Olivia Cunning-Guest Post and Giveaway:  Judging a Book by Its Cover

Judging a Book by Its Cover

My Sinners on Tour series has been blessed with hot covers, which would correctly indicate that the contents are hot.

Backstage Pass was my first published novel. I still remember how excited I was when my editor sent me an email with the cover attached. I opened the PDF file and stared at the cover with my mouth agape. My first impression was: it’s orange… Very orange. Orange is my least favorite color. The orange cover does draw attention when the book is on the shelf. I won’t deny that. It’s just so… orange. Once I got past the color scheme, I noticed that there were people on the cover. And they appeared to be involved in naughty activities. Okay, that will do. Plenty of naughty activities in the book. I do have a couple of problems with the cover models. First, the man has short hair. The hero of the book has longish hair. He’s a rock star. And he doesn’t have a single tattoo. He just doesn’t remind me of the hero, Brian, at all. As an author, it’s easy to get caught up in the fact that the people on the cover do not match your idea of your characters in the book, but the point of the cover is to draw attention. Backstage Pass’s cover definitely does that.

The next cover in the series, Rock Hard, was even hotter than the first. The models on this one are pretty close to realistic. The big buff guy could be Sed Lionheart. He’s a big buff guy. His tattoos are missing, but that’s a minor consideration. Also the heroine is a strawberry-blonde in the book, not a bleach-blonde like on the cover, but I’m over it. And the whole thing is purple, not orange. I do like purple. It would draw my attention. It’s sensual, just like the book. Thumbs up.

The third book that was released in the series is Double Time. I was surprised by how closely the heroine matched my idea of Reagan, the heroine in the book. And everyone is all naked and flesh-toned. Yeah, I’d say this cover gives you a pretty good idea of what’s inside. One woman, two hot men. The hero, Trey, doesn’t look much like the cover hottie (Trey’s tattoos, piercings, and trademark cherry sucker are all missing), but still, I was really happy with this cover. I didn’t think the designers could top it and then…

I saw the fourth cover—the one for Hot Ticket—and my jaw hit the ground. Out of all the Sinners’ covers, I do think it’s my favorite. It fits the book the most precisely and you can’t see enough of the hero or the heroine for their cover model appearances to get in the way of their descriptions in the book. I didn’t have one complaint about this one. I was especially enamored with it because it was my first cover to have “NY Times and USA Today Best-Selling Author” stamp of approval. Plus, it’s black and white. I always think black and white photos are sexier for some reason. Maybe it’s just me.

The final cover–for Wicked Beat—is not quite in its final form yet, because the book will not be released until later this year. A lot of people have said it’s their favorite cover of the series. I’m not going to argue that it’s a beautiful cover or that the picture is both cute and sexy (just like the contents of the book). I really had a hard time accepting it as an appropriate cover for the book, because the hero of the book is not a guitarist. He’s a drummer. So they photo-shopped some drum sticks into Eric’s pocket to appease me. Eric is also insanely tall and his heroine is incredibly petite (and they both have partially BLUE hair), but any publicist will tell you that the important thing is that the cover draws attention and gets people to check out the book. I definitely think this cover does that. I hope you will check it out.

Which of the Sinners on Tour covers is your favorite? Do you think it’s important for the models on the cover to match the descriptions of the characters in the book? Are you ever drawn to check out a new book solely based on its cover?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Combining her love for romantic fiction and rock ‘n roll, USA Today Best-Selling Author Olivia Cunning writes erotic romance centered around rock musicians.

Raised on hard rock music from the cradle, she attended her first Styx concert at age six and fell instantly in love with live music. She’s been known to travel over a thousand miles just to see a favorite band in concert. As a teen, she discovered her second love, romantic fiction — first, voraciously reading steamy romance novels and then penning her own.

Olivia’s first book in her Sinner’s Tour Series, Backstage Pass, was published in 2010 by Sourcebooks. Book two in the series, Rock Hard, was published in 2011 and the third book, Double Time just released November 2012. The last two books in the series are expected to be out in 2013. Aside from the Sinners Tour that launched her career, Olivia has been hard at work on a few other series and stand alones . . . of course with the music turned up.

