New Year, New Covers by Eleri Grace

Yes, despite the title of my post, I do realize we're now in February!  I just couldn't come up with a catchy title that conveys the content of this blog, and I couldn't think of a great way to relate it to our prompt this month. Going rogue!  

On January 26th, the new blockbuster WWII mini-series "Masters of the Air" premiered on AppleTV+ -- and because Donald Miller's book of the same title influenced my own series so very much, I launched new cover-art for my series, and revitalized my author blog with a promise to my readers that I would blog about each week's episode of "Masters of the Air" and share some additional tidbits in my author newsletter. 

So without further adieu, let me introduce you to the stunning new covers I've launched for my novels:

For this one, I love the backdrop of the old Norman English church, which looks so very like the one where Vivian often visited the pastor in the village of Chelveston. Vivian's gaze is turned slightly upward to the bomber formation soaring overhead amidst the perpetually gray English sky, perhaps they are returning from a mission, and she is watching for some sign that one of the B-17s is Jack returning safely back to base. 

I absolutely love the lushness of this cover design, a clear signal that this novel takes place in the Pacific Theater. The distant mountain ranges represent New Guinea's coastal topography. Hadley has her musette bag slung over her shoulder and is wearing the less formal Tropical Red Cross Girl uniform (the formal one was a seersucker suit). She too is watching a distant B-25 bomber, likely hoping that it's Skip returning safely from that day's mission. 

Again, I'm also so excited to share here a link to my blog where you too can follow along as I describe for readers what we're seeing in the depiction of the Red Cross Girls in "Masters of the Air" (and what is not conveyed on the screen but is happening behind-the-scenes). I hope you'll check out my ongoing blogs here -- the first 3-4 blogs are spoiler-free for the series, though my latest blog for Episode 4 does include some mild spoilers. 

I've focused my blogs on the portrayal of the Red Cross Girls in "Masters of the Air." I'm delighted that they are featured in several episodes -- they absolutely should/could have been included in "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific."  I participated in a "Masters of the Air" tour of the East Anglia bomber bases and other related UK sites, led by Dr. Donald Miller, author of "Masters of the Air," in 2016. The tour was hosted by the National WW2 Museum in New Orleans and was an exceptional all-around experience. Dr. Miller was a wealth of resources and would often respond to my many emailed follow-up questions within hours. He was not, however, familiar with the Red Cross Girls really at all, and I spent the entirety of the tour advocating for their inclusion in the mini-series, which was already underway at that time. I'd like to think I played some small part in their inclusion in the series and am honored to share my thoughts about what the series is getting absolutely right about the service of these remarkable women (and what could have perhaps been handled better in some cases). 

I also plan to continue blogging regularly to share tidbits from my "Masters of the Air" tour with Dr. Miller and other historical details relating to the Red Cross Girls and their WW2 service. 

I hope you'll enjoy those blogs and the extraordinary series, with new episodes being released each week through mid-March.  

You can learn more about me and my writing on my website and follow my blog and find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.  

Nostalgic Christmas Indulgences by Eleri Grace

 I haven't written a new holiday themed romance for this season to share with you, but my initial thought was that I would share a few recommendations for similar books and movies for readers who enjoy a nostalgic Christmas feel this time of year. Unfortunately, I believe there is still a gaping hole in the Christmas novels market for period pieces set in the years where all our classic Christmas music originated: 1930s-1960s. If I had more time these days, I would try to use the winter season to write a few Christmas novellas to release next fall!

While I couldn't find any novels that were directly set in the 40s, I sure found many where the cover might have led me to believe the novel was set in that era. The retro look and imagery from those years remains a strong sentimental pull that many cover artists are clearly tapping into. So I decided to share a few of my favorite covers with that nostalgic feel. Perhaps you'll find some good novels to explore in these highlighted covers, but at the very least, my hope is that you'll find joy in the beauty and nostalgia of these gorgeous holiday book covers!

This one uses a montage of very classic-inspired Christmas imagery to great effect!

This cover puts me in mind of "Christmas Story" (which was surprisingly set in the late 1940s). 

Classic Christmas ornaments paired with touches of greenery and the gingerbread men that might be strung on old-time Christmas trees. 

I think it's the font as much as anything that evokes a more nostalgic feel in this cover-art. 

I can recommend more than the cover-art with this one -- it's a really lovely novel for fans of historical fiction to read in the holiday season.  

This cover puts me in mind of old-time small town Christmas scenes. 

Classic look of older small town setting with the Main Street decorations. 

The soft look of this cover paired with the retro-style decorations on the light posts and fences evoke a simpler time.

This cover was absolutely inspired by the 1940s (or maybe early 1950s) -- love this one!

Again, other than the one noted, I've not read any of these novels so I'm not leaving specific reading recommendations so much as sharing some beautiful cover art that spoke to me in the season.

You can read more about me and my writing on my website and follow me on social media.