Bantam did something recently they're not done before: they asked for my specific input on the cover for my next book. Yes, they do always as for verbiage: is she a brunette, is he a blond? I always send photos I've snipped from celebrity sites or iStock. This time, for REBELS AND LOVERS, they sent me actual model shots.
Whoa Nellie.
I've had a very clear picture of what Devin Guthrie looked like since before I started writing the book. He's my geek (that's GEEK not GREEK) hero. Straight out of THE BIG BANG THEORY but cuter. I used as a template the character Michael Weatherly played, not in NCIS, but Dark Angel (which I have NEVER seen, sorry). The geek with the spiky hair and glasses.Yes, I know this is SFR. But eyeglasses have been around for centuries and I do believe they will likely be around a bit longer, laser surgery notwithstanding. I mean, I wear them. There are a variety of reasons why people opt for glasses as opposed to surgery or contacts, and when you get to know Devin, you'll know why.
Just as a world building aside, I don't think that "alternate high tech society" (or "future Earth") equates with All Problems Solved. If you asked someone in 1642 what he thought 2009 would be like, I'm sure he'd guess life would be perfect, disease free and so on. Reality shows that life doesn't work that way. We still have the comm
on cold. While, yes, we have iPhones, we still have pencils. If there's an assumption I dislike in SF/SFR, it's the flat, perfect high-tech world or future. Given humans (or other sentients), and given history, it's unlikely.So, yes, Devin wears glasses. And travels in personal starships.
Kaidee (Captain Makaiden Griggs) was, to me, a Katee Sackhoff in Battlestare clone. These are actually the images I sent to my editor at Bantam--just as I've done for seven books before.
What surprised me was what they came back with.
BEEFCAKE! I had the tough decision of wading through about a half dozen professional male models' images ::fans self:: and ended up with the one below for Devin.
I w
asn't given a choice for Kaidee but I think they did fairly well:
So here's the book blurb and the cover:
REBELS AND LOVERS - Linnea Sinclair
March 2010 Bantam Dell
Book 4 in the Dock Five Universe
For these two renegades, falling in love is the ultimate rebellion…
It’s been two years since Devin Guthrie last saw Captain Makaiden Griggs. But time has done little to dampen his ardor for the beautiful take-charge shuttle pilot who used to fly yachts for his wealthy family. While his soul still burns for her, Kaidee isn’t the kind of woman a Guthrie is allowed to marry—especially in this time of intergalactic upheaval, with the family’s political position made precarious by Devin’s brother Philip, now in open revolt against the Empire. And when Devin’s nineteen-year-old nephew Trip goes inexplicably missing, his bodyguard murdered, this most dutiful of Guthrie sons finds every ounce of family loyalty put to the test. Only by joining forces with Kaidee can Devin complete the mission to bring Trip back alive. Only by breaking every rule can these two renegades redeem the promise of a passion they were never permitted to explore At risk? A political empire, a personal fortune and both their hearts and lives...
I think they matched my vision of the characters very well.
~Linnea
Linnea Sinclair
// Interstellar Adventure Infused with Romance//
Available Now from Bantam: Hope's Folly
http://www.linneasinclair.com/
Posts
Devin is HOT DANG! At least in the first picture. The beefcake pics were pretty generic.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the chick's name? (yawn) But, she's probably more interesting in the story than on the cover.
It's rare that I like both hero and heroine in a story. I don't think it's a reflection on the story, just a personal preference thing. Strange, huh?
For example, I've loved all your heroes. The heroines were okay, except the heroines of GAMES and DOWN HOME. They were awesome!
On the flipside, I've loved all of Susan Grant's heroines. But, I've only been crazy about the heroes of STAR KING and STAR PRINCE.
That doesn't mean I don't like the other stories, but I do have clear favorites.
;)
Love the cover! I can't wait to read it. :-)
ReplyDeleteWow, great cover. It looks like you were listened to this time - the cover models are great. I can't wait for this latest book in your Dock Five Universe to come out - it looks like I have a bit of a wait though, March seems so far away.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad they got back to full-color covers for you. When I think about it, I realize that he more-or-less monochrome covers are an artistic decision. However, when I was a kid with my very first camera, black-and-white was the cheap film I couldn't get away from, and blue and brown pictures were variations of black and white for almost two more decades. I didn't hear of "sepiatone" and "cyanotone" until I was in grad school. {Smile}
ReplyDeleteI'm also very glad they listen to you when picking cover models. It does help when the descriptions inside a book match the pictures on the outside. {SMILE}
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin