Isn’t It Pretty?

Got the cover art for The Stolen Crown today:

It’s from Monna Pomona by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

31 thoughts on “Isn’t It Pretty?”

  1. DGR might have been Pre-Raphelite buthe was also Victorian Have you seen the original MP? Ideal for Charlotte Bronte or Emma Bovary but not so sure about Katherine of Buckingham.

  2. I am going to post this up asap. I will link it up when I do. Absolutely beautiful. I want to read "Hugh and Bess" so bad I can taste it!

  3. It is just beautiful! I'm really looking forward to this one – do you have a publication date yet?

  4. Excellent cover. And spookily, this painting was the subject of this week's episode of the new BBC 'historisoap' – Desperate Romantics, about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. I think the series is competing with the US's Tudors for sex scenes and good-looking lead though (Aidan Turner) lol!

  5. Susan Higginbotham

    Thanks, everyone! Carla, I don't think the apple's significant, though there is a scene where Buckingham eats an apple as he's speaking to Richard III. Maybe the designer peeked at the text!

    Trish, the costume is out of period, but since it catches the eye, I'm not inclined to complain!

    Publication date is March 2010.

    Lizzy and Lisa, I'll check to see if there's any more review copies available.

    Lady D, that's neat! I hope the series comes here.

  6. That is a gorgeous cover. I don't know quite who's responsible for these things, but I think you're very lucky with your cover art. And I'm going to pick up a copy of "Hugh and Bess" when I'm at Borders later this week.

  7. There is an early scene where Kate sees the secret marriage taking place. She is given a gold chain to keep quiet. This image spoke to me most in the way that the gold chain is there and it is also wrapped around her neck like it is silencing her. She is tugging on it. Which I think is symbolic.

    The apple is really just the whole forbidden fruit thing. It's a general feeling about these forbidden marriages. The way she is holding it is seductive and secretive. The apple (figuratively speaking) is the moment when man was driven out of the garden and there was a separation between God and Man. Not that this is a religious reference but here it symbolizes the division between the houses York and Lancaster.

    There is also the scene with the apple. Susan, I thought you chose the apple in that scene because there were talks of leaving Kate. That he should just say "She seduced him"

    As for the dress it can be so hard to get everything just perfect in one image. This dress is slightly more modern but the feel and the symbolism were right on. The dress is close but mostly serves as a beautiful backdrop.

    Yes, I do read the books I work on. It's one of the best pleasures of my job! Lucky me! 🙂

    There is nothing that makes me happier than a happy author and readers. You all made my day. Truly.

  8. Susan Higginbotham

    Thanks, Cathleen, it's great to hear the thought process that went into this! With your permission, I'd love to move your comment into a blog post of its own, so people can see it.

  9. Hi… I am absolutely enthralled with the cover of this novel. It's making me want to read the book. I've heard of you, as an author, and it's all been excellent.
    what about the illustrator of your cover? Really outstanding. I need some work done myself. Could you give me his/her name? Thanks, Karyn in Boca Raton, FL

  10. Susan Higginbotham

    Posting here to clarify that the series design work was done by Kimberly Glyder at Kimberly Glyder Design. So we have two ladies to thank for the cover!

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