Today I welcome Lisa Hartley to the blog to talk to us about her cover for On Laughton Moor.
Lisa lives with her partner, son and four cats. The cats are noisy, greedy and demanding; the partner and child less so.
After the arrival of their son, she had a period of leave from work and sat down one day with the hazy daydream of writing a book. she had written one before, aged about nine. It was titled Aunt Polly and told the story of a woman and a variety of cats with unimaginative names. Amazingly, it never published. Still, undaunted, she sat down day after day and tried to get as many words as possible onto the screen. Eventually, On Laughton Moor appeared.
She enjoys reading crime fiction and so that was the genre she decided to focus on. She is also writing a historical novel and a crime book with a different main character.
I love the cover Lisa. It’s very moody and atmospheric. Were you able to have any input in the design and if not, are you happy with the results?
Thank you! I had a vague picture in my head of how I wanted the cover to look, so I gave the designer a few examples of the type of photograph I thought would work and she was able to take it from there. I’m delighted with the final result, I think it’s pretty much perfect.
It has drawn me in with the moody greys and blended font. It speaks of a dark read, I’m intrigued. What can you say about the book?
That’s good to hear, I’m really pleased to hear that is has caught your interest. I know we aren’t supposed to judge a books by their covers, but I think we all probably do to a point. On Laughton Moor introduces DS Catherine Bishop, her new boss DI Jonathan Knight and their team. It’s about the ways in which your actions can come back to haunt you, amongst other things. It’s a police procedural, but I also wanted it to be quite character driven. I set out to write a book that I would enjoy reading myself, with the idea that if I enjoyed it, hopefully other people would too.
On Laughton Moor? With the imagery of the cover it gives a bleak picture. I’m rubbish with titles. At what point did the title come to you?
I suppose it is pretty bleak, especially with the cover design. I had expected to struggle with the title because I have in the past, but it just came into my head one day. I can’t remember at exactly what point, but it was fairly early in, definitely as I was writing the first draft of the book.
When is the publication date?
The ebook was published on Friday 16th January 2015 and the paperback will follow as soon as possible. I don’t have a definite date for that yet though.
And without giving anything away, if you could be one of the characters, who would you be and why?
I’ll have to say DS Catherine Bishop (my partner would say we’re very similar already). I don’t think I could do her job, but I like her humour, her outlook and her approach to her work. She’s not perfect and does make mistakes, but I’d like to think she’s someone people will imagine they could get on with.
Thanks for talking to me Lisa, it’s been great having you. Best of luck with the release.
Thank you very much Rebecca, it’s been a pleasure.
fuzzyedge says
Thank you very much for the chance to do this 🙂
>
Rebecca Bradley says
You’re more than welcome. 🙂
Prashant C. Trikannad says
Rebecca, I liked the idea of interviewing a writer/author only on the cover of her or his book. The cover of Lisa’s book is eye-catching and rather haunting. I’d hate to get lost in moorland.
Rebecca Bradley says
It is a rather bleak place isn’t it? Not one of those places you want to be in after dark!
Alex J. Cavanaugh (@AlexJCavanaugh) says
It’s an excellent cover – lots of atmosphere. I admit, I judge based on covers as well. I’ve been very fortunate with my own.
Rebecca Bradley says
I think a lot of people do judge books by their covers and I love this one, you’re right, it’s very atmospheric.
Margot Kinberg says
Rebecca – This is such an interesting series you’re doing! Thanks for hosting Lisa.
Lisa – Your cover is really compelling. I wish you much success with your release.
crimeworm says
Great cover. As Lisa says, it’s hard not to judge a book by it’d cover, especially if you know nothing about it. But this one would definitely make me stop and look. I love this series Rebecca, thank you!
Rebecca Bradley says
It’s definitely a great cover. For a crime cover the atmosphere just drags you in doesn’t it?
FictionFan says
Very atmospheric cover – tempted me over to read the sample on Amazon, which tempted me to add the book to the wishlist…
Good luck with the book, Lisa – I look forward to reading it. 🙂
crimeworm says
Me too – I downloaded the sample (a dangerous thing to do!) and I’m going to read it tonight. If I enjoy it I’ll be adding it to my Wish List too.
Rebecca Bradley says
Ha! You’re doomed now you have a sample 🙂
crimeworm says
I know, it’s dangerous territory. This just totally sounds like my kind of thing!
Rebecca Bradley says
Samples are a great idea aren’t they. And a lot of people don’t need to read a whole sample to know if they want a book. I do love this cover.
Jacqui Murray says
Wonderful cover. It is bleak, treacherous even. I bet it’s a good representation of the story.
Rebecca Bradley says
Treacherous is a great word for it!