This is a big one
Okay y'all. Are you ready for it? We've got to have a little cover chat.
This is something Michele and I have agonized over for months.
When we designed the Paper Planes and Other Things We Lost cover we had no plans for a series. We had the story for Brett and Ruby, and that's all we thought was going to happen. Then characters we grew to love were born (enter Cole and Amber) and their lives became ones we were invested in and thus Subway Stops and the Places We Meet and Chasing Cars and the Lessons We Learned started to weasel their way into our minds.
When we first got the cover ideas for The Paper Planes Series they made sense as a whole. We created them before we wrote the other stories. Paper Planes laid down the foundation. We LOVE that cover and always will. But as we finished Subway Stops and Chasing Cars the covers stopped lining up with the stories. Paper Planes is a solid YA cover with a solid YA story. The others, not so much.
So, now comes why we're here today.
We're changing the e-book covers
Why? Why would you do that? I know. I get it. Trust me. This is not a decision we made lightly. We love the Subway Stops and Chasing Cars covers too. I'm telling you. We AGONIZED over this, you guys. I drew them for goodness sake. They're as original as they come. So don't you worry your pretty little faces. They WILL remain in paperback! They'll go perfectly together on your shelf. You should buy them.
The thing is, we've learned over the last several months that Subway Stops and Chasing Cars don't reach readers packaged the way they are. When I told a good friend of mine (who is an avid contemporary romance reader) we were changing them, she looked at me with all the disappointment in the world and said, "But they're so cute!" So I said, "But if you didn't know who I was would you pick one of them up?" Her face immediately changed and she said, "You're right. I wouldn't give them a second thought."
These are standalone adult contemporary romances, people. With their current look, they appear to be YA or like a series you HAVE to read in order. Obviously, we would love for people to read all three stories. While it's great to get the entire story arc (and lovers of the series will tell you to start from the beginning), there's no reason you can't read Amber and Olle's story or Sam and Cole's without reading the other books first. We feel it's a disservice to Cole, Sam, Amber, and Olle if we don't do everything we can to get them into the hands of readers. We want everyone to know and love them as much as we do!
Here they are!
But, wait. I have more news! Other than the beautiful new covers? Yup. Steering away from matchy matchy covers, makes it A LOT easier for us to write more Paper Planes novels! You heard me. We have MORE planned! More standalone novels following other Flight 397 families—and maybe if you're lucky some characters you've grown to love with make a return. By branding each book differently it helps to give them their own identity. You can look for 'a paper planes novel' on the covers and know what you're getting—a Mindy Michele sweet romance sure to make you laugh, cry, and swoon!