistence. But he finds himself facing off against a rival he can’t beat.

Can Gage convince Lily to give up the ghosts of her past and make room for him in her heart, or will she freeze him out forever?

Gauging the Player 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

Pioneer Desire

Please join me in congratulating Ramona Flightner on the publication of Pioneer Desire, the second book in the The O'Rourke Family Montana Saga series! I had the pleasure of helping Ramona design the cover. Here's the book description:

A brilliant cook new to town. An honorable, restless man. Will they allow friendship to blossom into something more?

Ardan O’Rourke never thought to marry. Not after the heartbreak he suffered as a young man. Not after the years he helped raise his youngest siblings. He never expected to meet Deirdre Finnegan, a spirited woman with a past full of secrets.

Deirdre Finnegan is not who she appears to be. A fine cook and a loner, she yearns for so much more. When Ardan and the O’Rourkes befriend her, she cannot deny her desire to be part of the large, wonderful family. Just when she begins to believe in a new future, her past returns to remind her of all she has lost. And all she must face if she wants to live a life free of doubt and anguish.

Faced with losing Deirdre, Ardan discovers the one foe he cannot battle: a ghost. Fearing the past is repeating itself, Ardan has to hope her love for him is stronger than her love of what she lost.

Pioneer Desire is available in ebook and print editions on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and Kobo. 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

Moriarty Lifts the Veil

Please join me in congratulating Anna Castle on her newest release, the fourth book in her Professor and Mrs. Moriarty Mystery Series, Moriarty Lifts the Veil! I had the pleasure of working with Anna on a copyedit of this clever mystery featuring Sherlock Holmes's favorite villain and his charming wife, and I designed the book's cover! Here's the description:

It began as a harmless wager. Who could solve their case first?

Professor and Mrs. Moriarty have a few weeks to kill before their theater opens. Happily, two small cases drop in their respective laps. Moriarty has what looks like a scheme to swindle Army veterans out of their discharge pay. Angelina must find a missing servant by winkling her way into a circle of officers’ wives. Neither case seems terribly challenging; just enough to provide an agreeable competition.

But as soon as they start asking questions, things take an ugly turn. Moriarty discovers an army barracks riddled with corruption. Angelina uncovers a terrible secret at the heart of the circle of officers and wives. When Sherlock Holmes returns from a mission in India, he confirms her worst fears. Then a man is murdered, and a good friend is blamed. Scotland Yard sends Holmes to catch their suspect. The Moriartys must use all their courage and ingenuity to rescue their friend, stop a series of loathsome crimes, and put a cold killer behind bars.

Moriarty Lifts the Veil is available now in print and ebook formats on Amazon. 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.

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

Kanzashi

Please join me in congratulating Christopher Kincaid on the publication of his new young adult historical mystery, Kanzashi! I had the pleasure of designing the cover. Here's the book description:

“Life doesn’t care about dreams, Mameko. It is as it is, no matter what we do.”

Mameko never thought she’d witness a murder.

Her life consists of songs, stories, lessons, and the other social demands of a maiko. Mameko tries to be a good daughter and follows her mother’s guidance, though she is known to rebel against tradition when she deems it necessary. Even with her rebellious acts, she is poised to become one of the most prominent geiko in Gion.

When Mr. Funaki is murdered with Mameko’s hairpin thrust into his throat, she becomes the main suspect. Mameko must resist the police’s efforts to get her to confess to the murder. As the news spreads and her reputation declines, she must find the true killer, or her dream of becoming a geiko will end.

Kanzashi is available now in ebook and print format on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Christopher's website for more information about his historical novels and his books on Japanese folktales.

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

A Song for Lonely Wolves

Please join me in congratulating Lee Evie on the publication of A Song for Lonely Wolves, first in her new Joseon Detective Series! I had the pleasure of helping Lee design the cover. Here's the book description:

Joseon Korea, Winter 1590

At the foot of a jagged mountain range, an isolated village lies in muddy snow. From her bed, a young noblewoman vanishes in the dead of night, and rumours of a fearsome ghost with no face echo in her wake.

Hardworking and dogged Dan Ji arrives in the long winding valley with her own ghosts. As a damo, a tea servant of the police force, she is overlooked and undervalued. Yet this case has gripped her heart, and she craves to prove her worth beyond simply cooking and cleaning for her superiors – she is determined to solve the mystery.

