Covering new Things...

I can't believe I haven't written sooner!  So much to do but then we all have that happening in our lives, right? especially in the summer months.
     I do want to share a couple of covers with you.  This soft and peaceful view is the cover of my new devotional for people going through hard times. It's especially meant to encourage caregivers, the 65 million of us in this country who look after parents, spouses, children, sisters and others struggling with health, aging and disability issues. It will be published in January. I hope you'll look for it. It's somewhat personal in that I share the struggles of moving, leaving, dealing with health challenges, the deaths of my parents and sister and caring for others while not forgetting to care for ourselves. I love the colors and with my new love of gardens, I think this cover is especially appealing. I makes me want to sink into those grasses and look up at the sky and sigh.  But I'd love to hear what you think.

     Here's the next cover - for my novel that will be out in April.  What do you think? I love the gestalt of it, that overall look of an historical woman wearing an usual bustle; the flower (I don't know what it is, do you?) and the split of the woman and the words. 

      Dorothea Dix was an amazing woman for her time, truly remarkable. She started a school for girls when she was only 15 herself in 1817 in Massachusettes. Later she also ran a school for poor children unable to afford schooling during a time when we didn't have a free, public education for everyone. She was a successful author publishing her first book at 20 yet she didn't really feel that she'd accomplished her life's purpose. She suffered from health issues, from family rejection and abuse and was nursed back to health by a Quaker couple in England.  But she still didn't now what God had called her to do in her life until she was asked to teach a Sunday School class for women prisoners. As she left, she crossed a courtyard into a debtor's prison (where witnesses to a crime were also held until the trial! Wouldn't that make you not want to testify!) and there she saw the wretched condition of the mentally ill housed among the debtors and witnesses. The cells were freezing and the wardens refused heat saying that the mentally ill couldn't feel hot or cold. She knew better and the experience began her lifelong journey to relieve the suffering of many. What she faces in getting laws changed will sound amazingly contemporary. 

    My editor emailed me late last night saying "Wow!" to the revisions I made to the manuscript last month. She's happy with the changes - I do think I discover the real meaning of a story when working on revisions - and the project moves forward. A huge sigh from this author and I'm hopeful you'll enjoy this work of fiction based on fact.

     Thanks for stopping by. I'll be having an interview before long with a favorite author of mine so stay tuned here, on Facebook and in my Story Sparks newsletter. And don't forget to let me know what you think of the covers. There might still be time to tweak them!  Thanks, Jane