The Birth of a Book Cover. AJ Nuest's, She's Got Dibs.

 

 

Happy Monday morning! Today I’m totally thrilled to welcome back fabulously talented author, AJ Nuest for ‘Monday Covers It.’ In this special feature, Nuest is chatting about the inspiration behind her fantastic book called She’s Got Dibs. So sit back with your favorite cuppa and ease into your Monday morn ‘AJ Nuest style'.

AJ, the floors all yours!

Yay! Yay! I’m so excited to be a guest on Sky’s blog for Monday Covers It! Whoot! And a great big THANK YOU to her for hosting me! Love ya, darlin! MWAH!

Now, can I get a drum roll, please…

Mark your calendars, send yourself a text, write an email or post a sticky note because tomorrow on Amazon, She’s Got Dibs is FREE! Whoo Hoo! Very exciting times for me! LOL To whet your appetite, here’s a snippet about my latest contemporary romantic comedy.
 

BLURB

 

True love does not exist…or so event planner Tessa Adams learns the day she gets jilted—twenty-four hours prior to walking down the aisle. One-night stands are much easier, and with sexy philanthropists like David Brenner, how can she resist? Now if she could just get rid of him. Had she known the biggest event of her career would be working for David’s father, she would have cut and run. Instead, she’s unwittingly become a part of his parents’ plan to destroy his life-long dreams. Will sacrificing her love protect him or be the ultimate betrayal?

Wealthy and gorgeous, David Brenner seemingly holds the world in the palm of his hand—his generous heart and infectious smile are just two in an endless stream of attractive qualities. But the one thing he wants, he can’t have—a repeat of the passionate night he spent in the arms of a skittish Tessa Adams. His family’s far-reaching power threatens to crush their dreams. To prove his love, he would risk everything…but will the return of her ex-fiancé be their final undoing?

Now, ahem, as you may have noticed, She’s Got Dibs has one HAWT cover. What you may not know, however, is it embodies everything I wanted to visually portray about this story—it’s sexy, contemporary, classy and has a snazzy tagline. Pa-DOW! All kudos for this goes to my best friend and, in my opinion, the most talented cover artist known to man, Arial Burnz. But she doesn’t merely do covers. Oh no. She’s also an incredibly talented writer and a brilliant web designer (if you need proof, go here:  http://ajnuest.com). Besides the overall beauty of the site, note the social media icons above the search bar. When I couldn’t find the ones I wanted, she made those—MADE THOSE, PEOPLE!—’specially for moi.

Yep, I know. She’s really that good. And I am exceptionally blessed to know her. Especially because when it comes to visualizing what I want for my covers (or website…or blog), I’m not exactly what one would call ept. Sure, I usually get an idea, but once the elements are merged together, chances are good the overall combination isn’t going to work. And to make matters worse, I’m persnickety…even more so when it came to the cover for She’s Got Dibs because I’d spent five years seeing the story through to publication.

Unfortunately, my deer-in-headlights input was a prime example of how these things usually transpire. I had an image in my head, sent Arial pictures and she listened with the patience of a saint, designing a cover exactly as I had specified. I didn’t like it. The background was wrong. The people were off and it just left me with an overall feeling of meh? Arial didn’t give up. She sent me more photos (her selection this time), played around with the font, kept switching out the background and borders…heck, she even painted that girl’s fingernails red.

In the end, I got the cover I’d always imagined…right down to those glorious, hard-rocking abs! So to my dear friend and cover artist extraordinaire, Arial Burnz, I offer my sincerest thanks and humblest appreciation for all you’ve done…and continue to do for me every day.

If you’d like your very own copy of this male deliciousness, remember, She’s Got Dibs is FREE on Amazon starting tomorrow. Here’s the LINK.

Thank you Sky, for hosting me!

Author bio

 

 

Award-winning author and editor, AJ Nuest, lives in a small farming community in NW Indiana with her loving husband, two beautiful children, and a bevy of spoiled pets. She and the cat are currently vying for dictatorship. The cat is winning.

Excerpt

“Dibs.” He extended his hand.

Frowning, she accepted his greeting. “Dibs on what?

“No.” He chuckled. “That's my name. Or well, actually, my nickname. Either way, it's what everyone calls me.”

“O-o-okay...” The guy definitely had the smolder covered...and those incredible ice-blue eyes. Yikes!

“And you are?”

“Oh, Tessa Adams.” She laughed.

“And everyone calls you...?”

Her frown returned. “Tessa.”

“Oh.” He scanned her face. “No nickname, huh?”

“Not that I recall at the moment.”

He pressed his full lips together as if restraining a smile, eyes twinkling with merriment, and handed her the notepad. “Here's your confirmation number. The room's at the Waldorf Towers over on Park.”

Two suites at the Waldorf? In this mess? What was he, a wizard? “Wow, great. Thanks so much for the help.”

“Glad to be of service.” He retrieved his briefcase and started down the corridor, abruptly stopped, and peered at her over the perfect slant of his shoulder. “And don't worry, Tessa, I'll think of a good nickname for you.”

She offered him a blank stare. “Hey, knock yourself out.”

Mischief danced along his lips before a grin broke free and he continued down the hallway.

“What a whack job,” she muttered.

She’s Got Dibs, won 1st Place in the Contemporary Category, Heartland Romance Authors, Show Me the Spark! Contest, 2010.

Website:  http://ajnuest.com
Blog:  http://ajbooks.blogspot.com
Email:  ajnuest@yahoo.com
FaceBook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/amyjo.nuest
Author FB Page:  https://www.facebook.com/amyjo.nuest#!/pages/Tattered-Pages/259835887466
Twitter:  @AJNuest
She’s Got Dibs Pinterest Page:  http://pinterest.com/ajnuest/shes-got-dibs/