My last release was Doesn't She Look Natural, a title that was hard to depict in a cover. (Woman-in-funeral home isn't exactly a common genre.) I liked the cover most of you have seen, which was green and youngish looking--trouble was, it seemed to identify the book as "chick-lit," which DSLN is decidedly NOT.
So the creative brains at Tyndale House have come up with a new cover concept that I like a lot--and I think it's more true to the concept behind the Fairlawn books. Featured are the new cover concepts for Doesn't She Look Natural and She Always Wore Red, the next Fairlawn title. She Always releases this coming May. The last book, She's in a Better Place, will release . . . well, I forget. Maybe this fall.
Aren't the flowers a cute touch? One flower, book one; two flowers, book two; three flowers . . . well, you get the idea. :-)
What do you think of Fairlawn's new look?
~~Angie
I like them. I do think DSLN had a lighter tone than some of your others and the other cover captured that. But these are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI really like the concept, but I think it would look more natural if she were holding the flowers in front instead of behind her!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the new look and agree it's better than the one for DSLN, though I liked that one, too. But this is better. Very pretty.
ReplyDeleteAngela, I wanted to tell you that I bought DSLN for my mom for Christmas, because I knew the premise would be right up her alley. It was her first exposure to your work, and after I read it after she did, that was MINE! We both LOVED the book and are eagerly awaiting the next in the series, while making plans to check out your other books in the meantime.
Mom wanted me to tell you that she used to have a casket (a plain one used for shipping people) in our garage. When I was in high school, we did "Dracula" and needed a coffin, so she called the biggest funeral home in our small town and they gladly delivered the coffin to our garage. The problem was, my mom kept small children after school and they played it in...well, one little girl went home telling her mom, and the next day the mom said something to my mother about Chandra telling lies about there being a coffin in our garage. Mom took her out to see that it really was there, and believe it or not, that mom kept leaving her child at our house. ;)
BTW, I commented once on your blog before, under a different name -- on the post you wrote about Jim Whitmire. When I gave my mom your book, I did so with the explanation that you'd once been in Jim's choir and loved him, so that meant you must be "good people." That was endorsement enough for her. :)
LOL! Believe it or not, I'm writing the third book now and there's a subplot that has to do with a casket in someone's garage. :-) And I'd better now say more.
ReplyDeleteI know it's perfectly logical, because I used to participate in this college activity where we used a donated casket. I've actually ridden in it with the lid closed (carried by pallbearers, of course), and I can attest that with the lid down, one's nose can be quite squished! (Or maybe my nose is just too long.)
Thanks for popping in with such encouraging news. And yes, I keep up with Mr. Whitmire (as he will always be to me), and I'm still hearing great things about him. What a wonderful testimony . . .
He's a life-molder, for sure.
Angie
I just finished DSLN yesterday and I LOVED it! I adore the cute cover but the new ones have an elegant flair to them.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've got to say I giggled every time Charlie was mentioned in the book. I kept thinking of your dog. LOL
I only have the copy you gave me at ICRS which was a prerelease copy. I'll look for this new cover before I buy a "real" one.
ReplyDeleteI love the new book covers! The green cover definitely suggests chick-lit. I also love the number of flowers showing the number in the series. (I hate having to figure out what the order is and which book is which - how clever!)
ReplyDeleteI much prefer the new cover! I've put in a fair amount of time encouraging people to read DSLN in spite of the cover; this will simplify my book recommending habits!
ReplyDeleteYes! Very nice--simple and elegant. Good change...you are right, I was almost misled by the cover of DSLN. I haven't read the Chick Lit, because it hasn't appealed to me. I thought, though, if Angela wrote it, it will be good. And I really did like DSLN--very much!
ReplyDeleteI very much prefer the new covers.
ReplyDeleteI almost did not read DSLN partly because of the cover and because it was exactly one year ago that we were picking out a casket for my mom.I wasn't sure that I could enjoy a book about death and funerals while I was still hurting. I only read it because I trust Angie and her writing and I am glad that I did! I agree that the new cover will make it easier to recommend to others.
Jumping in here rawther late - but, love the new cover. The original was a bit "Nancy Drew-ish" - but I bought the book anyway because, as the others have already said, it's by Angela Hunt! Also, I appreciate the fact that you are willing to make a change mid-stream, so to speak. Rawther brazen, but shows courage and strong intestinal fortitude. (BTW - Can you tell I was deeply involved with "Eloise" with my littlest granddaughter over the holidays?) Clyde
ReplyDeleteThe new covers are nice, but I have to admit to being a little disappointed - I loved the first cover for DSLN. It didn't scream "chick lit" to me - I thought it perfectly conveyed the book's tone. I'll get used to the new ones though. :) I guess... :P
ReplyDeleteI too like the new cover concept . . . a lot!. The DSLN did say "chick lit" to me, kind of.
ReplyDeleteLike the new cover... including the one-two-three flower idea. Cool. I'll have to check the books out...
ReplyDeleteBTW, I had you autograph a book for my mom at the ICWF Fall Conference in Edmonton. I gave it to her for Christmas and she was so excited she looked ready to start reading it right then. We managed to convince her to wait until we had to go home so we could keep visiting with her. :) And of course once she's finished it, I'm waiting to borrow it!
Angie, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the new covers. I'll admit I wasn't crazy about the first one. These are wonderful! And the one, two, three flowers is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteI really really like the new covers! However, coming from a retail standpoint, I really hate when new editions come out! It means having to juggle the old ISBN and its sales history, etc. with the new one. It's one thing if it's revised/updated, but when it's merely a new cover, it's a real nightmare sometimes! I always appreciate when a publisher phases out the old edition by using the same ISBN on the new one - doesn't happen very often, but there is the occasional one!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I wasn't sure about this book, but I got a copy from our supplier, and ended up really enjoying it. Thanks for "the unexpected"!!
does this mean my copy with the old cover will be worth more one day? :)
ReplyDelete