Judy Kentrus~ Making Dreams Come True on Last Chance Beach

Please welcome Judy today, who has come to share the story of her beautiful cover for WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE, Last Chance Beach Romance #14. Let's see what she has to say...

When an author thinks about her story, having a cover that reflects the storyline is important. When I thought about “Where Dreams Come True,” I knew I had to have a single person on the cover. Since Chelsea’s profession was dancing and her dream to become a prima ballerina, I started looking for cover images of dancers. It can be a long, frustrating process, but when the right image appears, you can feel it and know it’s right. I actually got goosebumps when I found the dancer on the beach. The dancer on the cover epitomizes Chelsea, but more importantly it depicts the storyline to a “T”.

Blurb ~

Chelsea Townsend runs a local dancing school in Last Chance Beach. Five years ago, her partner dropped her during a performance. The resulting injury killed her chance of becoming a Prima Ballerina. Her dancing career always took precedence, but she regrets giving up a chance to have a life with the only man she’s ever loved.

She’s worked hard to reopen the historic Gershwin Theater. When someone breaks into her dancing school, it sets off a chain of events that reveals the untold secrets surrounding the old theater, including a twenty-five-year-old murder.

It will take a police detective, the father of one of her students, to find out who is working against her.



Zachary MacFarland, a decorated NYC police detective, returned to Last Chance Beach eight months ago. He and his partner were ambushed, and the bullet that killed his partner came from Zach’s gun. He’s determined to find the real killer and clear his name.

Coming home also meant being close to Chelsea Townsend. She chose her career over the happily-ever-after he offered. It will take all of his detective skills to reveal who is determined to destroy her hopes and dreams.

Last Chance Beach meant second chances. Would they find the love and happiness they once lost? This is a page-turning romantic suspense.

YOU CAN PURCHASE WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE HERE:

https://amzn.to/3VGKObq

Bio ~

Judy Kentrus, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Seasoned Romance, Historical Romance

I’ve always been a romantic at heart and I married my high school sweetheart. I make my home in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. Before I let the dog out, I make sure there aren’t any bears around. I’m a mom with two grown children who have given me six grandchildren.

We love to travel. Many of the places we’ve visited have inspired me to use as a storyline. I never know what will give me an inspiration, but my mind is always working.

When I’m not giving couples their happily-ever-after, you can find me in the kitchen, baking, especially cookies. I’ve been dubbed the cookie queen by my family and friends. You’ll find a new recipe every month on my website.

Want to find out more about my books and what’s coming? Be sure to sign up for my newsletter, via my website. My stories are fun, sexy, romances that will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love.


YOU CAN FIND JUDY HERE:

Website: https://www.judykentrus.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judykentrusauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudyKentrus

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judykentrus/?hl=en

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/judy-kentrus

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/jkentrus/_saved/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard?ref=nav_profile_authordash

Amazon Author Central: https://author.amazon.com/claim/join?query=Judy+Kentrus

Tiktok: lolababy687


Thank you, Judy, for sharing your cover story!

#RomanceGem Author Nancy Fraser Is MAKING CHRISTMAS!

The wonderful Nancy Fraser has joined us this morning to share a bit about the making of her cover for her Dickens Holiday Romance Prequel MAKING CHRISTMAS. So, without further ado...

One of my favorite parts of the process of publishing a new book is the cover. Whether it’s one I’ve created myself, or one created for me by one of my three publishers, it’s always a thrill to see the finished product.

For my new vintage holiday novelette, Making Christmas, the cover was quite an undertaking and it went through many incarnations before I was happy with it. It began as a fairly “normal” cover, with Christmas toys and the title and my name. Simple, and it was very pretty.

However, in the process of writing the story itself, I began formulating ideas for promotion. Because my heroine has returned to the small town where she grew up to write a magazine article on an old friend’s toy factory, I figured I needed a magazine cover. So, I created one.

When I showed the fake magazine cover to a writer friend, she said, “He’s hunky. That should be your cover.” Never one to shy away from a challenge or a good idea, the cover went through another makeover. I didn’t want to lose the magazine cover effect, so I incorporated it into the finished cover.

Never let it be said, authors aren’t a bit crazy and obsessive. Especially over our covers!

