Tuesday, July 24, 2012

The Spirit-Breaker Rises

In the early days of the shaping of SGT. JANUS, SPIRIT-BREAKER, I pitched a cover concept to editor Ron Fortier at Airship 27 that looked good in my head but didn't pass muster with the ol' Airship Chief.

My idea was to have artist Eric Johns illustrate a common scene for the period: a quaint family portrait, but with the Janus twist of a moldy old lady ghost instead of a a good lady wife standing next to her husband. The impetus behind my thinking was to show that to the sergeant the supernatural was almost the mundane and a ghost at his side wasn't cause for alarm. He took such things in stride. If done right, it should have made a very creepy tableau...

Cooler and more experienced heads prevailed and it was pointed out that a much more atmospheric and exciting cover was needed - enter Jeff Herndon and the spooky set-up that is already turning heads and helping to make the book a success.

So there you have it, Spirit-Breakers; another story behind the story. Stay spooky, stay spiritual!

All content (except images) (c) Jim Beard 2012 - Original cover sketch (c) Eric Johns 2012 and finished cover painting (c) Jeff Herndon 2012

Buy the book here at AMAZON.COM.

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