You Can't Judge A Book by its Cover

Out of these two books, which one catches your eye first?

Which would you choose to take the time to read the synopsis?

Which one would you add to your Goodreads or Shelfari bookshelves?

Well, based on the response from my recently completed Goodreads Giveaway of both of these books, I would say EVERYONE judges a book by its cover.

I do it, you do it, we all do it.

Both books' giveaways started and ended on the same exact dates. The giveaways lasted for one month, and it is so intriguing to me that Just Another Sunday had generated more interest and 330 more entries for the giveaway than Trampled Underfoot did. Why was that?

I believe the cover made all the difference.

Just Another Sunday's cover, which, by the way, has a necessary white border pictured here for purposes of distinguishing the dark background from the cover itself, is a hauntingly beautiful cover. It draws you in for so many reasons. It makes you wonder: What is this girl thinking about? What has happened in her life that causes her to gaze out into the sky in a such lonesome setting all alone? Is she sad? Is she happy? Or is she merely a deep thinker at such a young age as she appears to be?

The cover to Just Another Sunday has been the subject of many a conversation in its 3-year existence and had once won 1st Place in a Cover Wars Competition. No easy task.

These two books are near and dear to my heart, obviously, as I am the author, and I love both covers. But the interesting part of this observation of mine, in regards to both covers, is that Trampled Underfoot's cover seems to be very misunderstood by many.

It makes you wonder if Trampled Underfoot is about a 1969 Mustang Mach I? Who cares to read a book about cars, much less Vic and Lia, whoever the heck they are! And why should you care, right?

Well, Trampled Underfoot is the follow-up (sequel, if you will) to Just Another Sunday, but it is perfect as a stand-alone story. And although Just Another Sunday is my first book, my baby, I happen to believe that Trampled Underfoot is the better book--better written, faster-paced, more intriguing and more thought-provoking--as indicated by its 4.8 Star ranking on Amazon and 4.43 Star ranking on Goodreads.

I personally love the concept and final design to Trampled Underfoot's cover, but I do believe the cover isn't as fabulous as Just Another Sunday's, which was recently called a "sexy cover" by a book/author website owner just the other day. The cover to Trampled Underfoot doesn't drawn you in, doesn't suck you in to read it, much less buy it, and that's a shame because it's a great story, in my opinion.

Both of these books are set in the 1960s and 1970s, and Trampled Underfoot's cover maintains a very 70s feel, purposely colored in muted tones of brown and green, and weathered just enough to resemble an old 70s scrapbook with a masking-taped, faded photograph of the Mustang.

So is the book about a car, or not?

The 1970s were all about muscle cars. So yeah, there is some mention of them in Trampled Underfoot, but, no, this sequel is NOT about a Mustang automobile.

It's a New Adult / Romantic / Medical / Family Drama filled with love, heartache, betrayal, more heartbreak, a rude awakening, and, finally, there's a huge payday for those who hated the ending in Just Another Sunday.

So, in closing, we do judge books by their cover, much like we do people, unfortunately.

We can all learn a lesson here, and I'm not talking about books now, although the two subjects are similar. You don't know what a person is thinking, or what trials and tribulations a person is going through, so get to know someone before you pass judgment on them, before you dismiss them as unworthy of your attention, a kind word, or even a friendly smile.

There is so much more to a person, or a book, than is revealed by their/its outer covering.