Once the giant stack of papers in my study became a well-edited manuscript, it was time to come up with a cover design for my new novel. "Don't judge a book by its cover." But let's face it, we do.
By far the most arresting image around our house was an old painting from my late grandmother. Before I was born, my mother's mother, Virginia, had an art gallery in San Francisco, back in the early fifties. Virginia had red hair, and by all accounts, she was a wild thing. Maybe in her youth she modeled for this painter? I'd love to know who the artist was.
My guess is the painting is from the 1920s. For some unknown reason I get the feeling the artist was a woman. I hope where ever she is now, she's happy with her painting of the moon on the cover of my book. I wonder if she would be interested to know that a google administrator decided the image was, "Adult Content," and would not allow the image to be used in a google display ad. Luckily I don't live in China, where I understand the internet is censored.
My first idea for the book cover was to have my good friend, Rev. Kosen Ishikawa, take a picture of his wife, Yayoi. I asked them if they would be willing to help with my book cover. They agreed. It took several months, and then lo and behold, Kosen sent me a wonderful photo of Yayoi at a Bon Dance festival, here on Kauai. In the meantime, I pursued the idea of using the painting as a cover. To make a long story short, I now have two covers for my book. Which cover do you like best? (You may want to read the book to make the most informed decision. (Ha ha!)
Both covers are available from Amazon. If you're strapped for cash at the moment, let me know, I'll try and get you a copy, especially if you're willing to write a review on Amazon.