With only the officer in charge on her side – a hard young man with a bloody past and secrets of his own – Dan Ji must convince the local Magistrate and his provincial policemen to trust her judgment. Yet with mistrust brewing, the investigation slowly grinds to a halt. Until a frozen body is unearthed from the deep snows of the mountain range.

It is not within Dan Ji’s nature to leave a mystery unsolved, yet soon she discovers the fine threads of this investigation run much deeper than anyone has anticipated.

A dark historical mystery set in old Korea.

A Song for Lonely Wolves is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Lee's website for her blog posts and podcasts about Korean history.

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

Pioneer Dream

Please join me in congratulating Ramona Flightner on the publication of Pioneer Dream, the first book in a brand new series: The O'Rourke Family Montana Saga! I had the pleasure of helping Ramona design the cover. Here's the book description:

Sensible Kevin O’Rourke does not believe in ghosts, in love at first sight, or in the happily-ever-after type of love. Instead, he is convinced only hard work, dedication to family, and self-sacrifice will bring contentment. When he meets Aileen O’Keefe on the steamboat trip from Saint Louis to Fort Benton, Montana Territory, his world is turned upside down as quickly as she nearly tumbles into the Missouri River. After spending only a few moments in her company, he knows his life will never be the same. Although warned to guard his heart, he is drawn to Aileen, enthralled by her joy and the future he envisions with her.

Aileen O’Keefe knows she is not the sort of woman to captivate handsome Kevin O’Rourke. Charmed by his attentiveness, she is unable to hide her mutual attraction to him, although she knows it is disastrous. For Aileen has a secret. One that will forever separate them. Due to a bargain made by her aunt, their time on the steamboat must be all they can ever share.

Upon arriving in Fort Benton, Kevin discovers that ghosts can return from the dead, love can endure years of hardship, and that his hope for a future with the woman he loves is worth every sacrifice. Aileen must adjust to the rough frontier town as she reconciles herself to the betrayal of one she trusted. She must learn to believe in herself so that she can have the confidence to have faith in Kevin’s love.

Can Kevin convince Aileen to trust in the strength of their love, or will Aileen turn to another for the fulfillment of her dreams?

Pioneer Dream is available in ebook and print editions on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. 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

All the News and Politics & Bedfellows

Please join me in congratulating Hollis Bush on the publication of All the News and Politics & Bedfellows! I had the pleasure of helping Hollis design the covers. Here are the book descriptions:

John Schram, reporter for the Lancaster Standard Newspaper, husband, and father to two boys, is feeling his age. His paper has hired consultants who seem too young to understand a newsroom and worse yet, have required the installation of low-flow toilets. He’s juggling multiple stories and because of layoffs is now tasked with writing a love advice column called Listening with Lily. He feels a little left behind and less astute than he should be with new technology, and his fiftieth birthday is coming at him fast and furious. John wonders if he’s lost a step to the young reporters in his office.

His seventeen-year-old son is worrying him on the home front, as Justin has lost interest in playing baseball or his grades or college. He’s in some fights at school, and after several meetings with teachers and guidance counselors, John still has little idea what is troubling the teenager. He does know that the tension and arguments are keeping him, and his wife, awake at night and worried throughout the day. John is at a loss for what to do until a tragic incident brings everything to a head, and his family will never be the same.

***

Divorcee Glenda Nelson poured herself a cup of coffee, sat down at her kitchen table, and opened up the morning paper. That’s when she found out her hand-picked Congressional candidate was caught climbing out of the window of the Sleepytown Motel. With her job as a political strategist on the line, she must put together a damage control plan, and do it fast.

After a multi-year hiatus, Glenda’s love life is finally on the rebound when she meets handsome Christopher Goodwich, a successful artist with oodles of old money. But what will Chris think after witnessing one of her meltdowns? Will his fame and fortune only serve to magnify Glenda’s ineptitude? And sometimes she just can’t stop wondering why she stayed so long with her philandering ex-husband, or how her sister’s marriage has been so apparently picture-perfect. While uncovering the secrets behind a political scandal, Glenda finds love and makes the long trek back to happy.

This book was originally released as Red, White, and Screwed.

All the News and Politics & Bedfellows are available in ebook and paperback editions on Amazon! Add them to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Hollis's website for the scoop on all of her novels!

