Goodbye, Tootsie. Putting it Together: Part Four

If I could have chosen my talent, I would have chosen the visual arts–painting, drawing or graphic design. A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

RomanceNovelCovers.com (RNC) Custom Photo Shoot - Behind The Scenes - Jimmy Thomas & Inessa - DL Royer

RomanceNovelCovers.com (RNC) Custom Photo Shoot – Behind The Scenes – Jimmy Thomas & Inessa – Delynn Royer

In my last few posts I talked about my search for the perfect cover model images for the hero and heroine of the next book in my 1920s romantic mystery series, Goodbye Tootsie. (See the happy results at right.)

With that mission accomplished, it was time to shift gears. Design. What should the cover actually look like?

While I’m pretty good at coming up with elements and concepts, I have no sense of how to put them together into an eye-catching design.

1920s Fiction, 1920s romantic mystery, 1920s mystery

A Trixie Frank – Sean Costigan 1920s Romantic Mystery

The first book in the series, It Had to Be You, published by Carina Press, has a gorgeous cover. A vivid black and white close-up of heroine Trixie set against a gauzy backdrop of Manhattan. I couldn’t have asked for anything more spot-on to capture the classic cinema elements that had inspired me to write the book.

But I didn’t have that cover artist any longer. I needed to find my own. I’ve worked with cover designers in the past and loved their work, but this was a different series, and I was curious to try someone new.

I asked for referrals from friends and business contacts. After checking out websites, I contacted award winning cover artist Fiona Jayde.

One thing I liked immediately about working with Fiona was that, after I filled out her questionnaire, she spent some time with me via email batting around a few ideas before we committed to move forward.

Here are ten keywords/ideas we worked with.

1920s
Mystery
Romance
Detective
Gatsby
Wealth
Black & White/Sepia
Art Deco
Classic Cinema
Light

Those keywords–along with my back cover blurb and cover model image–were the three components needed to create my cover. Now, can you picture it?

Neither could I. That’s why we need designers. 🙂

Here it is!

What do you think? Did we nail those keywords?

What does one glance at this cover make you think about the characters? The mood? The story?

If you’ve read It Had to Be You, does the pose and look of these models resemble the Trixie and Sean you imagined?

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CHECK OUT GOODBYE, TOOTSIE’S NEW BOOK PAGE AND EXCERPT HERE!

COMING FIRST TO AMAZON… JUNE 21, 2015!

January, 1925
Homicide detective Sean Costigan and tabloid reporter Trixie Frank are on the road to romance but at cross-purposes at work when they investigate the New Year’s Eve murder of “Poor Little Rich Girl” Abigail Welles after she comes into control of a family fortune.

Photo Credits

It Had to Be You – Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Goodbye, Tootsie cover art design by Fiona Jayde Media. Learn more About Fiona here.

Custom Photo Shoot and Cover Model Image from RomanceNovelCovers.com