I’m not sure I can remember the very first book I ever read—it was probably “Cat in the Hat”! I do remember my first romance novel though—it was a Barbara Cartland called “Elizabethan Lover,” and the cover was blue and very “old school”, with a lady in a blue Elizabethan gown with a tall white ruff and lots of 1970s blue eyeshadow! I loved that book, and was totally hooked on romances after that (though it took me a while to find out real Elizabethan ladies didn’t actually wear blue eyeshadow…)

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

I don’t think I’ve actually purchased a book based on cover alone, but a beautiful cover does make me pick a book up off the shelf and give it a look (and once I’m hooked I often buy it!). I tend to gravitate towards covers with beautiful historical gowns or stately homes.

In the second grade I wrote a short story for a class assignment, I think it was about a bowl of fruit that mutates and grows and takes over the school! My teacher loved it and entered it in a state-wide children’s writing contest. I thought it was wonderful to get attention for doing something I actually loved doing, so I’ve been hooked on writing ever since! (My plots have expanded somewhat since then, though.)

4. Who gave you your first break in publishing?

I started writing a romance novel while I was in college, mostly as an escape from my classes and to see if I could actually do it! When it was finished, I joined RWA and started learning all I could about the business. I also entered it in a couple of contests (where it finaled!) and was very encouraged. So I have to say “thank you” to RWA for starting me out!

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

That college-written book was my first published book! It was turned down by a few publishers, but eventually bought by Kensington for their now-defunct Precious Gems line. It came out under the title Her Kind of Man and had a gorgeous cover! It’s an odd book for me—it’s a Western historical, and I never attempted to write another Western after this one. I haven’t looked at it since it was published—I’m too scared! But it was a great learning experience and a fun story to write. It had a lovely cover too!

That’s a hard choice! I’ve been very lucky with covers so far—there are one or two I wasn’t so fond of, but most of them have been great and very well-suited to the stories. I do love The Winter Queen—it has that beautiful red gown and portrays the Elizabethan Court setting of the story. I also love my new Laurel McKee cover Duchess of Sin, Grand Central Publishing, December 2010, with that vivid, sexy red dress and the holly in her hand representing the Christmas setting!

Harlequin, 2009

Grand Central Publishing, 2010

7. What has been your least favorite cover from all of your releases and why? I wasn’t very fond of A Sinful Alliance,” because it looked a bit dated to me, and didn’t represent the glamorous setting and beautiful couple (who were supposed to be renowned for their good looks and style!) 8. Do you believe a cover can increase or decrease the sales of a book? Have any covers affected the sales of your books? It’s so hard to tell what affects sales and what doesn’t! I can’t tell with my own books really, but I have heard many authors say an unattractive or misleading cover has had an adverse affect on their sales. I’m sure it plays a role. 9. What trends do you see in book covers currently and in the future? I’m not in marketing, so I’m not sure! But it seems like hunky guys (especially ones bearing swords!) are perennial favorites, and headless women in gorgeous dresses still seem to be going strong. I’ve been seeing some unusual colors pop up a lot lately, bright blues, purples, and yellows, and I love that. They’re very eye-catching to me when I’m book browsing!

Harlequin, 2008

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! Duchess of Sin is my next release, and as I’ve mentioned I do love the cover so much! My next Amanda McCabe release is a novella, Snowbound and Seduced, in the anthology Regency Christmas Courtships, out in November—no cover yet, but I do love holiday covers! Grand Central Publishing, 2010   Amanda McCabe's website   Linnae Crady () - July, 2010   Back to the Features summary page.   Author image, and covers are displayed with permission from author.   Home  |   About Us  |   Contest  |   Nominate  |   Features  |   Links     Copyright © 2005-2010 Cover Cafe. All Rights Reserved. No profit is generated from this website. If you think we are in copyright violation of any image, please let us know and we will remove the same immediately. When available we give due credit to artists, authors, and publishers.