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!)

Distant Hills

Please join me in congratulating Nora Ryell on the publication of her debut historical novel, Distant Hills! I had the pleasure of helping Nora design the cover of this adventurous tale of a woman wrongly convicted of murder and her fight to take back her life. Here's the book description:

Dear Reader,

Distant Hills is the first in a series of historical novels featuring brainy and feisty women. The novel begins in England in 1734. My heroine, Kate Hardy longs for adventure and escape from the small town she lives in. She thinks her life is dull but she is unaware that malign forces are at work to destroy her life.

Convicted of a murder she did not commit, she is exiled to the exotic island of Jamaica as a prisoner. She believes her life is over, but it is just about to begin. She is rescued from her plight by Marcus Huntley, Earl of Cairnmore. A friend has written to him with the unwanted plea to protect Kate, and at first, Marcus sees this as a burden, but then an audacious idea strikes him that Kate may be the solution to a problem of his own. Marcus makes an outrageous proposal – a marriage of convenience in exchange for his assistance to help prove Kate’s innocence.

What begins as a business arrangement quickly develops into a powerful attraction, but before her life can be complete, Kate must bury the past in order to look to the future. Then an unexpected visitor from England brings amazing news which sends Kate back to England and puts her in great jeopardy. For even though she is now more determined than ever to find a killer and clear her name, the killer is equally determined to remain in the shadows and will do anything to stop Kate. 

Distant Hills reminds me of the romances I read and loved while growing up. I enjoyed Harlequin romances by Violet Winspear, Anne Hampson and Margaret Way. Another favourite author was the Australian writer Lucy Walker and I also read everything D.E. Stevenson wrote. I hope you will enjoy this novel in the same way. 

Distant Hills is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Visit Nora's website to read an excerpt!

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

Let Your Heart Be Light

Please join me in congratulating Pat Wahler on the publication of Let Your Heart Be Light: A Celebration of Christmas! I had the pleasure of helping Pat design the cover of this collection of stories, essays, and poetry. Here's the book description:

What Do You Love About Christmas?

The scent of pine. A crackle and snap from the fireplace. Warm cinnamon-and-sugar cookies.

Pour yourself a cup of cheer and savor the journey back to memories of childhood, when you schemed to get that perfect present.

Find out whether one little dog can heal a broken heart and spark the possibility of new love.

Treasure memorable moments steeped in the joy of family and friends.

Rediscover the humor of the holiday season--courtesy of a white goose.

Readers who love the magic of Christmas will devour these and other bite-sized stories written in the timeless yuletide tradition.

Let Your Heart Be Light is available now in ebook and print formats on Amazon! 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

Ocean Rhythms, Kindred Spirits

Please join me in congratulating Sheree K. Nielsen on the publication of her newest book, Ocean Rhythms, Kindred Spirits: An Emerson-Inspired Essay Collection on Travel, Nature, Family and Pets. I had the pleasure of helping Sheree design the cover using a photo from her own collection. Here's the book description:

Ocean Rhythms, Kindred Spirits is a reminder to be present in the moment, live life with abandon, invariably respecting nature, animals, and people.

Join Sheree K. Nielsen, 2015 Da Vinci Eye Award Winner (Folly Beach Dances), on a journey as she awakens the wanderlust in her soul, defines moments of clarity while walking on the beach, finds solitude diving with sharks and dolphins, and befriends sea-loving dogs. She'll reveal her strong connection to family and beloved pets, the beauty in a mimosa tree, and the kindred spirit that lives in all of us. A unique essay collection of all things warm and good, inspired by the author's love for Emerson. Complementary photographs by Sheree are included at the end of each essay, with a few seafaring friends' photographs as well.

Locations of essays include the Carolinas, Florida, the Caribbean, and the Midwest.

Ocean Rhythms, Kindred Spirits is available now in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Sheree's website to read excerpts and learn more about her inspiration for this collection of essays.

