Sophia LeRoux is the maestro behind the book covers at Kyanite Publishing. She had me by the heart when she sent me the cover for It Starts With A Kiss. The colours and style totally capture the essence of the story—it’s in space, it’s dreamy, and it expresses the simplicity of a friendship as it blossoms into love.

Here’s a little interview, in case you’re as curious as I was about the creative behind the covers.

JL: Tell me a bit about the style you chose. What inspired you? What do you love about the approach you took?

SOPHIA LEROUX: What’s not to love? For starters I’m super partial to anything purple and cosmic, and the figures on the front, although kind of cheeseball, captures the subtle romance that I was going for. The cover really does set a great starting point and feel for the book.

JL: Absolutely. You express the mood so fluently. What got you into design?

SOPHIA: My love for art in general. I’ve got a vivid imagination and art was the only outlet I had to really start getting it out there. I think my life would be slightly emptier without it.

JL: You’ve designed heaps of covers for Kyanite already—which one is your favourite?

SOPHIA: That’s a hard one. Honestly, I couldn’t pick a favorite even if i tried because I love them all for different reasons.

JL: Good point! And I guess how we perceive a cover can totally change once we’ve read the story too. Where does your perspective come from? Any hobbies or interests that feed your creativity?

SOPHIA: Photography is a huge one. So is traveling. Drawing as well. Music, movies, and concept art are also huge driving forces for my creativity.

JL: How about books—what do you like to read?

SOPHIA: Funny you ask, because I actually don’t read much. But when I do, it’s usually old books (early 1900s) or history books on things that are macabre, occult, or mythological. Oddly enough, the reason I don’t read much (at least of my own genre) is because I don’t want someone else influencing my voice or style.

JL: Tell me a bit about your writing.

SOPHIA: Well, I’ve got tons of ideas, even a few under pen names that are a bit too raunchy or taboo even for me to put out there as me (LGBT or more demonic/cult-type stories). Typically though I write mythologically inspired dark romances with some thriller aspects thrown in. I love writing about love–and sex on a primal level–and enjoy bringing a whole new psychological feel to them that really makes your body ache.

JL: I can totally see how the language in old books would lend to that too. So, what are you working on at the moment?

SOPHIA: Lately I’ve been working on some shorts under my pen name, but haven’t got a definitive timeline on them yet. Ashes of the Fae: Book One came out in June and was actually a re-release through Kyanite Publishing of the first book I ever published. Aside from Beyond the Spectra, also book one, anything else I’ve got lined up will be coming out next year and the years to follow.