Mona Ingram

Historical Romance and Modern Love

Cover Design – Does It Really Matter?

by

I look at a lot of book covers. These days, that means almost exclusively e-book covers. I subscribe to eighteen different advertising services. You’ve probably seen some of them – they send you a daily e-mail, listing free and discounted e-books. This type of service is ideal for those readers who want to be specific about what they receive. For example, I receive a range of romance books plus women’s fiction, and sometimes I check the box for thrillers and action books. That means you don’t have to slog through listings of books that don’t interest you. It’s a great system.

Since I get so many of them each day, I’ve become adept at scanning them. And do you know what? I’ve found that the book cover is even more important than many experts indicate. No doubt I’ve missed out on some good stories, but if the cover doesn’t appeal to me, I don’t look at it. Why should I when there are so many from which to choose?

From the point of view of a writer, this is where a good cover designer comes in. I need my covers to stand out from the rest – or at least be attractive enough that a potential reader will stop and check it out.

I had the good fortune to discover a new cover designer recently. New to me, that is. Elizabeth Mackey has designed covers for some of the most popular authors of the day, such as Melissa Foster, Russell Blake, Nick Russell, Kate Aaron, Anna J. McIntyre, Traci Tyne Hilton, George Wier, and Billy Kring. You’ll find many more authors on her website: Elizabeth Mackey.

JockElizabeth has now re-done seven of my covers and is working on another as we speak. Those of you who know my books will recognize Between a Jock and a Hard Place. Since Elizabeth worked her magic on the cover, sales have gone up about four-fold.

Elizabeth has also designed the covers for a new series I’ll be releasing throughout 2015. She excels at this – putting thought, plus her talent into coming up with a look, or a theme, if you will. I’ll be excited to share them with you when the time comes, but right now I’d better get back to writing them.

So when you see an outstanding e-book cover, remember that there’s a talented designer behind it. And of course … enjoy!

Check out Elizabeth’s covers HERE.

Links to my author pages:
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Mona-Ingram/e/B001JSDJVO
iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/mona-ingram/id478033499?mt=11
B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/mona-ingram?store=allproducts&keyword=mona+ingram
Kobo:  http://store.kobobooks.com/Search?Query=mona+ingram&fcmedia=Book

What did you read in 2014?

by

   2014 was a productive year for me, working on The Women of Independence series, as well as completing three books in The Gold Rush Romance Series.
   In spite of that, I found plenty of time to read, and I’d like to share with you some of my favourites.
   I first discovered Russell Blake’s Jet series, and enjoyed it immensely. But, dedicated as he is, he still can’t write ‘em fast enough, so I scoured the rest of his impressive list and came across his Assassin series. I’m not sure how he does it, but he’s created a likeable character out of an assassin. If you’re not sure if this is your cup of tea, the first book in the series is free. Check it out HERE.
Nick Russell is another author I first discovered through a series. His Big Lake books are difficult to pigeonhole. Part police procedurals, part character study… humorous and exciting all at the same time. Check them out. But in my opinion, Dog’s Run is his masterpiece (so far). A beautifully crafted story that you won’t soon forget. Check out the Amazon blurb HERE. You won’t be sorry.
Since I was writing historical romance this past year, I felt compelled to read a few historical romance authors. Here are two I enjoyed:
Also:
Christie Caldwell’s Heart of a Duke Series. HERE’s the link to Book 1:
In contemporary romance, I enjoyed Catherine Bybee’s Not Quite Series: 
Bryce Courtenay is my all-time favourite author. My granddaughter turned me on to him some years ago with The Power of One. If I was marooned on a desert island and could only take two books, they would be:  Four Fires, and  Whitethorn.
I discovered Billy Kring somewhere around the middle of the year and quickly gobbled up his books. I like his Ronny Baca mysteries, but for a gritty, honest look at the life of a border patrol agent (which Kring has been), take a look at his Hunter Kincaid books.  I recommend you start with Quick. 
On the recommendation of a friend, I discovered Wayne Stinnett. His Fallen Palm is Book One in the Jesse McDermitt series. I ran through them quickly and await the next in the series.
And, along with many others, I read Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman. I’m not sure what it was about this book, but I found it fascinating.
And lastly, I haven’t read this one yet, but I already know I’ll enjoy it. I Must Say, by Martin Short. If I get a chance, I’ll post a review.
Happy Reading in 2015!!

