I was going to do this a little later in the month, but things are moving, people! Tech things in the background that wait for no mere human. I’ll tell you more about those soon. But first… I need your help.
I’m editing the Sydney #7 manuscript now. Well, now-ish obviously. As soon as I finish this post, I’ll be back at it. Syd #7 will be a door-stopper of a novel, and those of you on my List, you’ll learn the title in the June Newsletter. Mwah-ha-hah! Barring anything crazy, you should all have it in your hands (or on your ereader) by the end of the summer.
**But Author Person, we’re all about the visualization of future pleasant experiences, so what will it look like?**
Well, funny you should ask, because that’s where I need your help. When I approached a cover designer for Back to Lazarus, the first Sydney Brennan Mystery, I didn’t intend to include a person on the front, and definitely not a face. But as I was reviewing stock photos, I saw Sydney, right there staring back at me. It was almost spooky! How could I not put her on the cover? Which means <gulp>, on every cover after that.
Fast forward to Book 7. Portraits of my lovely cover model are getting thin, and it’s time to go in a new cover direction. That’s where you come in. I’ve been trolling through book charts like a printed/digital word stalker (I’m visualizing a Sherlockian hat now), but there’s only one of me. And you, my lovelies, are a mystery-loving hive mind.
Unfortunately not my dog or my pool
So what are your favorite recent mystery book covers? Which ones catch your eye? Besides naked man chests. I don’t even read romantic whosawhatsit, and they catch my eye. Let’s be equal opportunity here: same for heaving cleavage. We can’t look away from either of them, like a car wreck where there are no injuries, but hold on—was that your obnoxious ex being interrogated by the cops by the side of the road? Ahh, karma.
Also, no covers with puppies and cuteness. I am transfixed by Great Danes playing with kittens as much as the next person (my husband who sits beside me while I’m skimming my Twitter feed might say more than the next person), but Sydney’s stories are not cozies.
So, please, I would love to hear the kind of thing you’d like to see on the next Sydney cover! You can drop me an email (Contact form at the bottom) or—wait, I have a better idea.
Behold the best smoothie (or iced coffee) travel mug ever! In its natural environment. Which could be on your end table (aka unsanctioned cat perch) FOR FREE.
The mug features your favorite PI, it’s light and shiny (stainless steel), fits in car cup holders, and holds twenty ounces of your favorite beverage with a handy dandy flip top cap, which will fit a straw.
**But, Author Person, I’ll bet the metal freezes the bejesus out of your hands.**
In fact, because I am a martyr for my fans, I can tell you my yummy Chocolate Crave smoothie (banana, peanut butter, cacao, and ice) did not freeze my hands because the mug is double-walled to keep your beverage hot or cold.
So, please share your cover feedback through the entry form below, and not only will you have the satisfaction of knowing you helped determine Syd’s future look, but you could win one of these bad boys!
I’ll choose one random winner from among the entries, and not only Americans—everybody. I believe Society6 delivers just about everywhere in the world, so unless you’re doing time at McMurdo Station (or in prison), we can probably accommodate you.
ENTER NOW, before you forget! Unless you’re peeking at your phone while waiting at a traffic light, in which case stop it! Focus. And enter by June 17, 2019, sometime when you’re not driving.
Just log below with your email address (only used to contact you if you win) and click on the little drop down arrow to answer the question. Good luck, and thank you so much for the cover feedback!