What you see here is the cover of my upcoming novel, “Voodoo Hideaway,” from Atmosphere Press. The image is from a jpeg file so it may be kind of grainy, which gives it the right mood, I think. There’s a story behind the cover. I’ll try and keep it short:
I told the designers I wanted something that conjured up the pulp/noir paperbacks of the ’30s, 40s and 50s, because the novel is a kind of a homage to that era, and I really dig those old books. I think they did a great job capturing the spirit, with the hazy light, soft colors, smoke and old bricks. Very mysterious and menacing….
For the door, I sent the designers a photo my wife Susan took in Edinburgh last summer of a cool blue door in a cool old building that had mysterious pink light floating out. The building was located on maybe the most noir street I’ve ever walked down.
In the original cover design, the door was open but empty. Susan thought there should be a woman on the cover, because one of the main characters is a woman who’s trying to work a money scheme, like so many others in the book. Plus, women make up the majority of book readers. So….
I sent the designers a description of the woman from the book, and asked them to try putting her silhouette in the open doorway. I think it works great. And if you look close enough, you can make out the details of the woman’s face.
They say getting the cover right is a big part of getting a book off the ground. I’m happy with how this cover came out.
More details on the release date and buying options in future posts. Stay tuned…..
Vance Cariaga 
That’s an awesome cover, and pretty enticing as a first impression. Glad you got it right with that, since covers are so crucial
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Thanks Yacoob, and yep, I’m pleased with it. They came up with three different designs, all pretty good, but this is the one that caught my eye. As you say (and know from personal experience), people really do judge a book by its cover.
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