I was thinking recently as I thought over the last year about the first and only release of my second novel, The Pipes Are Calling. While struggling with the publication, reedit, and publishing again of The Untouchable Queen, I was a little unprepared for the cooperation I ended up receiving with this book, particularly regarding the cover. I had an original idea for the cover of two hands cradling a four leaf clover but that didn't really send me. My favorite idea was that of a young man walking into the distance, following the call of freedom, but I figured that was an unrealistic dream because I couldn't think of any guys to pose for the front.
Then came my lifelong neighbor, Ryan!
It was the last week of February, unseasonably warm for New York, and time was running out to publish The Pipes Are Calling in time for St. Patrick's Day, 2018. We drove by our neighbor's house and asked his mom if he would be available that day to go to the Hudson River and pose for my cover. He's a busy guy, but she promised to ask him. A little before five o'clock that night, we get a phone call. "I'm picking Ryan up at the high school and I'll be at your house to pick you up in about seven minutes." Oh my gosh! That's what a friend of mine would call "a poetic ending"!
Several other little things lined up that were unbelievable, including that our "unseasonably good weather" ended in a snow storm the very next day!
So here's to you, Ryan and Mrs. R. Happy St. Patrick's Day and thank you for making last year possible!