C is for Covers (and Cats) 2

Cats and covers – that seems to be the theme of my days at the moment.

Covers to be scanned and posted on my web site – and on my blog.

Cats to be taken to the vets.

But at least yesterday’s vet visit was a matter of routine - Spiffy (under his Vet-surgery-visiting-official name of Ivan – don’t ask!) needed his annual booster injections and Sid – poor Sid - needed his regular steroid dose to heal his mouth. He is one of those cats whose own teeth have a sort of auto-immune reaction against his gums so in spite of having all said teeth out he still gets regular and painful attacks of gingivitis. So painful that he doesn’t like to eat – and for a cat who lives to eat this is a major problem!

But one bonus of this visit was that the appointment was with Spiffy’s special vet – the wonderful Michelle. Michelle saved Spiffy’s life two years ago when he was definitely a

very sick cat and he – and we - have never forgotten her. So there was a joyous Spiffy and Michelle reunion and lots of fuss and lots of strokes which meant that Spiffy who is moulting left lots of white fur on the surgery table. Spiff is two years older than when he was under Michelle’s care in the vet hospital and he is starting to look his 16 years now but - like Bob - he refuses to admit that he’s getting older. And, as Michelle says, at this age a cat’s happiness is what matters – and Spiff is a picture of happiness. Specially when he’s purring so hard that she can’t hear his heartbeat properly!

So that was the cats - now the covers.

Special note to Karuna – I haven’t yet been able to find out who the male model on the cover of The Sicilian’s Red-Hot Revenge is – but I will be asking my editor when I have lunch with her on Friday and if I find out anything, I’ll let you know.

The approval of the cover of The Sicilian’s Red-Hot Revenge is pretty unanimous – everyone seems to love it. Even the BM though he was heard to remark that ‘there are a lot of ladies being held against walls on the covers of your books.’ He was thinking of this Sicilian book

and the USA/Aus/foreign editions cover of The Italian’s Forced Bride – which shows up specially well in this Spanish edition and is another cover which I love.

In her comment on yesterday’s blog, new author Kate Hewitt commented that the ‘the covers have changed over time--much sexier now’ – well, yes they are – the covers are much sexier – but I have a personal preference for the more subtly sexy approach than the blatant clinch – or the in bed clinch - image. As in the writing of a book – specially the writing of a lovemaking scene – then the build up to it, the sense of foreboding and building of tensions tightening, growing – like the moments before a storm breaks – are the most exciting, fascinating and intense ways of getting those pages to turn – rather than the actual act itself. Think of a scene in a film or a TV drama when you just know what’s coming – that first kiss – first touch – and you’ll know what I mean.

So that’s one of the reasons why I love these covers - because they are about anticipation and build up. And that means they’re about that all important element of writing romance – the often talked about ‘emotional intensity.’

As a dear friend and talented writer – and, luckily for me, a fan of my work – Anna Lucia said when she saw the cover for The Sicilian’s Red-Hot Revenge for the first time - there is ‘so much delicious menace and highly charged non-touching’ in that picture. And it’s the fact that they’re not touching that gives it the ‘highly charged’ and menacing effect.

Finally as you’ve no doubt noticed, the cover of The Sicilian’s Red-Hot Revenge is one of the ‘new look’ covers that will start appearing on the bookshop shelves from June. Starting with the June titles, there will be a re-launch of all the Mills & Boon series in the UK with new covers across the lines.

Revitalising the covers is something HMB do periodically to keep the books looking fresh and to keep our readership interested. They also hope that the new image will introduce new readers to the books.

The new looks will be a fresh variation on a similar theme with all the lines keeping the same colours for the easy recognition of the familiar favourites – Modern Romance with its rich blue, the Romance line with the deep rose pink, Historicals will still have the purple tones and Medicals the turquoise green that marked them out before. But the covers will be set out differently and there will be more use of artwork in most of the lines instead of the photographic images that have been used before.

From June 1st the new look will be introduced for these lines and then in the second half of the month ( from 18th June) Desire, Special Edition, Intrigue and Superromance will all have the new look covers too. If you’d like to see more of the new look covers and see the way all the different lines will look from June onwards, then they’re all on display on the Mills & Boon web site now

So why not visit and see what’s coming up?