“Never judge a book by the cover.”
I know you’ve all heard the saying, and it is excellent advice that is not always something told to you about a book you’re about to read. Instead it might be about something you perhaps are going to eat. A cake that falls apart into crumbs and doesn’t look a thing like those perfect bakery cakes might be the best tasting cake you’ve ever eaten. It could be about a person you might meet who on first appearances seems too cross, too standoffish, too something, but later once you know him or her better might become your best friend. It could be a gift you are getting ready to open. Or it could be just what it says, that book in your hand, on a shelf, or popping up on the computer.
No matter how open we say we might be about what we read, we do judge books by their covers. That doesn’t mean that we sometimes don’t go ahead and give the book a chance even if we aren’t blown away by the cover. But, it is good to be blown away by the cover and then be swallowed up by the story inside that cover.
Authors certainly hope that happens. I certainly hope that happens when you see one of my books. I’m 
fortunate to be published by Revell Books that has a super art department that comes up with fantastic book covers. They have wrapped my stories in some eye-catching covers. You can see th
em all on my website under books. One of my very favorites is Angel Sister because the girl on the cover looks so much like I imagined Lorena. Her face as she gazes up at Kate does make you think that she believes Kate is her angel sister.
I also love my other cover with a little girl pictured. In River to Redemption, Adria is only a child in the first few chapters, but that space of time is an important part of the story. I love the dog on the cover of These Healing Hills. You can read about that cover here when I did its cover reveal.
And now here I am back in the Appalachian Mountains with a new story featuring Frontier Nursing Service history, but this time from a new perspective and at an earlier time. But the cover still has a mountain look and instead of getting a dog on my cover this time, I asked for and received a horse. My main character in the book is a courier, a volunteer who spent time in the mountains helping the nurse midwives with various chores, one of which was taking care of their horses. So a horse is a good fit for the cover. Along with those beautiful rhododendron. It is summer in the Appalachians in the story.
I just got the book added to my website, so if you’d like to read more about it, perhaps read an excerpt, you can check it out here. The book is scheduled to release on June 30, 2020. The start of official summer will be a great time for the story to be available for readers. You can find buy links on the book page if you would like to pre-order the book to be sure to get one of the first copies off the press. I’ll be doing blog visits and writing about the book here too in the weeks to come. I’ll do some giveaways too which always makes things fun.
A New Giveaway
If you leave a comment here, I’ll throw your name in a drawing for one of my already published books. You can pick the book that has the cover you like best. Just tell me what you like or don’t like about the cover and I’ll enter you in a drawing to win a book. This is a fast one. Deadline to enter is next Saturday, April 4, 2020 at midnight EST. I’ll pick a winner Sunday, April 5th and contact that person via e-mail. Remember, you have to be at least 18 years old to enter. But I can’t wait to hear what you think of my new cover.
So, what do you think about the cover of An Appalachian Summer? Would it make you pick the book up to give it a better look?
Comments 54
I can’t wait to read the book! I have loved all your books as I love historical novels. The cover is beautiful. Love the purple rhododendrons. I loved These Healing hills and your Shaker series and River to Redemption. Oh Ann, I loved them all!!!
Author
Janice, you made me smile with your loved them all!!! I do so appreciate that and you reading my stories. And I hope this one, An Appalachian Summer, won’t disappoint and you’ll love it too. The rhododendrons decorate the story.
I love this cover. I just want to be her and walk into this scene. It does look so serene, and the colors just draw me in. I would definitely open this book for a wonderful read to pull me away from what is going on in this world right now. So looking forward to your new book.
Author
It is a great time to get lost in a good story, Eileen. It’s hard to sit out this crisis because it’s not something we can do something to fight against. Other than staying isolated and although that’s the right thing to do, we do like to be busy about helping in some way. I’m glad the cover scene pulled you in and hope the story will too when you get a chance to read it.
Well what you see first is the bright Sun shining on her face. I see the people in the background looking at her but you don’t see her face what she sees when she looks at them. Is she finally coming home? Will it be a loving reunion or adversity for her.
