MY WISHFUL THINKING has had an on-going identity crisis. Sales have been very meh compared to my other books, which is strange because it’s in the same vein.

My biggest frustration had been that it has been difficult to find a cover that matched my vision of the novel. Sometimes knowing too much makes it harder to figure out the what can capture what’s inside. The novel has a couple storylines–one about best friends, one about wishing, one about family/divorce, and, finally, a romance with a nerdy-hot genie.

THIS WAS THE FIRST COVER

I’d hoped the floaty balloons would capture the feeling of wishing. But then, I decided the couple was too small, especially as a thumbnail. So, I made a change.

SECOND COVER

Okay. Now the couple was larger, but they looked so young. Younger than the characters the story was about … and, apparently, younger than most people want to read about.

It needed a big time change. The same way Lo, the main character, needed to change. I felt like Sheryl Crow in this video, throwing everything out the window as I went through stock art. Then, I found something that could work. My cover artist worked his magic better than any genie, and made it better than I’d imagined. So *drum roll* here’s the third (and, hopefully final) cover.

NEW & IMPROVED COVER

I’m happy with this one. It kinda-sorta captures a pivotal moment in the story. The couple looks like an more mature version of the characters on the older covers. Everything about it feels more 2015. Why did I wait so long?

 Probably because change is hard, even when it will do you good. Maybe… especially then.

Since I was giving the book a make-over, I decided to see if I’d missed reaching the readers who would enjoy it. Now MY WISHFUL THINKING is available at iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords in addition to Amazon, where it’s always been for sale.

I know the change has done me good, and hope it’s a change that helps the book find a broader readership.