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

The Guinevere's Tale Trilogy Box Set

Now that all three books in the Guinevere's Tale Trilogy by Nicole Evelina have been published, they are also available in a box set! I had the pleasure of designing the covers. Here are the book descriptions:

Guinevere is remembered for her role as King Arthur’s wife and for her adulterous affair with Lancelot. But there is so much more to her story…

Priestess. Queen. Warrior. Experience the world of King Arthur through Guinevere’s eyes as she matures from a young priestess who never dreamed of becoming queen to the stalwart defender of a nation and a mistress whose sin would go down in history. Throughout it all, Guinevere faces threats from both foreign powers and within her own court that lead her to place her very life on the line to protect the dream of Camelot and save her people. 

This compendium of Nicole Evelina’s two-time Book of the Year award-winning trilogy – Daughter of Destiny, Camelot’s Queen, and Mistress of Legend – gives fresh life to an age-old tale by adding historical context and emotional depth. Spanning more than three decades, it presents Guinevere as an equal to the famous men she is remembered for loving, while providing context for her controversial decisions and visiting little-known aspects of her life before and after her marriage to King Arthur. 

Book One: Daughter of Destiny
Before queenship and Camelot, Guinevere was a priestess of Avalon. She loved another before Arthur, a warrior who would one day betray her. Learn the true story of her early life.

•Book of the Year – Chanticleer Reviews 
•Best New Voice, (Silver Award), IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards 
•Winner – North Street Book Prize

"Rich and stunning, easily comparable to novels by other bestselling historical fiction authors." - Chanticleer Book Reviews 

Book Two: Camelot’s Queen
Guinevere is now High Queen and Arthur’s top strategist. But when she is feared dead, Arthur installs a new woman in her place, one who will poison his affections, threatening Guinevere’s fragile sanity and driving her into the arms of her champion. Can the Grail’s promise of peace set things right or will peace prove as dangerous as war?

•Fiction Book of the Year – Author’s Circle
•Best Second Book – Next Generation Indie Book Awards

“Historical fantasy at its finest!" - InD'Tale Magazine

Book Three: Mistress of Legend

Legend says Guinevere spent her final days in penance in a convent, but that is far from the truth. Not one to quietly cede power, she fights for her ancestral homeland against an invasion that threatens both her people and her life.

The Guinevere's Tale Trilogy is available now in ebook and print format on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Nicole's website for the scoop on all of her books and articles on writing and Arthurian lore. And check out Nicole's article for the Huffington Post on traveling in the footsteps of Arthur and Guinevere!

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

Mistress of Legend

Please join me in congratulating Nicole Evelina on the publication of the third and final book in the award-winning Guinevere's Tale Trilogy, Mistress of Legend! I had the pleasure of designing the cover. Here's the book description:

Legend says Guinevere spent her final days in penance in a convent, but that is far from the truth.

Having escaped death at the stake, Guinevere longs to live a peaceful life in Brittany with Lancelot, but the threat of Arthur’s wrath quickly separates the lovers. Guinevere finds herself back in Camelot, but it is not the peaceful capital she once knew; the loyalty of the people is divided over Arthur’s role in her death sentence. When war draws Arthur away from Britain, Mordred is named acting king. With Morgan at his side and a Saxon in his bed, Mordred’s thirst for power becomes his undoing and the cause of Guinevere’s greatest heartache.

In the wake of the deadly battle that leaves the country in civil war, Guinevere’s power as the former queen is sought by everyone who seeks to ascend the throne. Heartbroken and refusing to take sides in the conflict, she flees north to her mother’s Votadini homeland, where she is at long last reunited with Lancelot. The quiet life she desires is just beginning when warring tribal factions once again thrust her into an unexpected position of power. Now charged with ending an invasion that could bring an end to the Votadini tribe and put the whole island in the hands of the Saxons, Guinevere must draw upon decades of experience to try to save the people she loves and is sworn to protect. 

Mistress of Legend is available now in ebook and print format on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Nicole's website for the scoop on all of her books and articles on writing and Arthurian lore. And check out Nicole's article for the Huffington Post on traveling in the footsteps of Arthur and Guinevere!

