Book Cover Junkie Interviews Christian Memoir Author Johanna Frank

Johanna Frank is a Canadian author based in Southern Ontario, where she lives with her husband, and delights in time with her children and grandchildren. Her award-winning A Lifeline Fantasy Series includes The Gatekeeper’s Descendants (Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Medalist), Jophiel’s Secret (Winner of the 2023 General Market Suspense Fiction Award and the Christian Speculative Fiction Award), and Here Lyeth (finalist for The Word Guild’s 2025 Christian Speculative Award). 

In addition, Johanna has introduced a creative memoir, a deeply personal work that explores God’s abundant mystery and healing. 

Known for her lyrical, imaginative style rich in symbolism and spiritual depth, she invites readers into otherworldly adventures and real-life reflections that illuminate belonging, faith, and the unseen.

“Frank, one of Canada’s emerging authors in spiritual fantasy, walks a fine line between general fantasy and faith-based fiction. Her work aims to innovate and transcend traditional boundaries, catering to a hungry market of curious readers who don’t want to be preached to but are open to exploring spiritual themes through fantasy.” – Sheri Hoyte, Reader Views

Johanna's latest book is the powerful Christian nonfiction, The Voice I Couldn’t Ignore. Connect with her at Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram and BookBub. 

Tell us about your book! What inspired you to write it?

Thank you for this question. I included a Letter to Readers at the beginning of the novel to share more about its origins. In short, it took me well over a decade to piece together the unusual events that have shaped my life—many of which, I believe, reflect God’s abundant sense of mystery. Should you choose to

read the book (and I hope you do), the prologue draws on inherited knowledge of an ancestor’s trauma, while the main narrative—told in first person—reveals personal experiences of haunting visions, profound dreams, and deep loss. Ultimately, the story leads to an enduring sense of peace and an unwavering faith in life everlasting.

How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing it, or did it come later?

Great question given I struggled with this considerably once I finished the manuscript for The Voice I Couldn’t Ignore. The working title – The Spiritual Side of Grief - had cemented considerably so it was tough to smash it to bits once I’d realized it wasn’t quite a good fit any longer. Originally, I was wanting to simply get certain unique experiences on paper, suitably and only possibly, for sharing. Though the writing flowed more as a novel – a story – and I needed a title to reflect the story of experiences. That’s when I changed the title to The Open Window, then after considerable thought to The Voice I Couldn’t Ignore.

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like?

I did actually. First, it needed to be considerably different from my previous three novels which are a different genre – a speculative fantasy for adults and young adults. Many authors change their pen name when writing in a different genre, I chose not to and for that reason, required a different look for The Voice I Couldn’t Ignore. In my head, I knew I wanted it to be clean, simple, profound, and with a white background. 

Who is your cover designer and how did you find him/her?

Google, of course! About five years ago, I came across a website whose cover designs instantly caught my eye. I was impressed by the creativity and professional quality of their work right from the start. Over the years, the team has expanded and taken on more clients—a clear reflection of their success. With that growth, their service has become a little slower and not quite as personal as it once was, but their design expertise remains outstanding and continues to deliver beautiful results.

What has been the readers’ response to your cover?

BookLife gave the cover an “A-” grade, so I was happy about that. However, after receiving a few queries such as – ‘but it ends well, right?’ – I’ve realized some readers may bypass this creative memoir, which reads like a novel by the way, perhaps because they are not confident in the faith component. While in reality, the novel is a strong testament of faith, one that survives a harsh storm.

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer?

Review their prior work as well as their cost for producing a cover. Ensure they will provide two or three options and are willing to make adjustments once you’ve settled on an option. It is key that they ask for your input before design, input that is sufficient for them to get the ‘feel’ of your book – the feel you want your readers to have in order to pick it up.

Anything else you’d like to say about your book?

The biggest challenge was to take the heart and guts and experiences I’d kept secret and carried on my sleeve so-to-speak for many years and allow it to transition into a product per se. When writing, I’d decided to put my best foot forward, to have the story professionally edited and with a professional cover. Then I would make that final decision – to publish. And hence, I did publish.

Book Cover Junkie Interviews Historical Paranormal Fantasy Author Kayleigh Kavanagh

Kayleigh Kavanagh is a disabled writer from the North-West of England. Growing up in the area, she learnt a lot about the Pendle Witches and launched her debut novel around their life story. Her main writing genres are fantasy and romance, but she loves stories in all formats and genres. Kayleigh hopes to one day be able to share the many ideas dancing around in her head with the world.

