cover design

I realise that writing a book demands many different skills - the idea to come to fruition, the actual writing, the process of keeping on going over a long period of time (for me anyway), being able to have colleagues who will read and make helpful comments - the list could go on ad infinitum I guess.  The latest dilemma has been having the idea for the book cover.  the title of the book just came to me very easily - Life is But a Dream is the title of a children's song I used to sing to my children before they went to sleep.  The concept of the title too is something I have played with in my mind over the years.  Is this life I am living realty here and now or is this just a dream?  Would I like it to be a dream I can wake up from and things be different?

Because the book is about my daughter Abi who died when she was nearly three I wanted to have a photo of her on the cover.  I wanted it to be arresting enough that someone might pick up the book because of her photo and want to read it.  So the combination of the title and the photo are important.

I eventually found a photo I wanted to use, but because it was an old one from 1983 or 4 the quality isn't brilliant and it needed "photo-shopping".  so another skill for me to learn!!

then should there be a background watermark picture and what should that be??  Lots of thoughts - because we lived in Hull when she died I wondered about the Humber Bridge as a background - and a bridge being a metaphor for movement through the bereavement process....  But decided against that.  Other landmarks in Hull never seemed that appropriate either.

Abi's photo has now gone off to the designers along with some ideas for colours and Mandy will get back to me hopefully this week with some draft ideas.  Every single step is exciting, brings its own questions and challenges for me and makes the reality of what I have done that much clearer.