5 days till RETURN TO CHRISTMAS debuts. (I’m counting today and Friday, the day it drops.) I’ve got a cover I adore, things are lining up, but the most important thing is that I wrote a book I love, even if it wasn’t the “smart” thing to do.
Did I ever tell you how much I love “Tin Cup” – the golf movie with Kevin Costner? (No, I don’t play golf). For me it’s a perfect metaphor for my take on creativity, and probably the reason I don’t quite play in the majors. I never, ever make the smart choice. When it comes to writing I go with my gut, every time. I never had a career plan, I’m wary of the very idea, at least as far as I’m concerned. With the books I write, I always lead with my heart.
So here’s the cover. In fact, I’ll show you the three stages. This is the first one – nice mood, but Santa needs to take a hike, and the hero was intrusive.
So I said nix the hero, nix Santa, taller buildings, nix the hat (all those were my original ideas – my cover person is so good). So we next had Mollie alone, looking up at the huge building. I loved this one, but Macy’s isn’t isolated (and for copyright issues we couldn’t use artwork with the real Macy’s).
Nice mood in that, and I loved the trees. But this was the final try, and the winner.
So did I make the right choice?
I think you definitely made the right choice. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something enticing about it. Also, I love the cab and the way the trees and buildings almost embrace her. I can’t wait to read it ☺️