On The Outside: Beth Fantaskey

On The Outside is an exclusive feature where authors guest blog about how their novels got their cover and/or title.


Thank you very much to Beth Fantaskey for participating this week! (If I'm a little late...) Her new book, Jessica Rules The Dark Side, is released tomorrow!

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It’s one thing to find out you’re a vampire princess. It’s a whole other thing to actually rule. Newly married Jessica Packwood is having a hard enough time feeling regal with her husband, Lucius, at her side. But when evidence in the murder of a powerful elder points to Lucius, sending him into solitary confinement, Jessica is suddenly on her own. Determined to clear her husband’s name, Jessica launches into a full-scale investigation, but hallucinations and nightmares of betrayal keep getting in her way. Jessica knows that with no blood to drink, Lucius’s time is running out. Can she figure out who the real killer is—and whom she can trust—before it’s too late?

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The first thing that readers of my first book, Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, immediately notice about the cover of the sequel is that Jessica is portrayed by a different girl.  I’m not sure why this is, but I suspect it has a lot to do with the fact that, while the story picks up only a few months after the first book ends, in real life, several years have passed.  Models move on – or perhaps mature too much to believably pass as teenagers. 

Regardless, I have to say that I love the new cover, which is again created by the very talented Cliff Nielsen. 

The color scheme is dark – and, while funny, this book is a little darker than the original. 

Lucius is clearly protective of Jessica, but Jess is powerful in her own right.  She could easily be guarding him – as she does in the novel. 

Finally, I like the fact that, if you look closely enough, you can see that Jess is holding a stake in her left hand.  My editor and I debated whether to include that detail and ultimately agreed, “Yeah, let’s leave it.”  It’s a small symbol, but important to Jessica’s acceptance of her new destiny. 

To me, the cover has a romantic, mysterious vibe... I hope it makes readers want to peek inside!

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Thanks Beth!

If any author would like to participate in On The Outside, please feel free to email me and I can send you all the details.