The Evolution of a Book Cover

To create the cover for the “Desecration of Fortune” I began by selecting a scene from the novel that would capture all the drama and pathos of the story. The scene would have to feature my central protagonist, the book’s heroine Licinia Eudocia, and she would have to be front and center in the image, not only because it would signify her central place in the novel, but also because this is the third book in the series, and the other two novels also feature prominent female figures on their covers.

I chose a scene near the end of the novel where my heroine is standing at the window of the Pope’s apartment in the Lateran Basilica looking down at the plaza below as Vandal warriors are riding in. This is how I described the concept to my artist/illustrator Rebekah Haskell, who, by the way, is a top-notch artist and has done the covers for all my books. Here’s a video of Rebekah being interviewed by Teddy Smith on The Publishing Performance Show.

Here are my directions to Rebekah:

Licinia is standing at window in the Pope’s apartment on the second story of the Lateran Basilica looking down on the plaza below where Vandal raiders are riding in. The plaza is scattered with broken masonry, shattered timber, and dead horses as a result of the Vandal Sack. In the distance Rome is burning. We see Licinia from behind and above as if we are on the top of a ladder looking down at her.

From here I provided Rebekah with examples of how things should look. Because the character is a woman of high social standing in 5^th century Rome, I sent Rebekah a picture of how Licinia would have dressed and what she might have looked like. (See image 1 above).

At this stage we knew Licinia would be standing at a window, but some of the surrounding room might also be seen in the cover painting, so I sent Rebekah an image of how the Pope’s lavish apartment might have looked. (Image 2).

Because I wanted Rebekah to get a sense of the entire scene, I sent her a picture of the front of the Lateran Basilica as well. As a side note, the Vatican had not yet been built in the 5th century. Back then the Pope’s residence was inside the Lateran Basilica. The Basilica had been consecrated in 324 AD and gone through several renovations since then, but since there was no illustration of what the Basilica looked like at the time of my story in 455 AD, I sent Rebekah a picture of what it looked like later and said this:

This is the front view of the Lateran Basilica as it was redesigned in the 18th century, but we can take some poetic license in using some of its elements. Take note of the shape and design of its second story windows and balconies. Licinia will be standing in one of these windows looking down at the plaza. (Image 3)

Now I swung the camera around the other way and described what Licinia was seeing. I provided Rebecca with an image of a what a Roman plaza might have looked like in the 5th century as seen from the perspective of the character. I sent her a picture of the Piazza Vecchia in Bergamo as an example. (Image 4). I wrote:

I envision the plaza as flat (no steps) and hemmed round with buildings. Here’s a good example. 

Because I didn’t want Rebekah to pick up on the buildings around Piazza Vecchia that might not be historically accurate and include them in her painting, I wrote this:

The buildings facing the plaza should be historically accurate. Here are some good examples. (Image 5)

The painting was to depict the character looking down at the plaza as Vandal warriors were riding in, so the next question was, What did the warriors look like?

Here are the warriors riding into the plaza (Image 6)

And here is how they would have been dressed (Image 7)

In the distance beyond the plaza Rome is burning. I sent Rebekah a picture of how it might have looked. (Image 8)

With all of this reference material to give her a clear sense of what I wanted, I waited for Rebekah to do her thing. A week later she provided me her first rendition. (Image 9)

This wasn’t quite what I was looking for. The character looks too pensive and submissive. I realized I had not communicated the proper attitude to Rebekah, so I wrote:

In the previous novel “The Shadows of Nemesis” Licinia was meek and compliant, which is why we showed her running away in fear on the cover. In this novel Licinia has changed and grown due to the challenges she overcame in the first book. Now she is strong and defiant. We need to communicate that with her posture. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. (Image 10)

A week later Rebekah came back with her second rendition. (Image 11)

Closer, I said, I love the fire and the architectural details, but the character is still not conveying the strength I want. Maybe the problem is the angle. Let’s bring the camera directly behind her and show the defiance in the set of her shoulders.

A week later she came back with her third rendition. (Image 12)

Love it, I said. Now we’ve nailed the posture correctly, but what about the Vandals?

Rebecca replied: I’ve got a little more work to do. I just wanted to make sure we had the character and setting right. I’ll go ahead and include the Vandal horsemen now and add a little more detail to the plaza.

A week later she came back with the final rendition. (Final Cover)

I wrote:

Perfect. Exactly what I had in mind. You’re the best. I think we have our cover for “The Desecration of Fortune”. As always it’s been a pleasure working with you.

Malcolm