Let's hear a little bit more about the book...

Blurb ~

A 1980s Vintage Romance ...

It’s been five years since William Barrett returned to Dickens to take over as CEO of Wil-Bar Toys. He’s spent these past years helping build Wil-Bar into a leader in creative, handmade toys. His work ethic and drive has left him little time for a personal life. Or, perhaps he’s still pining for the one who got away.

Catherine Gates moved away from Dickens six years earlier. Now a staff reporter for a woman’s magazine, she’s returning to Dickens to do a story on Wil-Bar Toys new production methods and get the scoop on their upcoming holiday line.

When Will and Cat meet up again for the first time in years, it’s as if they’ve never been apart. Rekindling their friendship, and attraction, becomes more important than Cat’s article, or even the secrecy of the new toy lines.

Can these two childhood friends make up for lost time and pursue the romance they missed out on years earlier? Or, will Cat’s story expose too much and put them at odds with one another?

Excerpt ~

Catherine made her way through the front doors of Wil-Bar Toys and toward the reception desk. “I’m here to see Mr. Barrett. I have a ten o’clock appointment.”

“I’ll buzz Margaret and she’ll come to get you,” the young woman said.

Catherine waited for Margaret, obviously a new edition to the staff since she didn’t recognize the name.

Moments later, a woman who looked to be in her late twenties entered the lobby. “Hello, I’m Margaret Weatherby. If you’ll follow me, please.”

She fell in step behind the woman, going through the heavy oak double doors she remembered from her childhood. They continued down the hallway leading to the main offices, coming to a stop in front of the desk outside the large corner suite.

“How long have you worked at Wil-Bar?” Catherine asked.

“Two years now. I was originally hired to work for Mr. Wilfred Barrett but when the younger Mr. Barrett’s secretary left to get married, I took over for her as well.”

“That must keep you very busy.”

The woman nodded. “It does, especially this time of year. However, it’s such a wonderful place to work, I couldn’t see myself going anywhere else.” She paused, then added, “I’ll let Mr. Barrett know you’re here.”

“I’d appreciate—”

Her words of appreciation were interrupted by a man’s booming voice. “Margaret, do you have the report I left for photocopying earlier?” The voice was followed by the man’s appearance outside the office door, his footsteps coming to a halt when he saw her standing there.

She lifted her head, meeting Will Barrett’s intense gaze head-on.

“Cat? Cat Gates. I’ll be dam...darned.”

“Hello, Will.”

“You two know each other?” Margaret asked. When they both nodded at the same time, Margaret added, “Well, that certainly saves time on introductions.”

Will motioned for her to follow him into the office. “You’re the journalist they’ve sent to write a story on Wil-Bar?”

“Yes,” she said, taking the seat he offered. “I assume they thought I’d have an inside track on the place since I’m from Dickens.”

His chuckle sent a flurry of butterflies rushing her stomach.

“Inside track. I’d say so. You know every nook and cranny of this place—or at least you did before we remodeled.”

“Some I knew all too well, given I spent more time hiding than you and Tommy did seeking.”

“Sorry about that,” he said with a broad grin. “We were pretty mean to you back then.”

WHERE TO BUY MAKING CHRISTMAS:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094GF6R5L

ASIN: B094GF6R5L

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1566764279


B&N (Nook): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/making-christmas-nancy-fraser/1139435151


Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/making-christmas-3


Universal: https://books2read.com/u/3ye0ae

Custom: https://books2read.com/MakeXMas

Other:

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/making-christmas-a-dickens-holiday-romance-prequel-by-nancy-fraser

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57984424-making-christmas

Bio ~

 

NANCY FRASER—Jumping Across Romance Genres with Gleeful Abandon—is an Amazon Top 100 and Award-Winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.

 

When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

 

Website: www.nancyfraser.ca

Facebook: http://facebook.com/nancyfraserauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nfraserauthor  @nfraserauthor

Bookbub: http://bookbub.com/profile/nancy-fraser

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Fraser/e/B004AOL61Y/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7206382.Nancy_Fraser

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3gC68iMStwKCr4v_S6fMIA

Newletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/bxkKvD

 

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Bookbub

Amazon Author Page ~ Goodreads ~ YouTube ~ Newsletter

 

Trailer:

 

 

Direct Link:  https://youtu.be/PzzY7komw-I

Jigsaw Puzzle Link: https://bit.ly/33wkGqI

 

Thank you, Nancy, so much for joining us. It was a delight having you!