Author
You’ve come up with some interesting possibilities for story there, Debra. Not sure that can be what happens in this story but I like your thoughts. I hope you will like the story when you get a chance to read it.
The lady in the picture reminds me of my mother, she wore her hair like this when I was a little girl.Times weren’t easy then and trips to the beauty parlor were few and far between. I loved the Healing Hills book so will sure want to read the new one, the cover drew me in.
Author
I think Mom wore her hair something like this when she was young, but I don’t remember it. Mom always fixed her own hair until she was in her later years when she was one of those weekly hairdresser visits ladies. She rolled her hair up on curlers, but then so did I when I was a teen. We slept on those bristly curlers. But we aimed to look good for school. Glad you liked the cover and even happier you enjoyed reading These Healing Hills. Thank you, Donna.
The cover is very pretty. I love the log cabin, flowers, her pretty dress and the horse. I’m curious about her face though, I would like to see a little more of it, or I will see it in my imagination when I read the book.
Author
Many covers are designed without the face of the model showing. I’ve noticed that often. Sometimes the design will show the model’s body and clip the photo to not show the head. Sometimes, the way this one is, you see the model’s back. Or perhaps her side. Very common and some think this is so readers can imagine the character as they want without the cover image influencing them. But then other covers have the model smiling out at you or however. This cover is reminiscent of These Healing Hills where Francine is also looking toward a cabin. So I think the publishers liked that subtle connection even though An Appalachian Summer isn’t a sequel to These Healing Hills. It is also a mountain story with Frontier Nursing history.
I would definitely stop to look. The colors, the images. But the title would make me open to start reading. The part that would have me buying it, without looking at the cover even, was the author. Have read all your books I’ve ever found and never disappointed.
Author
You’ve got me smiling today, Connie, with that sweet comment. I’m glad I’m an author you’re willing to pick up and read my stories. I do hope this story is one you’ll like too. I appreciate you reading my stories.
I’m the same way with authors I have read and liked. I’ll grab their book because of their name of the cover more than what that cover looks like.
I love the cover.the colors grab your eyes and you see the cabin in the background also I was born in western md in the mts.makes me homesick.
Author
Neat that this gave you thoughts of home, Mary. I’m glad you liked the cover and hope you will like the story too.
I love the abundance of purple. The composition makes me want to walk right into the scene and find out what is going on.
Author
That’s a fun thought, Robin. It might be fun to walk into some of the covers I’ve seen and experience some different places or eras. Oh, but then maybe that is what we do when we open the book and start reading. We walk right into the story with our imagination wide open to enjoying the place and time.
Congrats on another beautiful cover! I think it’s absolutely stunning! I love all of your books and the covers that especially stand out to me are the two with the little girls. They are so sweet and innocent and the cover really makes you want to discover their stories. (I’m definitely guilty of judging books by their covers, although I do try to be open minded).
Author
I’m so happy you like the cover, Rebekah. I’m hoping many will agree with you enough to give the story a try. I’m sort of partial to those two covers with the little girls featured too. I think all of us do judge that book by the cover, at least initially. Then perhaps we realize that we might need to explore beyond the cover to see what the story might tell us. So many covers now don’t have pictures but simply the title in interesting font.
Really looking forward to reading this one Ann!
Author
I’m glad you think this will be a story you enjoy, Carol. I certainly hope that’s true when summer comes and you can read about Piper volunteering with the Frontier Nursing Service. Adventure and love might happen.
I love the cover of Appalachian Summer! The rustic cabin calls to me, as well as the horse. The colors are gorgeous too with a blast of lilac and the sun bursting through the trees. I can’t wait to meet the young woman and hear about all of her adventures in the mountains. My favorite previous cover is The Outsider. The Shaker clothing is so unique. I am captured by the expression on the woman’s face, filled with reverence and hope. Thank you for giving me something to look forward to this summer!
Author
I’m glad you shared about your favorite previous cover of mine, Mary. The Outsider cover is one of my favorites because the art department at Revell did find a model who matched my vision of Gabrielle in that story. She was a young woman full of reverence and hope even as she went through a storm of changes in that story.
