There’s a well-known saying to “never judge a book by its cover.” I get it. I do. I’m sure I’ve said it plenty of times. Writers put a lot of time and effort into their works, and for them to be overlooked or dismissed because the cover isn’t appeasing hurts.

But no one has ever told me that I couldn’t be encouraged and motivated by a cover. Thank goodness for that! Because now that my second novel, Susan’s War, has a cover that Jamie Wyatt (http://www.imnotskippy.com) did a fabulous job creating, I can’t help but be excited. As my editor, Karen Tucker (http://commaqueenediting.com) can attest, I’m not one to give concrete deadlines. More often than not, she’s the one prodding me to keep moving forward. And the best prodding of all is when she collaborates with Jamie, and the end result is the cover of Susan’s War prominently displayed on the home page of my website.

I love it! And now that it’s there for everyone to see, I’m more eager now than ever to get through the final steps of the publishing process so that Susan’s War can get into readers’ hands. Now that the book cover is here, silent but formidable, I can’t help but be motivated.

Susan’s War is coming soon! Thanks for the extra prodding, book cover.