Book Cover release during My Favourite Season by J. S. Marlo

 

J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

A few days ago, I received my new book cover for my upcoming November book release: Mishandled Conviction.  I'd like to thank our fabulous book cover artist Michelle. If I can say so myself, my new book cover is gorgeous!  Michelle, you're awesome!

I will tell you more about Mishandled Conviction next month, so stay tune. Now back to My Favourite Season.

Last week, my little granddaughter asked me what was my favourite season. Without hesitation, I said Autumn. So she asked if it was because it was my birthday. That was a fair question coming from the mouth of a six-year-old girl who'd just opened two birthday cards that I'd received  in the mail that day. As I replied it wasn't because of my birthday, I knew her next question would be Why then? And I was right, except I wasn't sure how to explain why.

For as long as I remember, Autumn has always been my favourite season. I grew up in Eastern Canada where autumn means vivid fall colours. My grandparents had a cottage by a lake and we were there all the time. My most memorable memories are walking in the surrounding forest by myself. I could be gone all day, only coming back when my stomach growled in hunger. The cottages were far and few between, so in retrospect, I don't know how my mother didn't worry about me. I never encountered any strange characters or big animals like bears, moose, or wolves, but I saw wild cats, raccoons, otters, and other smaller animals.

 

 

Nature is full of sounds, and in their midst,  there was a peace and tranquility that I couldn't find anywhere else. It was particularly true in the fall. The temperatures were cooler, the air was crisper, and the sounds and the colours were sharper. Walking in a tapestry of red, orange, and yellow with leaves twirling all around me was magical. In these precious moments, I felt free and carefree, almost invincible. Time stood still and nothing could touch me or hurt me. Maybe it was the innocence of youth...or maybe it was something more...something greater than me.

 

 Decades ago, I moved from the eastern part of Canada to the western and northern part of the country. There are no maple trees here, and to this day, I miss the autumn colours, but to my amazement, the magic didn't die. I still experience that peaceful feeling when I gaze in awe at the northern lights dancing in the night sky. 

Northern lights are more frequent toward the end of September, and though they are mostly green, I've also seen them in their glorious purple, pink, and red colours.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my fellow Canadians! Many hugs!

JS

 

J. S. Marlo's Website

Stereotypical Beauty...by Jamie Hill

The main characters in my novels are physically fit because let's face it, they're made up so if I'm going make them my fantasy, I might as well do it right. My cops and US Marshals need to stay trim for their jobs, so with this in mind I start them out as perfect then mention that they like to run for exercise and eat salads and lean protein for dinner. Perfect, right?

Readers have told me they appreciate how down to earth my characters are. They smoke (people HATE that), they might drink a little too much, they like to swear and have sex (opinions are mixed on THAT but the reviews are generally positive.) For most of them, weight isn't an issue because I don't mention it. They might joke about a couple of extra pounds, but it's nothing major. The beautiful cover models that BWL Art Director Michelle Lee comes up with give us a glimpse of what our people look like before we ever crack the book. They're attractive, enviable people. As a reader, that's what I look for in a romance book and it's what I suspect the majority of readers look for, too. 

The overweight heroine (or hero) has her/his place in certain titles, God Bless 'em and thank goodness for that. But for the most part, the attribute of size is usually skipped over or assumed by the cover image. This sounds horribly prejudiced but the cold fact is, if I'm going to live vicariously through a woman in a book, I want her to be pretty and damn sexy. 

That's my author perspective. My real woman perspective is that all people can be pretty and sexy, regardless of their size or shape. True beauty comes from within as much as it comes from the outside package. A woman can be a size zero supermodel but if she's got an ugly personality, neither my husband nor myself will ever think she's attractive. Conversely, if all of us had makeup artists, hair stylists, and Photoshop at our disposal, more of us might look like supermodels!

Thankfully, beauty is subjective and I truly believe there is someone for everyone. Speaking as a plus-sized woman who's trying to make her way down into being a normal-sized woman, it's not easy. I don't expect or want to look like a model, I just want to feel good and be healthy. So I plug along, walking after my dinner of salad and lean protein. 

But in my mind...well, let's just say, it's more fun to be perfect, right?

Find all of my beautiful people at Books We Love: http://bookswelove.net/authors/hill-jamie/

or visit me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamie-Hill/135137799867321

and for goodness sake, somebody pass me some chocolate!

Jamie Hill
www.jamiehill.biz