Today’s Teaser Tuesday has been taken over by something a bit different. Instead of an excerpt from my current writing (final edits on the Sergeant Mike’s Miracle Tour series), I am going to address AGAIN an issue in my small world…naked people on covers. Specifically in this case…cover models.
Growing up one of the things that seriously pissed me off was discrepancies between covers and the characters in the book. Blond models on the book but brunettes in the story. Or a stick figure when the heroine was curvy.
Then it was the same famous face on every single book. Do I even need to mention his name? In some he was a knight…a pirate…an alien…a Viking…even an Indian (back before they were called Native Americans). His blond hair was black, red, brown and white. His eyes were even purple once upon a time…I think.
Fast forward…well, let’s don’t say how long…quarter of a century plus change…and things have gotten even worse. In the past few weeks there have been stories of one cover model who threatened authors, made inappropriate sexual comments and tried to coerce them into giving him a percentage of sales. Then it gets better…one made ‘fat shaming’ comments including telling someone to eat her last Dairy Queen and hang herself in the closet.
Then today someone commented/referenced my Ægir’s pics…asking would Kirsty have been all that interested in them if not for their hot looks?
And I thought…yeah, in fact Bjorn’s actually works against him…undermines her self-confidence. But the point he made about rougher, more paunch and weathered had some validity. With the exception of the Bjorn and Kirsty models, I have never been comfortable with the others. Both the REAL Sven/Mikael and Thor would have been MUCH better options for Sven, but I could not convince either to pose.
The truth is that in the end, I will probably not use cover models at all…as I have not with any of my other books. I much prefer the inanimate objects that hold some meaning for these stories. And Harley motorcycles…plates of pancakes…and volcanoes cannot open mouth and insert foot.
I know that I break the rules…but then again…it is not the first time…
Tara Cox - Literary Erotica 