I have recently discovered the social media site Pinterest, which allows you to collate your favourite images and share them with followers.

I think of myself as a visual writer – I’m inspired by things I see, and in turn I try to describe scenes carefully so that a reader can build a vivid mental image. So discovering a whole world of inspirational images has been illuminating indeed.

On browsing images, I stumbled across a romance book cover design that I liked, so I ‘pinned’ it. The cover got me thinking – was I the only reader/writer inspired by book cover art in the romance genre? A half hour on Google later I knew that I was a member of an international community of ladies who love romance cover art – how wonderful!

What is the attraction? Well, I am drawn to the vivid colours, the beautiful and backdrops and the romantic fonts. I love painted covers, and I also appreciate those based on photographs. But of course the central draw is the lovers depicted as the focal point of the art. It seems a romance cover designer’s imagination knows no bounds when it comes to variances of facial expressions and embrace positions.

What is most interesting is tracing the progression of cover art over the years. Compare an early Mills and Boon novel with Burning Embers and you see a big difference in style. But one aspect remains constant: the passion.

I belong to a group on Goodreads called Bodice Ripper Readers Anonymous, and recently I was engaged in a discussion on cover art. A participant suggested her ideal writing space would have wallpaper made up of hundreds of difference romance book covers. How colourful and inspiring. But I think I would become rather distracted by such a wall covering – I’d spend my time staring and daydreaming rather than writing!

If you love book cover art as well, I’d love to hear about your favourite covers. And you can follow me on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/hannahfielding/book-covers-i-love/.