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

The Path to Somerset

Please join me in congratulating Janet Wertman on the publication of The Path to Somerset, sequel to her highly acclaimed debut, Jane the Quene! I had the pleasure of designing the cover. Here's the book description:

After the tragic romance of Jane the Quene, the second book in the Seymour Saga trilogy, The Path to Somerset, takes a dark turn through an era in which King Henry VIII descends into cynicism, suspicion and fits of madness – and in which mistakes mean death. 

Edward Seymour’s future is uncertain. Although his sister Jane bore Henry the son he’d sought for twenty years, when she died in childbirth, Henry’s good nature died with her. Now the fiercely ambitious Edward must carve a difficult path through Henry’s shifting principles and wives. Challenged at every turn by his nemesis, Bishop Stephen Gardiner, Edward must embrace ruthlessness in order to safeguard not only his own future but England’s as well. 

This is the account of Henry’s tumultuous reign, as seen through the eyes of two opponents whose fierce disagreements over religion and common decency fuel epic struggles for the soul of the nation. And for power.

The Path to Somerset is available now in ebook and print format on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Jane's website for delicious tidbits from her historical research.

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

Let Slip the Dogs

Please join me in congratulating Anna Castle on the newest installment in her Francis Bacon mystery series, Let Slip the Dogs! 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:

Secret trysts, daring dalliances, and a body in the orchard...

It’s Midsummer, 1591, at Richmond Palace, and love is in the air. Gallant courtiers sport with great ladies while Tom and Trumpet bring their long-laid plans to fruition at last. Everybody’s doing it—even Francis Bacon enjoys a private liaison with the secretary to the new French ambassador. But the Queen loathes scandal and will punish anyone rash enough to get caught.

Still, it’s all in a summer day until a man is found dead in the orchard. The youth had few talents beyond a keen nose for gossip. He was doubtless murdered to protect a secret, but what sort? Romantic, or political? They carried different penalties—banishment from court or a traitor’s death. Either way, worth killing to protect.

Bacon wants nothing more than to leave things alone. He has no position and no patron; in fact, he’s being discouraged from investigating. But could he live with himself if another innocent person dies?

Let Slip the Dogs 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

Fortune's Hostage

Please join me in congratulating Kelly Clayton, writing as Julia Hardy, on the publication of her first historical romantic suspense novel, Fortune's Hostage! I had the privilege of assisting Kelly with a developmental edit and a copyedit, and I designed the cover! Here's the book description:

England, 1813

Greed, deception and lust...

Miss Eloise Camarthon is in the midst of her first London Season, which has been delayed by several years due to the untimely death of her parents. No ordinary debutante, she wants to live her life on her own terms, as promised by her uncle, the Duke of Westbury, who is also her guardian. But Eloise is wealthy in her own right and a target for those with her fortune in their sights.

Benedict Warrington, the Earl of Rothsea, has come to London in search of answers to a family tragedy. His investigation takes him to Westbury's country seat, where he meets the beguiling Eloise, and a dangerous chain of events is set in motion.

Who can you trust when something is worth killing for?

Circumstances force an ultimatum, which threatens to change the course of Eloise's future. Will she be sought only for her fortune, or for herself? And which would be worse? Benedict is on the trail of a vicious murderer but finds more than he bargained for as the deaths mount up. Can he protect Eloise, or will Benedict be the killer's next victim?

Fortune's Hostage is available now in ebook format on Amazon and Amazon UK, and the print edition will be released soon. 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 an editor or cover designer?
Email Jenny anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

Queen of the Darkest Hour

Please join me in congratulating Kim Renfeld on the publication of her newest historical novel, Queen of the Darkest Hour! I had the pleasure of helping Kim design the cover. Here's the book description:

Francia, 783: Haunted by the Saxons’ attack on her home fortress, Fastrada obeys her father and marries Charles, king of the Franks and a widower with seven children and an eighth on the way by a concubine. As more wars loom, Fastrada’s greatest peril lurks within the castle walls: Pepin, Charles’s son by his embittered former wife. Blaming his father for the curse that twisted his spine, Pepin rejects a prize archbishopric and plots with his uncle and mother to seize the throne. Can Fastrada stop the conspiracy before it destroys the kingdom?