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

Along the Road

Please join me in congratulating Pat Wahler on the publication of her newest novel, Along the Road, book two in the Becker Family series! I had the pleasure of working with Pat in designing the cover. Here's the book description:

Whoever said opposites attract?

Kat Becker is a starry-eyed optimist with a dream. She’s convinced a move to Nashville will turn her into a singing sensation, and nobody’s going to stand in her way. Not even the cute but grumpy ER doctor she meets after a fender-bender.

Dr. Dan McDonald is a hardheaded realist with a past. He knows firsthand how Music City can shatter a heart. It’s his duty to warn an appealing but quirky patient of the aftermath for anyone foolish enough to pursue such a fantasy.

Two people couldn’t be less likely to join forces, let alone fall in love . . . until one tiny lie changes everything.

Along the Road is available now in ebook and print formats on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, 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

The Bridled Tongue

Please join me in congratulating Catherine Meyrick on the publication of The Bridled Tongue! I had the pleasure of working with Catherine on a developmental edit and a copyedit, and I designed the cover! Here's the book description:

Death and life are in the power of the tongue.

England, 1586

Alyce Bradley has few choices when her father decides it is time she marry, as many refuse to see her as other than the girl she once was--unruly, outspoken and close to her grandmother, a woman suspected of witchcraft.

Thomas Granville, an ambitious privateer, inspires fierce loyalty in those close to him and hatred in those he has crossed. Beyond a large dowry, he is seeking a virtuous and dutiful wife. Neither he nor Alyce expect more from marriage than mutual courtesy and respect.

As the King of Spain launches his great armada and England braces for invasion, Alyce must confront closer dangers from both her own and Thomas's past, threats that could not only destroy her hopes of love and happiness, but her life. And Thomas is powerless to help.

The Bridled Tongue is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Catherine's website for more info on her books, her historical research, and her works-in-progress!

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

Synnove: The King's Cupbearer

Please join me in congratulating Caroline Goldsworthy on the publication of Synnove: The King's Cupbearer! I had the pleasure of designing the cover. Here's the book description:

Her king is dead.
The queen wants revenge.
If she is captured, she will die.

England, 625 AD. Accused of regicide Synnöve, King Raedwald’s cupbearer and lover, must escape the royal court to avoid execution at the hands of his jealous and vengeful queen.

She would starve to death if it were not for her late mother’s faithful friend, Maud. But one day Maud does not visit. Nor the next. Then Maud's body is found, drowned.

Terrified but desperate to prove her innocence, Synnöve must flee and hide in the dark forest – a treacherous realm full of wolves, wild boar, bandits and vengeful tree spirits. She meets Baedo, the blond giant, and Eowyn, a powerful sorceress who teaches her the healing ways of the Wyrd and other magic. Together they battle to unearth the truth.

But will they expose the real murderer before the queen’s men find and execute Synnöve?

Synnove: The King's Cupbearer is available in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Carolyn's website for more information about this book and her DCI Ronnie Carlson mystery series.

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

The Thief's Heart

Please join me in congratulating Kathleen Shoop on her newest release, The Thief's Heart, Book Four in the Letter Series! I had the pleasure of working with Kathie on a developmental edit and a copyedit of this emotional tale of a young man's efforts to keep his family together in late 19th century Des Moines, and I designed the cover! Here's the book description:

For anyone who’s ever needed a second chance, to find love, to find the right path in life…

Des Moines, 1892.

After losing their promised inheritance, the Arthur family’s luck finally changes. An extraordinary woman, Violet Pendergrass, provides refuge for them to rebuild their broken lives. Or has she? Handsome fifteen-year-old Tommy Arthur has one foot in manhood and the other dragging up the rear of his boyhood years. He strives to protect and provide for his family, but turning to booze when scared or worried creates as many problems as solutions. Unsure of who he can trust, fiery redhead Pearl Riverside challenges and excites him at every turn, softening his heart toward the idea that goodness exists in the world.

Tension builds between Tommy and his mother as her affection for a generous man increases. At the same time, distance grows between Tommy and his twin sister, Katherine, as each chooses their secrets over family. Violet Pendergrass demands more from Tommy, and he begins to question her motives.

