By David C. Cassidy
From time to time, authors change their book covers. For a variety of reasons. Last week, I changed some of mine. Here’s why.
- Shout it out LOUD: To be honest, my earlier covers didn’t shout “Horror and Suspense” as loudly as they needed to. In fact, they may have only whispered it.
- It was time for a refresh: Book Covers 2.0. I wanted a whole new look that would make readers take notice. At the risk of sounding “salesy,” I wanted—okay, needed—book covers that will get those clicks.
- The challenge: I love creating book covers, and I wanted to really push myself into new creative directions. Up my game.
So, what do they say? Let’s take a closer look.
- The Dark: This award-winning horror novel is about a young boy seduced by an all-powerful evil that draws him into a dark new world where he reunites with his dead father. The new cover reflects that.
- Gateway: This is the disturbing story of an unstoppable darkness that threatens to consume not only an entire town by turning people into psychotic crazies and cold-blooded killers, but devour the body and soul of an innocent epileptic child who possesses the power of second sight. I wanted the cover to drop your jaw.
- Fosgate’s Game: This is a haunting tale of greed, dark magic, and murder, where supernatural forces cross reality with The Twilight Zone. I think the new look drives that home as the root of the evil in the story is a dark and dangerous chess set from the distant past.
- Velvet Rain: I’m known for my books of horror and suspense, but Velvet Rain, while horrific in parts, is really an apocalyptic time-travel thriller. Think Stephen King’s The Green Mile. For these reasons, I had to ensure that the cover was clearly not in the horror genre. A period piece set in the 1960s in the cornfields of Iowa, it’s about a mysterious drifter-on-the-run who possesses the ability to turn back time in the most incredible and unusual way. My cover had to shout mystery, drama, soft sci-fi, thriller—and I think it does.
Let us know what you think as a reader in the Comments, below.
David C. Cassidy
Award-winning author David C. Cassidy is the twisted mind behind several chilling books of horror and suspense. An author, photographer, and graphic designer–and a half-decent juggler—he spends his writing life creating tales of terror where Bad Things Happen To Good People.
Raised by wolves, he grew up with a love of nature, music, science, and history, with thrillers and horror novels feeding the dark side of his seriously disturbed imagination. He talks to his characters, talks often, and most times they listen. But the real fun starts when they tell him to take a hike, and they Open That Door anyway. Idiots.
David lives in Ontario, Canada. From Mozart to Vivaldi, classic jazz to classic rock, he feels naked without his iPod. Suffering from MAD—Multiple Activity Disorder—he divides his time between writing and blogging, photography and Photoshop, reading and rollerblading. An avid amateur astronomer, he loves the night sky, chasing the stars with his telescope. Sometimes he eats.
To learn more and connect with David, you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook, or visit his:
- BestSelling Reads author page
- Amazon author page
- website
- email: david@davidcassidy.com
