It’s here! After many versions and many opinions which were greatly appreciated, the cover for the next book is done.

I learned quite a bit during this process. Things like listening to, and valuing, everyone’s opinions. I so appreciated all the input but the process reinforced for me how varied our tastes are.

I so wanted a shadow in this cover. I could picture it in my head, my cover artist tried multiple ways of fitting the shadow in, but none of the versions felt right. While some people liked the shadow and others didn’t, even those who liked it weren’t excited about its presence. So while not everyone agreed, I sensed an agreement of sorts in the lack of ‘that’s perfect!’. That enthusiasm was missing. I realized I was trying too hard to make something fit that maybe wasn’t meant to be. And when I saw this version without the shadow, I finally reacted with the little bubble of excitement that says ‘I do believe this is it.’

One friend, when she saw the cover, had the response I wanted to elicit. Even though she says she’s not much of a reader, she said the cover made her want to walk up that road and see what was going on. That comment made me realize that’s what I wanted to convey. The desire to open the book and see what’s going on.

And like I mentioned in a previous post, I also learned the biggest lesson of all. That a cover should be a short story and not a novel.

Now my poor overworked cover artist gets to start on the back cover.

Ghost Roads – the prequel to The Memory Keeper.