Cover Me

By Jeri Westerson


It’s something most authors have no control over. Yeah, we write the books, create the characters and plots, but we are not trusted to give input about what our covers should look like.

And perhaps, in some instances, that’s a good thing. Not everyone’s visual. But what about covers? Do they sell books? And what about mine, since, I mean let’s face it, that’s why we’re here?

My first published novel was VEIL OF LIES seen here as a hardcover. I had no idea what St. Martin’s art department was going to come up with. Here was a new medieval mystery, a “Medieval Noir,” so it was sort of a different take from the average medieval mystery. Those covers ran the gambit from stained glass windows, to old drawings of knights, to tapestry-like paintings. Historical novels usually employed costumed models in lush backdrops. So it could have been anything, and since I am a visual person (I was a graphic artist for fifteen or so years) I anxiously awaited what they would come up with. I knew for myself that book covers are the first thing that get my attention in a bookstore. So I was hoping for something eye-catching…in a good way.

The initial image my editor presented is the one that ended up on the hardcover. Basically, they ran out of time. He never really liked it but it was okay by me because it looked rather literary and it was, after all, my first freakin’ book cover! Though my first reaction was “Why a key?” My editor replied, “It’s a locked room mystery.” Oops. I’d forgotten that.

Anyway, after a while it did seem a bit literal. A key, a folded veil, drops of blood. Nice, classy, but did it really say “Medieval Noir?” I had in mind more of a cover like my friend Kat Richardson had; a single character on a shadowy background where you can sort of tell what city they’re in. The only thing iconic to London of the time period was the Tower of London, but you can’t have that in every shot.

As luck would have it, when it was time for VEIL to go to paperback, the paperback division of Minotaur Books absolutely hated the hardcover art. In fact, they weren’t going to spend the money on the paperback if Minotaur did not change it and pronto.

Suddenly, I was being asked for ideas, and the same guy who did Kat’s books was being looked at. I might have given a girly squeal at one point. Crispin Guest, my brooding ex-knight turned detective, is the driving force in the novels, a sort of medieval Sam Spade, and so I really wanted that single figure in a shadowy background. The fellow who did Kat’s covers was overbooked but I was given links to other artists they were considering who did similar work, artists who used model photos that are then manipulated in PhotoShop. A model was chosen for Crispin and I was shown the head shots of him. Now we were getting somewhere!

I was worried about the costume because so many historical covers get the era wrong. After all, it’s the author who does all the research, but the artist just seems to have a vague idea of “medieval” or “Renaissance.” Fortunately, someone did their homework, and Crispin is in the proper clothes. Even the right colors! I couldn’t have asked for a better job.

With different backgrounds and different moody colors (I particularly liked SERPENT IN THE THORNS with its sepia tones) “Medieval Noir” came to life.

They only get better and better. We get a rather dramatic flourish of cloak and brandishing of dagger on the VEIL OF LIES trade paperback, a preoccupied Crispin in sepia on a dark and lonely street on SERPENT IN THE THORNS, and a pensive and anxious Crispin by moonlight—a sort of Batman watching over Gotham shot—on the newest, THE DEMON’S PARCHMENT (which is apt in this one, because there is a mysterious creature stalking the streets of London). I can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with for next year’s installment, TROUBLED BONES. They took a boatload of shots of this model in costume so there is a good supply for many Crispin novels to come. (And no, I do not bring him with me when I do book signings or talks. Sorry, folks. All I know is that his name is Wes and he probably lives in Oregon.)

I also credit these covers with my surprising number of young male readers. Not only is it cinematic (I get asked time and again when the movie is coming out. I wish!) but it also has a sort of fantasy feel and a video game vibe. I suppose guys pick up the books because of the cover first, perhaps thinking of a video tie-in and then plunk down the money after reading a page or two.

I am completely enamored of these covers. Oh I know that there are folks out there who will say “That’s not how I pictured Crispin.” And to tell you the truth, it’s not exactly how I pictured him either. But it’s darned close.

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Jeri gets to picture Crispin all time when she writes her “Medieval Noir” series. *sigh* You can read a chapter of her latest, THE DEMON’S PARCHMENT, on her website www.JeriWesterson.com.