Her latest book is the historical fantasy, One Foot in the Ether: Whispers of the Pendle Witches. 

You can visit her on Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads and Tiktok. 

Tell us about your book! What inspired you to write it?

I wanted to write a sequel to the first book, “Whispers of the Pendle Witches,” but I didn’t want to just cover the trials, as I thought the ending of the first book was better and more empowering than what

happened in reality. 

I love the idea of reincarnation, and those with strong psychic gifts often claim to remember snapshots of previous lives. At first, I was going to have Demdike reincarnate in the modern day, but then I realised there was a span of time between this, where others could have reincarnated. The next idea was to have the books set exactly two hundred years apart, but this was pushed aside when I learnt more about 1800s England. 

The end of the first book ends with Demdike, Chattox, and Alizon casting spells, and I wanted to follow this thread. It developed into a story where Demdike and Chattox’s spell had unintended consequences, trapping them as spirits bound to their bloodlines, while Alizon’s actions (which they were unaware of) added another layer of issues. 

The rest developed naturally as I learnt more about the time period. There are people in the modern world trying to pull us back to these past times, where women had so few rights, and I know for a fact that even back then, there were strong women fighting against these unfair standards. I wanted it to show how women are strong, no matter the circumstances, and hopefully, it will help empower others to keep going even in these uncertain times. 

How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing it, or did it come later?

It was actually the original title for the first book. However, I didn’t think I’d be doing a sequel, and when betas talked about my book, they just kept calling it Whispers, so I shortened it to “Whispers of the Pendle Witches”.

When I decided to write the sequel and decided where the book was going, the first title felt like a perfect fit. The WotPW part became the series name, and One Foot in the Ether became the name of this new project. 

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like? 

I knew I wanted it to be blue. The first book was green; this one is blue. The third will hopefully be red, and the fourth purple (subject to change). But this was my only real idea.

It did take several revisions, as the first few weren’t great, but the quality was much better once I sent more image suggestions and mockups. It was collaborative, and I think we made a great final cover. 

Who is your cover designer and how did you find him/her?

I used Get Book Covers .com, which I’ve used several times. They’re affordable and do great work. Also, if you do have issues, they’re good about revisions. I’ve heard you can also change designers, but this hasn’t been necessary for me. I plan to continue to use them in the future.

What has been the readers’ response to your cover?

Positive, they think it suits the spooky atmosphere of the book.

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer?

Shop around. Ask other authors who have covers you like. Look on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc, and see what’s trending and what you’d like your book to look similar to. 

Anything else you’d like to say about your book?

Whether you judge a book by its cover or not, this one is worth trying. 

Book Cover Junkie Interviews Paranormal Romance Author Emily Astillberry

Emily Astillberry is an author and RSPCA Inspector from Norfolk, England. She has a degree in English Literature and Linguistics from York University and has been investigating animal cruelty and neglect and rescuing sick and injured animals for 20 years. In her day job, Emily deals with very difficult and often emotional situations and meets all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds. Her career provides some of the inspiration for themes and characters that can be found in her fictional work.

At home, in a very old cottage in the country, Emily has a husband, 5 children, a dog, a cat, an axolotl, 2 giant African land snails and a varying number of rescue hens, so finding time to write can be a challenge. She is happiest outdoors, growing fruit and vegetables in the garden, walking the dog and family holidays usually involve walking up mountains in summer, skiing down them in winter and sleeping in a tent whenever possible.

Emily loves spending time with her large, noisy, chaotic family, cooking meals for friends and playing board games. She always has at least one book on the go and has always dreamed of writing her own novel. She now dreams of writing more. 

Visit her website at https://emilyastillberry.com. 

You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

The Essence of Bliss is her latest book.

Tell us about your book! What inspired you to write it?

The Essence of Bliss is an emotional rollercoaster, an exploration of human emotion wrapped up in a story that will make you examine those big questions, such as chance, choice and destiny. It began with a

concept, a something that would give me magic to work with, whilst allowing me to establish the rest of the narrative in the real world. That’s what I wanted, a story set in a town of real people living ordinary lives, characters, themes and development that would be relatable to my readers, with a twist, a frisson of otherworldliness that is enchanting enough to transport them towards a hint of fantasy.

