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It's me again— with a question for you!
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Many readers have commented on the artwork on the covers of the Mountain Women Series.
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The design was created by Italian artist Valentina Migliore, working from my ideas and suggestions. It appears on the covers as a symbol, a kind of family crest for the series. We call it the medallion.
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At the center are three women joined hand in hand. You may recognize May Rose in the middle. She is the heart of these stories, in which women’s friendships and mutual support are constant themes. The series is full of strong women, but none of them succeeds alone. Time and again, difficult circumstances are overcome because women help one another.
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Around the women in the medallion are symbols drawn from their world. Corn and cornmeal appear throughout the stories, a staple crop more practical than wheat on small mountain farms. Corn represents survival, hard work, and the daily challenge of putting food on the table.
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Near the bottom are a spool of thread, a needle, and a pen nib. Sewing and clothing design provide livelihoods for some characters, such as Virgie and Glory, but every woman of their time needed practical skill with a needle. The pen nib reminds me of the letters May Rose writes to her lost family in the first book—a simple tool that once connected people across great distances.
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The wildflowers in the medallion, including the white trillium at the base, are native to the mountains that inspired these stories. The trillium grows slowly and endures for many years, making it a fitting symbol for the women of the series. In lives that are often marked by hardship and loss, people need the beauty of the natural world.
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The vines and leaves bind everything together, much as family connections and friendships link the lives of May Rose, Wanda, Luzanna, Virgie, Piney, and so many others.
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Logging camps, sawmills, coal mines, and even moonshine form much of the economic background of these stories. Yet it never occurred to me to place those symbols in the medallion. Those industries may provide a setting for the stories, but the medallion is about something different. It represents home, family, friendship, and the lives of women who endured and shaped their communities.
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Above: The Christmas Medallion
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When Valentina created the Christmas version of the design for Christmas with Charlie, she added winter branches and ornaments, but the heart of the image remained unchanged. The women are still there, linked by friendship and loyalty, vital to this story too. I might have replaced them with an image of Charlie and two small boys, but that would have been a spoiler.
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For me, the medallion captures the central idea of the Mountain Women Series: ordinary women facing difficult lives, sustained by family, friendship, courage, and love.
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My question for you:
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Looking again at the two versions of the medallion, what details did you notice for the first time? What do the symbols mean to you?
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Thanks for reading!
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You received this email because you signed up to my newsletter. Feel free to contact me at www.carolervin.com
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Thanks for reading, and thanks for your ratings and reviews!
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