Crowing about Cover Art--Judy Penz Sheluk

DEBORAH CROMBIE: It's always a treat to have Judy Penz Sheluk here, and what better way to beat the heat than a new mystery anthology! But did you ever think about how challenging it must be to design covers across a series of anthologies?

Crowing about Cover Art

Judy Penz Sheluck

A lot of thought goes into book cover design. That’s because publishers know that good covers not only help to sell books, they also define the genre, and in the case of mysteries, the sub-genres. A cozy mystery, for example, might feature a floppy-eared dog or a pair of calico cats, a historical mystery, Art Deco styling or other vintage elements, a standalone suspense, a creepy staircase. But what if the book includes several sub-genres of mystery? In other words, what if it’s an anthology?

That’s the dilemma I face every time I get ready to launch another Superior Shores Anthology, where the 20+ stories in every collection represent many facets of mystery and suspense. Of course, it helps that each anthology has a theme, but even then, some themes are easier than others. Take Moonlight & Misadventure (#3). A full moon, some creepy trees…the cover practically designed itself.

Not so much this year’s anthology, Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers. As a catchy title and a theme that allows for multiple interpretations, it hit all the right notes. But how did one design a schemer or a dreamer? True, midnight might lend itself to a moon, but we’d already done one of those. And because the decision was made early on to use the same color scheme and font for every SSP Anthology another moon wasn’t going to cut it

As always, I contacted my trusty cover artist, Hunter Martin, and as always, he asked if I had any ideas. “Well,” I said, “maybe someone sitting on a bench at night? Like they’re daydreaming?”

“Hmmm…” Hunter said, too professional to tell me what he really thought, but let’s face it, hmmm isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement.

Fast forward a couple of days and Hunter approached me with a concept and a rough sketch “What about a crow?” he asked. "A group of crows is a murder, and crows are known for their cunning and intelligence, schemers, if you will. And they love shiny objects, so I thought, if the crow was flying with a key, the key could represent a daydream.”

I loved the symbolism Hunter was suggesting. Loved the rough sketch he sent to support his idea. But mostly, I love the final cover. In fact, I love it so much I even created a 45-piece online jigsaw puzzle for it.

Try it if you dare. The best time so far is 6:30, the longest 14:25. 

READERS: Have you ever purchased a book based on the cover? If so, what drew you in and why?

About Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers: 22 stories of Mystery and Suspense: Desire or desperation, revenge or retribution—how far would you go to realize a dream? The twenty-two authors in this collection explore the possibilities, with predictably unpredictable results.

Featuring stories by Pam Barnsley, Linda Bennett, Clark Boyd, C.W. Blackwell, Amanda Capper, Susan Daly, James Patrick Focarile, Rand Gaynor, Gina X. Grant, Julie Hastrup, Beth Irish, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Jim McDonald, Donalee Moulton, Michael Penncavage, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Debra Bliss Saenger, and Joseph S. Walker. You can find it here.

About Judy: The Past Chair of Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) and a former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the multiple award-winning author of seven bestselling mystery novels, two books on publishing, and several short stories. She is also the editor/publisher of five Superior Shores Anthologies, including the 2025 Derringer-nominated Larceny & Last Chances. Find her at www.judypenzsheluk.com.

DEBS: I, for one, am incredibly susceptible to cover art. A recent foray into our shiny new B&N had me agog at all the gorgeous covers (and also wishing I wrote fantasy because there were so many drool-worthy covers in that genre) but I can't articulate what exactly works for me. I loved this insight into a cover designer's process!

What say you, dear readers?

What We're Writing Week: @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: The seventh Key West foodie mystery, Killer Takeout, will be on bookshelves soon (April 5.) Last month, that seemed a long distance away, but now the time will rush by. I have blogs to write, and proposals for new books to create, and recipes to develop, and the Key West Friends of the Library newsletter to produce. In other words, I am all over the place with what I'm writing. If I started to list it all, I fear I'd spin off into a great big ball of anxiety. 

So instead, I thought you'd enjoy a little peek into the cover story for KT. I've mentioned before that I create a Pinterest board as I work on each book. This seventh book in the Key West series takes place at Fantasy Fest, a New Orleans-style 10-day adult-themed party. As you can imagine, adult themes and cozies mysteries are not a natural mix. So I edited what I pinned to my board, so the powers that be would not freak out. No naked people in other words. I concentrated on costumes and food and pets--things that might give the cover artists a good starting point. (PS, I love my cover artists!)

Here's the first draft of what they sketched. All going in the right direction, though I wasn't sure what was up with the expanse of pavement...or the stop sign...or the blue building in the background. None of this reflected the reality of the scene (which is okay, really.) But it also distracted the eye from the fabulous display on the picnic table, including requisite cat--this time on the hunt for a lizard. My editor agreed, so back it went for another draft. I should also mention that I was writing the book as this was going on, so the artwork sometimes changed what I had imagined in a given scene. For example, I added the food truck that they had drawn in the scene...such a cool process!

Here's the second draft, minus stop sign and with reduced blacktop...and with the addition of some kind of bead shop, who knew? And notice that the truck's name has changed to Beach Eats (suggested by Celia Warren Fowler.)

