My First Cover! BONDED BY BLOOD

[image error] I'm beyond thrilled to show you the cover of my debut novel BONDED BY BLOOD, the first book in my Sweetblood series which comes out February 2011. It's the preliminary cover, so there may be a few changes when the final one comes out.

Is this hot or what? Looking at him as he's looking at me seriously makes my heart race. And, yes, he's a real guy! HQN hired actual models. As a new author and not knowing their process beforehand, I assumed they'd just photoshop stock photography. (Imagine the conversation at the photo shoot. "Okay, we want you to put on these fangs and this ring. Look like you're about to bite her. Good. Now, look into the camera. Niiice.")

The vibe is totally perfect and the ring has a very special significance in the story. I'm so excited the art department was able to work in that important detail. I love the handwritten, gothic-looking accent font (it's on the back cover too) and the title font. They're going to use it with all the books--they'll all have "By Blood" in the title with that cross icon.

At the recent Emerald City Writers Conference I showed this to a few people. One person said it looks like he's thinking, You're next. Someone else said it's like he wants you to watch.

What do you think he's thinking?

Here's the back cover copy:

Deep within the forests of the Pacific Northwest, two vampire coalitions battle for supremacy—
Guardian enforcers who safeguard humanity and Darkblood rogues who kill like their ancient ancestors. Now, Guardian team leader Dominic Serrano will be forced to choose between the vengeance he craves and the woman he can't live without…
Movie location scout Mackenzie Foster-Shaw has always known that she's cursed to die young. No one can protect her from the evil that has stalked her family for generations—vampires who crave her rare blood type. Until one afternoon in a wooded cemetery, she encounters an impossibly sexy stranger, a man she must trust with her life.
For Dominic, a man haunted by loss, Mackenzie satisfies a primal hunger that torments him—and the bond they share goes beyond heat, beyond love. She alone can supply the strength he needs to claim his revenge. But in doing so, he could destroy her…



Copyright © 2011 Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™ are trademarks of Harlequin Enterprises Limited and/or its affiliated companies, used under license.