Cover Love . . . with Juliet Greenwood

Posted on 29th July, 2021

You may remember that my favourite book of 2020 was The Ferryman's Daughter, which was written by Juliet Greenwood.

 

This week I am delighted to welcome Juliet to my blog to talk about her new book, The Girl with the Silver Clasp, and tell us why the front cover is so special to her.

 

I love everything about the cover for ‘The Girl with the Silver Clasp’, my second book for Orion and out on 22nd July 2021. When I first saw the cover, I gave an audible gasp. It’s not only beautiful in itself, especially that hopeful clear blue of the sky, but it also perfectly reflects the story. I love the simplicity of the way the figure stands on the cliffs, with the hint of the harbour that lies at the heart of the book just visible in the background. I love her quiet dignity and look of contemplation as she gazes over the evening sea, and her sense of inner strength that all three of my heroines possess in their different ways. And the cliffs, of course, unmistakeably the Cornish coast where the story is set, with the heather giving it that summer feel. It is both calm and dramatic, and I just long to follow that path and find out where it leads!

 

 

What I also love is that the figure reflects a part of each of my three heroines. In the story, Jess stands on the cliffs in the evening light as she falls in love with the process of turning metal into stunning objects, and determines to pursue her creativity. The path on the cliffs above the harbour is also where Rachel tries to overcome what we could now call PTSD after her experiences driving an ambulance on the front line in WW1. While the tiny silver clasp barely visible on the figure’s hair reflects Giselle, the Hollywood actress with a broken heart, who turns out to have unexpected connections to both Jess and Rachel, and the harbour itself. When I was thinking of the cover, I couldn’t imagine choosing between my three heroines, whose intertwining stories are impossible to separate. I never believed it was possible to hint at each of them, while also capturing the determination they share to overcome the odds stacked against them, and for it to be so exquisitely beautiful.

 

But I have to say that the thing I love most, and is a total streak of genius that makes the cover come utterly alive, is the yellow scarf, blowing behind the figure in the breeze. I’ve tried to visualise the picture without the scarf, and it just wouldn’t be the same. It would be too blue, and with the heather and the evening light it would be too dark, which – despite the heartache all three women face at times – doesn’t reflect the story. It’s such a simple thing, but it provides that splash of brightness that makes all the difference and brings the cover into one.

 

I can’t imagine a better cover for ‘The Girl with the Silver Clasp’. Every now and again I have to take another peak to make sure it’s just as perfect as I imagined it to be – and it always is!

 

 

The Girl with the Silver Clasp

 

Will they find the courage to follow their dreams?
 
St. Ives, 1916.
 

Jess Morgan always hoped to become a celebrated silversmith, but when the men return from war she's forced to return to her job as a seamstress. All she can cling to is the memory of that delicate, unique silver clasp she created for a society bride.
 
Rachel Bellamy served as an ambulance driver on the front line during the Great War but now it's up to her to save the family home and picturesque harbour from her wealthy brother-in-law, before it's too late.
 
Giselle Harding fought her way up from poverty to become a Hollywood movie star. Yet even the most beautiful jewels she owns will never fill replace the man she lost.
 
As the lives of the three women collide, will they be able to overcome their differences and fight together for the dreams they once held so close?

 

* * * *

 

Juliet's links:

Her author page on Amazon  

 

Meet her on Twitter  

 

Juliet's author page on Facebook 

 

* * * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make A Comment

Characters left: 2000

Comments (0)