FOLLOW Olivia : Twitter / Facebook / Amazon / Goodreads / Website

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SINNERS ON TOUR series by Olivia Cunning

READING ORDER:  Backstage Pass, Rock Hard, Hot Ticket, Eric’s Story, Double Time, Wicked Beat

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BACKSTAGE PASS (Sinners on Tour #1)
by Olivia Cunning
Release Date: October 2010
Amazon / Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

Five stunning guys, one hot woman, and a feverish romance…

For him, life is all music and no play…

When Brian Sinclair, lead songwriter and guitarist of the hottest metal band on the scene, loses his creative spark, it will take nights of downright sinful passion to release his pent-up genius…

She’s the one to call the tune…

When sexy psychologist Myrna Evans goes on tour with the Sinners, every boy in the band tries to seduce her. But Brian is the only one she wants to get her hands on…

Then the two lovers’ wildly shocking behavior sparks the whole band to new heights of glory… and sin…

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ROCK HARD (Sinners on Tour #2)
By Olivia Cunning
Release Date: April 2011
Amazon / Barnes and Noble / KOBO/The Book Depository

An ultimatum can break your heart….

Every night lead singer, Sed Lionheart whips thousands of women into a frenzy with his voice alone. But the stage is the only place Sed feels any passion since he lost Jessica…

If you’re not willing to break all the rules…

It shattered her heart, but law student Jessica broke off her engagement to Sed, determined to be successful on her own terms. But no other man can ever hold a candle to Sed…

Then a chance meeting and tortuously close quarters lead to uncontrollable flares of passion and rediscovery of their unique penchant for public encounters. Now, in addition to the risk of mutual heartbreak every time they get together, they’re in danger of truly scandalous public exposure…

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DOUBLE TIME (Sinners on Tour #3)
Reading Order #5
by Olivia Cunning
Release Date: November 2012
Amazon / Barnes and Noble/ KOBO / The Book Depository

He Craves Her Music and Passion

On the rebound from the tumult of his bisexual lifestyle, notoriously sexy rock guitarist Trey Mills falls for sizzling new female guitar sensation Reagan Elliot and is swept into the hot, heady romance he never dreamed possible.

She Can’t Get Enough of His Body

Ecstatic to be on tour learning the ropes with Trey’s band, The Sinners, Reagan finds she craves Trey as much as she craves being in the spotlight.

They Both Need More…

When Reagan’s ex, Ethan Connor, enters the scene, Trey’s secret desires come back to haunt him, and pleasure and passion are taken to a whole new level of dangerous desire.
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HOT TICKET (Sinners on Tour #4)
Reading Order #3
by Olivia Cunning
Release Date: February 2013

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

He needs her to mask his pain…

When Jace walked through the doors of Aggie’s dungeon, the last thing he expected was to find self-forgiveness and the love of a remarkable woman. But when a terrible accident sidelines Jace during the band’s tour, the burdensome chains of his past wrap ferociously around his heart.

She needs him to forgive himself…

Determined to crack through Jace’s armored shell, Aggie must go beyond her usual methods to mend his heart to love again.

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WICKED BEAT (Sinners on Tour #5)
Reading Order #4
By Olivia Cunning
Release Date: August 13, 2013

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

From the moment he lays eyes on Sinners’ new front of house soundboard operator, drummer Eric Sticks knows he has to make Rebekah his. Unfortunately, she’s too busy trying to seduce guitarist Trey Mills to pay him much attention.

Rebekah never planned to fall for the tall, goofy drummer with the weird sense of humor and a heart the size of the galaxy. But Eric makes her laugh and his constant attention makes her feel sexy and irresistible–exactly what she needs after the things her last lover said to her. A woman who gives as much as she takes, Rebekah makes Eric feel like a total stud–exactly what he needs after surviving a decade of watching the incredibly talented members of Sinners from the wings.

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Sourcebooks and Olivia are offering a paper copy giveaway of HOT TICKET.

1. Please register using the log-in at the top of the page or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address as Twitter etc does not account for contact information.

3. Giveaway open to USA and CANADA only.

4. Giveaway runs February 21 -25, 2013