You Can’t Make This Stuff Up (Really)

It’s time to share a little story with all of you. It starts with a little known tidbit and veers into the kind of story that can’t possibly be true.

But it is.

So pull up a chair, sit down, and enjoy…

As is the case with most stories, we need a beginning. And, for the purposes of today’s “Writing Thursday” story, I’ll make that beginning be a fact.

Most writers have no say in their covers (except, maybe, the really big authors). We write the story. We send it in. The publishing house designs a cover. We see it when it’s all done.  

Now, if you’re lucky, you have a great artist working on your covers (as I’m fortunate and so so SO relieved–you’ll see why soon–to have over at Berkley Prime Crime). 

This is where I show a picture with my story.   This is PINNED FOR MURDER, the third book in my Southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series (October 4, 2010).  This is a gorgeous cover. The artist did an amazing job as she has with the two before it and the next one on the horizon (which I’ll share with all of you as soon as I get the go-ahead from my editor).

But here’s where the story gets interesting (or, rather, nightmarish if you will).

The gorgeous cover thing? That wasn’t always my fate.

Oh no. Not even close.

*Scroll slowly through the rest of this story for greater visual impact (and LOL potential)*

You see, my very first book was a traditional mystery published by a small, independent press. The book took me five years to write thanks to my main role as a mom of two children under the age of five.  During those five years I had a lot of time to fantasize about my cover. And fantasize I did.

Here was my image:  A night time scene at the beach. In the background was an amusement pier with the ferris wheel aglow. In the foreground was a body…laying face down on the sand…with a shadowy figure looming across it.

Cool, huh?

That’s not what I got.

But before I show you that first cover, I have a little more story to tell.

So I’ve written the book, I’ve signed a contract, and I’m waiting–anxiously–to see that very first cover. And, as always happens when you want something so bad you can taste it, it took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to get it. But then, one day, I get the email saying it’s on its way…

My cover. For my very first book. The one I’ve been dreaming about for years.

So the day comes when it should be in my mailbox. Only it’s not. Nor is any other mail for that matter.

Hmmmm…

The next day comes. No cover. No mail at all.

Double Hmmmm…

An hour later a knock sounds at the door.

Knock. Knock.

I open it to find the mailman. And he has news!

The mail truck carrying my mail from the day before had a little incident. It caught fire. All the mail on the truck that day was either damaged by the fire or the water used to put it out.  The post office will salvage what they can.

No. I’m not kidding.

So, eventually my cover comes (with a nice little note from the post office about circumstances beyond their control). In an envelope that is burned along the edges with smeared writing on the front. 

I get over the shock and tear into the envelope…dying to see that cover I’ve been imagining for oh so long. I reach my hand inside and pull this out:  

A shocker, ain’t it?

So there you go. My story. But wait. There’s an epilogue of sorts…

A year later, JURY OF ONE came out with Worldwide Mystery as part of their direct-to-consumer book club program (there was much rejoicing, I tell you). And, I’m happy to say, they slapped a new cover on it.

That cover wasn’t what I’d imagined, either. But, having been through the shock of the image directly above, I was pleased with what I saw (though, when I first saw it, it was on their website and it was very, very tiny…and, for a moment, I thought I was staring at the Hamburger Helper Hand–talk about a near heart attack):

So there you go. My infamous cover-from-hell story.

Not bad, huh?

~Elizabeth 

**One worthwhile side note about this book. Jury of One was an Agatha nominee (one of five) for Best First Novel of 2005. It didn’t win, but the nomination was very cool!

**Jury of One was the first in the Jenkins & Burns mystery series. Forecast of Evil (my personal favorite) came out with Worldwide Mystery in 2007. Marked by Fate followed in 2008 (with Worldwide in 2009).

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