How do you think my protagonists Sophie Barton and Michael Stoddard would respond if they were suddenly transported from the American Revolution to 21st-century Miami? Check out my tongue-in-cheek response in this fun interview of me on Raquel Reyes’s Miami blog.
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She expected the redcoats to solve her father’s murder. The redcoats and her father had other plans.
In early June 1780, the village of Alton, Georgia, is rocked by the triple murder of the town printer and one of his associates, both outspoken patriots, and a Spanish assassin. Alton’s redcoats are in no hurry to seek justice for the murdered men. The printer and his buddies have stirred up trouble for the garrison. But the printer’s widowed daughter, Sophie Barton, wants justice for her father. Under suspicion from the redcoats, Sophie sets out on a harrowing journey to find the truth about her father — a journey that plunges her into a hornet’s nest of terror, treachery, and international espionage.
*****
The eBook version of Paper Woman, award-winning first novel in my historical crime fiction series, is on sale through Sunday for 99 cents in Kindle, Nook, iTunes, and Kobo formats. Enjoy!
A big thanks to the folks at eReader News Today, Free Kindle Books & Tips, and Bargain eBook Hunter!
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For the month of December, I’m participating in a special promotion with thirteen other authors of historical fiction. Buy the paperback version of our books on Amazon, and you’ll be offered the opportunity to download the Kindle edition for free. Amazon will also credit your prior purchase of these paperbacks.
What a great opportunity for you if you prefer paperback but also like to have a digital version—or if you’ve been thinking about giving a paperback as a gift and want an ebook for yourself. You’ll find all five of my books in this promotion. Here’s the full list of titles we’re offering.
Remember: this special promotion is only for December.
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Early books
The earliest books with some form of paper for pages most often had no cover images. If you were fortunate enough to own books, the front cover was usually dark leather. In the twentieth century, paper jackets became common over the covers of books. Soon, publishers discovered that they could include an image on the jacket to make it more interesting. These images were printed on the front covers of paperback versions, too. Sometimes the images gave an accurate representation of the book’s content. Often they did not.
Advantages of physical books
In the good old days of publishing, when books were made of paper, authors groused over bad cover images for their books. However, prospective readers might overlook a poor book cover because there was a tactile connection. Consumers could hold a book and thumb through the pages, reading at leisure, perhaps even enjoying that “new book” smell.
Challenges of ebooks
No tactile (or olfactory) connection exists for consumers who purchase electronic books. Thus an ebook’s cover image pulls a great deal more weight in the consumer’s decision-making process. It must capture the attention of the ebook’s target audience; accurately convey the ebook’s concept, tone, and setting; and lure the audience inside. Yet many writers who self-publish, and even a few publishers, either fail to understand these crucial functions of the cover image or ignore them in favor of just getting the ebook out there with some cover image.
Finding cover art that reaches the right readers
For my “Mysteries of the American Revolution” trilogy, my original publisher used artwork from the public domain as the basis for each cover image. When the press ceased operation, and my rights reverted to me, one of my first tasks was to seek out cover artists to create new covers. I’d been listening to what my readers liked about my books, and why. I knew those first covers weren’t appropriate for the books.
Here’s a before-and-after comparison of the cover art for each book in the trilogy.
Good cover art becomes even more important if an ebook series is involved. When executed correctly for each title of the series, the cover images create a unified appearance that identifies the ebooks and author for the target audience. The images also promise the reading experience that will be found in the series. It’s a covenant of satisfaction and security for readers, the knowledge that if they enjoyed book 1, they can find more of the same in other books of the series. If you love your readers, you’ll give them all that.
How important is a book’s front cover image in influencing your decision to buy the book?
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Many years ago, encumbered by the point of view of someone dwelling in the twentieth century, I joined a group that depicted a unit of the Thirty-Third Light Company of Foot during living history events in the American South. My desire was to immerse myself in the activities and sensory impressions an eighteenth-century woman living during the Southern theater of the American Revolution would have experienced, so I could more accurately depict the world of Sophie Barton, protagonist in my first book, Paper Woman: A Mystery of the American Revolution.
Reenacting is an enlightening research tool. It helps me create the world of the Southern theater in my fiction. Reenacting is the ultimate hands-on history. By immersing myself in the military world of the late eighteenth century for entire weekends at a time, I cannot escape brushes with some of the hardships that plagued our ancestors. Sudden downpours and windstorms with no shelter. Sudden freezing rain, even with shelter. Heat indices of 120 degrees. Mosquito swarms without screens. No plumbing. No refrigeration. No electricity. No phone service. You get the idea.
My first reenacting event, I didn’t know to expect primitive conditions. After more events, I settled in with the understanding that at the end of the weekend, I’d be reunited with the technological comforts of my time. That’s when I comprehended how tough, persevering, and remarkable my ancestors must have been—and how fortunate I was to live in a country where I had access to wonders such as running water, electricity, refrigeration, and plumbing.
In the United States, we take our twenty-first century standard of living for granted. We forget that comforts such as running water are truly wonders, luxuries to many people in the world, people who start each day by walking several miles, burdened by buckets or jugs, to the nearest source of water (likely not clean). Survival is foremost in the minds of these people when they awaken each day, just as it was for people—patriot, loyalist, and neutral—during the American Revolution.
Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers and friends. When you gather with family and friends to celebrate this holiday, consider the hardships endured by courageous people who lived more than two centuries ago during the time of the American Revolution. Today, people throughout the world endure those same hardships. Remember those people in your thoughts and hearts for a moment. And don’t take for granted your luxuries or your liberty.
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Paper Woman: A Mystery of the American Revolution is now available in paperback form as well as an ebook. Want an autographed bookplate for Paper Woman or my other books? Email your name and address to suzanneadair (at) gmail (dot) … Continue reading
Welcome to my blog, “The British Are Coming, Y’all!” From 17–27 November, I’m participating with several hundred other bloggers in the “Gratitude Giveaways Hop,” accessed by clicking on the logo on the left. All blogs in this hop offer reader-appreciation … Continue reading
Here’s the new cover for the electronic version of The Blacksmith’s Daughter. What do you think of it? I recently posted the new covers for Paper Woman and Camp Follower. The theme for this trilogy as depicted through the cover … Continue reading
Here’s the new cover for the electronic version of Camp Follower. If you’ve read the book, you’ll recall the scene that inspired this image. I had the cover image for Paper Woman redesigned a few months ago. Next up is … Continue reading
Day 1: “The Mystique of the American War of Independence” Author: Suzanne Adair Contribution: copy of Paper Woman Winner: Norma Huss Day 2: “Why Not Read About the War the South Won?” Author: Charles F. Price Contribution: copy of Nor … Continue reading
