Last week I introduced you to Katherine Hole, creator of Loving Me, Myself, and I . This week, I would like to introduce you to Ashley Erin, and long time client of mine and a contemporary romance writer in the Greater Edmonton Area. Ashley was a hard working social worker who took a chance and followed her dream of being an author. Writing is currently her full-time passion. 

Full disclosure: I am not a romance novel enthusiast. I think there is potential to get into fictional pieces, however my logical brain is trapped with dedicating its reading time to evidence based literature on physical rehabilitation and the likes (the other career is as an Occupational Therapist). Reading for "pleasure" is something I do when I am on an airplane on vacation.

When Ashley asked me to shoot the cover of a book for her, I jumped at the chance! I was also a little nervous as I had never shot a book cover before. Part of the preparation for the shoot was that I needed to read the first novel in the series (I was shooting the second one). You are probably thinking, "Sure, you just wanted to justify reading a romance novel," which is probably partially true, but I did find it a beneficial exercise in understanding the flow, mood, character, and environment that needs to be depicted in the cover and teasers. It is also important for model selection. 

IT WAS A GOOD BOOK. There. I said it. I enjoyed the read. The book I read was All About Us which is the first of 3 books in the All or Nothing series. All About Hope was the book that I would be shooting the cover for and was still being written. I still maintain that I HAD to read it. It was for work. 

Ashley already had the model picked. It was an American model named Cody Johnvin who was as cooperative, friendly, and down-to-earth as he was shredded and delectably good looking (so like REALLY down-to-earth). Ashley had the great idea to not only bring him to Alberta to shoot the cover, but to also give him the full Western Canada experience and take him to Jasper, Banff, and the other amazing places we have around here. 

We had a beautiful day at a local ranch to shoot the teasers and the cover. I completely over-prepared, and rented way too much equipment (my nervousness coming through) but we got our images while having a ton of fun. Also, a horse tried to eat my pony tail. No pun intended. That actually happened. 

The tough part is having these images and then having to SIT ON THEM WITHOUT SHOWING ANYONE for 18 months until the book is released. On September 13, 2016, Ashley released the second book in the All or Nothing series; All About Hope with my photo of Cody Johnvin on the front and back cover. It is awesome and weird seeing your photo on a paperback. I could get used to this. 

Then of course, because, you know, my photo is on it, I supposed I should read the book...for work purposes only. So I did. AND IT WAS A GOOD BOOK, OKAY?! Like really. really. good. I was texting Ashley while I was reading, saying things like, "No you didn't!" "How could you do that to your reader?!?!" "How could you do that to the character?!?!" 

I guess there is no time like the present to tell you that I also ready Ashley's other books:

• The No Asshole Rule
• The No Bad Boy Rule
• Without Walls

FOR WORK PURPOSES ONLY even though I have no work associated with these titles. I really like the No Rules series. I can't wait for The No Jock Rule. Also, Without Walls is a great stand alone and depicts the Canadian Rocky Mountain wilderness to a tee. But with more sex. 

For work purposes. Necessary for photography that I read these. 

You can also pre-order Part I of The Fine Line Between Love and Hate which is set to release on October 11, 2016. I have already. For work. 

Last month, we also completed the cover shoot for the third book in the All or Nothing series which will be All About Forever. I can't show you any sneak peaks from that though! You will have to wait a year! We had a great time on the ranch again and got some great images. Here is a great candid shot we got of her at the shoot with her horse, Belle. 

We also completed the cover for an upcoming stand alone. I can't tell you anything about this one, except it is a darker book based on Ashley's knowledge and experience as a social worker. It is going to be an amazing book, and the cover is just a proof and I am already beyond excited about it. We shot it in my husband's dingy basement gym with an intricate lighting set up and it was PERFECT even though it sounds totally unprofessional and low budget. You will understand when you see it. I am unbelievably excited about this one! You will hear about this in 2017.

Ashley has taught me so much about the writing industry, and we have a lot in common as artists! She also introduced me into this crazy industry and I can't wait to continue to collaborate with her on future projects. Thank you Ashley for having the courage to take a less conventional path and be a great role model for other authors and artists! You are an inspiration!

Check out Ashley Erin's book on Amazon.ca/uk/us (Amazon.ca links above in the titles). You know...for work purposes. 

Happy Reading!

Chelsea