Tomorrow is the cover reveal for my debut novel, Stitched Up Heart. 

When I started exploring this writing/author thing, I lurked and stalked a lot of author’s websites, how-to and advice blogs, writers’ groups, etc. There were (are) two constant pieces of advice: don’t skimp on the editing or the cover.

I lucked out on the editing. 

The cover was a different ball of string. It needs to capture your story and appeal to a wide audience. It’s hard picking a good cover! 

The cover of Stitched Up Heart is not where or what I intended it to be. My initial concept was to NOT have a hot-guy cover. My cover designer, Taylor Sullivan from Imagination Uncovered, and I went round and round and couldn’t really come up with a concept we both liked. Then I found a stock image of a guy that fit the description of my hero.

Okay, I thought. I can work with this. I was all set to get the stock image and Taylor was going to work her magic.

Then, I saw Reggie Denching’s picture of Connor Smith.

I had to have it. This was my cover.

Connor’s hot. Hottie McHottieness, hot. And he’s tall. Ridiculously, six-foot-eight-inches, tall. Wear your highest platform heels and not be taller than him tall (sorry, height is a personal preference).  I can’t even imagine how he managed to fold himself into the back of a HMMWV. I’m only five-nine and I have issues with it. Seriously, there’s no legroom. Add battle-rattle, a weapon, and four other people and it makes for a cozy ride. All I can think is he must be able to fold himself up like a pretzel. …

I digress.

All that is not why I had to have this picture for my cover. When you finally see it, I want you to look at his eyes. Yes, I actually want you to focus on more than his abs. His eyes are what sold me on that picture. There are thousands of hot guy pics to choose from, but I had to have THIS one. 

Because of his eyes.

So, I sold one of my kidneys on the blackmarket (not really, but the pain was probably similar) and made it mine.

That whole series of photos is gorgeous. I don’t know if it’s something Connor has inherently or if Reggie’s that good of a photographer or if it’s Reggie and Connor together, but when you’re reading Stitched Up Heart, I want you to remember Connor’s eyes.

You can go back later and drool over the rest of him. 😉

P.S. I did have to get his Globe & Anchor photoshopped off. My hero was a Ranger. Sorry, Connor. Semper Fi.

☆¸.•*¨*★☆*¨*•.¸☆¸.•*¨*☆★*¨*•.¸☆

Stitched Up Heart, book one of the Combat Heart series, will go on pre-sale tomorrow at all major retailers.