L to R: Anna, Kris, myself, and Sarah |
Monday, April 12, 2021
The Art of Book Cover Design for Historical Fiction
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Paris in Ruins
Please join me in congratulating M.K. Tod on the publication of her newest historical novel, Paris in Ruins! I had the pleasure of offering some early developmental assistance, Jessica Cale provided some copyediting assistance, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:
Somehow, Camille and Mariele must find the courage and strength to endure months of devastating siege, bloody civil war, and great personal risk. Through it all, an unexpected friendship grows between the two women as they face the destruction of Paris and discover that in war women have as much to fight for as men.
War has a way of teaching lessons—if only Camille and Mariele can survive long enough to learn them.
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Cadence to Glory
Please join me in congratulating Mary Beth Dearmon on the re-release of Cadence to Glory with a brand new cover! I had the pleasure of helping Mary Beth with the redesign. Here's the book description:
The Apple King
Please join me in congratulating Barbara Anne King on the publication of her newest historical novel, The Apple King! I had the pleasure of helping Barbara design the cover. Here's the book description:
In 1881, Nikola Markovich’s ambitions took him from poverty in Croatia to pursuing his dreams in America. And despite a rocky start, the determined foreigner finds his fortune in the booming apple business. But years later, his sinful burden resurfaces when he hears word of his homeland’s fight for independence.
Thursday, March 11, 2021
The Importance of Pawns
Please join me in congratulating Keira Morgan on the publication of her debut historical novel, The Importance of Pawns, Book One in the Chronicles of the House of Valois. I had the pleasure of helping Keira design the cover. Here's the book description:
Although the French court dazzles on the surface, beneath its glitter, danger lurks for the three women trapped in its coils as power shifts from one regime to the next. The story begins as Queen Anne lies dying and King Louis’s health declines. Their two daughters, Claude and young Renée, heiresses to the rich duchy of Brittany, become pawns in the game of control.
Countess Louise d’Angoulême is named guardian to both girls. For years she has envied the dying Queen Anne, the girls’ mother. Because of her family’s dire financial problems, she schemes to marry wealthy Claude to her son. This unexpected guardianship presents a golden opportunity, but only if she can remove their protectress, Baronne Michelle, who loves the princesses and safeguards their interests.
As political tensions rise, the futures of Princess Renée and Baronne hang in the balance, threatened by Countess Louise’s plots.
Will timid Claude untangle the treacherous intrigues Countess Louise is weaving? Will Baronne Michelle and Claude outflank the wily countess to protect young Princess Renée? And can Claude find the courage to defend those she loves?
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Find the Wind's Eye
Please join me in congratulating Alton Fletcher on the publication of his debut historical novel, Find the Wind's Eye! I had the pleasure of helping Alton design the cover. Here's the book description:
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
The Bareknuckle Groom
Please join me in congratulating Holly Bush on the publication of her newest historical romance, The Bareknuckle Groom, the second book in her Thompsons of Locust Street series! I had the pleasure of providing some copyediting assistance, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:
1869. Bareknuckle champion James Thompson is confident his future continues with beautiful women and victories in the boxing ring. Men admire his skills, power, and quick fists and are more than willing to bet their hard-earned coins on his name. Women admire his handsome face, his undaunted confidence, and his powerful body. Nothing will change his successfully plotted course, until…
Lucinda Vermeal arrives on the Philadelphia social scene when her father moves them to the city in the hopes that his only daughter will find a suitable partner. After all, her husband will be intimately involved with Vermeal Industries, whose business interests and political connections touch France, England, and all of the United States. Lucinda’s pale statuesque beauty attracts the finest of Philadelphia’s young men, but her cool and reserved attitude keep them at arm’s length. Until she meets a man willing to challenge her at every turn.
Will James Thompson expose Lucinda's passionate nature like no other man ever could?
Monday, March 8, 2021
The Steel Beneath the Silk
Please join me in congratulating Patricia Bracewell on the publication of The Steel Beneath the Silk, the highly anticipated third book in the Emma of Normandy Trilogy. I had the pleasure of helping Pat design the cover. Here's the book description:
Friday, March 5, 2021
Now and Then Stab
Please join me in congratulating Anna Castle on the publication of her newest historical mystery, Now and Then Stab, Book Seven in the Francis Bacon Mystery series. I had the pleasure of offering Anna some copyediting assistance, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:
Need an editor or cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Bold, Bright Spirit
Please join me in congratulating Martin Lake on the publication of his newest historical novel, Bold, Bright Spirit! I had the pleasure of helping Martin design the cover. Here's the book description:
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Light and Shadow at Pemberley
Please join me in congratulating Lee Elliott on the publication of Light and Shadow at Pemberley: A Sequel to Pride and Prejudice! I had the pleasure of helping Lee design the cover. Here's the book description:
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Out of the Bower
Please join me in congratulating A.E. Walnofer on the publication of Out of the Bower! I had the pleasure of helping A.E. design the cover. Here's the book description:
Thursday, January 7, 2021
Defending the Reaper
Please join me in congratulating G.K. Brady on the publication of Defending the Reaper, fifth book in the Playmaker Series! I had the pleasure of working with G.K. on a developmental edit and a copyedit, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:
Ellie is fighting to keep her landscaping company afloat before it gets buried under the mountain of debt her ex left behind. The last thing she needs is Dave Grimson crashing into her life. Besides, Dave is big and growly and so not her type—even if she did have time to give him a second look. Which she doesn’t.
