Brenda: LOL As I put on her facebook, the covers are like Marmite, people either love ‘em or hate ‘em. I love them, too. And if you fed me you wouldn’t have to stalk me, I come out into the open for food. LOL

Corine: That fantastic! Good luck on your novel! And to be honest I don’t read a lot in the genre . . . but I DO read a lot of Philip Roth, Martin Amis, D.H. Lawrence . . .LOL And my old tried and true favorites are definitely Charles de Lint, Mercedes Lackey, and David Eddings. T=

Thanks RK! You’re the best! And I fixed the link. For some reason I’ve had that happen a few times on vacation when I blogged here and at the League . . . I blame my mother’s antedeluvian computer. LOL Happy New Year!

Thanks Colby! And I have no doubt you’ll achieve yours, as well. I LOVE the name of your blog, btw.

Lis: I’ll keep that in mind! *hires bodyguards* LOL I’m really glad you were drawn in by the cover and I’m even happier you liked what was inside. Happy New Year!

Thanks Barbara! I was so chuffed to see her review. And I totally agree with you on the covers. I was actually hand selling Charlaine’s book to someone at B&N yesterday after I went in to autograph stock (still not good at selling my own book, btw). Anyway, the girl was standing there trying to figure out which book was #1 (I had no idea when I bought my first Sookie book; that’s how I ended up reading number five first), so I gave her that, then #2 and #3. The #1 was the new HBO cover, but I dug through the shelf till I found the old one and said, “I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have the original cover.” She took one look and said, “Oh yes yes.” LOL They’re SUCH great covers!

Bella Jane: Thank you! I do love it. I think people of a certain generation, or people unfamiliar with artists inspired by manga (such as Mary Ryder, Tara McPherson, etc) are going to be a bit horrified by it. LOL It’s just so different, and (especially in the cover’s original incarnation, which is on Sharon Tancredi’s site and is MY favorite version) Jane looks totally, utterly vulnerable and I think that bothers people. But it’s honest; Jane IS vulnerable. Anyway, I’m glad you like it. I do too.

Krys: Thanks! And are you sure it wasn’t my mother? I swear to god she bought out every store in a 50 mile radius. I kept going in to places and they’d be like, “You’re mom bought them. All.” LOL I worry there’s like 8 people who have bought it, other than my mother, so I’m happy to hear you say that. Unless you work in a book store near Chicago. . .then it WAS my mother.

Awww, thanks Annebonnie! And I’ve read Smart Bitches, I really like that site. I know that our publicist, Alex Lencicki at Orbit, is a great admirer of theirs. And I’m so glad you thought there were similarites with Sookie’s story, as it’s that “realness” I found in Sookie that I wanted to bring to Jane. But it’s always a crapshoot when you write something such as, “If you like Sookie Stackhouse, you’ll love…” I have one one-starred review on Goodreads that’s basically like, “I thought I’d read more about Sookie but this girl isn’t Sookie!” On the one hand, that’s a faintly ridiculous response . . . on the other hand, the cover blurb sets up that response. LOL So marketing, like love, is a fickle tool. Anyway, I’m very glad you enjoyed it. And did Smart Bitches ever review it? I’d love to see the review if they did . . . OH and I’ll be in the north west in August, maybe I can set up and event at Powell’s? I can try to drag up some of Team Seattle.