I write romance novels, including medieval romances as Claire Delacroix, and contemporary and paranormal romances as Deborah Cooke. I also am an avid knitter and sewist.
Today’s the day! My Kickstarter for the new print editions of my Blood Brothers series of medieval Scottish romances has launched. You can order signed copies of the new editions – either in hardcover or trade paperback with a duplex cover – featuring the new illustrations. You can also order a set of unsigned trade paperbacks to be delivered directly from the printer to you. (This option has no additional postage in the US.)
These editions aren’t going to be available at retailers. You’ll be able to buy them only from me, in a Kickstarter campaign or in my online store. The goodies we add during the campaign will only be available through the Kickstarter campaign, as well.
And there’s an Early Bird bonus, a special tier with all four signed hardcover editions, each with a vellum overlay, available for 48 hours only. (You can also buy the overlays as an add-on.)
The campaign runs through March 3, a little longer than originally planned.
My next Kickstarter campaign will feature new hardcover editions of the four Blood Brothers medieval Scottish romances and launches next Monday. (eek! I’m trying to be cool about this one.) We’ve seen the new dustjackets and new illustrations, but now you can see them on actual books. I ordered early copies of The Hunter & the Heiress in those two new editions, and this short video shows all four books – the current trade paperback and large print hardcover, and the new trade paperback with duplexed cover and new hard cover with case laminate illustration.
Compare the four print editions of The Hunter & the Heiress
The preview page for the Blood Brothers campaign is live at Kickstarter now, and you can follow it to be notified when the campaign launches.
This quarter, we’re focussing on the Ravensmuir, Inverfyre and Kinfairlie books, to celebrate the addition of a new story to that group, The Stolen Bride. Evangeline and Ramsay’s story will be published February 27 but right now, The Frost Maiden’s Kiss is on sale for just 99cents. Malcolm and Catriona’s story is one of homecoming – Malcolm comes home and Catriona finds a home – of love unexpected and the healing of a cursed hero. They make an appearance in The Stolen Bride, too, which gives us a chance to check in with them several years after their HEA.
She enchanted him with a kiss—but winning her love would demand all he possessed.
After eight years abroad, Malcolm returns to Scotland with a fortune, a companion even more hardened than he and a determination to restore his inherited holding. But when that companion falls into peril, Malcolm seizes the chance to repay an old debt, trading his own soul for that of his doomed comrade. Knowing his days are limited and determined to leave a legacy of merit, Malcolm rebuilds Ravensmuir with all haste, though he fears he will never have an heir.
A night of violence has left Catriona with no home and no faith in the honor of men. She expects little good from a visit to her lady’s brother, Laird of Ravensmuir, a known mercenary. But the handsome laird challenges her expectations with his courtesy, his allure—and his unexpected proposal. Knowing it is her sole chance to ensure her child’s future, Catriona dares to accept Malcolm’s hand. She soon realizes that this warrior fights a battle of his own and that she holds the key to his salvation. Little does she realize her past is in hot pursuit, seeking to destroy all she holds dear—including the laird who has thawed the frost of her reluctant heart.
Yesterday the first copy of the new trade paperback for The Hunter & the Heiress arrived so I want to show it to you. This one has the new cover illustration by Dar Albert printed on the *inside* of the cover in colour – that’s called a duplex cover. I’ve never ordered one of these before, so was both curious and a wee bit skeptical.
No need. It’s just gorgeous. I’ll make a video comparing all the print editions once the new hardcover (with the illustration on the case laminate) arrives, but here are some pictures I took yesterday. Here’s the front of the book:
These books have a matte finish on the covers, which has a lovely velvety feel.
When you open the book, you can see the duplex image on the inside front cover – this is kind of a peek because I didn’t want to crack the spine and also I had only one hand available:
I’m really pleased with the colour on this, and that the inside cover has the same velvety matte texture as the outside. The image, as you can see, is flopped from the way it prints on the case laminate.
Of course, the entire inside of the cover is printed, so you see the sword on the inside back cover.
I like this option because you can get the new cover image without buying a hardcover edition.
The other three books have similar trade paperback editions with duplex covers, all of which will be available in my upcoming Kickstarter campaign. These trade paperbacks and the new hardcovers will be available signed through the Kickstarter, but you’ll also be able to order a set of these trade paperbacks drop-shipped (i.e. not signed) in the campaign which will save a bunch on shipping, esp if you’re in the US.
I know I’ve gone back and forth about what happens to these editions after the KS ends, but since my online store is now open (much sooner than anticipated – it was my goal for 2024 and is already up and running) I’m not going to distribute this new trade paperback or the new hardcover to retailers. They’ll be available first through the Kickstarter, then exclusive to my store, Deborah Cooke’s Books. If you buy them through the Kickstarter campaign, of course, you’ll get other goodies, too. 🙂 The existing trade paperbacks (with the guys on the covers) and the existing large print hardcovers (with castles on the covers) will remain available at the portals.
The preview page for the Blood Brothers campaign is live at Kickstarter now, and you can follow it to be notified when the campaign launches. February 12 is the big day!
Today, we’re having a peek at the new illustration for The Scot & the Sorceress:
I love this illustration of Nyssa and Murdoch!
Here’s a digital mock-up of how the book will look when printed, with the dust jacket on the left and the case laminate (which is underneath the dust jacket) on the right:
The exciting thing about these new illustrations is that they’ll also be available on new trade paperback editions. For the first time, I’m creating trade paperbacks with duplex covers – that means the inside of the cover will be printed with the new illustration. The outside of these trade paperbacks will look like the dust jackets for the new hardcovers. I’ve ordered copies of the new editions for The Hunter & the Heiress and will show them to you as soon as they arrive, but here are digital mock-ups of the trade paperbacks with duplex covers:
This means that there’s a more economical option to add these books to your keeper shelf. The trade paperbacks with the duplex cover will be available either signed, or dropshipped from the printer. For US addresses, there will be no extra postage charge on the dropshipped books. The new hardcovers will only be available signed. This gives me the chance to make sure that each book is perfect before it’s sent on its way.
The preview page for the Blood Brothers campaign is live at Kickstarter now, and you can follow it to be notified when the campaign launches. February 12 is the big day!
Claire Delacroix 