I always knew that I wanted to write something emotional. I believe that our potential to feel - to love, to hate, to fear, to desire, is one of the things that sets us apart and gives us humanity. Whenever I fall in love with a book, and when I think back to all of the books that have moved me the most, it is the characters and the relationships between those characters that makes a good story, great. I read and love books from all sorts of genres but it is human emotion that I find most compelling.

My leading lady, Isabel Bliss, became the focus of my concept. She is, for the most part, a normal person, leading a normal life. She has a family, a boyfriend, a best friend and a job that she loves and is great at. However, Isabel also has something that sets her apart from anyone she has ever met, she has an extraordinary relationship with human emotions. She can feel emotional energy, be impacted by it, experience and influence the emotions of the people around her. 

Once I had my concept and my protagonist, I needed a story. I wanted my readers to explore the potential of Isabel’s gift alongside her, which is why The Essence of Bliss became a first person narrative, a journey of discovery for Isabel, peppered with twists and turns that I hope will surprise, upset and delight. I started to craft the story around her, following her as she deals with a pretty horrific situation involving a little boy in her class, and then discovers a huge betrayal in her life and a whole world of possibility that will change her forever.

How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing it, or did it come later?

I was probably around a third of the way into the book when I settled on the title. I chose the name, Isabel Bliss, before I started writing and knew that I wanted to use her surname in the title of the book, as a sort of a play on words and to indicate, right from the beginning, that this story was going to be an emotional one. I played around with that word, Bliss, for a long time, eventually settling on Essence to go with it, representing the fundamental and intrinsic nature of human emotion.  

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like? 

There is a setting in the novel, visited by two of the main characters at a pivotal point of Isabel’s journey of discovery. The cabin in the woods is a private, magical space and I hoped that the image on the cover could capture the emotion of the scene. I sent the following two passages to my cover designer.

I followed him down a steep path through the trees. Within a few minutes we came to a clearing and an old, wooden cabin stood before us. It was difficult to see clearly through the gloom but I got the impression of a quaint, rustic affair with a moss covered roof and a chimney stack. There was a small window in the top half of the structure and a larger window downstairs. There was no lock on the door and Scott pushed it open easily and invited me inside.

The cabin was in a small, flat clearing in the trees on what was otherwise a steep slope leading down towards Ramsey Pool. I could just make out the far shore of the lake. The water was shimmering in the golden, early morning rays of the sun. It was peaceful and still here, a heavenly retreat from the hustle and bustle of the world. I felt like I had stepped back in time, to a simpler, cleaner world. The only sounds were the sweet music of wild bird song, calling to each other with joy on this beautiful winter’s morning and the faint hum of the kettle as it heated the water for our morning tea. 

The fresh sun lit the moss softened rocks and illuminated the verdant greens of the trees and grasses all around me. I felt like I had stumbled upon a small slice of heaven, unspoilt and remote. I could understand why Scott would use this place to get away from everybody and everything. It was exquisite in its simplicity and I could feel myself relaxing, moment by moment, just standing on the deck of this old, ramshackle cabin in the woods.

Who is your cover designer and how did you find him/her?

My cover designer was Laura Cosby of Absolute Book Covers, provided for me by my publisher, Blossom Spring.

What has been the readers’ response to your cover?

The response has been very positive. Readers seem to appreciate the subtle colours and the understated style. The figures on the decking are indistinct but standing strikingly close to each other, leaving the visual details to the reader’s imagination, whilst speaking volumes about the emotional themes in the scene and throughout the book. 

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer?

I would say that the more specific you can be with the brief, the better. I believe that most authors have an image in their mind, whether it is a scene from the book or a message that they want to convey. It is so important to get that right. Authors need to do their research, know their budget and know what it is that they want the cover to achieve before approaching any cover designer.

Anything else you’d like to say about your book?

The Essence of Bliss has received some really wonderful 5 star reviews that I hope will inspire potential readers. I will quote from a few below and let them convey their sentiment for themselves.

Emotional, exciting, shocking, beautiful, and romantic.

Beautifully written book; so eloquent and descriptive: I felt every emotion and lived in every scenario. So absorbing.

Every moment in this novel is charged with feeling.

A beautifully crafted love story with a subtle, enchanting twist.

Parts of this book moved me to tears, because I found beauty in the way that Isabel expressed herself, her in-depth way of describing her own emotions and experiences, and her observations of others. Emotions can be very complex, but where would we be without them?

I actually lost count of the number of times this story made me cry. Calling this an emotional book is an understatement.

I actually couldn't put this book down and I couldn't believe how quickly I got through those pages, feeling both sad and in shock when things came to an end.