Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Book Covers Are a Family Affair by Pat Simmons

Most authors don't have much input regarding their book covers from traditional publishers. I've learned to pick my battles with some of my previous publishers. For the most part, I liked their vision.

When I began to indie publish some titles, a magazine publisher--and close friend--always said my daughter should be on the cover of one of my books. When I got the right back from one publisher, I did just that. Introducing my daughter. Although the story isn't about her, she was dating a guy with the same name as the hero at the time. Trust me, she'll never read this book. LOL.


It doesn’t matter how many years go by; love will always find a way….

On the surface, Brecee Carmen has nothing in common with Adrian Cole. She is a pediatrician certified in trauma care; he is a transportation problem-solver for a luxury car dealership (a.k.a., a car salesman). Despite their slow but steady attraction to each other, neither of them is sure they're compatible. To complicate matters, Brecee is the sole unattached Carmen daughter when it seems as though everyone else around her—family and friends—is finding love.

Through a series of discoveries, Adrian and Brecee learn that things don't always happen by coincidence. Generational forces are at work, keeping promises, protecting family members, and perhaps even drawing Adrian back to the church he had strayed from. Is it possible that God has been playing matchmaker all along? Purchase DRIVEN TO BE LOVED.

A few years after this release, I owed it to my son as an equal-opportunity-momma to put him on the cover. He had been a runner-up in a Mr. Romance contest at the now defunct RT Booklovers Convention.

A chance meeting. An undeniable attraction.

And a first date that starts with a stakeout that leads to a winner takes all shopping spree. It’s the making

of a holiday romance. While philanthropist Sterling Price believes in charitable causes, he and licensed social worker Ciara Summers have a difference of opinion on how to bless others. Ciara is a rebel with a cause, and a hundred reasons why helping those less fortunate is important. 

Sterling is a man of means who believes financial responsibility comes with giving. The Lord will ensure everyone’s needs are met, and He has something extra for Sterling and Ciara that can’t wait until Christmas. Purchase WAITING FOR CHRISTMAS.



Since I ran out of children, I had to turn to grandchildren, which I don't have, so....drumroll, it's Dr. Avery's turn. HOUSE CALLS FOR THE HOLIDAYS is part of the Sweet Romance Reads Puppies for Christmas anthology.  Who knows? This could be the beginning of his modeling career, LOL. But seriously, these Goldendoodles have been known to pay their owners' bills from modeling gigs.

A doctor. A nurse. A matchmaker.

Chase McCall couldn’t have survived the holidays without her petite Goldendoodle. She named him Dr. Avery because he healed her broken heart after a bad breakup. She plans to spend the holidays on the road away from St. Louis with her pooch in tow.

Sawyer Kahill needs a fresh start, so he relocates to Raleigh, working in the IT field. He’s enjoying life until his aunt has a health scare back in St. Louis. He plans to bring her back after he suspects someone is trying to take advantage of her. Every time he’s on the phone with Aunt Edith, she raves about Dr. Avery and his nurse making house calls. The joke is on him. Sawyer has no idea the regular visits are from a dog named Dr. Avery and Chase, an RN. His aunt refuses to budge from St. Louis.

After a chance meeting with Chase in the hospital, he learns she now moving to Raleigh. Will their paths ever cross again? Not unless they both come home for the holidays. Leave that up to the Lord and Aunt Edith. Purchase HOUSE CALLS FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

Who will grace the cover of my next indie book? It won't be me. LOL

******


Pat Simmons is a multi-published Christian romance author of more than thirty titles. She is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth and a five-time recipient of the RSJ Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance.

Pat holds a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, and has worked in radio, television, and print media for more than twenty years. Visit her at www.patsimmons.net.




2 comments:

  1. How cool that you could use your children as cover models.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love that your family is on your covers.

    ReplyDelete