Cape Cod Witch Series

Where did the inspiration for the cover come from?

 

From ElsBeth herself, really. We did our best to see how the young witch might see herself at an early crisis in the story.

 

Do you feel that it reflects the story well?

 

Yes. A dark castle framed in clouds backlit by a full moon, with the young witch facing the mystery of her ancestral home in the old country. These reflect the mystery and suspense of this far-ranging magical adventure of Cape Cod’s youngest witch, ElsBeth Amelia Thistle. The only thing missing is the humor, but that is a bonus for the reader to enjoy along the way.

 

Did you design it yourself or was it designed by another party?

 

We co-designed the cover image with artist Melanie Therrien, with whom we’ve worked the last several years on all the Cape Cod Witch Series books. Readers and bookstore staff and owners have told us continually that they love the illustrations. Melanie is a rare talent, and designing a cover with her that evokes the spirit of the tale is a true joy.

 

Given the choice, would you change anything about it?

 

No. The design phase with the illustrator was fun but extensive, and once painted we worked with her on only a few revisions. The full cover design with titles was then created. We surveyed the completed cover and some further modifications. The last change was to add the Moonbeam Award medal artwork. So, we made a lot of changes before publication but are proud of the final result and wouldn’t change anything about it now.

 

Was this the original cover to this book, or was there one prior (like a first edition)?

 

This is the original artwork except the addition of the Moonbeam Award seal, which we received after the book was released.

 

Does this cover reflect your artistic preference?

 

Yes. In all the revisions we refined the image to better reflect our artistic preferences and we feel it does. Not to say there aren’t other great styles to explore. We have another series in the works, The Space Adventures of Siddhartha Blue, and expect it will have quite a different look.