Saturday, February 22, 2014

Cover Reveal: Lamb to the Slaughter

I'm thrilled today to share the cover for Lamb to the Slaughter, an upcoming adult Amish murder mystery from Karen Ann Hopkins. Karen is the author of the fantastic YA Temptation series from HarlequinTEEN, but is self-publishing this new title releasing in March. I had the honor of working with her on the design of the cover and I'm so pleased with the way it turned out, I hope you guys like it as well!

LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER


Some Amish communities aren't so cozy.

Lamb to the Slaughter is a story about the intertwining lives of three unlikely people in an Indiana Amish Community and the devastating results when a rebellious teenage girl is found shot to death in a cornfield during the harvest. 

Serenity Adams is the newly elected young sheriff in the country town of Blood Rock and besides dealing with the threatening behavior of her predecessor, she now has a dead Amish girl on her plate. At first glance, the case seems obvious. The poor girl was probably accidently shot during hunting season, but when the elders of the Amish community and even the girl’s parents react with uncaring subdued behavior, Serenity becomes suspicious. As she delves deeper into the secretive community that she grew up beside, she discovers a gruesome crime from the past that may very well be related to the Amish girl’s shooting. 

Serenity enlists the help of the handsome bad-boy building contractor, Daniel Bachman, who left the Amish when he was nineteen and has his own dark reasons to help the spunky sheriff solve the crime that the family and friends who shunned him are trying desperately to cover up. Serenity’s persistence leads her to a stunning discovery that not only threatens to destroy her blossoming romance with Daniel, but may even take her life in the end. 

With the young girl's death taking place in a cornfield, we really wanted to play up the ominous feeling evoked by towering cornstalks, so we chose a stormy image that featured dry, eerie husks rather than green and healthy stalks, and I tinted them a touch red to make them appear even more sinister. I also wanted the murder to be reflected in the type, so I kept the word "lamb" a pretty, pristine serif font while the word "slaughter" contrasts with a gritty, distressed sans serif typeface. And now I've dissolved into designer-speak so I'm going to stop before I ramble on too much:)  

I hope if you're a fan of murder mysteries, you'll add Lamb to the Slaughter to your lists! There's a spunky sheriff, a case to solve, and the mention of a bad-boy contractor, what could be better?

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KAREN ANN HOPKINS


A native of New York State, Karen Ann Hopkins now lives with her family on a farm in northern Kentucky, where her neighbors in all directions are members of a strict Amish community. Her unique perspective became the inspiration for the story of star-crossed lovers Rose and Noah. When she’s not homeschooling her kids, giving riding lessons or tending to a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats, she is dreaming up her next romantic novel.

27 comments:

  1. Love the cover! You did a beautiful job Jenny

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  2. Awesome job, Jenny! You are so talented. Love the creepy cover! :)

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    1. Thank you so much! I loved how creepy it turned out too:)

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  3. Ooh, I love the creepy, atmospheric feel to this cover. Absolutely fantastic job, Jenny - you're so talented! :)

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    1. Thanks Keertana! I just have so much fun working on covers, they're all so different and allow me to learn all sorts of new things:)

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  4. An Amish mystery murder? Sounds fantastic!

    Great cover too. ;)

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    1. AGREED! I'm really looking forward to reading this one:)

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  5. Jenny, you just nailed the color palette for the cover of this murder mystery. It's awesome and also compels this reader to pick up the book immediately and read it!

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  6. Beautiful cover, Jenny! I love the horse and cart at the top, which really says "Amish" to me. I'll have to check this out:)

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    1. Thank you Tammy! The horse and buggy was a last-minute burst of inspiration because I knew how important it was to Karen that the Amish aspect be addressed visually:)

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  7. Jenny you got the feel of the story just right. It is just amazing, stunning the cornstalks, the storm and the ever present horse and buggy that we all associate with the Amish. This is an outstanding cover!! And yes, I want to read the book. It sounds like a great mystery. The Amish are mysterious themselves, but then this secret they are hiding, very, very interesting. Great job, both of you!

    Heather

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    1. Thank you so much Heather! As soon as I saw this image I thought it would be perfect:) I played around with it a bit and made those clouds stormier than they were originally, and I'm just really happy with how it came out. I'm so glad you like it! Hope you add this to your list:)

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  8. The cover is creepy, Jenny. Very cool! It certainly sets the vibe of the books.

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    1. Thanks Christy! I'm really excited to read this one:)

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  9. This sounds very unique. Thanks for sharing! :)

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  10. This cover is beautiful, Jenny! Great job!! I absolutely LOVED Hopkin's Temptation Series but I don't know about a murder series! I do not have much experience with them. But the cover certainly grabs my eye, for sure! Great work. (:

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  11. That cover is all kinds of eek! A throwback to Children of the Corn.

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  12. Your design know-how continues to astonish me, Jenny! I love this cover and the storm in the background along with the touches to the lettering do really evoke and ominous feel! The story sounds wonderful as well. I love mysteries mixed in with romance! :)

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  13. WHOA I love love love love love it. Haunting. Draws you in. Makes you think and want to know what's lurking. Well done!!!!!!!

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  14. This sounds really good..suspenseful, eerie and I want it!

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  15. Ooh, that font is great (especially the "Slaughter" bit). The scenery is so haunting. Awesome job, Jenny!

    *adds to Goodreads*

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