Final Cover

First, a hearty thank-you to all of those who voted for a cover for the forthcoming Cole Blackwater mystery The Darkening Archipelago. It was clear that the first option resonated with reviewers, so we opted to use this image of troubled waters and misty, foreboding islets. I also received a lot of feedback that the vertical orientation of the text simply didn’t work. Too hard to look at on the shelf, you said. I appreciated this advice, and passed it on to the talented team at NeWest Press, and they redesigned the cover with your comments in mind.

My thanks also to Alexandra Morton, friend and wild salmon advocate, who provided a few dozen amazing images of the setting for this book, the troubled Broughton Archipelago along British Columbia’s wild and convoluted coast.

The Darkening Archipelago is a murder mystery with a serious theme: the story is a race to keep both human souls and wild ecosystems from falling into unending darkness. I believe that the cover represents this well.

So here is the cover of The Darkening Archipelago. I’m very pleased with it, and I’m excited that in the next couple of days I’ll take a final look at the books edited text before returning it to NeWest for design, layout and printing. The book will be available early in the New Year! Of course, feedback is always welcome.

Stay tuned for more updates. You can read a synopsis of this the second book in the Cole Blackwater environmental mystery series by clicking here.