I haven’t done that blog post yet, but I should! 😀

Yes, the vast majority of dark-skinned, dreadlocked hero images were somewhat racist (IMHO), as they portrayed slacker-and-drug-using types. And when I say “vast majority,” I mean 99% or so. *sigh*

The impression anyone would have from a search of images for dreadlocks was that those with dreadlocks couldn’t be clean, professional, attractive, intense (without looking like a convict), etc. I’ve heard similar stories about trying to find POC for heroines. A couple of months ago, I actually supported a Kickstarter for Mosaic Stock, as their goal is to provide diverse stock photos. I hope they succeed because, boy, does the industry need it!

I finally found a new cover model with a different set of images by changing my search terms (I thinks “dreds” instead of “dreadlocks”). Photo tags are SO important for being found, so I guess that’s a good lesson for the metadata of our books. LOL! That model had several poses to choose from, so I feel that we got lucky at the last minute. My cover artist just had to tweak his eye color (paranormal) and make his dreads longer. Yay!

Thanks, Jami! Did you do a blog post on your cover art process? I’d love to hear about the hunt for a dreadlocked hunk.

I haven’t heard that about the blond-ing of heroes before. I thought the term was tall, DARK, and handsome. 😉 And I had a heck of a time finding a blond stock image for my short story because most of the stock images are for brunettes (for men). I could see the blond thing for heroines though. That’s definitely a societal “preference.” *sigh*

I was adamant that the cover of my second novel NOT be white-washed. The hero has dark skin and dreadlocks, and I searched for months to find an image true to that. I’m so glad your publisher respected your requirements and came up with a cover that works!