We’re in the process of building my author site and a place for all things Bobbie Faye, and it’s weird the conversations I have had, like getting permission to use the crawfish on the cover of the book. If I use the whole book cover, then it turns out I don’t have to have permission, but if I just use the crawfish, I do. So I talked with the artist, who may now think I am a nut because I actually also want to use the crawfish for mugs and t-shirts for some giveaways and stuff later on. You know, to the two people in my own family who will wear them (at gunpoint).
Anyway, I just realized I hadn’t posted my new book cover here. I thought the old one was pretty and everyone at St. Martin’s worked their tushes off coming up with ideas and trying to hone the idea and ultimately, the cover was a no go. As pretty as it was, I think it ultimately wasn’t conveying the right genre? tone? pick me! pick me! -ness that the publisher wanted, so they went back to the drawing board and went to what they call a graphic cover (the title / name plus an icon, not a lot of photos / illustrations / movie-poster looks). And you know what? I ended up really liking the new one, although it was strange getting used to something else once I had the first one in my head. I think it’s a better fit, though, and doesn’t seem like a YA novel (which one reviewer who got the galley which has the first cover thought). It would be very bad to have a cover mistaken for YA when the word “fuck” is on page one and “fuck fuck fuckity fuck” soon after. I don’t want to go to hell for luring kiddies to the dark side.
So, the cover:
The Amazon linkstill has the old one up, although my editor’s amazing assistant, Kylah, is on top of that, getting them to change it.
Oh, and if you want to see the videos I did for the book (two book trailers, one very very short and one a little longer) go to: www.tonimcgeecausey.com — they’re up there). I’d love it if you’d stop by.
(You know, I can totally forgive the spellchecker on this thing for not recognizing “fuckity” but it keeps telling me that “crawfish” is misspelled. That is sacrilege.)
toni mcgee causey 
March 2, 2007 at 10:51 am
The other cover looked to me like a stereotypical chick-lit book, and I don’t usually like those covers where the women are always shown with their faces partially hidden. I like this cover a lot better. The crawfish is adorable. (That Ya-Ya book lost all credibility for me when it contained the word “crayfish.” Yeep.)
March 4, 2007 at 11:58 pm
I like the crawfish cover better that the other. Love the turquoise background. Oh, and the danger sign, that book needs to come with that disclaimer.
Love the trailers.
March 5, 2007 at 2:43 am
I like the other cover too but can see how it could be mistaken for YA.
March 6, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Yep, I like the new cover better, too! It’s great.
March 25, 2007 at 6:09 pm
I agree with all the others: the new cover is much better. I wouldn’t say the old one looked like a YA novel, but it looked even less like a comic thriller. (For what it’s worth, it reminded me most of the most recent paperback edition of Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ Heaven, Texas.) The new cover has a whimsical feel to it, which is appropriate given the tone of the novel, and is reminiscent of covers I’ve seen on books by Carl Hiaasen and Tim Dorsey, which is good since I imagine that’s the audience you’re trying to reach with BFV(vvv)BD.
March 25, 2007 at 6:21 pm
What is this I hear about Publisher’s Weekly giving the Bobby Faye stars?
You so rock.