Back to the drawing board for more blacktop reduction. (I'm not kidding!)

And here's the "final" draft--but purple? Oh no, I had been lobbying for orange. Because the purple seemed too close to the blue of FATAL RESERVATIONS. We certainly didn't want readers getting mixed up and thinking they already bought the new book! 

Was I wrong? I didn't think so. Was I displacing all kinds of other writer worries onto this cover? Absolutely!

Meanwhile, my editor had taken to Googling Fantesy Fest. And she'd come across photos of many naked people, albeit, painted. She called.

"Roberta, I can't quite believe what I'm finding online."

Me: "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, some of it is a little x-rated. But don't worry, I didn't write about that stuff. None of that's in the book, you'll see." 

Not much anyway. And then I begged for a chance to have orange on the cover.

She went to bat for me. Did I mention I love my editor?

You are invited to preorder KILLER TAKEOUT today!

(And PPS no, I am not going to post the naked people here either...only thinking of Hank, who is very modest. Though the truth is I do have some photos, because these painted people are not one bit shy about posing for a camera. Yeah, Hayley didn't get it either...)

The Kismet of a Book Cover with Gigi Pandian

HALLIE EPHRON: The covers of Gigi Pandian's book have a scary, child-like, ghosts-and-goblins feeling to them that is so perfect to entice readers who love magic, mystery and history. But great covers don't just happen...

GIGI PANDIAN: Have you ever judged a book by its cover? I’m guilty. I love it when a book I adore has an equally compelling book cover. (Yes, I’m a book hoarder—but that’s a story for another day…)

But what exactly goes into creating a book cover? My latest mystery, The Masquerading Magician, comes out today, so I thought I’d share a behind-the-scenes look at how I ended up with these book covers for my Accidental Alchemist series about a centuries-old female alchemist and her impish gargoyle sidekick. The books have covers that are not only beautiful but perfectly capture the spirit of the books. It didn’t happen by accident. Here’s the story of how these covers came to be. 

My publisher, Midnight Ink, asks me for cover design ideas before their Launch Meeting, a meeting that takes place close to a year before a book comes out, that’s attended by editorial, sales, publicity, and design staff. At the meeting, the publishing team discusses a title, tag lines, and cover design ideas that resonate with the group. The Accidental Alchemist was my original title, but The Masquerading Magician took a team brainstorm.

After that, a smaller group is involved in a Cover Design Meeting, where a more detailed cover concept is created. Depending on whether it’s a photographic or illustrated concept, the team will then contract a photographer or an illustrator. A lot of thought goes into it! I’m a graphic designer, but I don’t normally design book covers, so I was surprised by how much of a team effort the cover creation process was.

With a vision in place, the team hired a brilliant illustrator who captured the essence of my books: whimsical, mysterious, and not too dark or gritty. A happy story, for sure—but here’s where my particular story gets especially interesting: I turned out I knew the illustrator.

When Midnight Ink hired illustrator Hugh D’Andrade, they had no idea he’d been one of my lecturers when I was going to art school. Once he was hired to illustrate my covers, Hugh and I reconnected. We learned we both have similar day jobs at nonprofit organizations in San Francisco, and spend our free time on similar creative pursuits: while I write mysteries, he illustrates posters and book covers with his unique, mysterious style.

Here’s a peek at Hugh’s design process. (All the images below are courtesy of Hugh D’Andrade.)

These initial sketches were cool, but a bit too edgy for a not-quite-cozy paranormal mystery series. After feedback, Hugh made sure Dorian the gargoyle had a friendlier appearance. (Yup, that’s a whisk in the gargoyle’s hand. Dorian is a French chef.) 

For the new book in the series, The Masquerading Magician, we’d already established the feel of the book covers, so the initial sketches could be rougher, since the “feel” of the series had already been established, so these sketches were primarily exploring the elements to be included in the cover.  

Voila! A mysterious cover that highlights the classic magic show act that’s central to the plot of the new book. 

Do you have a favorite book cover? Or perhaps a confession about a book you bought solely for its cover?

About The Masquerading Magician

Deciphering an ancient alchemy book is more difficult than Zoe Faust bargained for. She’d much rather be gardening and exploring her new home of Portland, Oregon—but time is running out for living gargoyle Dorian Robert-Houdin. If Zoe isn’t able to unlock the alchemy book’s secrets soon, the French gargoyle will remain awake but trapped in stone forever.

When Zoe gives herself a rare night out to attend a classic magic show that reminds her of her youth, she realizes the stage magicians are much more than they seem. A murder at the theater leads back to a string of unsolved robberies and murders in Portland’s past, and a mystery far more personal than Zoe and Dorian ever imagined.

     

USA Today bestselling author Gigi Pandian is the child of cultural anthropologists from New Mexico and the southern tip of India. She spent her childhood being dragged around the world, and now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She writes the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mystery series (Artifact, Pirate Vishnu, and Quicksand) and the Accidental Alchemist mysteries (The Accidental Alchemist and The Masquerading Magician). Gigi’s debut mystery novel was awarded a Malice Domestic Grant, the follow-up won the Left Coast Crime Rose Award, and her locked-room mystery short fiction has been nominated for Agatha and Macavity awards. Connect with Gigi on her website, on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for her email newsletter.