Cover Reveal Time

The cover of a book is the beginning of a conversation between the author and the reader. ~David Pearson

One of the most exciting moments for me and probably most authors is their first look at the cover that will end up wrapped around the words of their stories. A writer spends months, sometimes years, getting a story written. Then we go through several edits trying to make the book the best it can be. Next step is getting a reader to pick up the book and flip it over to read the back cover copy or click on a link to find out more about the story.

For some readers, if the author is a favorite and you’ve read his or her earlier stories and loved them, then just seeing that author’s name can be enough. But for those who don’t know about the author’s work, the cover is what the author and publishers hope will catch the reader’s interest. The book cover is like the worm on a fisherman’s line.  It’s to hook the reader’s interest and convince them take a closer look at the book. Painless, inviting bait.

I think this cover for my book that will release in 2027 fits the title, Where the Wild Roots Grow, with its dramatic colors and the windblown look.

Some readers have questioned me at times about why so many covers only show the back of the book’s character or a distant view of them. Some covers simply cut off the model’s head. Well, not literally, but by cropping the picture. That’s usually a female character. As the quote below says, sometimes the cover doesn’t show the front of the models because then readers are free to imagine the character however they please.

I always think that it’s wrong to put images of my protagonists on the cover of my novels because readers can identify with characters only if they are given the chance to imagine them independently. ~ Orhan Pamuk, The Innocence of Objects

I don’t know that I’ve every looked at a person on the front of a book and then imagined the character in the story to look like that picture. I think I still bring up my own image of the character.

The majority of my covers show a female model, but occasionally a male character has been pictured as well. In some of my inspirational novels, especially the Shaker books, the model’s face is shown. Then there are my Hidden Springs mysteries that featured cats. Some sort of pet or animal seems to be a necessary part of the covers on cozy mysteries.

Other popular covers right now don’t show any people, but have interesting designs to highlight the title. Styles come and go in designing covers the same as in anything else. I’m happy with the addition on the cover about Where the Wild Roots Grow being a Sourwood Mountain story. And I absolutely love that Ada June’s dog, Bo, made the cover. My second dog on a cover. These Healing Hills had my nurse midwife’s dog, Sarge, on the cover. So, yay for my dog characters.

I just sent out a newsletter revealing this new cover. I always try to let my newsletter subscribers be the first to know fun news like new titles and covers. If you didn’t get it and think you’re signed up for my news, then check your Spam folder. A spam folder will sometimes kidnap messages you want to see. If you don’t find Ann’s News there and you’d like to see it, let me know and I’ll send you a copy. Also, it’s easy to sign up for the newsletter here in the margin of my website.

You wonderful readers tuning in here are right on the heels of the newsletter news. You all  make writing my posts on One Writer’s Journal such a pleasure. I have a giveaway going on the newsletter. But here’s another one especially for you. I’ll give one winner an autographed  copy of my first Sourwood Mountain novel, The Song of Sourwood Mountain. If you already have a copy, keep in mind that autographed books make great gifts.

All you have to do to enter is be 18 years old or older and leave a comment on this post or the ones Sunday and next week before the deadline to enter, midnight EST on Monday November 23, 2026. The winner will be notified by email and announced, first name and last initial, on my post on November 25th.

The book is already out there for pre-sale at many internet booksellers like Baker Book House, Amazon, or others. You can also request your local bookstore order the book when it’s released next spring. I’ll get more information about Where the wild Roots Grow on my website soon.

So what do you think about the cover of Where the Wild Roots Grow? Would it make you take a second look?