Christine DeSmet is the author of the Fudge Shop Mysteries series of cozies, and the Mischief in Moonstone series. Her latest book is When the Dead People Brought a Dish-to-Pass.
I'm very sensitive to color, and I love to color-code everything--my grocery lists, clothes in my closet, dates on my calendar. Your fall colors are warm and inviting, and your books are, too!
I love reading about things that preoccupy us synesthetes, and color is one of them! Most of my mystery book covers have tones and shades of cool colors (green, blue, purple). To me, those colors set an intriguing, serious tone for what's to come. My newest book, Upas Street: Shocking Specter, has an apparition that glows green, so that color predominates. Thanks for the fun information about colors, including Future Dusk. Purple is my lifelong favorite color!
Christine — I read and loved WHEN THE DEAD PEOPLE BROUGHT A DISH-TO-PASS. Here's my bite-sized review:
"When the Dead People Brought a DISH-TO-PASS by Christine DeSmet is such a delightful story that the face-splitting grin you'll wear on a flight from Point A to Point B will have the flight attendants thinking you brought your own little bottle(s) on board! This story is a hoot! As are all of the other books I've read by this author. Looking for a great feel-good read? This is it!"
Color plays a vital role in book covers, our person, our homes, and our world! (thank you for the mention).
Thank you, Laurie! I keep imagining that story as a Hallmark movie. It'd be very fun and funny to see it on Hallmark Channel with all the ghost relatives showing up for a big dinner party while her romance with the ghost man is heating up.
I love this post, Christine. I find colors fascinating and enticing. Your post reminds me that I make so many decisions based on color from clothing to decorations to jewelry to vehicles to book covers. I think I would be hugely attracted to the 2025 color. I'm a big fan of deep violet/blue. In fact, that color may appear on my upcoming book cover.
I love your book covers, Christine! Now I'm going to have to look for orange on book covers. Very interesting post. I love how my publisher creates cover that go with the season the book takes place. My favorite one was KILLER SECRETS. I look forward to reading your books!
I agree, Christine, Colors can be inspirational! And they are evocative, too. I usually wear black and muted colors to blend into the background because colors are so strong and emotionally present. I also hear music in color. Certain chords and especially certain notes are a color to me. For example, a C major chord is bright yellowish green where a C minor chord is more like sage green. But C is always yellow. So yes. sometimes I arrange books by their color. And some colors will never make onto my book cover. LOL!
Yes, with certain conditions, some people like you have a very different association with color. A friend of mine is writing a detective book where the detective is like that. Color can be used to solve crimes! Thanks for reminding me of the relationship between sounds and color.
Color on a book cover helps me determine whether or not to pick it up and look at the blurb. If I'm looking for thrillers/suspense, I know that those deeper colors with a splash of yellow/orange or lettering in those colors, signals to me that it is something in this genre.
I'm very sensitive to color, and I love to color-code everything--my grocery lists, clothes in my closet, dates on my calendar. Your fall colors are warm and inviting, and your books are, too!
I love reading about things that preoccupy us synesthetes, and color is one of them! Most of my mystery book covers have tones and shades of cool colors (green, blue, purple). To me, those colors set an intriguing, serious tone for what's to come. My newest book, Upas Street: Shocking Specter, has an apparition that glows green, so that color predominates. Thanks for the fun information about colors, including Future Dusk. Purple is my lifelong favorite color!
Christine — I read and loved WHEN THE DEAD PEOPLE BROUGHT A DISH-TO-PASS. Here's my bite-sized review:
"When the Dead People Brought a DISH-TO-PASS by Christine DeSmet is such a delightful story that the face-splitting grin you'll wear on a flight from Point A to Point B will have the flight attendants thinking you brought your own little bottle(s) on board! This story is a hoot! As are all of the other books I've read by this author. Looking for a great feel-good read? This is it!"
Color plays a vital role in book covers, our person, our homes, and our world! (thank you for the mention).
Thank you, Laurie! I keep imagining that story as a Hallmark movie. It'd be very fun and funny to see it on Hallmark Channel with all the ghost relatives showing up for a big dinner party while her romance with the ghost man is heating up.
Thanks for the book cover and color lesson. I hadn’t realized how much thought and science went into picking the color scheme for book covers.
I love this post, Christine. I find colors fascinating and enticing. Your post reminds me that I make so many decisions based on color from clothing to decorations to jewelry to vehicles to book covers. I think I would be hugely attracted to the 2025 color. I'm a big fan of deep violet/blue. In fact, that color may appear on my upcoming book cover.
I love your book covers, Christine! Now I'm going to have to look for orange on book covers. Very interesting post. I love how my publisher creates cover that go with the season the book takes place. My favorite one was KILLER SECRETS. I look forward to reading your books!
Thanks, Kathleen. Good luck with your books and their covers. It's all part of the fun of being published to worry about our covers, LOL.
I agree, Christine, Colors can be inspirational! And they are evocative, too. I usually wear black and muted colors to blend into the background because colors are so strong and emotionally present. I also hear music in color. Certain chords and especially certain notes are a color to me. For example, a C major chord is bright yellowish green where a C minor chord is more like sage green. But C is always yellow. So yes. sometimes I arrange books by their color. And some colors will never make onto my book cover. LOL!
Yes, with certain conditions, some people like you have a very different association with color. A friend of mine is writing a detective book where the detective is like that. Color can be used to solve crimes! Thanks for reminding me of the relationship between sounds and color.
Thank you, Saralyn. I color-code my closet, which makes things so easy when I want to dash to the computer or out the door. I love your books!
Excellent analysis, Christine. Color is a silent motivator, I think. It inspires us (and readers) in many ways!
Color on a book cover helps me determine whether or not to pick it up and look at the blurb. If I'm looking for thrillers/suspense, I know that those deeper colors with a splash of yellow/orange or lettering in those colors, signals to me that it is something in this genre.
Me, too, on all that! Colors on covers do affect me. Thanks for your thoughts on this topic.