Monday, April 30, 2012

The Burning Candle: Cover Art & Copy help

My next title will make its debut this summer. Just got the preliminary cover art ideas from Lance Ganey, who I may have mentioned is brilliant, at one or fifteen million other intervals. The Burning Candle is the fifth of my covers that he's worked on. Lance has an incredible talent for turning my rough ideas and blurred images with horrible resolutions into something that always brings tears to my eye when I first see it. This time was no different.

Now, I need the blurb and YOUR help. Please tell me here, on Twitter or my Facebook page which, if any, of the following versions you find most appealing:

Version 1 

Willful. Passionate. Scandalous.
Isabel de Vermandois, the spirited descendant of  French kings and Russian grand princes, becomes the wife of Comte Robert de Beaumont in the eleventh century. He is a hero of the Norman victory at Hastings and a loyal counselor to successive English kings. As his young bride, Isabel enters the decadent court of  King Henry I. Long-buried secrets in Robert's past threaten to shatter her world, as does the passionate interest of William de Warenne, Earl of Surrey.  

Based on the life of a remarkable woman, the ancestress of medieval Scottish royalty and English nobility, with a legion of living descendants, The Burning Candle is a story of duty and honor, love and betrayal.    

Version 2

Wife. Mother. Lover. 
In eleventh-century France on the eve of the First Crusade, Isabel de Vermandois becomes a bride. Her marriage to Robert de Beaumont, Comte de Meulan offers a desperate escape from her cruel parents. But is the match the key to her salvation or damnation? 

When Isabel discovers Robert is hiding terrible secrets that could destroy their marriage, she must learn painful truths and gain the strength to survive. Can she also find the courage to love again? 

Based on the life of a remarkable medieval woman, The Burning Candle, is a story of duty and honor, love and betrayal.

Version 3

Love is for those who have choices. She has none.      
In eleventh-century France on the eve of the First Crusade, Isabel de Vermandois becomes the wife of a man old enough to be her father. He is Robert de Beaumont, Comte de Meulan. A hero of the Norman victory at Hastings and loyal counselor to successive English kings, Robert is not all Isabel had expected. Cruel and kind by contrast, he draws her into the decadent court of King Henry I. As Robert's secrets are unraveled, Isabel finds her heart torn in two. Her duties as a wife and mother compel her, but an undeniable attraction to the young William de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, tempts her. In a kingdom where love has no sway over marital alliances, Isabel must choose where her loyalties and her heart lie. 

Based on the life of a remarkable medieval woman forgotten by time, The Burning Candle, is a story of duty and honor, love and betrayal.

Still undecided? Join the club. While you're considering the versions of the blurb, here's that cover:

 
P.S. If the couple looks familiar, that's Francisco Hayez's Il Bacio (The Kiss) dated 1859, from artwork available in the public domain.  

6 comments:

Michelle Gregory said...

love the cover, but kissing always gets to me.

Kristen Taber said...

Great cover! Personally, #3 is my favorite blurb.

Kristen Taber said...

Great cover! And I like all of the blurbs, but #3 is my favorite.

Mirella Patzer said...

I loved the 3rd blurb. And the cover is fabulous!

Carol McGrath said...

I have just read your interview on Unusual Historicals. The Burning Candle sounds fascinating. I have been working on an eleventh century novel that takes place just after the Battle of Hastings. I did lots of research on religion, superstition and on women. I would love to read The Burning Candle when it is published.

Lisa J Yarde said...

Carol, thank you, that's very kind of you. I'll definitely post when / where the book is available.

Hastings and its aftermath are really fascinating. I've likened it to Mexico invading the US, replacing English with Spanish in the legal and educational systems, and killing the president and his cabinet. Please let me know about your novel.

Time flies when you're having fun, or writing novels.

It's been a tremendous twelve months. A new job and health issues have impacted my writing time, but I'm still at it, trying to wrap...