Say Goodbye by Ed Rand

We want you to share your book cover with us. An attractive cover is a big element in the appeal of your book. We want to hear the details about yours.

This is the cover for Say Goodbye, A Reluctant Sleuth Mystery by E J Rand (www.reluctantsleuth.com). It was published February 21st, 2008.

Did your publisher design the cover, and/or did you have input? My publisher, Deadly Ink Press (www.deadlyink.com), selected a designer, Rebecca A. Kandel. Kandel lives in California, I'm in New Jersey, but we find email exchanges work well. She is conscientious, and progress became exciting. One benefit of working with a small publisher is that I can be deeply involved in the process. It took seventeen mockups to get it just right. It's my first cover, the first in what will be a mystery series, and so we wanted to set a "series" tone and make this cover as compelling as we could. The publisher had ultimate approval, but liked what author and designer were developing, and gave us our head.

Is there an interesting story behind the cover design? SAY GOODBYE is what I call a crossover: a deep love story folded tightly into a murder mystery. I'm a senior citizen and so is my protagonist. I wanted to convey, at first glance, BOTH romance and danger. That's easier said than done, and I'd gotten advice not to try—I was told either would be enough, two would confuse. But I'm stubborn.

Who is the cover artist? Kandel felt that characters in silhouette would suffice; she offered alternatives, modified to our suggestions and her creativity, and so publisher and author tip our hats to her.

Are you happy with the cover? Extremely. Standing in a row beside other covers, ours pops out. And the second Reluctant Sleuth Mystery, PERFECT COVER (Deadly Ink Press, December, 2008) retains the same lighter-to-darker color value (with a different color), titles font and placement, and graphic location—a recognizable sister.

Tell us what you think is the best part of the cover. Tough choice: Perhaps the image: At first glance, a couple kissing and in the gun sight—a look into the story, right side of the page, makes you want to open the book. Then, there's the color: it's like blood, but non-threatening, and the lighter tone within the sight draws attention.

Is there anything else about your cover that we need to know? The gun sight surround had been black, but we changed it to gold—as it also represents a wedding band. It's not etched as we didn't want to detract from the eye going through into the image. But he wears a ring to preserve memories; she wears one as a defense against men, and that surfaces in the first chapter. Not easy for those two, falling for one another…or staying alive.

Please provide your website link. www.reluctantsleuth.com. Background on author, book, and series—including sample text from all three novels so far completed, are available. Visitors can order the book from the site.

What is the link to buy your book? I'm not adept at shortening, but here's a copy of the top line:
http://www.amazon.com/Say-Goodbye-E-J-Rand/dp/0978744217/