COVER REVEAL - A Classic Cover Comes of Age in "A Love He Can Trust"

Planning the re-issue of a first novel is exciting and challenging... and just plain fun. My first novel was A PRIVATE PROPOSAL, rejected by over 40 publishers, but accepted in 1990 by Avalon Books. At the time, Avalon occupied a valuable and well-respected niche in the publishing world. In addition to producing "wholesome" books for the general public in several genres, it sold almost exclusively to public libraries. A library subscribed to "Career Romances" or "Westerns" or "Mysteries", for example, and received new hardcover books every month. The enterprise was sold to Amazon.com/Montlake a few years ago, and many of the Avalon authors now publish for Montlake.

I've always loved the story of A PRIVATE PROPOSAL. In this contemporary sweet romance set in a Pittsburgh contracting firm, Hayley, a new employee, realizes that her boss David has a trust problem with a capital "T" and tries her best to restore his trust and win his love. I decided that, with some updating for technology and changes in the business world, A PRIVATE PROPOSAL could  become A LOVE HE CAN TRUST and stand as the first novel in my new series Pittsburgh Connections.

A new release meant, among other things, a new cover. I thought it would be fun to share how the cover has changed over the years.

1990 Edition Cover

First, the original cover from the 1990 edition. This is clearly an original painting with a classic sweet pose of hero and heroine together in a loving embrace. The artist and the cover designer are two different people. Hayley and David are flying a kite, which is the activity involved in a pivotal plot moment. The hair color on both figures matches the descriptions in the novel.

2003 Edition Cover

The next cover was designed for publication-on-demand with iUniverse.com in 2003. The designer chose what is called a "Concept Cover". There are no people depicted on the cover, but the overall feeling of sweet romance is conveyed by the camera (David was a photography hobbyist), the rose, and the elegant "A" in the title.









Finally, in 2016 the new edition was launched in March with the title A LOVE HE CAN TRUST, and a brand new cover. Striking, modern, using all the electronic graphics capabilities for layering, cropping and coloring images, this cover was designed by Kim Killion of The Killion Group.

Click Cover to buy now at Barnes and Noble!

All I've got to say is, "A PRIVATE PROPOSAL, you've come a long way, baby. Just look at you now!"

A LOVE HE CAN TRUST is available now. Check it out at
 my website!