I’d Never Do That To You

by

Picture me with a hand over my heart. Got it? Okay, now hear me say these words: “I will never, ever write a book with a cliffhanger.”
   What brought that on? Well, I read a lot. I like action, mystery, romance. I like big names, and not-so-big names. I guess you could say I’m an equal opportunity reader.
   A couple of days ago I finished a romance by a new author. (New to me, at least). The book ended with a deliberate cliff-hanger. The author even went so far as to have a section at the back saying, in effect, nah nah na nah nah, now you’ll have to buy the next book.
   Too bad I was alone at the time, because I’d be willing to bet there were little wisps of steam coming out of my ears.
   The result? I’ll never, ever, buy a book by that author again. I’ve gone back and checked the product description in Amazon, and there was no warning that this book was not a stand-alone.
   Cliff hangers aren’t necessary. Many authors, including myself, write delightful series, and each story has a satisfying ending. Sure, we’ll offer you a look into the next book in the series, and if you liked the first one, we hope that you’ll buy the next ones, but if you stop at one book, at least you aren’t left hanging. My series The Women of Independence is a good example of that.
   I was so enraged that I swore off romance for a while. I bought a book by an author I hadn’t read before and wow! Billy Kring knocked my socks off with Outlaw Road. Non stop action centering around a border patrol agent in Texas. And guess what, ladies? The protagonist is a kick-ass female. I now know of two authors who write kick-ass females. The other is Russell Blake with his Jet series.
   So something good came out of my disappointment. Two things, actually. First, it strengthened my resolve to never, ever write a story that leaves you hanging. The other is that I found a new author.
   Hey… it was a good day after all.

Sex or Story?

by

As a romance author, I read a lot. In between reading romance, I delve into other genres and over the past couple of years I’ve found many great new authors. New to me, that is. Among them:
Russell Blake:  Russell has exploded onto the scene in the past couple of years, garnering a legion of fans with his Jet series, his Assassin series, and his newest, featuring Artemus Black, a series he describes as ‘hard-boiled, noir detective’. I’ve read and enjoyed most of Russell’s books.
George Wier:  George’s book, Long Fall From Heaven, co-authored with Milton T. Burton, has recently been named as one of MysteryPeople’s Top 5 Texas Mysteries of 2013.
Nick Russell:  Nick’s newest, Dog’s Run is receiving rave reviews. More than a finely crafted mystery, it picks you up and sets you down in a small Ohio town in the 1950s. The language, the descriptions, the undercurrents are so powerful you feel you’re there!
   But I digress… as usual. For those of you who read romance, you can’t help but notice the trends these days. All the ‘grey’ covers, for example. Now where did that idea come from? All of the bared chests with sharply defined abs. Shirts hanging open. And billionaires. According to the current wave of romance books, in most big cities, women must be wading through waist-deep piles of billionaires!
   Am I knocking these things? Absolutely not. That’s what romance is, after all… it’s fantasy. I have plenty of fantasy in my own books, and it’s fun.
   So what’s my point? My point is that in most of the romances I’ve read lately, the story takes a back seat to the sex. Romances are becoming little more than a series of sex scenes, linked by the thinnest story line you can possibly imagine. And that bothers me.
   Give me some story with my sex. Please. Make me care about the characters. Tell me why they do what they do. I don’t care if they have sex the day they meet, or a month later, or ten years later. I personally feel that a romance needs some sex – be it implied, or explicit. But please! Give me a story as well to hold my interest. Without that, frankly, too many of the current romances out there are boring.

About Mona Ingram

Romance author Mona Ingram has written dozens of novels, including the Forever Series, the Gold Rush Series, and the Women of Independence Series. She lives in British Columbia, Canada.

Find Me Online

Get in Touch

Email me at mona@monaingram.com.

All text copyright Mona Ingram.