New Look, New Designer

The original cover for The Purrfect Partner

An important consideration when publishing a series is having a consistent, or “branded,” look to the covers so that readers can tell at a glance that the books go together. Love them or hate them, two series that have done this very well are Twilight and Fifty Shades. I’ve never read either series but my hat is off to the cover designers – in my opinion, neither series would have been the phenomenon it was without their creativity.

I first fell in love with the original cover for The Purrfect Partner, the first story in the Paws and Effect series, (shown at the left) because it illustrated the Valentine’s theme of the story perfectly. I liked the fact that you can’t see the couple’s faces, so it was easier to adapt them to my story. Also, the outfits the couple are wearing helped me work out some of the details of the story. The base cover was a pre-made and I paid a little extra to have a cat added since all of the stories in the Paws and Effect series involve animal rescue.

Now, all of that said, when I began working on It’s Meow or Never, the second story in the series, I had to consider how to brand the cover so that it would “match” the first one. This is where the drawbacks to the original cover became obvious. First, the cover is beautiful but busy. Secondly, the cat that I had added? Most people don’t even see it. (Yes, there really is a cat there. I’ll wait here while you look again.) The invisible feline is a big problem since the cat is integral to the story. What to do? I decided that the best option would be to have the cover redesigned with series branding in mind.

Once I made the decision to have the covers redesigned, then I had to agonize over which designer to use. (Well, I guess I didn’t actually have to “agonize,” but that’s how I roll.) There are so many amazing cover designers! In the end I decided to go with author and cover designer Victorine Lieske of Blue Valley Author Services. Victorine is a New York Times bestselling author – as such, she knows the importance of a good cover. Victorine asked a few simple questions and pretty much nailed the series design on her first attempt. As a matter of fact, I actually squealed with excitement when I saw the first mockup she provided. We had to make a few tweaks to the couple on the cover, but that was the only change.

So, with no further ado, (and much excitement) I present the new and improved cover for The Purrfect Partner!

Cover design by Victorine Lieske, Blue Valley Author Services

So, what do you think? I hope you love it s much as I do! Want to know more? Read on for the blurb and the buy link:

Lorelei Stevens, newly certified veterinary technician, faces the future with a mix of excitement and dread. Freedom from the meddling of her well-intentioned friends is finally within reach. All she has to do is spend Valentine’s weekend dodging the unwanted attentions of strangers during the annual singles gathering at The Lodge. In return, her friends promise to never, ever set her up on another blind date.

Dalton Freeman, laid-back rancher, receives a getaway to The Lodge as a gift from his brothers. The catch? The gift is only good during Valentine’s weekend. So what if all of his attempts at online dating have failed miserably? There’s no reason for his brothers to play Cupid. Really.

When these two strangers pretend to be a couple for a weekend, will it be a disaster or will fate – and a half-frozen kitten – lead them to the purrfect partner?

Buy it HERE for only $0.99. (It’s free if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited.)

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