Laura Hunsaker, #RomanceGem, Has It All Covered With AMETHYST HEAT!

Good morning! As I again set out to introduce you to all my Romance Gem pals, please welcome Laura Hunsaker! Take it away, Laura!

What makes a good cover?

 

Well, that is the question, isn’t it? For as much as we’d love to say don’t judge a book by its cover, we’re all guilty of doing that. The cover is usually what catches our eye first. I bought a book that had a very Keanu Reeves in John Wick feel. I regret nothing. :)

 

When you aren’t in control of your own covers though, you’re at the mercy of your publisher. I’ve been lucky that my publisher listened to my thoughts and applied them to the cover. Although my publisher put my nickname Laurie on the cover rather than my full name. That was kind of odd, especially as my other books through them all say Laura. Add to that, the cover is about 10 years old, and since the story is mine again, I wanted something new.

 

Amethyst Heat is my free short story (it’s like 7 pages long, so it’s a true short story). The old cover is fine. But it doesn’t capture the story as much as I think my new cover does. I sent my cover designer the story and let her have free reign (she’s pretty amazing). And I love what she came up with! Her cover really encompasses the story, short as it is.

 

And you can feel free to judge this story by its new cover.

 

Blurb ~

A sweet romance set in the Highlands of Scotland.

While out riding, Meg McMurray finds herself on unfamiliar lands. Gone are the long expanses of Oklahoma prairie, and in front of her are the wild Scottish Highlands. How did she come to be there, and did Aunt Gilly's amethyst ring have anything to do with it?

M.J. note ~ (Since this is a short story, it's a short excerpt, but even in this you can see what a great story it is!)

Excerpt ~

Meg nervously licked her lips and ran her fingers through her hair. His gaze followed the movements, settling on her ring.
"Where did you get that?" his voice was rougher, deeper, than before.
Glancing down Meg saw his eyes trained on her finger. "The ring? It's been in my family for generations. I recently inherited it." Meg dropped her eyes, hiding her pain at the thought of her Aunt Gilly. The note that had come with the ring was written by Gilly's own hand. It had said that her "destiny awaited," whatever that meant.

You can download AMETHYST HEAT for free here!:

     Kindle   |   Barnes and Noble   |   Kobo   |   Google Play   |   Smashwords |  Goodreads

I've got mine!

Thank you for joining us, Laura! So what do you think? I liked the first cover but the second cover is even better!

~ Time to Update Covers, Part 2 ~

Here are a few more new covers. I liked both of my old covers, just felt I needed a fresh look.

OLDER COVER

NEW COVER

OLD VERSION

NEW VERSION

Any thoughts?

~ Time To Update Covers! ~

Recently I realized that some of my covers are over five-years-old now. Some close to ten! While I loved the covers I had, I needed something fresh. Working with cover designer Francessca Weber on a group project (box set) I was really impressed by her talent. Check out what she did to these covers!

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

What do you think about the transformations? Do you have a favorite?

~ You Can Lose Your Way in a BLACKOUT, Or Find Something Magical ~

I am very excited about this cover for a couple of reasons. One is that the background is my own photo, taken here in town at The Fox and Hound building, which holds The Fox and Hound Day Spa, condominiums, and various offices. It is a beautiful old building in downtown Bloomington, Illinois and the owner, Vicki Tilton, allowed me to wander around and take pictures for the cover of BLACKOUT, my first contemporary romance (without elements of suspense). I threw some of my pictures and some from stock photos at my cover designer, Steven Novak, and I'll show you what he came up with. First, a blurb to both entice you, ;) and give you a feel for what I was trying to capture in this cover.  

Blurb ~

Max. The consummate ladies man.

Max is good looking, but not an absolute knockout. With his charm though, he could have any woman he wants. Once he meets Faith, he doesn’t want anyone else.



Eli. He is a knockout.

But a dark past shadows him and holds him captive. Drinking dulls the pain, but meeting Faith makes him want to change all that.



Faith. She loves them both.


