Sorry, I'm on deadline this week, so I can't take a lot of time to chat. 
But I just got the cover for my July Intrigue, ARMED AND DEVASTATING, and I wanted to share! Love it! My buddy, Delores Fossen, said the hero on the cover reminded her of a young Anthony LaPaglia from "Without a Trace." I love that comparison because not only is there a physical resemblance, but there's a bit of character resemblance, too. My hero, Atticus Kincaid, is a KCPD cop, not an FBI missing persons agent. But they're both brainy, experienced, and they keep their emotional side in check until someone gets inside and makes them driven to protect them. Thanks, Delores! 
Here's the back cover blurb...
SHE WAS JUST A SECRETARY…
A VIRGIN NO LESS—AND HE WAS ALL
MALE WITH SEX APPEAL TO BURN!
When did plain, mousy personal assistant Brooke Hansford sprout miles of long, smooth, creamy legs? And more important, why did Detective Atticus Kincaid suddenly notice? Their relationship had always been of the "good friend" variety. But now Brooke was in his thoughts and under his skin. The fact that she was receiving unwanted male attention in the form of some creep's anonymous psychological terror brought out all of Atticus's protective instincts.
Now Brooke found herself virtually surrounded by the badge and broad shoulders of Atticus. Her awkward affection for him erupted into a raw need that she'd never known. But would the fuel of newfound passion ignite a killer's revenge...?
Cool!
So... I know it's the author or series that usually prompts a reader to pick up a book, and that a great cover can catch a new reader's eye (or move it to the top of a TBR pile 
), but how does the back cover blurb come into play? Will it help you decide to buy a book by a new-to-you author? Do you look for favorite themes?
Have a great reading week!
Julie
AT YOUR COMMAND--Blaze, Jan. 08--Romantic Times Top Pick!
PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS--The Precinct: Brotherhood of the Badge mini-series--Intrigue, June 08--Romantic Times Top Pick!
www.juliemiller.org
The back cover blurb is what
The back cover blurb is what I use to decide whether or not to buy a book. I may use the cover art, or author's name, or title to pick a book up to look at .....but the blurb is the deciding factor.
ELLEN TOO
A true teacher is a person who, at the end of the school day, still likes children!
People's recommendations, then the cover and the back
blurb combined will make me want to read the excerpt
Wouldn't know how to recommend you as a new-to-me author, I'm just too glad you write loads of books and that you're on my must-buy list, I love your Blazes (which I discovered first) then I tried your Intrigues and even though I had a problem with Intrigues (because I don't like the list of characters at the beginning of the book) the books were too good to make that a major issue
That's a great cover and a great blurb, really looking forward to this one!
Hugs
Sadhbh
May's Member of the Month
Dream Team 2008 Challenge blogs
book cover art junkie
Nice cover. I confess, I am a book cover art junkie. I would (and have) buy and read a book with a plain black cover but I love book covers. Visual art excites me. Some advertising art is just too cool. When I read a book, book cover art can be even more exciting because all my personal feelings about a book can add to the artwork. Very nice cover.
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus
Thanks, Merri! I love the
Thanks, Merri! I love the term cover junkie! A great one can add to my enjoyment of a book--one that doesn't fit the characters or doesn't make sense with the story distracts me a bit--I find as I'm reading, I'll flip back to the cover just to go "huh?"
I'm totally thrilled with this cover, too! The art department actually used a scene I suggested, but they went out and found this hunk and added all the background and balance and atmosphere to make it look right. I love the cover for the first Brotherhood of the Badge book, too--PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS. Again, they used an idea of mine. Doesn't happen often, but I must be on a roll. I've definitely been blessed by the cover gods with my last several books from Intrigue and Blaze!
Julie
AT YOUR COMMAND--Blaze, Jan. 08--Romantic Times Top Pick!
PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS--The Precinct: Brotherhood of the Badge mini-series--Intrigue, June 08--Romantic Times Top Pick!
www.juliemiller.org
Thanks, Sadhbh! Sounds
Thanks, Sadhbh! Sounds like it's really the whole package for you--how a cover leads to a blurb, which leads to an excerpt, which leads to the book--maybe if one of those doesn't do it for you, you don't go to the next step?
And what a nice compliment!
I'll keep writing them as long as they'll let me!
Julie
AT YOUR COMMAND--Blaze, Jan. 08--Romantic Times Top Pick!
PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS--The Precinct: Brotherhood of the Badge mini-series--Intrigue, June 08--Romantic Times Top Pick!
www.juliemiller.org
Cool, Ellen--thanks for
Cool, Ellen--thanks for responding! I'm usually that way, too. When I'm looking at a new author, the cover will catch my eye--but the blurb will help me decide whether I want to buy it and try it or not. I've discovered several favorite authors that way.
Julie
AT YOUR COMMAND--Blaze, Jan. 08--Romantic Times Top Pick!
PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS--The Precinct: Brotherhood of the Badge mini-series--Intrigue, June 08--Romantic Times Top Pick!
www.juliemiller.org
Julie
Oh Yum! What a great cover. I can't wait to read this one. I love the blurb too!
If a book is by a new to me author, it is usually the cover that catches my eye. Then the back blurb will have me buying it if it sounds like my thing. Also the title will be a reason I pick up a book even if it has a bad cover. But the back usually always decides it for me. Usually if it is a new author, I listen a lot to the recommendations of other on this site that have similar taste as me.
Margie :)
This has nothing to do with this blog entry . . .
Other than I will say that I love me a good cover. Anyway, this is your most recent blog post so I figured it was the best place to find you.
Re: One Good Man -- did you tell us it was going to be re-released? (I will say that the re-release has a much better cover than the first time around) And are they going to add it to the eBook section? It's available in print but not eBook. When I saw the print version (which lucky for me, I already have), I thought, "Oh, good, now everyone can get it and the eBook version will be available for people looking for it a year from now." But it's not in the eBoutique. Will it be there eventually?
TIA.
Penn
PS -- Oh, wait, I've been to your WEB site and see it's part of a 50 book collection?! Whew! I guess that means that the other Taylor Clan books won't be coming out again any time soon?
Do you know anything about the eBooks? Will they do the collection in eBook? (sign me hopeful)
Join the 2008 Book (Reading) Challenge!!! It’s for a good cause and it’s FUN!
Come find my teammates and me at The DFWPlus Blog!
Sorry... With tight
Sorry... With tight deadlines and my son's graduation, I've haven't been doing a good job of keeping up with blogging and the boards lately...
Yes, it looks as though you CAN purchase ONE GOOD MAN by itself w/o signing up for the entire SAFE HAVEN series. I didn't know that. It was my understanding you had to get the whole series, but yes, I see that it's available here on eHarlequin.
As far as I know the Safe Haven books aren't available as ebooks. Yet. Maybe at a later time? I know all the current releases come out in print and ebook format. I'm not sure that's the case with the special collections and other special releases.
As far as the other Taylor Clan books? I know they've talked about re-releasing them, but I haven't heard anything definite yet. I'll be sure to post it on my website (and here) if and when they become available again.
I know on the request discussion, they talked about re-releasing the whole Taylor Clan series as an e-book package, but I think that was just readers talking and not anything official from the ptb. That'd be cool, though!
Thanks!
Julie
AT YOUR COMMAND--Blaze, Jan. 08--Romantic Times Top Pick!
PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS--The Precinct: Brotherhood of the Badge mini-series--Intrigue, June 08--Romantic Times Top Pick!
www.juliemiller.org
Yes, at the very least I requested your backlist
at least your "series" backlist -- The Taylor Clan and the first Precinct Series books that aren't available as eBooks. I imagine that other readers have, too. Yeah, the Backlist Books thread is for us readers to request, well, backlist books that we'd like to see in eBook format (if they won't re-do it in print and I'm assuming that it's much less expensive and more likely to generate a profit quickly in eFormat). Anyway, I even went so far as to suggest that they release your backlist at the same time you have new books set in the KCPD coming out. Don't know if they just didn't think that was a good idea or if they didn't have the staffing to do it since it obviously isn't happening with your June release (shrugs).
After I poked around a bit at your WEB site and here, I decided that the series-special-releases aren't yet being released in eFormat. I kind of wonder why but maybe they want the print books to no longer be available?
Anyway, congrats on your son's graduation!! I was telling a friend yesterday that my niece just finished her first year of college and her brother graduates HS next year and where does the time go? Before I know it, my own kids will be there! And then I'll really wonder!
Penn
Join the 2008 Book (Reading) Challenge!!! It’s for a good cause and it’s FUN!
Come find my teammates and me at The DFWPlus Blog!
Hi Julie
Congratulations on your son's graduation!
I am really glad to hear that One Good Man is being reissued. That is the only Taylor Clan book that I missed.
Margie :)