One Hit Too Many

I realize this faux-paperback book cover looks a lot like my cover for Strip Til Dead, but I try not to let that stop me when working on these: I try to act as though this is the only cover I've ever worked on, and not worry about repeating elements. My theory is, if it works, it works. Hey, if Martin Scorsese can use the same Rolling Stones song in two movies...

This cover originally started out from a suggestion by my pal Amy Bias, who is effusive with her praise for my work, but asked if I was ever going to do a cover that featured some "eye candy" for the ladies--meaning maybe one week I could hold off using a sexy babe and substitute a big hunky guy for once?

That seemed like a perfectly reasonable suggestion, so I had a boxing-themed book in mind from the beginning. But after playing with it a for a while, this is what I ended up with. Sorry, Amy.

Little Girl Found

I like the faux-paperback book cover for Little Girl Lost so much I wanted to do a sequel--the title a no-brainer.

I think if I decide to another "Little Girl" book, she needs a happy ending!

On Her Knees

I might have to stop doing these faux-paperback book covers, because I think I will never come up with better, more salacious title/tagline combo, period.

Find This Woman!

For this faux-paperback book cover I had the image, and that's what I built from--once I added in the checkerboard background, I realized the plot was a woman on the run, hiding from both the mob and the cops. After that, it just a matter of figuring out how and where to put the type!

Locked-Up Heart

Sometimes, when working on one these faux-paperback book covers, I like to experiment and come up with something using the absolute least amount of detail possible: reducing everything down to just basic flat shapes, and see if anything can be made from them (other times, of course, I go crazy with the detail).

Unfortunately, any time you do that, people thinking you're ripping off Sin City, but what are you gonna do?