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

The first book I remember reading was "Adventures with Dick and Jane" when I was in the first grade. I seem to recall the cover as showing a boy and a girl skipping together along a sidewalk. My favorite books when I was a little older were the ones in the Nancy Drew series. I loved the covers of the intrepid Nancy doing her sleuthing. She was an early feminist role model!

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

I recently picked up a copy of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle because it had such an evocative cover. Then I read the glowing reviews. All deserved---it's a gorgeous looking and gorgeously written book.

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

I wrote my first poems and short stories when I was eight. I still remember my first short story. It was titled "Secret of the Mossy Cave." My fourth grade teacher was very impressed, and that's when I knew I wanted to be a writer.

4. Who gave you your first break in publishing?

My first break came from a book packager, Cloverdale Press, when I was hired to write teen romances, first for the "Sweet Dreams" series then for "Sweet Valley High." I later went on to publish my first hardcover novel for adults with Viking Press.

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

My first published hardcover was Garden of Lies. I helped design it and it was a big success. That was back when everyone said a green cover was a no-no, so I thought that if no one else was doing it my green cover would stand out. It was an artist's rendering of a garden with the statue of a cupid at the center.

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

I like all my covers, but my least favorite author photo on the back of a cover would have to be the one on Such Devoted Sisters. It was taken twenty years ago, and people tell me I look younger now!

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

I think my favorite is, Woman in Red, from Vangard Press, and others must agree because you selected it as the winner in the Contemporary category of your 2007 Cover Cafe contest.

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

Hard to say, but I think you're going to be seeing covers that reflect comfort and security in these uncertain economic times, especially with romances and women's fiction. The literary equivalent of a cup of tea, if you will.

9. Do you believe a cover can increase or decrease the sales of a book? Have any covers affected the sales of your books?

I believe it's of tremendous importance that a cover be appealing to readers. This is why I'm so adamant about being involved in the process from beginning to end. My current publisher, Vanguard Press, is wonderful about including me and many of my ideas have been implemented.

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 a novella, The Diary, coming out for Mother's Day of '09 from Vangard Press. I will gladly show the cover.

Update: Eileen's latest book,Once in a Blue Moon, was released in paperback on December 28, 2010 by Vangard Press.

Eileen Goudge's website

Linnae Crady ()

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