Landsome Roads is my fourth novel, and I’ve learned a bit about covers since my debut. Covers are often as influential as the book summary or concept so the design is an important decision.
Landsome Roads is a cozy, atmospheric novella, and I needed to somehow convey that to readers of romantic fantasy! Fortunately for me, I found Sofía, a cover designer who specialized in just that, and we got started.
After I sent her a brief with what I was looking for, Sofía made a black and white sketch so we could talk about the composition.
I was already in love with Dottie’s look. It really was a magic moment seeing her come to life.
Sofía and I thought the composition with the castle behind Dottie would be the best way to indicate a sense of setting, so she took the next step, colors.
The beautiful, warm colors really made it come to life and I finally saw what Sofía had snuck in—Dottie was pulling her hair back which gave a sense of movement to the illustration. I also really liked that Dottie was looking up. Already she was confident and her personality was shining through.
As we expanded the image out to cover the whole book jacket, we discussed the setting and what to include. We ultimately decided to nix the bridge and go with a fancier castle.
It took some time to settle on the lettering for the title and make sure the book summary and my bio were proofread, but it all came together! I hope you love the cover for Landsome Roads as much as I do.
