Elizabeth Scott was here last year, sharing the story behind the very eerie hardcover for her disturbing and chilling novel, Living Dead Girl. This fall, the paperback came out, and it always makes me think of Halloween!I asked Elizabeth if she'd return to discuss the cover change, and here she is:
"I knew Simon Pulse wanted a new cover for the paperback version of Living Dead Girl and my editor said she would send me one of the shots they'd done for it so I could take a look at it.
"Well, it came and I downloaded and looked at it and--I swear this is true--said, "I HAVE to buy that book!....Oh, wait. It is my book! Wow, what a cover!"
"And then I sent my editor and the photographer, Russell Gordon, gushing emails because I think the paperback cover is even better than the hardcover--and I never thought that could be topped!
How the cover came about is pretty simple--Russell, who is a genius, btw--wanted to do something very stark and simple, but also very eye-catching. So he took a picture of the bow, and then put it on a black background, but instead of making the black shiny (which is what usually happens), he made it matte, and made the ribbon shine. The result--a cover that looks like you can actually reach into it! Every time I see it, I think 'Wow.'
"It's interesting how something as simple as taking the opposite approach to the cover background (going matte instead of shiny) can do so much, but it really can!"
I am just drawn to this cover, too. You guys? I'd love to hear what you think. And here's the hardcover, for comparison:
If you haven't yet read this book, you must. It's riveting and important. (Elizabeth says the main character Alice came to her in a dream that recurred until she wrote it--now that's a sign!).
Happy Halloween, everyone!