Readers of my novels will know that I am a very visual writer, especially when it comes to describing colours. Not for me grey, dreary scenery – I love bold, vibrant colours that catch the eye and touch the soul. Do you remember the key line in Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple? To paraphrase: it is a travesty to walk past the colour purple in a field and not notice it. I quite agree!

Recently, an article in the Times Literary Supplement entitled ‘The infinity of blue’ – all about books written about the colour blue and the subsequent desire to collect them – got me thinking about which colours in particular I am drawn to in my reading and my writing.

In my Andalucían Nights trilogy, two colours stand out.

Red: the colour of passion, which is at the heart of Spanish culture and this trilogy. It is the colour of the flamenco dancer’s skirt and the lipstick on her pouting mouth; the colour of the toreador’s outfit and the flag he waves daringly at the bull; the colour of the flag that embodies such nationalist spirit; the colour of the sangria that lifts the spirit; the colour of blood, of all the sensations and struggles and triumphs of life – of love, of hearts beating as one.

Blue: the colour of beautiful clear skies in which the sun beats down and against which ancient ruins and astonishing architecture loom; the colour of the ocean, stretching as far as the eye can see, so many different shades of blue for every mood and meaning; the colour of daydreams, of longings, of legends; the colour of Cadiz, the Bride of the Sea, the city the Moors compared to a ‘dish of silver in a bowl of blue’, founded by no less than Hercules himself.

My publisher, London Wall, recently released an all-in-one edition of my Andalucían Nights trilogy in ebook format (http://www.amazon.com/Andalucian-Nights-Trilogy-Award-winning-Romantic-ebook/dp/B06XKZ2XKC/). The challenge for my cover artist was to devise a new cover that would convey the feel of all three books. I was delighted with the final cover, especially because it blends together the two colours at the heart of the trilogy.

What do you think of this new cover? Do you think colour is important in a book cover? Are you attracted to certain colours in books – are your bookshelves dominated by greens or blues or pinks or golds? I would love to hear your thoughts.