What's hotter than a romance cover model? A romance cover model with the brains to control their own image!
Yesterday, I received an email from one of my Myspace friends Jimmy Thomas, International cover model extraordinaire. Of course, I opened it right away because I was half expecting words of unrequited love and his desire to see us tying the know in an intimate ceremony in a small church in the Napa Valley.
But alas...le sigh...no such thing happened. Instead, Jimmy was informing the world (not just me...unfortunately) that he was launching another venture. Like he needs another one considering he once managed over 50 models (not at the same time...I hope), currently works as a romance cover model, is a certified physical trainer, freelances as an architectural designer for several companies in the Los Angeles area, and also designs websites including his own jimmythomas.com. Jeez Louise, I have to take a deep breath after writing all of that.
(Jimmy Thomas and Friend at work)
Well, this über entrepreneur's newest venture is the launch of his own stock photo website (a la i-stockphotos.com) called romancenovelcovers.com. The site contains images of Jimmy along with various female co-stars photographed in a multitude of settings, situations, and poses. And all the images, and there are hundreds of them, are tailor made to the romance industry and it's various genres. Can we say NO MORE PHOTOSHOPPING for me mom!?
Even better, once an image is purchased it's never sold again! So, you know what that means? FINALLY, we can be assured our hero/heroine will not pop up a couple months down the road on someone else's cover. And whether you're a reader or an author, we ALL roll our eyes whenever we see the same guy/gal in that same tired pose on cover, after cover, after cover whether it be digital or print.
Too bad this didn't come along sooner. The lingerie-clad, mocha beauty on my debut novel now resides in virtual moral turpitude on no less than FIVE different covers. Better yet, here's an example using my third release Forever, I Do co-authored with Taige Crenshaw:
(beautiful cover...but dude is doing double duty)
(Allison Page's Dark Moon Gathering)
So, all of you authors out there who like to control your product or dabble in creating your own covers, you might want to save yourself the heartache when your vision of Randy, a special operative werewolf with a fetish for spanking is reincarnated as Bud, a door to door salesman who likes to get diddled by a dominant fem. To check out Jimmy Thomas' stock pile visit: romancenovelcovers.com
Koko Brown's latest Loose-Id release is Forever, I Do a multicultural romance featuring a book of charms, a playboy with a knack for planning weddings, and long, hot Southern nights.
