Cover Reveal...The Child by Jan Hahn

My guest is not only an excellent author but also a dear friend. I'm thrilled to host Jan Hahn and the cover for her soon to be released novel, The Child.  This long awaited book is set to release around the 16th of March and her blog tour will follow soon after. I can hardly wait to see what all Jan has in store for us. I'm excited for the fun to begin!

Before we get to the actual reveal of the cover, Jan is going to talk to us about some similarities in creating a book cover and writing a book. Jan, it's all yours.

THE CHILD

Thank you, Janet, for not only hosting the cover reveal of my new book, but for designing the cover. I’m very happy with it, and I loved working on the project with you.

Creating a book cover and creating the book itself have several things in common.

As an author, I find plot is the first hurdle. Naturally, the overall focus of all my books is Darcy and Elizabeth’s love story―how they fall in love, overcome obstacles, and find their way to a happy conclusion. The obstacle is the sticky point. In my last book, A Peculiar Connection, Elizabeth struggled with the assumption that she was an illegitimate child. Evidently, the idea of scandal still hovered somewhere in my subconscious when the scheme for The Child began to take form. I knew I wanted to do something I had not attempted before―write a story from Darcy’s point of view―and I wanted to begin years after Elizabeth refused his offer of marriage at Hunsford. I wanted the difference in status between Darcy and Elizabeth to be even more pronounced than it was in Austen’s original Pride and Prejudice. Adding a child to the mix produced the necessary wrinkle.

When Janet and I began to discuss ideas for the cover, I sent her a portrait of a child. That, and the story were my sole contributions. As she always does, Janet went through the book and marked scenes that might be pertinent for the front and back covers. Since I like oil paintings, she began her search for appropriate nineteenth century art.

In 2011, I posted The Child online on a couple of Austen-based websites. Although it was well received, I wasn’t satisfied with it. I found writing from a male viewpoint difficult, and I wanted to change parts of the book. I really did not intend to publish it. During the past seven years, however, readers have continued to ask about the story and strongly encouraged me to release it. Last year, Meryton Press agreed to publish it in early 2018. Thus, I began rewriting parts, omitting some passages, and creating new scenes.

In the same vein, Janet tried several different approaches when designing the cover. She found the right art work of the child and played with it until she had a pleasing format. She selected the background and lightened it until the flowers could be seen. St. George’s Church played an interesting part in the plot, and a lovely painting of the building existed. Janet worked her magic on the print until it turned out just right. She also found other paintings we could possibly use―a hut hidden in the woods, men on horseback obviously searching, and a woman lying in the snow―all reflecting significant scenes in the story. Janet made various drafts using these works of art. Although we ended up using only two paintings, I enjoyed seeing the choices she created. Her beautiful finds made me wish I was writing an illustrated book!

 

Our final product contains a story I’m happy to send out into the world all wrapped up in a beautiful book with simple but elegant front and back covers. I hope you enjoy The Child.




Now for the cover reveal of The Child...

Thank you Meryton Press and Jan Hahn for allowing me the privilege of working on the cover

and working with you again, Jan. It was a pleasure, as always. Readers, what do you think?

Isn't this child beautiful? She has such a sweet little face and lovely hair. Although, I must admit, much like her relationship with Darcy in part of the book, we had a similar beginning.

I'll leave it to you to figure out what that might be when you read the book. :) 

Thanks to you, Claudine Pepe, and to Meryton Press, for giving me the opportunity to host

the cover reveal for The Child and Jan Hahn. This one is special for many reasons.

We hope you love the cover that encases a lovelier book within.

The blurb will give you a bit more information about the story inside. Enjoy.

Blurb: 

Will Darcy ever grow to love a child he never wanted?

In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Fitzwilliam Darcy’s proposal to Elizabeth Bennet at Hunsford is disastrous. In Jan Hahn’s The Child, Darcy flees England soon afterward, striving to overcome his longing for her. Upon his return two years later―while standing on the steps of St. George’s Church in Hanover Square―he spies the very woman he has vowed to forget. But who is the child holding her hand?

Darcy soon discovers that Elizabeth and her family are suffering the effects of a devastating scandal. His efforts to help the woman he still loves only worsen her family’s plight. His misguided pride entangles him in a web of falsehood, fateful alliances, and danger.

Will Elizabeth be able to forgive Darcy for his good intentions gone awry? And what effect will the child have on Darcy’s hopes to win Elizabeth’s love?

Author Bio:

Award-winning writer Jan Hahn is the author of five Austen-inspired novels. She studied music at the University of Texas, but discovered her true love was a combination of journalism and literature. Her first book, An Arranged Marriage, was published in 2011, followed by The Journey, The Secret Betrothal, A Peculiar Connection, and The Child. The anthology, The Darcy Monologues, contains her short story entitled Without Affection. She agrees with Mr. Darcy’s words in Pride and Prejudice: ‘A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.’

Jan is a member of JASNA, lives in Texas, has five children and a gaggle of grandchildren.

Giveaway:

We hope you enjoyed today's cover reveal for The Child and learning a bit more about Jan and her creative thoughts when writing this book. We had a great time with the pictures and design that wrap it up. I agree, Jan. An illustrated book would have been fun! 

Claudine Pepe is hosting a giveaway for the cover reveal. She is giving away one eBook of The Child to be gifted at the time of the book's release around the 16th of March. The giveaway is international and will end at 11:59 PM on the 14th of March. Good luck to all. Please share your thoughts and some love in the comments below. If you want a chance at the giveaway, leave me your contact information, unless you know that I already have it! If in doubt, leave it again. Thanks to each of you for stopping by. Please feel free to share about the cover reveal on social media. 

Meryton Press has a nice surprise for you and has given me the honor to announce it with this post. In conjunction with the cover reveal and release of Jan Hahn's The Child, Meryton Press is having a special sale on two of Jan's other books, An Arranged Marriage and The Journey. What a great time to get these eBooks if you do not own them. 

The sale dates are as follows:

March 8-14; An Arranged Marriage will be $1.99

March 15-21; The Journey will be $1.99

Isn't this great news! Thank you Meryton Press for this sale. These are the first two published books by Jan Hahn and if you haven't read them, I encourage you to get them and dive in. I highly recommend both. They are two of my all time favorites. I've lost count on how many times I've read An Arranged Marriage, and I've read The Journey almost as many times. Great books! Don't you just love these banners too! They look so fresh and make me feel like spring is around the corner! An Arranged Marriage is on sale now and The Journey sale starts on the 15th!