Today's Cover Story is from Dana Precious, author of Born Under a Lucky Moon. It's the most personal Cover Story I've heard, and the process resulted in a magical image.

Here's Dana:

"I wanted the cover to be full of joy. The cover for

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (right) I thought was brilliant -- two young women playing leap frog. When I got the first covers for Born Under a Lucky Moon well, they just weren't my book!  

"One was of a woman's feet standing on a picnic table (why do they always want to show feet?). It looked like she was going to commit suicide. The next was of a woman dressed in a gothic gown in a field. It looked like an old oil painting which I didn't get at all. 

"I am fortunate that my husband owns a design company. So Vox + Associates created the cover for me with the blessing of Harper Collins. 

"The idea of a girl jumping in water was from my agent, Nancy Yost. I enlisted my 22 year old niece, Morgan, to be the jumping girl. And, I had a treasured taffeta dress that my mom had handmade for me for a special dance when I was 20 years old. 

"Our friend, Pete Tangen, who is a professional photographer, took the photo of Morgan in exchange for a home-cooked dinner. Morgan, outfitted in my taffeta dress (I wish I could still fit into it!)  bounced off a little trampoline over and over as Pete snapped away. Then my husband, Martin Gueulette, took a photo of my brother's backyard in N. Muskegon, MI. That's where the dock and water come from. 

"With a little photoshop magic Martin married the image of Morgan with the dock and voila! A happy girl jumping joyously off of a dock. The whole cover is homegrown with love and joy -- which is exactly what Born Under a Lucky Moon is about!"

Thanks, Dana! I think the energy and color of the cover is gorgeous -- how very cool that you got to give it such personal touches. A handmade taffeta dress: I'm swooning!

What do you guys think?