Here’s a contemporary romance cover by an artist you haven’t seen on the blog yet for any finalized covers, artist John Kicksee of Kix by Design. Don’t you find yourself longing for the days of summer when you look at this cover? Is it beach season yet?
Here’s cover art to one of several m/m titles we have coming in 2010, Savage Sanctuary by Jacqueline Barbary (if you visit her site, she has an unofficial blurb that tells more about the book). This cover art was designed by Angela Waters and is completely suited to this book and the characters. Savage Sanctuary will be available for purchase in June 2010!
I’m very pleased to share this cover from Australian author Janni Nell, for her paranormal mystery, Allegra Fairweather, Paranormal Investigator. This is a debut author, so I don’t have a website to direct you to, but we’re hard at work on cover copy and I’ll be able to share those in a few weeks. In the meantime, please enjoy this beautiful cover, produced by Frauke at Croco Designs.
This is the first of several urban fantasies we’ve acquired. Amethyst Bound by L. Shannon is the first of a planned trilogy of novellas and we’re excited to show you the cover, also by Frauke of CrocoDesigns. For more information on Amethyst Bound, you can see my previous post here.
This was actually our first ever completed cover (I love how soft and feminine it is) and was created by Croco Designs, though it’s the third I’m showing you. This is Carrie Lofty’s historical romance, Song of Seduction, and you can read more about both the book and Carrie here. Look for Song of Seduction in June 2010!
The next cover art I’m going to share is Criminal Instinct, a romantic suspense by Kelly Lynn Parra. Here’s an unofficial blurb. Look for this book in June 2010 and the official cover copy coming soon!
(apologies that I’m struggling with connection and time and still can’t provide the cover artist, maybe they’ll shout out in the comments)
Here is is, the first official cover art reveal! I have more to share, but I’m going to share them individually, on a daily basis. I gave you some information about Shannon’s book here and you’ll be able to purchase it from Carina in June! Click on the cover to see a larger version. You may notice the C in the upper right corner. Look for that brand on all Carina covers!
(Psst, today’s a holiday day for both Canada and the US Harlequin offices. I’m not really here writing this. Okay, I am, but I’ll try to keep it brief).
Last week was the week of submissions here on the blog, and I’m so glad that many of you found the posts, especially the post on reasons for rejection helpful. The response to that was much greater than I anticipated and many of you said you were going to be sharing it and passing it on. I have no problem with that at all, as the post was written with the intent to help, but I hope you’ll credit Carina Press when you share it and provide a link back when appropriate. I’m not quite done with my series on submissions. Still to come this week is a post on what worked in the books we’ve acquired, and I’ll be including snippets from the editors’ acquisition recommendations again. I’ll also be doing a post on what the editors have told me they secretly long for in a submissions as far as theme/topic/genre.
The other exciting thing I did last week was finish putting all of our acquisitions into the contract system. We now have many, many acquisitions you haven’t heard about and I need to come up with a way to remedy that. I know some of you have asked about this website, and how author driven it appears to be. Beginning later this spring, most likely in April, we’ll start focusing more on reader-centric topics. the website itself won’t change over to the commerce site until the day of launch, for a variety of technical reasons. Yes, the website will allow you to see the books, see what’s coming soon, read excerpts and pre-order books. That will all occur in the future, so no worries that it will be just me blathering on forever.
Speaking of the site, I want to direct your attention to our newly updated “About Us” page. It’s on this page that you’ll be able to find information on Carina Press appearances at workshops and conventions, as well as links to media articles and video about Carina. Eleanor and Tara worked to get that page updated and I think it looks fabulous. There are appearances missing from that page that we’ve added just recently to the schedule (I’ll be presenting a workshop at RWA Nationals and will also be doing an online self-editing workshop in March) or are in the process of adding, so check back periodically to see the updates. And if you have a local chapter or online forum, keep in mind I’m available for workshops and appearances.
Last, this week is exciting for us at Carina because we’re going to be revealing our first finalized covers here on the blog. Look for those, as well as the submissions posts I spoke of earlier, and a podcast from Malle, Aideen and Eleanor talking about Carina promotion and marketing.
Andrea Kerr, Producer, eHarlequin.com
I have a confession to make. I don’t own a dedicated eReader. I know you’re wondering, how can that be possible for a member of the Carina Press acquisition team? Well, as Producer of the Online Reads program on eHarlequin.com, I can tell you that a good story is a good story in any format, and strong writing compels me to turn the page, whether it be printed or digital.
In my day job, I’ve had the pleasure of working with hundreds of authors who write everything from inspirational romance to erotica. It’s given me an appreciation for a variety of genres, even ones I might not normally read outside of work. In addition, I like to think of the online reads as the “original” ebooks. So, despite the current lack of an eReader device in my life, being part of the acquisition team is a natural fit for me. I am beyond excited to be on the front lines of Carina Press, searching for fresh voices and unique stories!
So what are we looking for at Carina? Speaking on behalf of the entire team, we want a good story, well-told. We are readers, after all, even those members of the team who don’t spend their days editing. I think it’s fair to say that the love of the written word is what brought most of us to this line of work in the first place. Every time we read a new submission, we’re excited about the possibilities. We WANT to love your story and we’re on your side, really! Yes, rejections happen, but trust me, it’s not something any of us enjoys doing. After all, our reason for being is to put stories into the hands of readers, and to do that, we need to acquire books! The cool thing about Carina Press is, we’re open to submissions that might not fit into one of the print programs Harlequin currently publishes.
And what about me–what am I looking for personally, as an editor? I have a penchant for well-drawn characters, characters that are believeable and relatable and layered (everyone has flaws, right?) I love witnessing the development of the characters over the course of the book, seeing how they react to what happens to them, being convinced that they are changed by their experiences (or not).
That’s not very specific, is it? That’s because I learned long ago that fascinating characters and compelling stories can be found in any genre, and I’m open to just about anything. As long as it’s well-written.
As for that dedicated eReader? It’s on my wish list! Now, if only I could claim it as a business expense…
Andrea Kerr is the Producer on eHarlequin.com, which is a fancy way of saying web content editor. She also works on the acquisitions team for Carina Press. She has a particular fondness for historical romance, and must admit she often checks that particular Carina Press folder first. Andrea is happy that she finally has something to watch on TV now that Lost has returned! A mother of two young boys, she gets far too little sleep, and thrives on unconditional love and coffee instead. A dedicated eReader device IS in her future.