The new cover isn’t quite ready, but I couldn’t resist giving my faithful readers a special preview in the meantime! So, today I’m revealing the artwork that will grace the front cover as well as the steps in the cover design process along the way. (UPDATE: continue on and you will now find the finished cover at the bottom!)

First, since this book is part of a series, the cover will follow the basic format of the others: Fitzwilliam Darcy… Colonel Brandon… and Mr. Knightley in His Own Words. (See right sidebar, if you aren’t familiar with them.) So it will feature a portrait of the title character (an artist’s interpretation of one of his film adaptation incarnations). Then the title band goes above it, with the hero’s name in large, standard font and the rest in script. The author name band goes at the bottom.

There’s a second, smaller image above the title band also. For the other three books, that second image is a house associated with the story. But that wouldn’t do for Captain Wentworth, because he’s not a house-bound sort of guy. So I decided, and I hope you’ll agree, that it had to be a ship (a frigate, like the Laconia, as in this painting) taking that top spot.

The portrait will obviously be the most prominent part of the cover design, though, and it’s based on Ciaran Hinds’ portrayal of Captain Wentworth. I know that won’t please everybody, but it is in line with the overwhelming preference of readers that I polled (see this post for official results).

But even with the subject decided, it was difficult to find the perfect image to base the portrait on. So in the end, I chose two – one for the face…

…and the other for the uniform…

Meld them together, and what have you got? Something like this:

Not a perfect likeness, I know (perhaps a plus for you non-CH fans!), but then neither is Captain Wentworth perfect! He’s a bold but flawed hero, as his story will reveal.

So now that I’ve given you all the elements of the cover design, just close your eyes and put them together in your mind! Can you picture it? If not, stick around for more info soon: finished cover reveal, publication dates (mid-late September), etc. Follow my Facebook author page or check back here for updates. In the meantime, you can read more about the book, including the Prologue, here.

UPDATE! Here’s the finished cover! Read the official cover reveal post here. The launch date for the paperback and Kindle versions of the book is set for September 18th, with audio following within a couple of weeks afterwards. Preorder your Kindle copy here.

I hope you’re excited to read Captain Wentworth’s story in his own words.- to learn how he wound up in the Navy at a young age; how he met and fell in love with Anne the first time; and why he flew off in such an unreasonable rage when she tried to put their engagement on hold. And what about his bad behavior when they met again – flirting with the Musgrove girls right in front of Anne? Inquiring minds want to know why!

I think you’ll agree that Captain Wentworth has a lot of explaining to do. Right? So it’s high time he got started!

“I mean to offer some kind of explanation, some kind of apology, for the past; to open my whole heart to you, and by convincing you, that though I have been always a blockhead, I have not been always a rascal, to obtain something like forgiveness…” (Sense and Sensibility, chapter 44)