As a first step in this direction, I'm asking for your input. I have four draft designs for the cover of Marcie's Murder and I'd like to know what you think about them. Read the description of the novel below, take a look at the four draft designs, and leave a comment at the end of this post telling me which one you like and why. Or, if you don't like any of them, tell me to send the graphic designer back to the drawing board! As always, I appreciate your input.
As a special thank you for reading this post, please feel free to use this Smashwords link to download a free e-book copy of Blood Passage, the first book in the series. Use coupon code DJ53C before February 8, 2012, and enjoy the novel with my compliments. This free copy is yours whether you leave a comment or not.
Now, down to business!
Marcie's Murder: Description
Homicide Lieutenant Hank Donaghue is on a much-needed vacation when he stops overnight in the small town of Harmony, Virginia. He checks into a motel and spends half an hour in a nearby bar before heading back to his room. In the middle of the night the local police kick down his door, drag him out of bed, give him a brutal beating and lock him up in a cell, accusing him of the murder of a woman found strangled behind the bar not long after Hank returned to his motel room. The victim, he learns, is the wife of the chief of police.
An eyewitness swears he saw Hank coming from the back of the bar not long before the body was discovered, and the chief of police is determined that Hank will pay for his wife's murder. When he finally is allowed to make his phone call, Hank dials the number of the one person he knows can help clear his name: Detective Karen Stainer.
What follows is a rollercoaster ride through southwestern Virginia as Hank and Karen track down a series of suspects, including the abbot of a local monastery who looks a lot like Hank, the victim's illicit lover, and the chief of police himself!
Cover Designs:
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| Cover Design #1 |
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| Cover Design #2 |
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| Cover Design #3 |
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| Cover Design #4 |
Number two is my favourite, followed by four. No particular reason, other than I'd probably pick them up in a bookshop over one and three. Not sure that helps your decision making any...
ReplyDeleteTo add confusion, I found the third the most striking. Number four would be my next choice.
ReplyDeleteAlan and Brenda, thanks very much! I appreciate the comments.
ReplyDeleteMike, I commend you on the differences in each one. What a great variety! Hands down, I love design #1 the most. How's taht for getting a different opinion from everyone?? But it really is striking, captures the genre, intrigues the reader and is provocative enough to catch the eye from a distance. And you know I like provocative!
ReplyDeleteWhat an exciting time!!
Thanks very much, Jasmine. These are all very important qualities in the cover you mention and yes, provocative is great! Thanks for the comment!
ReplyDeleteGlad to review the covers and found that the fourth is my favourite because it leaves more to the imagination I think. It has an allure there, the headlights staring at you. If you do want to go with the female face view, the #3 is the one- less symmetry is always more interesting.I can't wait to read it. And by the way, I like consistancy in cover designs and there is a similarity between Ghost Man's cover and #4.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting comments, indeed, Linda! Thank you very much. I like the reasons you state for preferring #4 and didn't think of the link back to The Ghost Man's cover. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteA great read Mike and I definitely prefer cover #4! Like Linda I prefer consistency between a writer's cover designs as I think it creates an immediate identity to the writer. I find that #4, like the cover for your other Donaghue novel, Blood Passage, portrays a sense of an eerie, dark and lonely location which I can easily relate to something sinister and mysterious occurring. For me this sense of danger,mystery and a lonely location feeds directly into the theme of the novel. We will be getting together shortly so I can discuss this further with you then.
ReplyDeleteMike, my call is #2 ... it seems to reflect the locale pretty well and is somewhat in the same thread as Blood Passage cover. Personally, I think a different cover might be in order. #4 is just too dark and details are difficult but it would be excellent IF it were lighter. I feel the necklines are so cliche. Of course, a lineup of the monk in robes, Hank (w/ badge), the chief (w/ badge) and a couple of others could be cute. Okay, that was tongue-in-cheek silliness. Sorry. Tell the designer to lighten #4 and I think you'll have a winner there.
ReplyDeleteGood job Michael! They all look great, however, I’ll definitely go with #3 because the title and the cover "speak to each other perfectly." Presumably, Marcie’s face with an emphasis on the elegant long neck hints strangulation or throat injury. Just like the first one “Blood Passage,” which features a wet and sinister hallway/passage. Sarah
ReplyDeleteI like #3 and #4. These two seem to give a more sinister appearance. That, i would find more intriguing and more apt to purchase.
ReplyDeleteHi Mike,
ReplyDeleteEither 3 or 4, but preferably 3 because it both goes with the title and sets the right tone. Nice work!
I'd choose number three or four. The first grabbed me, but the knife pushed back just a bit. The second didn't conjure any blood at all. Three however, grabbed me just like the first - minus the push-back. Four comes in as a very close second, 'cause it's hard to top headlights on a dark, winding road. Iconic symbols hit pay dirt everytime.
ReplyDeleteSubmitted by Steve Ortwerth
Larry and Linda, Bob, Sarah, Anonymous person, Martha and Steve, thanks very much for your comments. This is such an interesting process, with so many opinions, and appreciate everyone's point of view. We seem to be trending toward either 3 or 4, but it's not over yet!
ReplyDeleteComing from a completely YA point of view, I woul dhave to choose either number 1 or 3. Proably number three because it's more striking. Any thoughts about adding a bit of red blood in there to really make the cover pop?
ReplyDelete