When disaster strikes for Tommy’s little sister, Yale, the actions of a sinister judge, a crooked minister, and the infamous charlatan Dreama are revealed. Facing more jail time as vigilante mobs form, the clock runs down on Tommy’s chance to take responsibility for his own choices. Is it too late for him to save his family, to open his heart and fully love those who need him as much as he needs them?

The Thief's Heart 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 Letter Series and her Donora Story Collection.

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

Blood Rights

Please join me in congratulating Kelly Clayton on the publication of the fourth novel in the Jack Le Claire Mystery Series, Blood Rights! I had the pleasure of working with Kelly on a developmental edit and a copyedit of this suspenseful mystery set on the Channel Island of Jersey, which Kelly has called home for most of her life, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:

Greed, rage, envy . . . and murder.

DCI Jack Le Claire is investigating the death of a high-profile resident on the Island of Jersey. But the killing has only just begun.

Kurt Englebrook has it all. He’s a hedge fund tycoon with a gorgeous younger wife, two grown sons and a loyal team around him. But Kurt has a secret; somebody knows what it is and is determined to make him suffer. Meanwhile, an argument rages over an ancient right-of-way and a historic tower.

Kurt’s sister-in-law, Chloe Marsden, is grateful to inhabit his world of privilege and plenty. But what Chloe cares most about can’t be bought.

They've killed once and crossed a line. Now there's no going back.

A brutal death reveals the widening cracks that threaten to break apart the Englebrooks and those connected to them.

A killer is on the rampage, but what do they want?

As the deaths mount up, Le Claire must trap a vicious killer, although he has numerous suspects and very few leads.

He is distracted as a looming shadow from his past threatens his future and that of his family.

A suspenseful mix of lies, desires and murder set in the seemingly idyllic Channel Island of Jersey.

Blood Rights is available now in Kindle format on Amazon and Amazon UK. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, visit Kelly's website for the scoop on her upcoming releases and writing and publishing tips, and check out her feature on ITV!

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

Promise Season

Please join me in congratulating Lee Evie on the publication of her debut historical novel, Promise Season! I had the pleasure of helping Lee design the cover. Here's the book description:

A SLAVE. A SPY. A PROMISE.

Joseon Dynasty, Korea: A humid summer storm rages across the Pavilion, the greatest entertainment house in the sprawling city of Hanyang. Within its stifling walls a gisaeng slave girl hides a fugitive in her bed, unexpectedly saving the life of a young man who is not all he seems.

Immediately Seorin is thrust into a razor-edged world of conspiracy and spies, doomed rebellion, and murky intrigue. For the first time in years, she glimpses an opportunity for change.

Yet it is not her freedom Seorin so desperately desires, but something far more precious. She will risk anything, even death, to gain it.

A dark and romantic historical adventure set in old Korea.

Promise Season is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Lee's website for her blog posts and podcasts about Korean history.

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

A Thing Done

Please join me in congratulating Tinney Sue Heath on the re-release of A Thing Done! I had the pleasure of designing the cover! Here's the book description:

Juggling is easy – until you’re juggling two sides of a lethal vendetta.

Florence, 1216: Corrado the Fool’s prank-for-hire began it, but where is it going to end? Florence’s noble families are up in arms, and Corrado is pressed into service by both sides against his will. A peacemaking marriage could still quiet the outraged factions, but that fragile alliance may crumble under pressure from an interfering woman, a scorned bride, and a demand for revenge. And only Corrado, the reluctant messenger, is in a position to see it all taking shape.

He doesn’t care who comes out on top, but he does care a lot about surviving and about protecting those he loves, and he'll do whatever he must to prevent the enraged nobles from destroying his city. Will his famous wit and ingenuity be enough? Will anything?

Inspired by real events, A Thing Done tells of a hapless David caught between warring Goliaths. Corrado's story makes it clear that the rich and powerful aren't the only ones who can make history.

A Thing Done is available in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and vist Tinney's website for more information on her books and her blog posts on historical research.

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

Third Man In

Please join me in congratulating G.K. Brady on the publication of Third Man In, second book in the Playmakers Series, and follow-up to the critically acclaimed 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:

Pro hockey player T.J. Shanstrom is no stranger to controversy. Labeled a goon by his many critics, he’s the guy every team hates to play against but every team wants on their side—the goal scorer with an edge as deadly as a newly sharpened skate blade.

T.J. plays the only way he can, laying everything on the line, game in, game out. But when it’s time to step away from the rink, T.J. leaves his fire on the ice. Relationships? He tried that once. Friends with benefits is as close as he’s planning to get to a woman again.

