Ghost Horse Cover Reveal
Three covers not chosen for the new Ghost Horse at Oak Lane Stable (Book 4) coming October 14, 2023
When creating a new book, authors are as invested in a new cover as much as the new story. One of our worst nightmares is ending up with a cover image we don’t like. How are we expected to promote the book we lovingly created when the cover is awful? It happens. I was fortunate to always have a say in the covers (mostly) with the first two publishers and now by designing them myself.
The first book cover on the left was only a mock-up. I never intended it to go further than that. It did resemble the other older covers the series had, but I wanted something more interesting when the time came to create the new cover when the book was written. It’s a beautiful horse, but not really what I wanted.
The second cover was more interesting. I tried to do a ghost-like image and was somewhat successful. But as I finished the book, this cover did not portray what eventually happened in the end, so I gave it a no. I like the movement of the vapor and the horse looking directly at the reader, but it isn’t a spooky story. I wanted the cover to reflect what really happened inside and on the pages.
The third cover is cute, but … Yes, there is a love interest who happens to be a young cowboy, but again this cover doesn’t truly reflect the whole story, only one part of it. I showed the thumbnail idea to another writer friend of mine who liked the image. It came down to this cover or the one that I will reveal on Thursday. After much deliberation, the other cover won out because it was more in line with the other new covers and fits the series’ new look much better. You may or may not agree when I reveal the cover, but decisions had to be made in a timely manner. I had to chose and move on.
Perhaps I’ll have inspiration for a new series and can put a young cowboy on the cover. I have thought about a spin off from this series and using some of the new characters, but we will see. It would be fun to write from a boy’s perspective. Would I be any good at it? I’m not sure, but it might be something to consider. I have been asked in the past to write novels intended for young boys. Maybe now that the Oak Lane Stable Novel Series is complete, I can move onto something new for them.
Happy reading!
Welcome Ghost Horse at Oak Lane Stable (Book 4). Coming October, 14, 2023.