Dave’s determined to make up for the damage his careless behavior has caused Ellie. What begins as a good intention, however, leads somewhere he never expected, and his well-guarded heart starts to show some cracks. Ellie’s unlike any woman he’s ever known. She’s unimpressed by his money, his celebrity, and him. All she wants from Dave is to have her van fixed. But he didn’t get where he is by backing away from challenges, and he’s not backing away from this one either—until he has to face-off against his demons.
As Dave lowers his defenses, Ellie catches a glimpse of something tender—and very compelling. But Dave has secrets he’s locked away, and she can’t solve them or his mixed signals. To understand Dave’s every unspoken word, she’s going to have to read between the lines.
Keeping it casual is the smart play, but Dave and Ellie’s mutual attraction won’t be denied, and it pulls them into the deep end … until those secrets come home to roost, threatening to crush the shaky trust they’ve built. Can they keep their heads above water, or will they be caught in a surge that drowns them both?
Need an editor or cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
The London Monster
Thomas Hayes, having lost his mother in a vicious street assault, becomes an underground pugilist on a mission to rid the streets of violent criminals. But his vigilante actions lead to him being mistaken for the most terrifying criminal of all.
Assistance arrives in the form of Sophie Carlisle, a young journalist with dreams of covering a big story, though she is forced to masquerade as a man to do it. Trapped in an engagement to a man she doesn’t love, Sophie yearns to break free to tell stories that matter about London’s darker side—gaming, prostitution, violence—and realizes Tom could be the one to help. Together, they come up with a plan.
Straddling the line between his need for vengeance and the need to hide his true identity as a politician's son becomes increasingly difficult as Tom is pressured to win more fights. The more he wins, the more notoriety he receives, and the greater the chance his identity may be exposed—a revelation that could jeopardize his father’s political aspirations and destroy his family’s reputation.
Sophie is also in danger as hysteria spreads and the attacks increase in severity and frequency. No one knows who to trust, and no one is safe—Tom included, yet he refuses to end the hunt.
Little does he realize, the monster is also hunting him.
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Ride with the Moonlight
Please join me in congratulating Andrea Matthews on the publication of Ride with the Moonlight, book two in the Thunder on the Moor series! I had the pleasure of working with Andrea on a copyedit, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:
When news of their plans to marry reaches the warden, he charges Will with March treason for trysting with a Scot. Will and Maggie attempt to escape by fleeing to the hills, but when Will is declared an outlaw and allowed to be killed on sight, they can no longer evade the authorities. Will is sentenced to hang, while Maggie is to be sent back to her family. Heartbroken, she has no choice but to return to Scotland, where her uncle continues to make plans for her to wed Ian Rutherford, the wicked Scotsman who she now realizes murdered her father in cold blood. With Will facing the gallows in England, and herself practically under house arrest in Scotland, she continues to resist her uncle’s plans, but her efforts are thwarted at every turn.
Will’s family, however, is not about to stand by and watch their youngest lad executed simply because he’s lost his heart to a Scottish lass. A daring plan is set into motion, but will it be in time to save Will’s life and reunite the lovers? Or will Ian’s lies prompt Maggie’s family to ensure the bond between them is forever destroyed?
Need an editor or cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Across the Great Divide: The Search
Please join me in congratulating Michael L. Ross on the publication of The Search, sequel to Clouds of War in the Across the Great Divide series. I had the privilege of working with Mike on a developmental edit and a copyedit, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:
Monday, December 14, 2020
Pathway to Home
Thursday, December 3, 2020
A Hussar's Promise
Please join me in congratulating Griffin Brady on the publication of A Hussar's Promise, sequel to her debut historical novel, The Heart of a Hussar! I had the pleasure of working with Griffin on a developmental edit and a copyedit, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
Christmas at Hembry Castle
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
The Six Marriages of Henry VIII Part One: His Wives
Originally published in 1878, The Six Marriages of Henry VIII is like the farcical love child of The Spanish Chronicle and Agnes Strickland, uniting Agnes’ pretense at biography with the Spanish Chronicle’s tendency to “bring some scenes to life.” Oh, and it’s all told in the snark of Charles de Marillac, the French ambassador to Henry’s court during some key years.