Until he meets Natalie Foster.

Smart and independent, no-nonsense Natalie is rebuilding her life her way after her high-powered career and her engagement go off the rails. Besides trying out new lines of work, she’s also dipping her toe in the dating pool with pro hockey player Kevin May. The relationship is new, it’s fun, but it’s barely off the ground when Kevin’s career comes to a screeching halt thanks to a T.J. Shanstrom cheapshot.

When Natalie and T.J.’s paths accidentally cross, sparks fly. Natalie has no idea who this handsome hunk is, but when T.J. discovers who she is, he’s determined to become her knight in shining armor while safeguarding his identity—and his heart.

What could possibly go wrong?

Third Man In 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

The River Jewel

Please join me in congratulating Kathleen Shoop on the publication of her newest book, The River Jewel: A Letter Series Novella! I had the privilege of designing the cover. Here's the book description:

For everyone who hopes to find the perfect match…

1875 Des Moines, Iowa

The novella The River Jewel takes readers of the bestselling Letter Series novels back in time, before there was a last letter, before the Arthurs lost everything, before they knew a girl named Pearl.

Meet Tilly Rabel, a proud mussel-woman, and Landon Lockwood, the troubled son of one of the wealthiest men in America. The two could not be less suited for love. But when an old legend draws Landon to a hidden river cove, Tilly and he find each other, are lured by growing attraction, and repelled by competing desires to control Tilly’s waters. The hidden pool is replete with valuable mussel beds and the source of everything that makes Tilly who she is. Landon sees the illustrious treasure as the path to proving to his parents he is worth their love and worthy of the Lockwood name. Can Tilly trust Landon with her heart, with her beloved mussel beds? Can Landon trust that he has truly changed and doesn’t need his parents approval to live the life he wants?

Heartbreak, triumph, and a very special baby weave a tale sure to please readers who’ve read the entire Letter Series and those who are just starting the journey.

The River Jewel 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 Letter Series and her Donora Story Collection.

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

The Power to Deny

Please join me in congratulating Wendy Long Stanley on the publication of her debut historical, The Power to Deny: A Woman of the Revolution Novel! I had the pleasure of offering Wendy some copyediting assistance on this true story of one woman's brave stance during the American Revolution, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:

Young and brilliant poet Elizabeth Graeme comes of age in colonial Philadelphia bearing an exceptional talent for writing and an unwillingness to be like all the other young women around her.

After a successful trip to England and an audience with the king, the sudden death of her mother and two failed romances leave Elizabeth reeling. Back in Philadelphia, she uses her literary talent, intellect, widening social circle, and status as a prominent physician’s daughter to navigate her colonial life as a single woman.

That is, until the night Henry Fergusson arrives in her parlor. Elizabeth marries Henry four months later in a secret nighttime wedding, against her father’s wishes.

As a new wife, Elizabeth is stunned to see that Pennsylvania is marching toward revolutionary war. Suddenly, Elizabeth’s hometown becomes the seat and heart of the rebel government as the thirteen colonies turn their backs on the all-powerful British empire. Bloodshed ensues.

With battles of the American Revolution on her doorstep, Elizabeth realizes that she is a new American—and an ardent patriot. Her new husband, however, is staunchly loyal to the British crown.

Elizabeth stands to lose everything.

The Power to Deny is available in ebook and print editions on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Wendy's website for more information about the book.

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

Exultant Montana Christmas

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

Her most cherished dream. His greatest fear. Will they conquer their doubts in time to save their marriage?

Ewan MacKinnon is troubled. He loves his wife, Jessamine, but he fears she no longer feels the same. With a growing distance between them, he doesn’t know what to do to bridge the growing chasm between them. When he discovers what she is hiding from him, will his love be strong enough to overcome his disillusionment?

Jessamine McMahon MacKinnon is in over her head. She has relished living in Bear Grass Springs, Montana as the resident reporter, secure in her husband’s love and adulation. Although she detests deception, she fears telling her husband the truth. For how can she expect him to rejoice in her sharing her love with another?

As Christmas approaches, will Jessamine have faith in Ewan’s steadfastness and love allowing them to enjoy their most memorable holiday ever?

