Here it is — the final cover for Defiant.

I got it yesterday afternoon but was too busy to be able to post it. I guess I shouldn’t be doing it now, either, given that we’re on deadline with a big paper, one new staff member and one newsroom staffer on vacation. (I got to the office at 7:30 to try to get a jump on things.)

Even so, I couldn’t resist. I wanted to post it and share it with you!

I love the fact that my name is slowly getting larger than the title. I love that I’ll have enough books and reissues out by the time this book releases that they feel the need to put “Never Before Published” on the cover.

The details are pretty specific — the MacKinnon plaid, the wooden cross, the hunting knife (can’t call it a claymore because it isn’t.

Here’s a bit of trivia: I drew the tattoos myself and sent them to NY. There’s more to Connor’s “warrior marks” than the artists chose to put on the cover, probably because they felt it would make the image too busy. The one I miss the most is my drawing of a bear claw, which I thought was pretty cool. Oh, well. I agree with their decision, for what it’s worth.

I also like the font they chose for the title of the book. It has a nice frontier-ish feeling to it somehow.

So what do you all think?

Coming soon: We’re going to have a visit from the Dessert Diva. A columnist for my paper and a star of local TV, Danette specializes in making the yummiest desserts, pioneering recipes that make me really hungry each week when I’m editing our food section. Danette will be joining together with Natalie Benoit, the heroine from Breaking Point, to talk about baking pies — sharing pie-making tips, as well as recipes.

Danette is a lot of fun, so I know she and Natalie will make an entertaining duo.

If you’re wondering whether this is a response to those who disdain Natalie’s decision to stay home and bake pies for Zach, you’re absolutely right on. Why not have fun with it?