What makes a good cover

As a writer, one of the moments we wait for anxiously is when we finally see the cover of our latest book.

It's with crossed fingers that we wait and hope.

Everyone has heard the horror stories of a really bad cover. Characters who look nothing like the ones inside the book, ugly heroes and heroines, oddities like a cover character with too many limbs. Some covers have a background that has nothing to do with our stories. Eye and hair colors are often wrong, along with clothing. I overheard one author talking about a cover with cactus. Unfortunately her story was set in the far north.

So when you get a good cover, it is with a sense of relief and gratitude to the designers. As writers we fill out detailed instructions for covers. After that, it is in the hands of the publisher. Like titles, we often have little control.

I'm more than a little delighted with my March cover. CORRALLED is the continuation of the Chisholm Cattle Company series set in Whitehorse, Montana. It is book #5 with the final book of the series, #6 WRANGLED coming out in June. 

Logan Chisholm loves adventure. He's at home on a Harley as he is on a horse. He finds himself in the Flathead Lake Valley when he hears country western music playing at a local bar. The moment he steps into the bar, his life is destined to change.

Capturing Logan wasn't an easy task, but the cover designer did a great job. I fell in love with him all over again. :)