Merow!  Today we have a guest post from author Elaine Faber!

 

Creating a Book Cover

Elaine Faber

There are as many ways to design a book cover as there are books. Nonfiction book covers, particularly political books seem to lean toward THE TITLE against a plain background and the author’s name. Many cozy mystery novels present an artist’s rendition of a house and garden, often including a dog or cat. I prefer using photographs on my book covers.

The book cover should suggest the concept of the plot. If the novel is part of a series, there should be a consistency in the design of each subsequent novel. Using the same color and size font for the title and a similar design helps readers recognize a particular series.

With each novel, I visualize a particular concept and begin to search Shutterstock, Fotolia, or other online photo sites for an appropriate photograph. It can take weeks or months to find just the right photo, and then purchase the rights to the use of the picture. In the Mrs. Odboddy series, her photo is superimposed with another photo that suggests the storyline. Sometimes two or three pictures are used to create the desired effect. With Desperate Doings, the picture of the Siamese cat in the tree perfectly illustrates Agnes’s cat, Ling-Ling, and her fall from the tree that begins the sequence of story events.

Mrs. Odboddy’s Desperate Doings is a cozy mystery adventure novel that combines factual WWII events, life in a small town during war, and elderly, eccentric, Agnes Agatha Odboddy. Agnes is a WWI ex-spy, now too old to actively participate in another war. This doesn’t stop her from believing she can expose Nazi spies or conspiracies that must abound in her small town.

The story begins with Agnes’s fall from a tree and a subsequent head injury. Despite medical intervention, her already bizarre behavior escalates as one poor decision follows another. She alienates family and friends with outlandish accusations when she claims to have witnessed the beloved local doctor burglarizing a neighbor’s house.

Despite a valiant effort, Agnes is unsuccessful finding a permanent home for the displaced carnival tiger she met in book three, Mrs. Odboddy - And Then There Was A Tiger. Then city hall declares Agnes must remove the tiger within seven days or they threaten euthanasia. Agnes faces an agonizing decision. How far will she go to protect the tiger? And what about the doctor? What desperate measures will she take to catch him in the act and prove she’s not really bonkers?

If you like humorous mystery-adventure, and a bit of historical fiction, you’ll love the Mrs. Odboddy series. Her latest adventure, Desperate Doings, is a hoot at a hootenanny!  

Amazon Sale Site: https://tinyurl.com/5xah4cnt

 

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Elaine Faber is an active member of Sisters in Crime, Northern California Publishers and Authors, and Cat Writers Association. Elaine lives in northern CA, with her tolerant husband, a house cat, and two feral cats that come night and morning looking for a hand-out! A portion of the proceeds from book sales goes toward cat rescue organizations.

 

Elaine.Faber@mindcandymysteries   email

www.mindcandymysteries.com   Website

 

http://tinyurl.com/lrvevgm    Black Cat’s Legacy

http://tinyurl.com/q3qrgyu    Black Cat and the Lethal Lawyer

http://tinyurl.com/y4eohe5n    Black Cat and the Accidental Angel

http://tinyurl.com/hdbvzsv    Mrs. Odboddy–Hometown Patriot

http://tinyurl.com/jn5bzwb    Mrs. Odboddy Undercover Courier

http://tinyurl.com/yx72fcpx   Mrs. Odboddy And Then There was a Tiger

https://tinyurl.com/5xah4cnt     Mrs. Odboddy’s Desperate Doings

 

Elaine will give away an e-copy of Mrs. Oddboddy’s Desperate Doings to one lucky commenter!  To enter, leave your name and email address in our comments section.  Winner will be chosen at random.  Contest ends Midnight, June 25^th.