Our newest release
With the release of our latest novel, Captivated by Youth and Beauty: Mr. Bennet’s story, now seemed like a good time to interview Noe on his cover art. Noe has done all the covers for our stories, and there’s a reason he did each one the way he did. Here are some of his thoughts about doing our cover art and on this one in particular:
Me: Noe, why do you choose to do your own book covers?
Noe: Creating a book cover that is interesting and related to the story inside is a challenge. I have picked up books that had sweet covers only to find, in starting to read the book, that the cover was misleading.
Me: That has happened to me before as well and can be quite a let-down, I must agree.
Noe: Exactly. For that reason, I try hard to make our book covers accurately represent the narrative. Our latest book has a cover that I hope imparts the idea of the man we know from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, who loves books so much they are his best friends, being distracted by a beautiful young lady.
Me: That seems simple enough, and with him holding the book in one hand and her beside him on the other, I think you captured that.
Noe: Thank you. Because the story is also about the history of his family, though, I wanted the image to communicate a feeling of nostalgia, that sense of looking at old family photos. That is why I opted for black and white for the main portion of the digital copy. The paperback will be in color but will also have a distressed look to convey that same idea.
Me: This story is bit different than your others in that you have Mr. Bennet answering Elizabeth’s question about how they met, so it takes us from their present to their past. I think you said you incorporate that idea in the cover also.
Noe: Yes, while making Mr. Bennett and Miss Gardiner look young, I highlighted them with white, as if their white hair of old age is being transformed to their younger days by virtue of him relating the story. For those who are young now, to think of themselves as elderly may be difficult, but when a person has reached old age it is a blessing that with a simple thought you can conjure up your younger self. Suddenly, those many decades that you have lived through don’t feel like decades, but more like just a flash. And speaking of flash, the light behind our two lovers is meant to be a setting sun, for that touch of romance of our hero and heroine ending up together, but it is also a symbol for Mr. Bennet being in his declining days.
Me: Wow, there really is a lot to consider in this book cover.
Noe: Well, when people look at a piece of art, each person has their own impressions of any implied meaning in the objects depicted, and most often the artist is not present to relate what his concept of the piece really is. I have no idea if all I was trying to convey in the cover art can be perceived, but hopefully with this explanation, you might see some semblance of it as you read the story.
Me: Well, I think even if readers do not see this blog article, they will be moved by the cover of the book. For people who love this character, finding out how the silly Mrs. Bennet was able to captivate Lizzy’s father in his youth will be quite moving.
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| Captivated by Youth and Beauty |
The book is available in ebook format only at this time, but should be ready in paperback by the end of May if not sooner. Below are a couple of links for places you can find it online:
Amazon.com: http://tiny.cc/36msjy
Books2read has several links: https://www.books2read.com/u/bWKaGY
You can also find it on other online bookstores by searching their ebook sections.
Jane Austen was sitting at her writing desk, but pen was not making that swift movement from paper to inkwell at the moment. No, her hand was at her head in a contemplative posture, as she asked herself, “Oh, how should Emma react to Mr. Knightley’s reprimanding her for her treatment of Miss Bates after the picnic on Box Hill?” Jane felt the need to stretch, deciding to take a walk about the garden as she contemplated her main character’s reaction. “Should Emma get angry? Should she start to cry? Should she defend herself, or even shoot back some accusation?”
As the location for the ball is the small town of Meryton, this added incentive for excitement is rare indeed. "Lizzy," cried Lydia Bennet, "are you not simply overflowing with anticipation to the point of giddiness to finally see Mr. Bingley? My own head is positively whirling so that I am dizzy! You, on the other hand, seem so calm—you resemble the pond when not even a duck has so much as stirred its waters. The day has finally arrived for all our curiosity and speculations to at last be over! Surely there has not been a ball that has offered so much reason for suspenseful anticipation, would you not agree? We shall be meeting a handsome single man of five thousand a year living at Netherfield Park!"
before she had the chance. "What you say has a ring of truth, Kitty. However, in the world of men and women, it is we, the fairer sex, who are most often viewed as the game after which the men chase, not the other way around. I believe it was Sir George from Birmingham who, I might add, spent more than a few years in the jungle—yes, it was he who said, 'Find a good woman and one has found a fine trophy to showcase.'" Being very much pleased with the quote, Mary gave her head a nod or two and then paused, casting a wary eye as she added, "Although, the whole notion of comparing human relations to the barbarism of the hunt would make one conclude that mankind has yet to learn to be truly civil. For my part, romance should have nothing in common with anything that ends with blood being spilled."
Elizabeth now turned toward Mary, but as her lips began to part and her breath was about to create that articulate sound, the other sister that had yet to speak said quietly, "Mary, men have always put matters of the heart in terms that make sense to them. They are not to be found fault with for the littleness of their minds on this point ... it is common knowledge that men have brains equal to their hearts. They do so little thinking or feeling, it is no wonder that both have atrophied to the point that we find them now. As you say, their comparing love to anything noisy and violent, such as sport with guns, is proof of this unfortunate debility."
Star Sand by Roger Pulvers