I’m glad you like the new cover too. I’m getting ready to send your prize books from the last fun giveaway I had here on my blog.
.The Sunset is he first thing that caught my eye.I love he cabin, the flowers, the girl! I cannot wait to read it.
Of course the cover makes me want to read the book!
Author
I do appreciate you sharing what you like about the book, Lisa. I do think you might give one of my stories a try even if it came in a plain wrapper and I love that. I remember getting books from the library years ago that had not colorful wrapper. Then that author name on the cover was what drew me to a book, oftentimes. I think author names still draw me to a book if it’s an author I’ve read before and liked. However, I am glad for attractive covers that perhaps attract the eye of new readers who haven’t read one of my books previously.
I love the color purple and that caught my attention immediately! I didn’t see the horse, probably because I was looking at it on my phone. When you mentioned the horse I went back and enlarged the picture. Very nice addition! I definitely am looking forward to reading your new book. 🙏🏻😊🙏🏻
Author
The horse definitely isn’t as visible as Sarge, the dog, was on the cover of These Healing Hills, but I still like that the horse is there since horses were such a big part of the early days of the Frontier Nursing Service. I’m glad you thought the cover was eye-catching, Karen.
On your cover to An Appalachian Summer, I love the near presence of the female dressed in luscious purple near the lovely rhododendron blossoms. The emphasis on the female attracts me to the story because I want to know more about her and what adventures she will have. The rustic house and horse will have more significance to me as I read the story, but if she’s going to care for that horse, I can see why it’s on the cover. So, in summary, I love the cover and find it attracting me to read the book.
Author
Thanks, Suzanne, for sharing what you like about An Appalachian Summer’s cover art. The purple dress was picked by the art department specifically to match those rhododendron blooms. Piper was in a different world for her and did experience many new things. She was a volunteer courier and one of their duties was to help with the horses and they also rode up into the mountains with the nurse midwives or to deliver things to the nurses at the clinics. So the horse definitely is part of the story. I’m glad the cover makes you think the book would be one you’d like to read.
Ann,
I am so excited to learn you have another book coming out that is set in the Appalachians. I loved These Healing Hills so much I was able to immediately envision the pictures I had in my mind while reading it, just on the very mention of your upcoming release!
I’ve preordered it-the paper book, not the Kindle version-I need to hold that one in my hands!
Author
That so nice, Laura. You have me smiling this morning. I did want to go back to the mountains to tell more of the Frontier Nursing history. This story goes into it a different way since my character isn’t a nurse midwife in this book. But I do think people will still enjoy the story and being “in the mountains.” I very much appreciate you pre-ordering the book and wanting to have that book in your hands. I do like holding a book to read.
Definitely. The cover is gorgeous. I love the purple, the beauty of the sunshine and the hairstyle. Fitting
Author
The designers liked the purple dress to match the rhododendron blooms on the cover, Lucy. And the hairstyle looks right for the time period. I don’t usually talk that much about hairstyles in my stories, but it’s good for the cover to have the models matching the time period.
The cover is absolutely stunning,Ann! I love the purple!☺😘 💜 Proverbs 17
Author
Why does that not surprise me that you love purple, Emily. Maybe because you have it on in your picture. I’m glad you think the cover is eye-catching.
Hi Ann,
My birthday is a month from today and I just wish this book would have been out in time for that….but you are right, it will make a great summer read. The cover is beautiful and makes me wonder what adventure the woman is looking towards. I can’t wait to read this story!
Author
Thanks, Hope. I like how you mention adventure, because Piper does definitely encounter adventure during her mountain summer. And happy early birthday. April is a beautiful time to have a birthday with spring springing out all over. I so appreciate you wanting to give my new book a read when it’s available.
Angel Sister is my favorite. I just love the little girl running along and holding hands. They are all lovely covers!
Author
That’s a favorite of mine too, Geraldine. It just looks joyful and fun. Then if you read the story, it fits that too.
Ann, the cover is stunning! I’m looking forward to reading it .
Author
Thank you, Caryl. I’m so glad you like the cover and hope you will like the story too when you have the chance to read it.