Based on historic events during Charlemagne’s reign, Queen of the Darkest Hour is the story of a family conflict endangering an entire country—and the price to save it.

Queen of the Darkest Hour is available in ebook and print format on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iBooks. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, visit Kim's website for more information about her books, and check out her blog for fascinating posts of historical interest.

Need a cover designer?

Email me anytime to chat about your project!

jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

Counterpoint: Barbara, Lady Villiers

Please join me in congratulating Elizabeth St. John on the publication of Counterpoint: Barbara, Lady Villiers, a companion novelette in her Lydiard Chronicles series. I had the pleasure of working with Liz on a copyedit, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:

Barbara Villiers Palmer is one of the most famous courtesans in history. Mistress to Charles II and mother of five of his children, Lady Castlemaine's notoriety is legendary. This is the story of her namesake and grandmother, Barbara St.John Villiers. The apple did not fall far from the tree.

Barbara St.John Villiers has always despised her sister Lucy, and when Theo Howard, Earl of Suffolk, fell in love with her, Barbara thought she'd die of jealousy. Instead, she decided to get even by befriending someone even more scandalous than herself, Theo's sister, Frances Howard, Countess of Somerset. Unfortunately, Frances was then imprisoned in the Tower of London, accused of murder, and Barbara had to find a way to turn this to her advantage - and continue her vendetta against Lucy.

When I wrote The Lady of the Tower, the story revealed itself in the narrative of my ancestress, Lucy St.John. But, as with all novels, other characters appeared, and their voices grew strong and insistent, demanding their own story be told. This novelette is Barbara’s counterpoint to chapter thirty-one in the novel, in which Barbara manipulates Theo and his sister to gain much for herself.

A counterpoint is a melody played in conjunction with another, or an opposing viewpoint in an argument. Our lives are complex, and each one of us carries within us a counterpoint to another’s story. Here is one to Lucy St.John, the lady of the Tower.

Counterpoint: Barbara, Lady Villiers is available now in ebook format on Amazon and Amazon UK for 99-cents. 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.

Check out the full-length books in the series, The Lady of the Tower and By Love Divided!

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

A Maiden's Honor

Please join me in congratulating Josanna Thompson on the republication of her debut novel, A Maiden's Honor, with a new cover designed by yours truly!

Check out the before and after:

Here's the book description:

A young woman raised in the South Pacific, captured by pirates. The Dey of Algiers, torn by conflicts in religion and love. Their stories intertwine.

Raised by her Scottish father and the natives of a remote island in the South Pacific, Sarah Campbell and her father embark on a perilous journey to Scotland. Sarah knew that her life would change when she left her beloved island. Never did she imagine that she would be sold into a harem. Only Hassan Aziz, the most feared pirate on the Barbary Coast, can save her. But is Hassan willing to jeopardize his secret mission and risk his life and the lives of his crew to shield this intoxicating maiden from slavery?

Naa’il is the Dey of Algiers, a man who has everything, including, wealth, power, wives, slaves, concubines. Two American cousins are presented to him, and Naa’il is told that only one is a virgin. Drawn to these beautiful maidens, Naa’il tests their loyalty to each other. Little does he know that his game will have devastating consequences . . . especially for him.

A Maiden's Honor is available now in ebook and print format on Amazon. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Josanna's website for blog posts and information on upcoming books.

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

Captive Restored

Please join me in congratulating Aubrey Grayson on the publication of her newest historical romance, Captive Restored! I had the pleasure of helping Aubrey design the cover. Here's the book description:

When Amelia Blackmon’s parents died unexpectedly, she was forced to marry a man she barely knew. Now widowed, she vows never to marry again. But when she meets a man who wants to give her freedom rather than control her, she can’t keep her heart from falling in love.

Alexander, Viscount Camberly, was betrayed by his brother and taken from his homeland. Finally back in England, he finds his estate destroyed, his title in question, and a wake of disaster in his brother’s trail. Vowing to right his brother’s wrongs, the last thing Alex has in mind is marriage. That is until he meets Amelia, and finds their futures--and their pasts--intertwined.

But when their enemies catch up to them, can they work together to restore the lives they should have had all along?

Captive Restored is available now in ebook format on Amazon, and the print edition will be available soon! Add it to to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Aubrey on Facebook.

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

Cry of the Brethren

Please join me in congratulating John Colwell on the publication of his late mother's historical romance Cry of the Brethren! John is working to publish all of his mother's manuscripts, and I had the honor of helping him design the first cover. Here's the book description:

Jessie Trent, stolen from her wedding altar, finds herself a fugitive from the Brethren and her fate in the hands of a buckskin-clad stranger and his raiding party.

Lucas Wakefield realizes he’s put the frightened young woman in danger when he saved her from the cruel fate as Oram Doud’s latest victim. With the Brethren of the Aaronites cult in angry pursuit, he escapes with his prize over frozen Lake Michigan and deep into the mainland.

Hiding out in an isolated cabin, the couple is forced to spend the bitter winter in close confinement. As the cold nights grow longer, Jessie soon finds herself falling in love with her mysterious kidnapper.

Lucas didn’t plan on becoming enamored of the beautiful woman and fights the growing need to claim her for his own.

Their happiness is threatened by a jealous woman and a cult determined to exact revenge. The winds of fate converge, threatening to destroy everything they’ve built. Against all odds, Lucas must fight to save Jessie from the Cry of the Brethren.

Cry of the Brethren is available in ebook and print editions on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords (where you can also read an interview with John about his mother). Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and learn more about Linda and her novels on Facebook.

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

Tears of Sorrow

Please join me in congratulating Dale Swanson on the publication of his third novel, Tears of Sorrow, the sequel to his acclaimed novel The Thirty-Ninth Man! I had the pleasure of helping Dale with a developmental edit and a copyedit, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:

Anton McAllister leads his Dakota family west to escape the white backlash after the US-Dakota War of 1862. Settling into the Black Hills, they merge with the Miniconjou Lakota band of Lone Horn. Anton’s adopted son, Four Wings, befriends the militant warrior Crazy Horse, and their world is turned upside down as they deal with disingenuous treaties, an illegal war brought on by the Grant Administration, and a deranged bounty hunter no larger than a child.

Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, Crazy Horse, and powerful men from the Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations make their stand when the army begins to build forts along the Bozeman Trail.

Red Cloud wins his war, the great herds of buffalo are methodically destroyed, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull are murdered, and Wounded Knee Creek becomes the death wail of a free Sioux Nation.

And throughout it all, Four Wings struggles to reconcile the good white men he has known, including the mixed blood who raised him, with those who seek to subdue or destroy the  Sioux Nation.

Tears of Sorrow is available now in ebook and print formats on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and check out Dale's website for info on his books and public appearances.

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

Montana Renegade

Please join me in congratulating Ramona Flightner on the publication of Montana Renegade, Book Four in the Bear Grass Springs Series! I had the pleasure of helping Ramona design the cover. Here's the book description:

A Respected Lawyer. The Town Pariah. A night at the Boudoir. Will love prevail?

Helen Jameson is tired of being Bear Grass Spring’s laughingstock. With little to lose, she flees the only home she’s known, and bargains her future away to an unscrupulous woman. Her experience three years ago with the town lawyer, Warren Clark, cemented her belief that no man is to be trusted. No one will ever care for her. She is on her own.

Warren Clark is a patient man. He has waited years for Helen’s forgiveness. When his dreams for reconciliation are dashed by her rash actions, he must decide if the future he envisioned with her is one worth fighting for. He quickly learns that rescuing her from the Madam is easy. Earning her trust is his greatest challenge. Now, Warren must convince Helen of his love while he battles those in town eager to separate them.

Will Helen and Warren be courageous enough to relinquish the bitterness of the past and discover the joys of loving one another?

