Thursday 7 July 2016

The Truth Behind the Cover- Brown vs. Brown

Take a look at my gorgeous Entwined Destiny cover. I love it, but there’s one teensy, tiny detail that bugs me and would most likely disturb the majority of people of African descent (no matter where they live in the world).

What is it, you ask? Well I’ll tell you. Right after I let you know all the things the fabulous designer got correct.

1. The Kente cloth. Ghana is known for creating fabulous, hand woven Kente cloth. When I mentioned that I wanted a purple, black and cream one on the cover, I wasn’t sure how they’d make it happen. Look how wonderfully they incorporated it in. 
2. The purple color scheme. The cover artist stole my heart with the purple scheme to match the Kente cloth.
3. The sweet and sexy embrace of the models. Love it.
4. The presence of the ocean gives the cover such a warm, scenic look. Totally Ghana.
5. The models are gorgeous. The hero, Kwame is muscular (delicious) and Adjoa has curly hair with light brown skin.

If I love so many aspects of the cover, then what’s my issue?  The models are not black. When I first saw the cover -  that was my first thought, because they aren’t. They may be mixed, but they look more like they’re of Spanish decent than African.

Is this a big deal? Kind of, considering that the book is set in Ghana. People of African descent can tell when a person is of African descent, even when they are mixed with other races. I’ll take it a step further, an African can tell where another African comes from (usually) without them speaking. And to go even deeper, in Ghana a person can usually tell the area in the country a person comes from.

Things get more difficult when we add African-Americans, those from the Caribbean, and other off continent residents into the equation because they are good and thoroughly mixed. But interestingly enough they have their own unique recognizable looks, too.

It all boils down to our features and coloring. Brown is not just brown, there are shades, hues, and undertones of it that are different from group to group. It’s a very interesting phenomenon.

And there you have it. The slight imperfection to my book cover. The models are beautiful on the cover, but they don’t really depict the African (or even African American) features of the characters in the story.

What do you think? Can you tell where a person comes from by looking at them?

The Blurb
Time is ticking away for Adjoa Twum. She has until the end of the year to find a guy, fall in love, and marry. Or else, her father will disinherit her from the family business. Adjoa hasn’t had success with the dating game. No man meets her expectations. Esi, her cousin, suggests a fake relationship with Adjoa’s best friend, Kwame Opoku, to pacify her relentless father.

Kwame thinks Adjoa’s request is ridiculous. Posing as her boyfriend might get tricky, but he can’t say no to those beautiful eyes. Once the falsified relationship begins, things heat up. He discovers deep feelings for her, feelings that might lose Adjoa and her friendship.

Should they take the chance and up it to the next level?

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4 comments:

  1. I think it is a big deal. (I also think it is a beautiful cover.) I can generally get a 'feel' for what is behind a person. Different regions have different 'looks'. My grandfather had the high cheekbones and square jaw of a Tuscan Italian (they have celtic lines behind them). There is a splendid book called 'Africa Adorned' that is a collection of photos taken by an Australian who journeyed through Africa and photographed the people wearing their adornments, whether jewelry, garments, accessories. She has a beautiful photo of a Paramount Chief wearing a magnificent Kente cloth and wearing some of his ceremonial jewelry. A wonderful photo. Uh... Where was I? Yes: lovely cover, and I might be a little piqued, myself.

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    Replies
    1. Lol. I loved your comment Diana. We are all so different and it should reflect.

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  2. Nana, I think the cover is beautiful. The kente is perfect; I love the colours. Though I don't have any purple kente in my wardrobe I have seen quite a few purple blended kente sewn into wonderful kaba and slit. And they are all beautiful.

    Personally I don't see anything wrong with the models. We do have brown-skinned Ghanaians you know. What we term chocolate complexion. Maybe a little darker shade of brown yes; but the complexion of the models is not bad. That is me.

    Congratulations on the Kimani Romance, Perfect Caress. Well done my sister. Ever so proud of you.

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