The first book . . . well that would be Green Eggs and Ham and yes, I can describe the cover. It’s orange, with a creature and a plate of green eggs and ham. Classic.

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

Absolutely I have. Sometimes there’s just something about a cover that makes you think “I gotta read that.” It’s not always the same something either. Sometimes it’s a face staring out, sometimes it’s a to-die-for hunk on the cover and sometimes it’s an evocative setting.

I wrote something for a fourth grade creative writing assignment about grass and rain. My teacher wasn’t very nice and she accused me of stealing it. When my mom came in and verified that I had, in fact, written it, she changed her tune and wanted to publish it in the school newsletter. It was the affirmation I’d been looking for, apparently, and that sealed the deal. From that moment on, I always knew I’d be a writer. Of course it took many years and a lot of wrong turns to get there.

4. Who gave you your first break in publishing?

Tom Colgan, Avon Books. He will always remain near and dear to my heart. He discovered me at a writers conference—but of course I was too young and dumb to know I’d been discovered and I stumbled over that first big break.

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

Web of Smoke (writing as Erin Grady). The cover was very cool and my name was in really big letters which was so exciting, but the book was set in California and the house depicted on the cover looks like something from the east coast. Still, I thought it was a great cover.

I have to say Haunting Warrior, the book that released on May 4th, is my favorite cover. I mean, have you seen the seriously sexy hunkus maximus gracing the cover? He’s amazing. The cover artist (who, I believe, is the same artist who designed Haunting Beauty) perfectly captured that sense of movement that goes with the story. I just love, love, love it.

After that, I would say Echoes (w/a Erin Grady) was my next favorite. I always thought there was something so haunting and evocative about the woman, the colors, the forest you can barely see . . . .

And then of course there is Haunting Beauty which is flat out a visual feast.

Penguin Group, USA 2010

Penguin Group, USA 2004

Penguin Group, USA 2009

My least favorite was the cover of Whispers (w/a Erin Grady). This story is set in Arizona, yet the scenery looks like the heartland—not a cactus in sight. And the woman superimposed in the background wasn’t anything like the characters I pictured and it always bothered me. That said, it’s still a great cover. I have been extremely fortunate in the cover department.