Montana Renegade 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 Greenest Branch

Please join us in congratulating P.K. Adams on the publication of her debut historical novel, The Greenest Branch! Jessica Cale had the pleasure of working with P.K. on a copyedit, and Jenny had the pleasure of designing the cover. Here's the book description:

The year is 1115, and Germany is torn apart by a conflict between the Emperor and the Pope over who should have the right to appoint bishops and control the empire’s vast estates. In that atmosphere, young Hildegard is sent to the Abbey of St. Disibod in the Rhineland as her parents’ gift to the Church in accordance with a custom known as the tithe. 

Hildegard has a deep love of nature and a knowledge of herbal healing that might make more than one Church official suspicious of witchery, and she hopes to purse medical studies at St. Disibod. But no sooner does she settle into her new life than she finds out that as a girl she will not be allowed to attend the monastic school or have access to the abbey’s library; instead, she must stay at the women’s convent, isolated from the rest of the community and from the town. 

It might seem that Hildegard’s dreams have quickly come to an end. Yet she refuses to be sidelined. Against fierce opposition from Prior Helenger, the hostile head of the monks’ cloister, she finds another way to learn – by securing an apprenticeship with Brother Wigbert who runs the infirmary and is in dire need of a capable assistant. Under his supervision, she begins to train as the abbey’s first female physician. 

When Hildegard’s reputation starts to spread throughout the Rhineland, Helenger’s persecution escalates as he fears losing control over the women’s community. But that is not the only challenge she must grapple with. She has developed feelings for Volmar, a fellow Benedictine novice, that force Hildegard to re-examine the fundamental assumptions she has made about her life. Is the practice of medicine within the monastic confines her true calling, or is a quiet existence of domestic contentment more desirable? 

With the pressures mounting and threatening to derail her carefully-laid plans, Hildegard becomes locked in a struggle that will either earn her an unprecedented freedom or relegate her to irrevocable oblivion. 

The Greenest Branch is the first in a two-book series based on the true story of Hildegard of Bingen, Germany’s first female physician and one of the few women to attain that position in medieval Europe. Set against the backdrop of the lush oak forests and sparkling rivers of the Rhineland, it is a tale of courage, strength, sacrifice, and love that will appeal to fans of Ken Follett, Umberto Eco, Elizabeth Chadwick, Margaret Frazer, Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden - and to anyone who enjoys strong female protagonists in historical fiction. 

The Greenest Branch 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 an editor or cover designer?
Email us anytime to chat about your project!
info@historicaleditorial.com

Sisters Three and Love, the Journey Uncovered

Please join me in congratulating Mara Gold on the publication of Sisters Three and Love, the Journey Uncovered! I had the pleasure of helping Mara design the covers. Here are the book descriptions:

Abigail, Bridget, and Cassandra Darby are sisters fallen on hard times. Their mother has worked hard to support them and now it is their turn to earn a living.

Faithful Abigail is approached about a position as parlor maid in London’s fashionable West End. At first she is warmly welcomed by the household, but swiftly they turn against her as she spends more and more time with the master.

Cautious Bridget takes a position in a country home and quickly learns that her growing love for an amiable man is dangerous as she is warned over and over to leave. Her life is at stake. Will she leave for safety, or risk her life and stay for the sake of love?

Capricious Cassandra takes action after her mother informs her of a decision that she has made that she is not a part of. Will Cassandra’s decision break her heart or will love and forgiveness come from it?

In the end, will the three sisters live happily ever after? Or will deception, deceit, hate, and even death come and steal their happiness away?

***

The Lyons are a loyal, tight-knit family bonded by love. They are lifted from poverty to a future seemingly bright with hope. Unexpected loss devastates beautiful sisters Gwendolen and Tressa Lyon. One of the sisters deals with the loss in a healthier way while the other seeks to escape into a marriage with a man she barely knows. Their journey is anything but ordinary as they find a new normal with God sustaining them. Will happiness be theirs, or will death come again through deception and dash their future? Join Gwendolen and Tressa in their journey set in eighteenth-century Devon and Cornwall.

Sisters Three and Love, the Journey Uncovered are available in ebook and print editions on Amazon, and you can add them to your shelves on Goodreads.

