Cover stories!

The manuscript is finished, those final changes have been made, the queries on accuracy have been addressed... but what about the cover? Will it draw potential readers? Here's where instinct comes into play. As author, you will already know what you'd like to evoke - after all, you've dwelt within the story for months/years. Given that my novels are set in South Africa, and that landscape plays such an important part, I was keen for the covers to reflect that. But there are commercial considerations, too. The cover may need to strike a balance between accuracy and appeal... For example, if your book is about tragic events, you don't necessarily want a gloomy cover that will potentially put off readers before they even consider turning the first page!  

The cover of my first novel, The Housemaid's Daughter, happily set in train a theme that has gone on to influence all of my subsequent book covers. The brilliant artistic folk at my publishers produced a beautiful image, shown from the rear, of a woman leading a small child into a rural landscape - into their future? - with the subtle watermarking of a musical score against the sunset. In The Girl from Simon's Bay, the heroine, also depicted from the rear, looks down upon Simon's Bay where so much of the story will unfold. The Fire Portrait also shows the heroine from the rear, this time silhouetted against a desert landscape with a definite fiery hue. When it came to The Case Against Fili Du Bois, I wanted to show my young heroine embarking on her uncertain journey through life, against a backdrop of a wine estate, with mountains etched on the horizon at sunset. Will Fili overcome the steep challenges that arise?
For this cover, I was lucky enough to have the expert skills of a family member to help bring my concept to fruition. I think it's the best one of all! 
So here they are... my cover heroines, battling for survival, looking to their future...