Tag Archives: Book cover

Peaceful Quiet Lives: The Cover

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My latest novel, Peaceful Quiet Lives, has a superb cover, courtesy of my graphic designer friend, the excellent Denisa Trenkle.

Denisa and I discussed a variety of concepts. One early rough mock-up (complete with amusing typo) emphasised the surveillance angle of the novel.

Another explored the brainwashing angle, and another featured the provocative image of lovers trapped behind prison bars in the shape of a map of the USA. A revised version of the latter, without the figures, was fully completed. We considered using this one as an alternative.

At one point, this cover (created by me – nothing whatsoever to do with Denisa) was used as a temporary measure, but never intended to make it to publication. For complicated reasons, a couple of these were printed, so if this novel is ever hugely successful, these two copies featuring my inept attempts at graphic design will end up being worth a fortune.

However, in the end, we settled on this cover:

The final cover subtly hints at different elements of the narrative around the central title text, through use of colour and symbolism. It also looks nothing like any of my other novel covers, which was a key part of the brief I gave Denisa. Given that the subject matter is outside my usual gothic horror or children’s adventure oeuvre, it really needed to stand out.

What is the subject matter? Check out the blurb from the back of the book:

Two Nations Under God. Can their love survive in either nation?

Life, love, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are a distant dream for Sam and Eve. Their forbidden love falls foul of laws in both nations born from the ashes of the Second American Civil War.

A satire of political and religious fears, Peaceful Quiet Lives is a thought-provoking and powerful dystopian future shock.

Peaceful Quiet Lives is available as a download or paperback from Amazon. Pick up your copy here (in the UK) or here (in the US). It is also available from Smashwords here.

To see more of Denisa’s splendid work, click here.

The Thistlewood Curse – cover design

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The cover for my latest novel, The Thistlewood Curse, was designed by my wife Zara, derived from an image taken by her photographer mother, Frances Belsham. Frances’s original image showed a rugged Lundy cliff-face overlooking the Bristol Channel. Zara took this image, and made it appear as though the island itself were bleeding.

THE THISTLEWOOD CURSE Cover (JPG Print version)

I particularly liked this visual concept for multiple reasons. Firstly, it speaks of the initial death which puts the main plot in motion. Also, on a metaphorical level it hints at the dark, brutal, secret history gradually uncovered in the story, as well as the bloodbath that ensues in the finale.

I cannot say too much more, for fear of spoilers, but needless to say I am very pleased with the result. This is the first cover Zara has prepared for me, and I expect it will not be the last. Incidentally, she also designed my current blog header and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.

Here is the blurb from the back of The Thistlewood Curse:

From the author of Children of the Folded Valley and The Birds Began to Sing…

Can a ghost murder the living?

Lawrence Crane’s powers of astral projection are put to the ultimate test when he and his lifelong friend Detective Laura Buchan investigate a mysterious death on Lundy Island.

Sensing a dark power at work, they attempt to identify a human assassin under the control of supernatural evil.

But can they escape a terrifying, centuries-old curse?

You can download or buy print copies of The Thistlewood Curse from Amazon here.