June 23, 2022: Cover Reveal

Daily Diary, Day 662:

Another beta reader sent feedback this morning, so two more to go, and I can start on the rewrite. But today, as you can see below, I get to reveal the cover.

If you have read my indie author journey piece on how I came up with the basic design for my Victorian San Francisco Mystery series covers, you will know that I have been working with the same designer, Michelle Huffaker, since day one. As is my habit, about a month ago I sent her the title, my suggestions for background color, and links to four different illustrations and photographs from the 19th century that might work for the key illustration in the center. My first 3 novellas have background colors of Purple, Red, and Navy, so I decided to make the next 3 novellas follow that order, but in lighter tones. Consequently, I asked Michelle that this one be a lighter purple than Violet Vanquishes a Villain. As an aside, I already have some ideas for other novellas for minor characters.

The illustration Michelle chose as the best to work with was my favorite as well. It comes from a black and white illustration of immigrants at a bank, which of course will come up in the story. The illustration was published in 1882, the exact year of the story, which makes it completely historically accurate! Michelle colorized the illustration, which really gives it depth.

When she sent me her first draft, the word teller wasn’t in the arch above the man, and my husband didn’t immediately identify the picture as one of a bank. The original illustration was much wider, had many more people in it and a number of signs on the wall that made it clear the setting was a bank. but I had asked that she just feature the key group around the teller window. I went back and looked at the other photographs I had of banks of that period, the word Teller was indeed written above the window in one, so I felt comfortable asking Michelle to add this to the illustration (ah the wonders of photoshop!). I’m extremely happy with the result, and hope my readers like it as well.