Jules D’Argis repeats a lot of the over-the-top, no-this-never-happened stories – and invents new ones, many of which are based on the cultural practices he was familiar with and therefore tell us a lot about his own era. In a scene right out of a Bronte novel, D’Argis trots out a fortune teller to warn Anne Boleyn of the dangers that await her; elsewhere he speaks of the court going to Brighton to enjoy the seashore. Unfortunately, D’Argis also shows us what an antisemitic place France was at the time, in a gratuitous scene showing a jeweler who must remake for Jane Seymour a diamond-and-ruby necklace once destined for her predecessor. I eliminated the slurs but left the scene in, knowing that he had already proved his poor judgment by that point (he thought Anne had in fact slept with Norris, for goodness’ sake!).
Monday, November 23, 2020
A Thimbleful of Honor
Please join me in congratulating Linda Lee Graham on the publication of her new romantic historical novel, A Thimbleful of Honor! I had the pleasure of working with Linda on a developmental edit and a copyedit, and I designed the cover for this emotional tale of a man's homecoming twenty-five years after the last Jacobite uprising. Here's the book description:
Having lost one man to the sea, Anna Macrae is cynical of men chasing dreams across oceans when everything one could want—family, community, friends—can be found in the Highlands. Though preoccupied hiding her father's infirmity while managing his business in his stead, she can't help but notice Wylie's sons need a parent, and their father is too absorbed in his own grief and anger to notice. As she grows close to them, her traitorous heart begins to spin fantasies of a life not meant to be.
Blindsided by a barrage of painful memories, Wylie pays little heed to the heat building between himself and Anna until he finds he can think of nothing else. Will he flee once again, or will he fight one more battle to claim the sweetest of prizes?
A poignant story of love, loss, and coming home, A Thimbleful of Honor is set in the heart of Scotland's Highlands, twenty-five years after the 1745 Jacobite rebellion.
Thursday, November 19, 2020
The Bachelor's Bride
Please join me in congratulating Holly Bush on the publication of her newest historical romance, The Bachelor's Bride, the first book in her brand new Thompsons of Locust Street series! I had the pleasure of providing some copyediting assistance, and I designed the cover. Here's the book description:
1868. Elspeth Thompson is the middle daughter in a family with tightly held secrets. While she loves her family, she longs to break out from their overprotective hold, to find herself, to be noticed for who she is rather than as chaperone to her beautiful younger sister, Kirsty, or underling to her elder sister, Muireall. A chance meeting under scandalous circumstances offers her the opportunity to be seen for herself, but the repercussions could lead to the downfall of her family.
Confirmed bachelor Alexander Pendergast enjoys his position as the right-hand man of one of the most influential and powerful politicians in Philadelphia. Heir to the largest textile mill on the east coast, Alexander is handsome, charming, and the ultimate catch on high society’s matrimonial market. But he has no interest in settling down with a pampered debutante. He doubts the perfect woman for him actually exists…until he meets Elspeth Thompson.
But the Thompsons and Pendergasts move in different circles, and Elspeth has no desire to be judged and found wanting by Philadelphia’s first families. Though she tries to resist Alexander’s charms, when he comes to her family’s rescue, she knows there’s more to him than she’d first thought. But Alexander realizes that his ambitions may have placed Elspeth and her family in grave danger. With an unseen enemy determined to uncover the Thompson family’s secrets, Alexander grapples with secrets of his own, secrets that could cost him the only woman he’s ever truly cared about.
When Elspeth finds herself in terrible danger, can she muster the inner strength of her ancestors to save herself and her family and find the courage to meet love head on?
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Promise Thief
Monday, October 19, 2020
Antonius: Soldier of Fate
Please join me in congratulating Brook Allen on the publication of Antonius: Soldier of Fate, the final book in her definitive and meticulously researched trilogy about the 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:
Need an editor or cover designer?
Email me anytime to chat about your project!
jennyq@historicaleditorial.com
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Midnight Fire
In the summer of 1545, Caterina Konarska undertakes the long journey from Bari to Kraków in search of a cure for her ailing son Giulio. In Poland, she finds a court far different from the lively, cultured place she remembers from twenty-five years ago. The old king lies on his deathbed, and the once-charming Queen Bona has aged into a bitter, lonely woman—isolated from power and estranged from the heir, Zygmunt August.
Haunted by memories of a crime she solved long ago, Caterina approaches the queen with caution. Bona promises medical assistance for Giulio, but at a price: Caterina must travel with her son to Vilnius, where, in exchange for a medical consultation with a royal physician, she will attempt to dissuade Zygmunt August from marrying his scandal-ridden mistress, Barbara Radziwiłł.
Caterina agrees, but she soon learns that Zygmunt August listens to no one, especially when it comes to his love life. And when a puzzling murder shakes the Vilnius court, the duke immediately suspects his mother’s agents. Caterina is thrust into yet another investigation, but as bodies and clues pile up, she realizes that in trying to clear the queen’s name, she has placed her and Giulio’s lives in grave danger.
The second Jagiellon Mystery, Midnight Fire explores the nature of duty and sacrifice and the unpredictable ways in which personal and political events can trigger buried traumas, with explosive and deadly consequences.