Saved by the Bride by Fiona Lowe with Guest Post

Welcome to Whitetail, Wisconsin, future home of Weddings that WOW!

As acting mayor, Annika will do anything to revive the economy of the town that's been her refuge ever since her art career imploded and her fiancé walked out. Even if it means crashing an engagement party to talk business with the bride's billionaire father. But the evening starts with a kiss from a gorgeous stranger—and ends with a night in jail.

Finn Callahan can't believe his sister is getting married, not after their parents' disastrous track record. And he'd rather be anywhere than working from his family's vacation home. Until he catches a leggy blonde sneaking in the window, and suddenly telecommuting for the season is very appealing.

Unable to resist their mutual attraction, Annika and Finn are soon mixing business and pleasure—just for the summer. Too bad Annika's heart missed the memo about not falling in love…

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Creating the Cover for Fiona Lowe’s Saved By the Bride

As an author, the first time you see the cover of your new book is very exciting. When I opened the document for Saved by the Bride, I gave a big squee that brought the family running. I love this cover because, from the Swedish blond hair to the wide smile, this is Annika to a T.

So how did the cover gurus at Carina Press get it so right? Well, they have a great process. First of all, they read the book so they have a real feel for it. Second, they ask their authors to complete an Art Fact Sheet. This is a document with a series of questions that fleshes out the story.

The first question is, “What is the visual hook and/or mood of the book?” I wrote, “Light and Fun.” Next they asked, “What is the story’s time period?” and I wrote, “Summer & Contemporary.”

It’s important for the designers to know where the novel is set so for that I filled in, “Small town, north woods, Wisconsin.” Then I described Whitetail with its town square, Main Street and the fact it is on a pristine lake. As a large part of the story takes place at the Callahan’s vacation home, I described the classic American house with its shingled pitch roof, stone chimneys and cedar-shake exterior.

It’s very important to describe the physical characteristics of main characters. As Finn is not so defined on the cover, I’ll let you know that I wrote, “Irish descent, black, curly hair, inky eyes, over six feet tall and well dressed in coordinated casuals.”

The second page of the Art Fact Sheet deals with a synopsis and the question, “What is the elevator pitch?” This means, what would you say to a movie executive if you had 30 seconds to describe your story. This is a tough so I went for the broad brush rather than the minute detail and wrote, “A quirky small town — think Stars Hollow from the Gilmore Girls —  decides that a wedding business will save their town from financial ruin.”

What do you think of the cover? What tone do you think it says?

- Fiona Lowe

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To learn more about Fiona Lowe's Wedding Fever series, and get a peek at Whitetail, Wisconsin you can watch the book trailer here. The series starter, Saved by the Bride, is available now at Amazon, Nook, Carina Press and other online book retailers.

Fiona Lowe is a RITA^® and R*BY award-winning, multi-published author with Harlequin and Carina Press. Whether her books are set in outback Australia or in the mid-west of the USA, they feature small towns with big hearts, and warm, likeable characters that make you fall in love. When she's not writing stories, she's a weekend wife, mother of two 'ginger' teenage boys, guardian of 80 rose bushes and often found collapsed on the couch with wine. You can find her at her website, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.