Alternative covers

I was thinking about my lovely cover when I saw two alternative covers for the same book and it got me thinking.
I've always noticed the difference between US & UK covers (especially in fantasy). So what difference does the cover make?
Are markets that different? Sometimes the covers tell a totally different story about the book inside. Two covers and one can make me pick up a book and another I'll walk on by.
Check out these and see what you think. I've added links to the blurbs (on Amazon) because that gives you one more piece in the puzzle...

'Sweeping up Glass' I thought was one of the most interesting variances. The others I admit I found quite quickly, and there are so many more examples....

Music: The Smiths
Currently reading: 'Lavender Morning' by Jude Deveraux

First cover

OMG!
It's finally here - my first cover.


And a blurb to (hopefully) whet your appetite:

Betrayal and a broken heart have made Zaralyn determined to avoid romance at all costs. A chance rescue outside a nightclub by the mysterious Gideon Nite challenges her resolution and her heart.
Gideon is attracted to Zaralyn from the moment he sees her, but how can he prove he’s worth trusting when he has so much to hide?
What starts out as simple attraction spirals out of control when it becomes clear their lives are in danger. Because nothing is simple – even Gideon isn’t what he seems. He is a human with a twist – one of those who for centuries have been misunderstood and labelled ‘Vampyre’.
How can she love a man who isn't a man at all, especially when a killer is marking them for death?

RWNZ conference

This weekend is the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference.
I'm looking forward to getting together with a whole lot of other writers, published and unpublished, and sharing ideas and learning more about our craft and industry.

The organizers have arranged some wonderful speakers...
Two guests from the US: Mary Jo Putney, who writes historicals & paranormal historicals, and Melissa Jeglinski, an agent with The Knight Agency.
Plus from the UK: Mary Teresa Hussey, executive editor at Harlequin.
And from little ol' NZ: Fiona Brand, Nalini Singh, Sara Hantz, Amanda Ashby, Karina Bliss, Abby Gaines, Sandra Hyatt, Tessa Radley, Trish Morey, Yvonne Lindsay, Gracie Stanners, Robyn Donald & Daphne Clair. (Whew, I hope I didn't miss anyone).

I hope your weekend has as much enjoyment potential as mine :)

Music: Little Boots
Currently reading: 'Paradise' by Judith McNaught

Have a printer? Have a cat?

Do you have any electronic items e.g. a printer, that may not be working at their best. Do you also have a cat? Check this out. (I couldn't help a chuckle at the end).

Twitter

Here's a new on for me, Jayne Ann Krentz is writing/publishing an Arcane Society story featuring Fallon Jones, via Twitter! Twitter of all things. Now I really enjoy JAK's books but I'm not sure what you'll get from a twitter story. I can see a basic plot but for me good character makes or breaks a story and on Twitter....? I'm just not sure.

I'm going to be giving it a go (and hoping to be pleasantly surprised), and you can too. Even if you don't have a Twitter account, you can read it. Just go here: www.twitter.com/ArcaneSociety, then scroll down and push the "More" button. That'll open up the page and you can read everything she's posted to this point.

Since there was no post last week I thought I would add a bonus one today :)

Dial-up

Got dropped down to dial-up speed on the ol' interweb last week and in a hate session with lack of speed I didn't do a post.

To catchup I've been mooching around the web so I thought I'd share a few news snippets with you:
- How do you know when to lose weight? Well, it depends on whether your weight is working for you. For instance if you plan to hide a gun in your rolls of fat.
- Failed hypnotist fines for failed kiss. I bet there are people everywhere who dream of the power they'd have if only they could hypnotize their dates.
- is Narcissism an infectious disease? Okay it's not really about that despite the title, but it is a rant about the prevalence of Narcissism.
- Hooked on the survivor TV show, now you can live it - kind of. There's been Survivor Gabon and Survivor Tocantins now there's Survivor Resort. A nice resort without, well, the nice.
- Why we shouldn't be afraid to get older - research shows we're happier as we get older.

Have fun with those little time wasters :)

music: The Electric Confectionery Company
Currently reading: 'The madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie' by Jennifer Ashley