JQ & A

Here at JQ Editions, we believe historical romance deserves the star treatment. We also believe in the irreplaceable value of human creativity. So, we are proud to partner with beloved authors and extraordinary illustrators whose work captures the soul, emotion, and atmosphere of each story. We invite you now to meet the artists behind the magic with a new questionnaire series we’d like to call JQ & A!

To start, here to answer some quick questions is Shea O’Connor, illustrator of our first 2026 title, The Last Lady B by Eloisa James. Read on to learn about Shea’s artistic process.

What was your first thought when you were approached for JQ Editions?
This can't possibly be real. Wait, wait it IS real!

How did you incorporate your personal style while blending with traditional romance covers?
I adore a vintage aesthetic, and I was looking at a ton of Regency and Victorian Gothic novel covers. So much gold foil! I knew we had to incorporate that into our cover. I love character design and Eloisa described her characters so marvelously; I was happy to get to include our main character on the cover and additional characters throughout the jacket.

What is your favorite part of the design process?
Adding the final color is a real treat. The initial vision reaches its fruition.

What’s your favorite hidden detail on the cover?
Two come to mind! The white flowers are inspired by Scotch roses, and the book takes place in the Scottish highlands. The sprayed edges feature several different picture frames; I created character illustrations representing each “Lady B” and these are their correlating frames.

What part of the book most inspired you, or when you were reading the book was there a moment that made you think “I have to design this”?
Again, the way Eloisa described her characters was so vivid...their traits, their clothes, their hair...I just had to draw each character! They are all featured in the endpages and Julia also asked me to design each of the previous Lady B’s, which was a delight!

About the decision to work with Shea, Julia says:

We needed an illustrator who could capture the glamour of an Eloisa James book, so I contacted Shea O’Connor of Designed by Shea. I’ve followed Shea for years, and she had just posted portraits of Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots, and I thought, “Bam! That’s it! That’s exactly what we need.” And boy, did Shea deliver. When she sent me the portrait of Genevieve with Peony (her pet pig), I fell in love all over again.

Thank you so much for your beautiful art and thoughtful answers, Shea! We can’t wait for you all to see her work on your editions of The Last Lady B.