Musings on the Arnaud covers

I love branded covers. I just do. It’s great to see a line-up of books and know instantly that they belong together, are of a series.

The Arnaud Books are branded by the yellow/lime handwriting used for the titles, which I adore. It’s an eerie font, which underscores the books’ mood.

They’re also branded by the fact that the heroine always stands in some sort of portal or passageway. In Haunted, Phoebe stands before the brick and wood archway, with the house seen in the distance. In Betrayed, she’s literally in the doorway of a ruined hallway. In Avenged, she’s caught between a dark arch and a tree. The idea of a passageway is definitely one that has metaphoric resonance for this series.

All three models are redheads–I assume they’re meant to be Phoebe, but perhaps a moving, in-flux version of her.

For me, personally, the Betrayed model looks most like the Phoebe in my head.

I’m always curious about the people who pose for these shoots…are they readers? Do they care about the person they’re depicting? Do they get a jolt of adrenaline when they wander into Barnes & Noble and see themselves on a book cover? Maybe they aren’t even aware their image has been used in that way.

I’d love to hear from readers what their response to this cover design is. I’d also like to hear from other writers–what has your experience been with your covers?

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