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

The Driver's Wife

Please join me in congratulating S.K. Keogh on the publication of her newest historical novel, The Driver's Wife! I had the pleasure of helping Susan design the cover. Here's the book description:

A story of redemption and unconventional love.

Leighlin Plantation offers Edward Ketch a new life, an opportunity to forsake his violent, troubled past and become a man worthy of respect and trust. But when a slave named Isabelle arrives, Ketch is drawn into a turbulent relationship that threatens the very peace he has struggled to attain.

Isabelle has her own desires for a fresh start, but scurrilous gossip about her past undermines those hopes. She struggles to be accepted by Leighlin’s other slaves and hopes marriage to a popular man will aid her cause. But her situation worsens when her husband becomes abusive. She discovers, however, one unlikely ally—Ketch, who is as much an outcast among Leighlin’s white population as she is among her people.

A stranger to love, Ketch cannot recognize the true feelings that draw him to Isabelle. To rescue her from the dangers of her marriage, he risks losing not only his position at Leighlin but the affections of the woman he strives to save.

Set against the backdrop of 17th century Carolina, The Driver’s Wife explores the lives and relationships, from Big House to slave settlement, of those who labored upon the wilderness plantations near Charles Town. Rice cultivation and the task system of slavery provide a much different landscape from the aristocratic Old South of cotton plantations and gang labor familiar to most modern-day readers. The Driver’s Wife is a tale of the transcendent power of love.

The Driver's Wife is available now in ebook and print formats on Amazon! Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Susan's website for the scoop on all of her books and articles of historical interest.

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

Imperial Passions: The Porta Aurea

Please join me in congratulating Eileen Stephenson on the publication of her first full-length novel, Imperial Passions: The Porta Aurea! I had the pleasure of working with Eileen on a developmental edit and a copyedit, and I designed the cover! This first book in a series based on the life of Anna Dalassena, a powerful Byzantine woman instrumental in founding the Komnenian dynasty, has been a long time in the making, and I'm so thrilled to finally be able to share it with you! Here's the book description:

From the author of Tales of Byzantium comes an epic story of love, power, and betrayal in eleventh century Constantinople

At the center of Byzantine society, fifteen-year-old orphaned Anna Dalassena lives with her grandparents among the most powerful men and women in Constantinople until the cutthroat imperial politics of the Great Palace send the family into exile in a distant corner of the empire. Her bleak situation finally turns promising after meeting handsome young soldier John Comnenus and his brother Isaac before they are finally permitted to return to Constantinople.

The vicious power struggles, uprisings, and betrayals at the highest levels of the empire push Anna and John unwillingly into its center as they struggle to deal with their own tragedies. When rebellion puts her life and those of everyone she loves at risk, is the reward - a throne for her family - too big a gamble?

Imperial Passions is available now in ebook and print format on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Eileen's website for her fascinating photos and blog posts on Byzantine history and culture.

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

Wolves of War

Please join me in congratulating Martin Lake on the publication of his newest historical novel, Wolves of War! I had the pleasure of helping Martin design the cover. Here's the book description:

Killers of kings, destroyers of kingdoms. A fast-moving story of the great Viking army.

Leif Ormson is a Skald, a story-teller, renowned for his witty tales. His brother, Sigurd, is a blacksmith, making knives, scythes and horseshoes. And magnificent weapons of war.

But one day Ivar the Boneless, son of Ragnar Lothbrok, commands the brothers to make him a great sword. And he demands that they accompany his army to England.

Leif and Sigurd are thrown into a maelstrom of war and violence. The great Viking army blazes across England, murdering, plundering, killing kings and setting up puppet-rulers in their place. Until now the Vikings had come only to raid and plunder. Now they have come to conquer.

Leif and Sigurd face an agonising choice. Do they seek to return to their familiar lives? Or do they stay in England and embrace this dreadful new world of war, wealth and glory?

Wolves of War is available in ebook format on Amazon and Amazon UK, and a print edition will be forthcoming. Add it to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Martin's website for information on all of his books and his interviews with fellow historical fiction writers.

Need a cover designer?

