Foolish Mistakes

Wolver’s Gold is getting a new cover!

Why? Because I made a costly mistake. Because readers judge a book by its cover. Because while sales are okay, it’s not selling as it should. Because the old cover says, quite clearly, it’s a Historical/Western  and it’s not, not really.

It’s a modern tale about NOT clinging to the past. It’s a Paranormal Romance between a modern (shifter) man and a (shifter) woman who’s tired of living in the past. It’s about finding a way for a Wolver pack to hide among humans and still maintain a sense of who they are. And, as silly as it may seem to some, it’s a cautionary tale about regretting the loss of ‘the good old days’ that weren’t, in some ways, all that good. It’s about choosing what’s worth saving and what is not.

The cover you see here and will continue to see as the cover of Wolver’s Gold is the cover that should have gone out originally. Georgi, my cover artist, tried to warn me, but me being the hard headed jackass I am (yes, dear friends and family, I know what I am), I didn’t listen.

I was too caught up in the story. Gold Gulch  was so real in my mind, I wanted to share it.  And because I pay the book bills, Georgi did what I wanted. She’s the expert and I turned away from expert advice. She’s the one who’s researched cover design. She’s the one who understands branding. I always advise new authors to listen to the experts and I broke my own rule. How do I know I was wrong? Read the reviews that begin with “I don’t normally read westerns…”

This isn’t easy. For me, one of the hardest things to do in life is admit I’m wrong.  I know I’m not alone in this (I’ve actually looked up the research). I have no problem admitting I’m inept at certain things (computers), or don’t know something (though I usually look it up), or I’m completely ignorant (higher math remains a mystery I have no wish to solve). But I’m doing it here.

I was wrong. I’m now rolling on the floor, clutching my throat because I’m choking on the words, but it’s out there and I’m sure at some point, I’ll feel better for it.

And thanks to those who read it in spite of its Historical/Western cover!