When a blackout brings her together with Eli, she’s happier than she’s ever been before. When another blackout tears them apart, Max is there to pick up the pieces. But can she forget the man who first made her whole?

So, we gots ourselves a little love triangle here! These are both great guys. Faith couldn't lose anyway she chose~but, at the same time, she does suffer a loss in choosing. Sigh. Anyway, that's what we going for. Love triangle, contemporary, both guys are construction workers at the beginning, Faith is a waitress. Let's take a look at what Steven came up with from the images I sent him.

Okay, I actually love this cover. The colors are beautiful. Like the font. It says contemporary. But this cover doesn't say love triangle. And while it does say construction, it doesn't give us HOT construction worker, just hardworking construction worker. And who needs that? ;)  Granted, these are images I sent him, but sometimes it's hard to know until you see it all together. Next--->

Okay. LOVIN' this one! The background picture is a set of stairs at Fox and Hound. It captures, for me, the mood of the book, the many layers and building of Eli and Faith's relationship, with all its twists and turns. It also gives that angsty feel, I think. I love how the guys are shadowy, like she's conjuring them up in her mind while trying to decide on which to choose. I like the way she is turning, looking over her shoulder, like she is knotted inside by this decision. She's looking back at her past relationship with Eli, while still moving forward with Max. You almost get the feel that she'd like to run away from this decision altogether. One problem though. As I'm sharing this cover with writer friends I keep getting the same response. The guys look too alike. Upon further examination I discover the reason why they look so much alike is they are both photos of the same model! Well, at least I am consistent in what I like in men. So, we can't have that, and I ask Steven to change it.

Okay, better. The guy on the left really captures Max. But the guy on the right isn't exactly Eli. And we've lost that neat translucent effect. 

Now we've got it! He's added the tagline and the collection name. I like the backlighting on the title and my name. The guy with the longer hair really captures the soulful look of Eli. With two hunks like this, how can she choose? You'll just have to read the book to find out! 

BLACKOUT will be available June 1st with a release date of June 15th! 

Thanks for joining me! Any thoughts on the evolution of the cover? 

What Happens When You Design a Book Cover UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR? Brilliance!

My last post showed what can happen when a cover artist and the author are on the same page. Like my cover for TAKEN BY STORM. I told Steven what I want and he sent it. I thought it was gorgeous! No changes needed to be made. That's got to be kind of rare.


However, Steven and I don't always start on the same page. But, with a lot of patience on his part, we eventually get there. Today we're going to be looking at the cover creation for my romantic suspense, UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR. Let's start off with a blurb to give you an idea of what we're trying to capture.

Blurb ~

Dylan Fisher is a paramedic & part-time mall Santa Claus. But he never heard anyone ask for what Delaney asked for, a dad. When Dylan’s eyes land on her mother, Keira Kelly, he almost finds himself in need of CPR. She was stunning.

Keira is still grieving the loss of her husband, but a reckless driver has her thinking about nothing but survival. When she wakes in the hospital to find a hunky paramedic at her bedside she begins having thoughts that would put her on the Naughty List for sure.

Okay. So it needs to say hot paramedic, Christmas, and romantic suspense. That's a lot to encompass in one cover. Here's the first cover I got from Steven. 

I've got to admit, as this picture slowly came up on my computer I was like, wow! I love it. Only problem was Dylan's a paramedic, not a doc.

So we get cover 2.  And, yowza!Again, I love it, but I'm a little concerned that this isn't right for my book. Maybe it's me, but bare-chested men make me think the book's going to be really racy. Now I think my writing is hot, but not verging on erotica by any means. I also feel like we're missing the suspense element. I suggest adding siren lights to give it that urgency and the tagline, "When Christmas magic turns to murder." I show the cover around and several people comment that they aren't getting a Christmas feel, so I suggest adding some holly. About now I'm definitely kicked off Steven's Christmas card list and probably well on my way to being an ex-client. 

Cover three. Whoa! Too much going on here. I meant the ambulance lights instead of the guy. And now the guy's all funky colored...

Cover four. Now we've got urgency all right, but no romance. Sigh. I ask Steven to bring the guy back, but put a shirt on him. I'm also moving the holly around to get it in just the right spot. Steven's replies are getting shorter. "Take a look at this one." He no doubt is imagining a special place for me in the fiery pit.

