I'm a sucker for bridges. And running. And flowing hair. So the cover of Eve? Kind of up my alley. Here's Anna Carey to talk about the cover of the first book in the Eve trilogy (the second, Once, is out this month!).
"I had a vague sense of what the book might look like. The name--Eve--conjures so much. We all know Adam and Eve, and there's so much imagery associated with their story. Originally I saw the cover as having a lot of lush greenery. I sometimes saw a pale girl lost in the forest. It's funny, the book trailer captures a lot of those original images and ideas that were left behind as the cover evolved.
"The designer asked for a list of images or words that appear in the book. I can't seem to locate that list, though I'm 99% sure the designer came up with the bridge idea, which I love. It's hard to go back through your book and decide which imagery is meaningful and/or metaphorical--so much of that is folded into the manuscript unconsciously. I'm pretty certain all my suggestions were fairly basic. Thankfully she didn't put a wall or a cluster of trees on there. I don't think it would've had the same effect.
"There were so many amazing covers in this process, I've thought of framing them and hanging them on my wall. So much goes into finalizing the cover--publisher's approvals, comments from sales and marketing teams. The team went through several different options before getting it just right. So when I did see the cover I loved it, but I wasn't sure if it was FINAL FINAL, so I didn't want to get too attached. Side story: One of the covers involved an underwater photo of a girl in a white dress. She was kicking her legs, the skirt blooming out around her. It was gorgeous, but thankfully we didn't use it--it would've been too close to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer or Imaginary Girls. (See those covers at right).
"The actual image didn't change at all. But when I had the physical book in my hands, it was so much more beautiful than I could have imagined. You can't tell from the picture, but the sky is actually much darker, and the book jacket has a metallic sheen to it. The hardcover beneath the book jacket is black, with gorgeous, metallic green type embossed on the front and spine.
"The image of the girl was shot by Merisa Okic, a photographer. She does some really interesting, evocative portraits. You can check out her work here. I wonder if you'll guess which model is the real Eve...
"I love the cover, and owe endless hugs and thanks to Elizabeth Clark, the designer. What first struck me was the sky, how it fades from green to blue to purple. I like that there's something beyond the bridge, though you can't quite see what it is. It's almost as though everything is covered in fog. I hate to admit this, but I didn't originally connect the bridge on the cover to the very famous bridge featured at the end of the book (I associated it more with the first bridge in the book, which is inside the compound walls). So much of this book, and this series, is about crossing thresholds. It's about going places you never thought you could go, and becoming a person you never thought you'd become. To me it seems fitting that the girl on the cover is crossing over, headed for the unknown."
Thanks, Anna! I love the details you've mentioned, and I also really like how the font makes the three letters flow together in the title. And, the girl's stance/movement reminds me of the original cover for Nancy Werlin's Extraordinary, which I also loved.
What do you guys think of this one?