Get Your Artist on for this Writer's New Mystery Series Book Cover

Clueless in Cleveland

Nelle Lewis

Deborah Lewis, writing as Nelle Lewis, is a Human Resources professional who lives, writes, and plays in Phoenix, Arizona. She’s roamed all over the country and her 18 years in Ohio have lived in her heart as many of the best. This is the first in her Sam Carter Mystery Series.

This is an amateur sleuth mystery, with a heavy comedic bend (smart humor). Here's the back cover blurb: Ten years ago, Samantha “Sam” Carter bailed on her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Now she’s back – a return less anticipated than Lebron James’, but Sam’s mom has been in a funk and now she’s blowing off bingo? Sam suspects that her mom’s depression may not be all it appears, but she gets side-tracked when her investigator brother Paul drags her into a case. They’re on the hunt for a client’s missing wife, Tracy. Sam discovers she has an old connection to Tracy, but will that help Sam find her or only land herself in a trap she can’t escape? Shadowing Sam in her hunt is Johnny Rosato, a warmer complication from her past. Sam's emotions are mixed, but her lower half has a strong opinion. An ancient and unfinished crush, a secretive mother, an aiding and abetting best friend, a hot cop, a creepy uncle, and a living garden gnome all compete to distract Sam as she stumbles down a distorted path. Can she find Tracy? And will childhood ties suck her back in for good?

Typical audience is female, ages 25-65, across the world (dominant in US and UK). These readers would also read the likes of JA Konrath, Tim Dorsey, Janet Evanovich and Carl Haissen books.

Paperback

Saturated colors are best for my genre.

The book is an amateur sleuth mystery, with a heavy comedic component. It’s the first in a series and I’d like this initial cover design to be one that I can potentially carry thematically through subsequent books. The series is set in Cleveland, Ohio. All titles in the series will include “Cleveland” and if there is a way to use either the city or state in the visual theme, that would be fantastic, but is not a must. (My first vision for the cover was to somehow have an outlined state map of Ohio with a pushpin set in Cleveland layered behind the title and author name). 3. Based on the genre, I’m leaning toward a cover with bright colors and a playful feel, without being cheesy. A bold two-colored look (eg blue/orange, green/yellow) could work well. What I most don't want is for the imagery to look cheesy, adolescent, or in any way "cozy romance". This is not hard or serious crime, so no blood or shadowy, abstract figures in the background, so the balance of playful yet not childish is critical. I attached samples of covers I like from my genre. I meed to follow CreateSpace sizing requirements. I attached their PDF instructions; the cover guidelines start on Page 53.

Graphic or violent images Flowery, romantic images Pale, soft colors

Every design category has flexible pricing for all budgets. Book cover starts at $299.