Today I bring you one of my favorite posts of the year! Once again, my cover models kindly took time to answer a few questions for me. And once again they’re a real-life couple. Bethany House employees told me that Bryant and Ellie were a delight to work with on Turn to Me’s shoot and that staffers were swooning over the romance of their photos (as did I when I saw their cover).
Thanks so much, Bryant and Ellie, for allowing me to get to know you via this interview. And warmest congratulations on your engagement!
How did you meet?
Ellie: We technically met five years ago. I was bartending at a bad college bar and his sister tried to set us up. We were both walking disasters at the time, nothing came of it (thank goodness). We were both chasing the world, not Christ-centered at all. Fast forward five years. We’d both found Jesus and were volunteering with youth at church. He looked familiar, so I struck up a conversation and we became friends. I wanted to be single but he pursued me and it grew naturally from that! God brought us to each other.
Can you each tell me a little bit about yourselves?
Ellie: I am the youngest of three girls. I was always the wild child, and did the opposite of what I was told to do. I joined the Army National Guard at seventeen. I’ve traveled a lot and enjoy being adventurous and trying new things. I am a Criminal Analyst for now, we’ll see what God has me doing in the future! God turned my life around for sure.
Bryant: I am the youngest of three. I have an older sister and brother. I live in Minneapolis, MN. I own a business called Nautical Bowls which is an acai concept. I am actively involved in church at River Valley. I recently got engaged to Ellie!
How did you become the cover models for Turn to Me?
Ellie: Bryant was contacted about the job, and he didn’t want to do it out of respect for me because we were dating. So he was honest about it. Donna said she’d see if I could pose with him and then worked her magic to give me black hair and bangs. [They ordered a wig for Ellie to wear during the shoot to give her Finley’s hairstyle.]
When you think back to the day of the cover shoot, what memories stick out?
Ellie: Transforming into Zooey Deschanel and experiencing Bryant in his “model mode”.
Bryant: I’ve been doing shoots for a while now and I felt connected with the shoot because I was acting with my fiancee. I felt so relaxed and it was a blast performing with Ellie!
What do you think of the finished cover?
Ellie: I love it! I can tell in Bryant’s eyes that he’s sincere. The cover photo captures real emotions, not faked, even if it was for a cover. The director was amazing at getting us into character.
And now (just for fun) a quiz to see how similar you each are to Luke and Finley, the hero and heroine of Turn to Me….
Bryant:
Do you have a history of stealing cars? “No.”
Do you sometimes wear black leather jackets? “No.”
Have you ever experienced an earthquake? “No.”
Would you consider yourself tech savvy? “Kind of.”
One reader described Luke as “fantastically grumpy”. Does that bear any resemblance to your personality? “No, unless I’m hungry or right when I wake up.”
Ellie:
Do you love animals? “Yes.”
Are you an only child? “Nope! I’m the youngest!”
Has anyone ever left you a mysterious gift in their will? “Yes — haha — a house in another state.”
Do you enjoy the “Boho” style of clothing? “Yes, I wear BOHO as my main summer style.”
Is faith a big part of your life? “The biggest. I am crazy independent, but God softened me up and I owe everything in my life to Him.” [Ellie is similar to Finley in 4/5 ways! And the house she was given in another state proves that she was meant to be a book heroine.]
If you’re on Instagram you can find Bryant here and Ellie here.
Readers, didn’t their cover turn out beautifully?
Turn to Me releases in less than two weeks! There’s still time to take advantage of the pre-order deal offered by Baker Book House. 40% off list price for a copy with a signed bookplate inside + free shipping in the USA.
Here’s a peek at the novel’s plot:
His promise will cost him far more than he imagined.
Guilt has defined Luke Dempsey’s life, but it was self-destructiveness that landed him in prison. When his friend and fellow inmate lay dying shortly before Luke’s release, the older man revealed he left a string of clues for his daughter, Finley, that will lead her to the treasure he’s hidden. Worried that she won’t be the only one pursuing the treasure, he gains Luke’s promise to protect her until the end of her search.
Spunky and idealistic, Finley Sutherland is the owner of an animal rescue center and a defender of lost causes. She accepts Luke’s help on the treasure hunt while secretly planning to help him in return–by coaxing him to embrace the forgiveness he’s long denied himself.
As they draw closer to the final clue, their reasons for resisting each other begin to crumble, and Luke realizes his promise will push him to the limit in more ways than one. He’ll do his best to shield Finley from unseen threats, but who’s going to shield him from losing his heart?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the interview!
Becky Wade
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I can relate to being #FantasticallyGrumpy when I wake up. LOL
Ditto! Whoever described Luke that way was a genius. 🙂
Always LOVE your cover stories, Becky! This is a great one!
Glad you enjoyed it, Deb! These interviews make me happy. This one gave me my romance fix for the day!
I absolutely love your interviews with your cover models! So cool that they are really a couple! The book premise sounds fantastic!
I LOVE that my cover models are real-life couples. Ellie said it so well when she said that the photo captures real emotions. 🙂
What an adorable couple. Even more so, that Bryant didn’t want to do it out of respect for Ellie because they were dating. ***SWOON*** Was super excited about reading Luke & Finley’s story before this interview, but now even more so after “seeing” them 🙂
I’m swooning over here in Dallas, too! 😉
Oh I love it when you get to interview your cover models! Thanks for doing this again and thank you to Ellie and Bryant!
They were so kind to help me keep this tradition alive! I look forward to it every year.
I always love this post! It’s so much fun! Do you ever think about covers without cover models?
But then we would miss this yearly post!!☹️
Yes, I do think about covers without cover models. It seems to me that they have more cross-over appeal. However, when I poll my core readers, they tell me they prefer photos with people. 🙂
I always love these post, Becky! So fun. Love the couple’s chemistry in the cover shot.
Right?! Great chemistry between them!
I’ve been waiting for this post, because it means the book will soon be in my hands! So looking forward to reading this story!
Thank you! And you’re right. Turn to Me will be in your hands VERY soon! I hope you love it.
Love hearing the behind the scenes info about your covers! So fun! It brings the characters to life even more since they are kept to their description physically. Drives me crazy when a cover depicts the person so different than what the author does! Thanks for sharing this!
“Drives me crazy when a cover depicts the person so different than what the author does!” Yep, I think that’s a pet peeve of a huge number of readers. I’m fortunate that my publisher has worked so hard to find models that resemble my characters.
I’m with you. The cover model couples’ interview is one of my favorite posts. Love the cover, the couple, and the story behind it. Can’t wait to read this book!
I’m delighted to know this post is a favorite of yours, too! Thanks, Gena.
It’s so much fun to find out how covers come to be! I just finished the second of this series. Looking forward to this one! Congrats!
Thanks for reading Let It Be Me, Angie!
I loved the interview and their story was a redemptive one! How precious! Oh and I love knowing the inside scoop. Thanks Becky!
Yes! Their story was a redemptive one. 🙂 Love it!
I love this so much!! I think this is my favorite blog post of the year too—as soon as it pops up, I sit down to read it immediately! Their story gives me all the feels, especially when Ellie confesses they weren’t meant to be when they first met, but after they followed Christ, He brought them back together. That’s so cool!! (They are NOT allowed to break up though like that one other couple!!😉😂)
So excited for this release! I’ve had it preordered since the link first went live!
Thanks so much, Karen!
What a wonderful interview and beautiful couple. I wish them many years of happiness. Congratulations on your upcoming release, Becky. So excited for you and for your readers.
Thanks, Stacy!