Finding the Perfect Book Cover

This was not as easy as one might think…

There was a time there where I even considered learning how to create the front cover myself … I am so glad it didn't come to that.

I knew I would need a front cover, obviously. I knew it would need to convey a message. Something that captured the duality of danger and tenderness. Something that felt like Maeve and Danilo. Something that whispered, this story will hurt you… and you’ll thank me for it. I even thought I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like. Little did I know this would be one of the hardest and most anticipated elements to publishing my own book.

I thought the hard part would be writing the book. Turns out I was only partially right. Finding the right artist was its own emotional rollercoaster.

The Hunt for the Perfect Artist

I spent hours, and I do mean hours scouring the internet for cover artists. Instagram, Pinterest, portfolios, websites, referrals… if there was a corner of the internet where artists lived, I was lurking in it. The problem wasn't that there wasn’t talent out there. The artists I found were incredible.

So many skilled, unique and inspiring individuals out there, it was actually quite overwhelming. The issue wasn't not with talent, it was more that none of them quite fit what I needed for this project, they just didn't have the right vibe. Sometimes the style leaned too fantasy, too contemporary, too illustrated, too dark, or too soft. Sometimes it didn’t have the grit I needed. Sometimes the emotion wasn’t quite right. Or they didn’t have availability.

It started to feel like dating — lots of great candidates, none of them ‘the one.’ After a while (and several spirals), I had a moment of delusion …‘Maybe I’ll just do it myself.’ I laugh at it now, I quite clearly don’t have the right skill set. But at the time I was very serious.

And then …

Somewhere in the mess of moodboards, late-night scrolling and my absolute wits end I stumbled across a gem.

The click in my brain was instantaneous. Her style, tone the overall feel of her art was perfect in every way imaginable. It was everything I wanted Star Crossed to feel like.

I showed my trusted people and their reaction was as instantaneous as mine had been. It was obvious, I had to have @jaquelinekropmanns.coverdesign

I nervously messaged her, fully prepared for a ‘sorry, no availability.’ Because with my luck, that was surely what would happen. But she had a spot. Not only did she have the availability, but she had it right when I needed it.

It felt like fate … spoiler alert, considering how beautiful the front cover is, it was most definitely fate.

I sent her a single email, answering her questions and my embarrassingly chaotic ramblings about the tone of the book.

Then she went quiet.

I panicked - at this point, this is basically my natural state.

The First Draft That Stole My Breath

Then she sent the first draft, and I fell in love. The obsession was immediate. Jaqueline had captured the feel of my book so completely, it was shocking. She wrapped those feelings up in a stunning design and made something I couldn’t have dreamed up myself.

I asked her to tweak the background and the font - which everyone said I didn’t need to do because it looked awesome. I’m glad I stuck to my guns because when the next version came through, we all agreed it was … prefect. Better than the first, truly fitting.

And now I know - this is how you know you’ve found the right artist. When they don’t just design your cover — they understand your story.

Coming out the other side

This book has been a journey, every element has been new and challenging. Writing the book was just the beginning. I had no idea, how little that portion truly was of the journey. When the final version of the cover art landed in my inbox, it was like an element of the book had finally come full circle. While I am still editing the final copy of the book, still figuring out the formatting, still trying to get my head around Amazon and everything else that is required, this has come full circle.

Hours of searching, an insane amount of nerves, an unimaginable amount of coffee, multiple nervous nearly breakdowns and then … BAM - a portion of the book was done. A huge, super important portion. And I was ecstatic. Still am.

You’ll see the full reveal soon (if you haven’t already), but for now, I wanted to share the story behind the artwork, because this cover is more than a design.

It’s part of my journey.

And I’m so grateful to have found the perfect artist to walk that part with me.