They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, however, it’s okay to buy a book for its cover. I remember being a kid and buying comic books for their cool covers only to discover that the scene depicted does not take place inside or having anything to do with the story. Hence, though I have contacted two amazing artists for possibly working with my publisher on a book cover for Slash of Crimson, both fell through for different reasons. In both cases they were very good reasons, one being business-related and having to do with an artist’s gallery show; the other being an issue of aesthetics. The moral of the story is that, just as finding someone attractive doesn’t mean they are necessarily the love of your life (or even worth a torrid affair), so too any cool image may not be the right for your book. Still, I’m confident something fitting will come along, likely found by the editor who has more experience with this sort of thing. I’ll be sure to post it here as soon as this happens. In the meantime, let’s enjoy a classic drawing by William Blake, which at least sets up the mood for celestial tensions:

Blake’s Downfall of The Rebel Angels 1808 illustration to Milton’s Paradise Lost.