Email me anytime to chat about your project!

jennyq@historicaleditorial.com

Montana Maverick

Please join me in congratulating Ramona Flightner on the publication of Montana Maverick, Book Three in the Bear Grass Springs Series! I had the pleasure of helping Ramona design the cover. Here's the book description:

A curious reporter. A charming gambler. Will they accept the love dealt them?

As the newcomer in town, Jessamine McMahon is determined to forge her own path as a reputable reporter. In order to survive in the small town of Bear Grass Springs, she soon learns that she has to peddle local news and gossip as well as hard news. At turns fascinated and repelled by Ewan MacKinnon, Jessamine writes frequent articles about him, calling him the town’s “most disreputable gentleman.”

Ewan MacKinnon lives a charmed life. A successful builder, he spends his evenings at the saloons or at other fine establishments in town. He has no interest in a wife. Nor in love. Not again. However, Jessamine intrigues him with her fiery spirit and determination to prove herself capable in a world often merciless to independent women.

As she learns to read his poker face and he reads between the lines in her articles, they realize theirs is no usual courtship. Will they trust in their love or squander the opportunity given to them?

Montana Maverick 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

St. John's Wood, Grover Square, Mayfair, and Chelsea

Please join me in congratulating Waverly Fitzgerald on the publication of four Victorian historical romance novels! I had the pleasure of working with Waverly on the cover designs. Here are the book descriptions:

High-spirited Thalia Horrocks, desperate to escape from the restrictions of the conventional middle-class life she lives and the loathsome suitor her stepfather and mother have chosen for her, decides to write a novel on a most scandalous subject.

She prevails upon her fast cousin, Lynton, to introduce her to the “pretty horsebreakers,” the courtesans who flaunt their wares in Hyde Park every afternoon. Unexpected complications ensue as Lynton takes Thalia to the notorious Cremorne Gardens and introduces her to the eccentric Lady Guenevere Shallot, a courtesan who changes her name to suit the décor of her home in St. John’s Wood.

Thalia’s curiosity gets her into all sorts of trouble, but her courage, her generous heart and her new friends help her escape from a desperate situation, discover her true identity and find true love.

Arabella Farraday hopes the fortune she inherits will help her find her mother who disappeared when she was just a child. But her father has bound up the money in a trust, administered by her Gorgon-like governess, who is determined to see that Arabella makes a suitable marriage, and by her father’s lawyer, who wants to marry Arabella himself. 

But nothing can stop Arabella from going after what she wants. Every action she takes plunges her deeper into trouble and leads inexorably to the terrible truth about her mother’s fall from grace. Fortunately Arabella is surrounded by those who love her, even at their own expense, and help her to find peace and lasting love.

The two youngest of the seven Merrell sisters, daughters of the Earl and Countess of Corrough, have been looking forward to their debuts in London for many years. It isn’t long before they discover that what goes on in polite society is often neither polite nor social. The machinations of their chaperone, Mrs Pleet, and the scandal that surrounds the disappearance of their older sister, Kitty, dampen their prospects. Sibilla is determined to forge her own destiny while Sophia is all too willing to give in to what convention demands despite the urgings of her heart.

A delightful high-spirited Victorian romp, capturing the spirit and conventions of a colorful, aristocratic set, during the Great Exhibition of 1851.

Cecily Hawthorne, desperate to escape from a dreadful position as a nursery governess, agrees to model for prominent Society portrait painter, Devin Sheridan, despite the opprobrium attached to that occupation. Cecily becomes Devin’s Pandora, his vision of a temptress, and he must paint her if only to shock London society with a tantalizing portrait that makes her the envy of the ladies and the talk of the town.

Set in the colorful salons of Kensington and studios of Chelsea, and graced with eccentric characters , both real (Whistler and Wilder) and imagined (Veracity Flutterby, Chester Thrush), this is a charming romp through the artistic and aesthetic circles of Victorian London.




All four titles are available in ebook and print editions on Amazon. Add them to your shelves on Goodreads, and visit Waverly's website for the scoop on all of her books and her writing workshops.

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