1. What was the first book you remember reading? Can you describe the cover of the book and did you like the cover?

I can distinctly remember reading a Donald Duck comic book at about age 5. I couldn’t read all the words but I remember reading words like “the” and “on.” I read a lot as a child, I’m sure, but I can’t remember any book titles until reading Nancy Drew. I devoured all of the Nancy Drew books. The cover I remember best was The Hidden Staircase with Nancy Drew holding a flashlight and starting up the spooky staircase.

2. Have you ever purchased a book because of the cover alone? If yes, which one and why?

I’m sure I have! But my memory is rotten for things like that. I do remember loving those old gothic bookcovers for authors like Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. And I remember the old Kathleen Woodiwiss and Rosemary Rogers covers with the BIG titles and little pictures.

3. When did you first know you were destined to be a writer?

I came to the realization late. Although I was an English major in college, loved to read, and always made up stories in my head, I never studied writing. I ultimately became a mental health therapist, first earning a M.A. degree in psychology, then a Masters in Social Work. After achieving all I wished to achieve career-wise, I started reading again. I read a best-selling book (not a romance) that I thought was dreadful. I thought, if this author could get a book like that published, maybe I could write a book. I knew a woman who had recently gone back to college and had raved about her a creative writing class at the community college, so I signed up for one, too. My course was not worth raving about, but it did get me started and, even more importantly, I met my friend Julie in that class. The two of us persisted in our writing after the class and we are still critique partners.

Once the idea struck me that I could write a book, I was determined to succeed. I knew I would get published someday.

It took me eight years.

4. Who gave you your first break in publishing?

Oh, I love this story! It was 2003 and the manuscript that had been a 2001 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist was a Golden Heart finalist again. I was actually dismayed, because it had already been turned down by every publisher I could think to send it to, and there was really no where else I could think to send it.

A couple weeks after it became a finalist, I received a phone call from England, from the Mills and Boon (Harlequin’s UK branch) editor who judged my manuscript in the Golden Heart. They wanted to buy it! I never ever thought Mills and Boon was a possibility! That book became The Mysterious Miss M and it was released in the UK in July 2004, so I didn’t get to see it on bookstore shelves.

Very shortly after that, though, Mills and Boon Historical took over the editorial responsibilities for Harlequin Historical, so eventually all my books have been released in the UK and in North America.

5. What was your first published book and what did the cover look like? Did you love it or hate it and why?

The Mysterious Miss M was, of course, my first published book. In 2004, Mills and Boon were reusing cover images that had been used before (they had decades of covers to choose from) and the one they chose was perfect. The people looked like my hero and heroine and their embrace was so romantic! I loved it!

6. What has been your favorite book cover from all of your releases and why?

It is hard to beat the Harlequin Historical cover of A Reputable Rake, one of the few covers featuring model Ben Whitaker. But I also love the cover of The Vanishing Viscountess with the incomparable Nathan Camp. Of course, I also love the cover of Chivalrous Captain, Rebel Mistress, finishing fifth in the HST category of the 2010 Cover Cafe contest .

(Can you tell I like covers featuring the hero?)

7. What has been your least favorite cover from all of your releases and why?

Ironically, my least favorite cover is also one for A Reputable Rake. The Mills and Boon cover looked dated to me and it didn’t really relate to the story. It wasn’t a bad cover; just not my favorite.

8. What trends do you see in book covers currently and in the future?

I’m not up on the trends, I don’t think. I just know what I like and don’t like. I’m a little tired of the headless heroine covers and I hope they are going by the wayside. I’m also not a fan of generic covers, like just having a flower on the cover. I love a romantic embrace on the cover, but not when it crosses the line into a true clinch cover. I think the clinch cover is almost a cliché now, although it can still be done well. I think a handsome man on the cover will always help sell a romance novel. Covers that tell a piece of the story work for me, too.

9. Do you believe a cover can increase or decrease sales?

Oh, I absolutely believe that a cover can increase or decrease the sales of a book. I have to believe that the covers for A Reputable Rake, The Vanishing Viscountess, and Chivalrous Captain, Rebel Mistress have helped their sales.

If a cover features the hero in an intriguing way, I’m more apt to explore the book further. If the cover is silly, I’ll pass up the book, unless someone has recommended it to me.

10. Do you have a current or upcoming release to share with Cover Cafe? Please give us the details and a peek at the cover, too!

I have two! My September book was Valiant Soldier, Beautiful Enemy, which features a very pretty image of the heroine. The hero is headless, though (Darn it!). I love the colors on this cover.

This month The Liberation of Miss Finch, my Harlequin Historical Undone ebook short story, is available at all ebook vendors. Its cover is a romantic embrace. The image is a bit painterly and shows lots of motion, as well as emotion.

Thank You Diane!

Diane Gaston's website

Linnae Crady ()

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Author image, and covers are displayed with permission from author.