Cover, gulp, five. I really, really like this one. 

...but is there too much white now? Could we make his shirt red to bring out the Christmassy feels?

Cover six. Okay. Really

digging this! We've got Christmas going on. The tagline gives us the suspense. The dude is fully clothed, but still hot. This is working!

But, although I liked the banner being purple before, now it doesn't work. I ask Steven to change the banner to red, and the font on the tagline to black, and the exclamation point to a period. I'm always getting carried away with exclamation points. I'm excitable. 

At this point Steven is either a). rethinking his choice of careers, or b). figuring out a way to do away with me that involves hemlock. Cover 7. Now it's really coming together. It's 

Christmasy, we've got the hot guy, and suspense with the tagline, and we're all color coordinated. Or are we? I had one last change to make. 

Steven?! (In my best whiny voice.) Can you make the banner red closer to the red on his shirt? And change the REAL ROMANCE COLLECTION to green? Our final cover--->

I'm sure Steven was breathing a sigh of relief!

So whatcha think? Better than where we started?

Join Me for Cover Work and Another Romantic Knight!

Sometimes Steven and I connect on the first shot, sometimes it takes a bit longer. For instance, the first cover for LEAP INTO THE KNIGHT. I sent Steven some images I found for the characters and asked him if he was up for a challenge. I told him I wanted half of each character's face in the blade of a sword--a laser sword--like it was etched or a reflection. I had three books, three main characters, I thought this would work nicely. 

Here's a blurb to give you an idea of what's going on in Book One:


Sir Darius Lee is a Knight of the High Order.

But when Darius discovers a stranger in his room in the middle of the night, and the intruder turns out to be a beautiful woman, he begins to question how he is meant to live his life.

Princess Megan of Bethyea is being held captive.

But when two knights help her to escape and bring her back to her home planet, she finds the home she knew no longer exists.

When The Council of Twelve questions Darius about his relationship with Maggie, she tries to flee from The Academy of the High Order to prevent him from losing his knighthood.

Will Darius and Orion find Maggie before she leaves Albion? And if they do, how can they face the decision of The Council? And what about the feelings Orion has developed for the princess?

Here is what Steven sent me! --->

I absolutely loved it! It is even better than I imagined. He captured the intensity of Darius--it's great! The only suggestion I had was maybe bringing the color up a little. Making it look more vibrant.

The result? --->

What can I say, the man is fabulous!

He always gives me just what I ask for!

So in just two tries I have my first cover for the series!

And so I began my quest for Book Two,
LADY OF THE KNIGHT. This one is about
Maggie!

The blurb:

Can she betray the man she loves in order to save him?

Newly wed, Maggie is trying to figure out how life married to a Knight of the High Order is supposed to work. Then an explosion rips her husband away from her. Everyone believes him to be dead, but in her heart she knows it’s not true. How is she supposed to find him when others think she’s crazy for even looking?


Will he betray The Order to make his way back to her?

Darius’s captor wants information about Council members. If the Knight is killed keeping The Order’s secrets, his newfound life with Maggie will come to an abrupt end. Will duty win out over love?


And will he betray his best friend for the woman he loves?

Orion has learned to keep his distance from Maggie, but when circumstances throw them together in a very intimate way, how can he be expected to remain a loyal friend to Darius? He may be a Knight, but he’s human, too. He wants to do what’s right for all of them, but what’s right is becoming increasingly unclear.


When hearts are pulled in separate directions, each painful decision they make could affect them all. Join us for another ROMANTIC KNIGHT! 

Steven sent me this:

Granted, I sent him the image, but this is not Maggie. Too doe-eyed. Not strong enough. I asked him to try one of the other images I sent.

Okay, DON'T like this one!

She looks mean! The next one he sent I felt we finally got the image right.

Digging the image, it has the intensity I was after. ...But now I don't like the red. If I was looking at the book for the first time I would think it was hell fire, and the hilt almost looks like alien/devil horns. I suggest purple. 

And I get the final cover! 

I love it! I hope you enjoyed watching the evolution of this cover and will come back for more. Please share your thoughts below. Do you think the changes we made improved the cover?