Confessions of a Book Cover Designer
It's Here! (Well, not quite. But the cover is here!)
It's official! I can finally share the cover of the fourth Kopp Sisters novel, Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit, which comes out Sept. 11, 2018. Entertainment Weekly has posted the cover and a preview of the first chapter, so please go take a peek.
The title is once again based on a real newspaper headline about Constance Kopp. The cover image (created by the brilliant Jim Tierney, but more about him in a minute) depicts an actual event in Constance's life and in this book.
This novel take place in the fall of 1916, when Constance found herself in the middle of a contentious election season. As a woman doing a man's job, she was the target of vicious attacks throughout the campaign. (Sound familiar? Yeah. I started writing this book on November 9, 2016. The parallels between her true story and our world, 100 years later, are rather shocking.)
Your pre-orders make a BIG difference.
In this tricky publishing era, pre-orders are a Very Big Deal. Publishers watch the numbers closely and get very excited if they see early orders for a forthcoming title. A surge in pre-orders can even make a book a bestseller.
Which leads me to you! If you'd like to pre-order a copy of Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit, I have a present for you!
Pre-order from your favorite bookseller. Go here for some bookseller links. Some booksellers can't take pre-orders quite yet. Don't worry--you have time!
Forward your email receipt. or snap a picture, to promo@amystewart.com
Include your shipping address
I will mail you a bookplate with Sheriff Heath's real signature (in the form of a rubber stamp) and mine.
I'll also enter you in a drawing to win a FABULOUS prize, to be announced as soon as I have a picture of it! Trust me, it's cool.
US only.Â
Enter by August 31, 2018. Winner announced by Sept. 10.
Meet Jim Tierney, My Book Cover Designer
You've probably heard that authors have very little say about the covers of their books. That's generally true. My publishers have always told me when they're getting started on cover design and asked if I had any input. That's my big chance to have my say!
For Girl Waits with Gun, I knew that question was coming and I was ready with a Pinterest board of photos of the Kopps, newspaper clippings, vintage book covers, and art of the 1910s.Â
I said, "Since the titles are all going to be based on newspaper headlines, it would be great if the cover could look like a newspaper, but I don't know how to make that look cool."
Fortunately, Jim Tierney did. Here's a great interview with Jim about the making of the covers, along with some of the earlier versions they rejected.Â
I'm so grateful that Jim has stuck with me to create cover #4!
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Am I Coming to Your Hometown This Spring?
If so, I would love to meet you in person--and I will have a present for you. It's just a small token of my affection, but it's something I'll only be giving to people on this list. So come up and introduce yourself, and tell me that you subscribe to this newsletter!
Lincoln City, OR: Feb 25, 3 PM, Driftwood Public Library
Charlottesville, VA: March 23-24, Virginia Festival of the Book
Greensboro, NC: April 4, Greensboro Science Center (Wicked Plants)
Omaha, NE:Â April 5, Lauritzen Gardens (Drunken Botanist)
Florham Park, NJ: April 19 Roots & Wings Luncheon
Portland, OR: May 10 Broadway Books
Cannon Beach, OR: May 18-20Â Get Lit at the Beach
Updated tour dates can always be found on my website. Please confirm details with the venue before you head out.
Reporting Back From January's Giveaway, and How You're Surviving Winter
Last month, I asked you how you're surviving the cold, bleak, flu-ridden winter. Our winner, chosen at random, was Skye in Hapeville, GA, who said, "So far snuggling with my dog on the couch while watching nature documentaries and mentally transporting myself somewhere like the Galapagos has been my way to get through cold dreary January."
YES. The Galapagos sounds really good right now.
Other answers I loved:
Helen from Tewksbury, MA said: "I go to my tap dancing class. I am the youngest in the class at 70. There are 4 of us. We can never remember the steps in order. Our teacher gave us s written test on the names of the steps. We all failed. We are all hard of hearing. Camp roll, cramp roll, cramp role, drum roll. We each had a different name for the same step!"
Michelle from Piedmont, OK made me laugh with: "Baby sloth videos!! Argh! I can't stop watching!"
Mac from Auburn, CA said: "Â I go to the gym or workout to a goofy workout video from the eighties. When no one's around, I like to sing show tunes at the top of my lungs. My favorites are A Whole New World from Aladdin, and Gilbert and Sullivan's Major General. I"m not sure what the neighbors think, but no one's complained yet. :-)"
Finally, Gretchen in Edinboro, PA says that she gets through the winter by playing her ukulele, which I think is absolutely wonderful.
Thanks for playing, everybody!
What Are You Reading?
I'm working on the fifth book in the Kopp Sisters series, which is set in March 1917. So guess what I found? A book called March 1917Â by Will Englund! If you're interested in the time period, it's fascinating and well-written. Join me on Facebook or Goodreads and tell me what you're into these days!