Bringing the Cover of IN WANT OF A SUSPECT to Life!
In Want of a Suspect, the sequel to Pride and Premeditation, is out in exactly 8 weeks! In publishing years, that’s practically tomorrow! I’m so excited to share this new spin-off Lizzie and Darcy mystery with you all, featuring new characters and a new mystery, but also the same fun, lovable dynamic from Pride and Premeditation. (Also, there’s a cute dog!)
As you may know, preorders are incredibly important for books–they help booksellers and the publisher gauge early interest and ensure that enough copies are available to go around come release time. As a thank you for preordering my books from a local indie bookstore, I usually toss in some fun goodies. For this book launch, I wanted to do something extra-special…and I got cover artist extraordinaire Emma Congdon to help me!
From the moment that the Pride and Premeditation cover went public, readers have been asking me if my covers are “real” embroidery. The sad answer is no–the first three covers have art created by the incomparable Jess Rae Phoenix, and then they’re sent to 3D artist Filip Hodas to make it look like real, raised embroidery. It’s an extra fun detail that feels Regency, and yet fresh and fun with all of the unexpected cover elements and bright colors. With the cover art for In Want of a Suspect, we wanted to go in a slightly different direction to make them stand apart, but I also really wanted them to look like they go with the first three books–they may be a spin-off duology, but they’re still very much a part of the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries universe. My publisher found Emma Congdon, who not only is an incredible artist, but she also is a cross stitch pattern designer. You can see her incredible patterns on her Etsy, and even buy them for yourself. All of the readers’ questions about whether or not my covers were actually stitched got me thinking…and so I emailed Emma and asked if it was possible to make the cover art into a cross stitch pattern.
And she said yes!
Not only did she generously go to the effort to convert the cover art into an actual workable pattern, she matched DMC floss to the cover colors and she made this pattern available to me to share with you! I am delighted to say that if you preorder In Want of a Suspect from my local indie, Schuler Books, you’ll get a signed copy of the book, the cross stitch pattern, and a bookmark and surprise Jane Austen sticker!
The fine print: The pattern, bookmark, and sticker are available to everyone who preorders from Schuler Books. The pattern and your goodies will ship with the book (people local to Grand Rapids, MI can pick up the book upon release). The giveaway is just of the pattern, not the finished object or any of the materials used to make it–you’ll have to supply those yourself. Schuler Books accepts orders online, and they ship pretty much anywhere in the world! If you do stitch this pattern, please give Emma Congdon credit!
I hope you’ll consider preordering In Want of a Suspect! It will be out on November 12th, just ahead of the holiday season. I happen to think that’s a perfect time to stay home, curled up with a nice book and stitching project! In the meantime, you can grab all of my books (all out in paperback!) signed from Schuler Books! And keep an eye on my Events page as I’ll be traveling a bit and doing some fun things in November!
