The above image is the moment when Sir Isaac Fox and Millicent Edgewood meet for the first time. She's come to spy on the baronet, not realizing the uppity groundsman is, in fact, Sir Isaac. 

This one - oh, I adore this one! This is the scene in the churchyard. Spoiler: They're about to realize just how much they mean to each other. 

This is my personal opinion. But I hold strong to it. There are so many people who are talented, producing artwork in a variety of mediums and genres, whose art is stolen, manipulated, under-appreciated, or people expect to get it for free. I've seen this in the writing world - I receive emails from people requesting I make my book free for them or suggested my prices (2.99-4.99) are "too much." When did we start devaluing the work of people's hearts and talents?

The above images were sketched, resketched, practiced, presented to me for my thoughts and input, and then finally inked. Effort went into these images. Talent, not sprung from the ground but laboriously improved upon over a long period of time, was employed here. 

​I love helping other indies by supporting the beautiful work that they do. 

Let's talk a little about cover design today. And I do mean a little. :-) Above you have the ORIGINAL image used to create the covering for Engaging Sir Isaac. Lovely, but not quite perfect. For one thing, her gown is so blue, and that does not suit the story or the look I wanted for this cover. I asked my designer to try other colors. We also changed the way the model faced. 

So then we had this First Cover Design version, which was uploaded to Amazon and used in my cover reveal. Absolutely lovely, but after a few MONTHS of staring at it, I realized I wanted something different. 

Below: The final design. We brought the image of the woman closer to the viewer, brightened up her hair and dress just a touch, and there you have it. The final cover design for Engaging Sir Isaac, which is available now for pre-order on Amazon.com. 

I listen to all sorts of music when I first start writing a book. I try to build a playlist before I even begin, thinking of the sort of story I want to tell. I add and delete songs as I go, depending on scenes and how the characters transform in a story. By the time I'm finished writing, I've usually whittled down the playlist to just a few songs that I've come to associate very strongly with the characters. 

Discovering Grace was an interesting story to write. I understand Grace on such a deep level. She's quiet, but that doesn't mean she isn't strong. She is the true definition of meek: having power, yet using it with wisdom and gentleness. Jacob, her love interest, is strong in his own way. He's committed his life to becoming a vicar, to being kind and understanding, but when he's put to the test he doesn't react the way he thought he would. Their relationship is so interesting, from friends to something more. I hope you enjoy the music the way I did. Here it is: