Friday, October 11, 2013

Covers Galore!

I have covers!  Three, to be exact.  The first two were designed by the Killion Group, and I couldn't be more pleased.  I have for a long time fussed over the title for A Dangerous Dalliance, the book that introduces my young sleuth Lady Emily Southwell and her penchant for solving dark mysteries in clever ways, and finding a little romance along the path.  Either a title comes to me, or it doesn't.  It finally came.  I give you:  Secrets and Sensibilities.

When art instructor Hannah Alexander agrees to accompany four of her students on a country house visit before Easter, she never dreams of entering into a dalliance with the owner David Tenant, the handsome new Earl of Brentfield. But one moment in his company and she's in danger of losing her heart. There are secrets aplenty at Brentfield, enough to challenge any lady's sensibilities, even those of Hannah's protégé, Lady Emily Southwell. As events unfold at Brentfield, Hannah quickly learns that loving David comes at a price, to her future plans of being a portrait painter, to her position as a teacher, and to her very life.


Lady Emily originally came into her own in my 2008 young adult novel, La Petite Four.  But I was never entirely happy with that book.  (Terrible thing for an author to admit!)  So, I have been working on rewriting it.  I am happy to report that it is currently in copyediting and should be out later this month as Art and Artifice.

Finally, I offer you a sneak peek of the cover for my December release from Love Inspired Historical, The Wife Campaign.  The second book in my Master Matchmaker series is set at a fishing lodge, and the river plays a big part in the story, so I was glad to see the artists capture both the mood and the setting. 

Whitfield Calder, Earl of Danning, would much rather spend a fortnight fishing than entertaining three eligible young ladies.  But when his valet insists that marriage is an earl's duty, Whit agrees to a house party.  He has no intention of actually proposing to anyone . . . until flame-haired Ruby Hollingsford declares she'd never accept him anyway.  Ruby might have been tricked into attending this charade, but she certainly won't compete for the earl's affections.  Yet Whit isn't the selfish aristocrat she envisioned.  And with a little trust, two weeks might be ample time for an unlikely couple to fall headlong in love.

Those of you who have been following the blog for some time know that I usually pick an actress/actor or model to help me visualize my hero and heroine, and I share this information with the talented artists at Love Inspired.  The young lady this time got an easy A for her acting abilities, even when she hung out with a squad of gangsters.  Once upon a time, the gentleman played a charming TV character who is more likely to be found wielding a sword than the fishing rod my hero favors. 

Anyone want to guess who I had in mind for my heroine and hero, Ruby Hollingsford and Whitfield Calder, Earl of Danning?

5 comments:

Leandra Wallace said...

I just posted on my blog about how I love silhouette covers! They're all great covers, but the silhouettes are the best! ;)

Regina Scott said...

Thanks, Leandra! I think I mentioned before, but I have several old silhouette pictures from my grandmother, where the painting is the background and the silhouette is on the glass. Love them!

And we so appreciate your faithfulness in commenting! You are an encouragement!

QNPoohBear said...

The covers are beautiful. I especially like the scenic background of the Love Inspired book. The heroine is modeled after Emma Stone but I don't know who the hero is inspired by.

Regina Scott said...

Thank you, QNPoohBear. And you are so right. I was thinking about Emma Stone when I wrote the character of Ruby Hollingsford. Let's see if anyone else guesses my hero. If not, I'll post the answer in a day or so. Thanks so much for commenting!

Regina Scott said...

As promised, I'm back to provide the name of the actor whose physical characteristics inspired my hero in The Wife Campaign. If you look closely, you might recognize a hint of Josh Dallas, who currently plays Prince Charming on Once Upon a Time. And if you follow the show, you know why I'm saying "currently." ;-)