Friday Flourish: The Smoke River Series

Happy Friday Everyone!

One of my favorite challenges when it comes to cover design is creating a consistent look for a series, making sure each book stands on its own merits while still fitting as a piece of a larger whole.

The first book is always easiest for obvious reasons, and each subsequent book typically proves more challenging than the one before it, particularly when it comes to designs featuring people. Stock photography, while initially appearing plentiful when thousands of results show up for a single search term, can be hugely limiting in terms of availability and quality, so I usually try and steer clear of using models in my designs when I know I'm going to be creating covers for multiple books.

I was lucky with the Smoke River series in that each book featured a different heroine, so while there was still the challenge of finding young women that fit the feel of each story, I didn't have to worry about needing to find the same model for all four books. Author Adina Senft was also instrumental in the research stage and sent me a number of photographs that had the feel she was going for, and together we were able to find an image that was perfect for each installment.

The covers for this series are among the simplest I've done, and I absolutely love that about them. As much as I enjoy special effects and exciting typography, there's something to be said for the straightforward approach as well. I hope you guys love the final product!

Book one, Grounds to Believe:

From RITA Award® winning author Adina Senft comes a series of domestic suspense novels flavored with faith. In the small town of Smoke River, Washington, everyone knows the Elect of God. They're good religious people, honest, hardworking—and they're hiding some dreadful secrets.

 

He'd find Kailey some day. One assignment at a time. One prayer at a time.

 

A cult took Ross Malcolm's ex-girlfriend and baby daughter seven years ago. He's never stopped looking for his little girl ... and now he has a sidearm, a badge, and a soul-deep commitment to protect the innocent. When the state's elite Organized Crime Task Force assigns him to Smoke River, Washington, to find out why the death rate among children belonging to an obscure plain church is so high, he's sure it's going to be one of the toughest cases of his career. But first, he has to find a way in ...

 

Julia McNeill is the daughter of an Elder and the almost-fiancee of a prospective Deacon. Her future position among the Elect is secure ... except that she's not sure she wants it. She's never quite been able to fit in, to measure up in comparison with her dazzling sister, who married an Elder and produced two beautiful kids. It breaks Julia's heart that her nephew Ryan is so close to death and no one can figure out why ... but when she asks questions, the church leadership shuts her out.

 

And then a biker with eyes that have seen too much walks into the bookstore where Julia works, and everything about her life begins to change ... including her belief in God's ability to keep her and her nephew safe ...

Find Adina Senft and the Smoke River series:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Amazon

You can check out more of my cover design work at Seedlings Design Studio!