Immerse yourself in this unforgettable Christmas romance novella with the characters you love from Bear Grass Springs as Ewan and Jessamine discover happily ever afters can occur more than once!

Exultant Montana Christmas is available in ebook and print editions on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple Books. 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

A Thousand Mothers

Please join me in congratulating Brenda Marie Webb on the publication of her debut historical novel, A Thousand Mothers! I had the privilege of helping Brenda with a copyedit on this moving tale of love and perseverance in the darkest times, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:

Against all odds, a group of women perseveres to keep a promise to protect an infant born amidst the horrors of Ravensbrũck concentration camp.

In December 1942, the Nazis deport Perl Kaczlowicz from the Plonsk ghetto in Poland and send her to Ravensbrück, the infamous female concentration camp. She says good-bye to her husband that fateful morning not knowing she is expecting their first child, or that she will never see him again.

While imprisoned at the camp, she meets Helene Dvorak and other extraordinary women who risk their lives to save her and her baby from the brutality and unimaginable cruelty surrounding them. The women bond together to form friendships and lasting ties that endure through the horrors of the Holocaust and long after liberation.

From the hell of Ravensbrück to Montreal and Savannah, A Thousand Mothers tells the story of the resilient spirit of women and the astounding power of loyalty, courage, and love during the darkest days of the twentieth century.

A Thousand Mothers is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Book Depository. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Brenda's website for more information.

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

Written in Their Stars

Please join me in congratulating Elizabeth St. John on the publication of her newest novel, Written in Their Stars, Book Three in the Lydiard Chronicles! I had the privilege of offering developmental and copyediting assistance on this sequel to Elizabeth's critically acclaimed Lydiard novels, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:

London, 1649. Horrified eyewitnesses to King Charles’s bloody execution, Royalists Nan Wilmot and Frances Apsley plot to return the king’s exiled son to England’s throne, while their radical cousin Luce, the wife of king-killer John Hutchinson, rejoices in the new republic’s triumph. Nan exploits her high-ranking position as Countess of Rochester to manipulate England’s great divide, flouting Cromwell and establishing a Royalist spy network; while Frances and her husband Allen join the destitute prince in Paris’s Louvre Palace to support his restoration. As the women work from the shadows to topple Cromwell’s regime, their husbands fight openly for the throne on England’s bloody battlefields.

But will the return of the king be a victory, or destroy them all? Separated by loyalty and bound by love, Luce, Nan and Frances hold the fate of England—and their family—in their hands.

A true story based on surviving memoirs of Elizabeth St.John's family, Written in their Stars is the third novel in the Lydiard Chronicles series.

Written in Their Stars is available now in ebook and print format on Amazon and Amazon UK! Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and check out Elizabeth's website and blog, where she shares tidbits and photos from her research and travels in her ancestors' footsteps.

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

Bittersweet Tapestry

Please join me in congratulating Kevin O'Connell on the publication of Bittersweet Tapestry, book three in the Derrynane Saga! I had the pleasure of helping Kevin design the cover. Here's the book description:

High Summer 1770, Ireland. Eileen O’Connell, her husband Arthur O’Leary and their son, along with Eileen’s treasured friend Anna, have made an uneventful transition from their lives at the gilded apex of the Hapsburg empire and are happily ensconced at Rathleigh House, the O'Leary estate in County Cork. Being prominent amongst those families which are the remnants of the old Gaelic order in the area, they will find that the dark cloud of the Protestant Ascendancy hovers heavily, at times threateningly, over them.

Meanwhile, in France, at École Militaire in Paris, Hugh O’Connell is progressing with his studies, whilst at Versailles Marie Antoinette– until just recently Eileen’s wee little archduchess–confronts her    unhappiness at court, especially the sad state of her still-unconsummated marriage, made all the more complex as she is aware of the blossoming relationship between Hugh and the strikingly beautiful young widowed Princess Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy.

Bittersweet Tapestry is a tale of stark contrasts–between  Hugh’s life of increasing  prominence amidst the glitter and intrigue of the French court and Art and Eileen’s in English-occupied Ireland–     especially as the latter progresses into a dark, violent and bloody tale . . . ultimately involving an epic tragedy, the events leading up to and those occurring in its dramatic wake will permanently impact the O’Learys–and their far-flung circle of family and friends in Ireland and across Europe.

Bittersweet Tapestry is available in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Kevin's website for more info about Kevin and his books!

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