a critique site for book lovers, hosted by author Jude Hardin
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Last Exit in New Jersey by C.E. Grundler
What's the genre? What is it you like or don't like about this cover? Does it make you want to know more about the book? Does it make you want to BUY the book? Discuss.
Like this. Being from Jersey, I'm allowed to sterotype - Mafia types? A bunch of cheap thugs dropping a body off in the Pinelands? Very evocative. Good job
I'm a Jersey guy myself and give it "two Sopranos" up. You know there are going to be at least a half dozen murders in this book. Creepy, yet provocative. Wouldn't change a thing....now off to AZ to preview.
My only suggestion would be to push the highway sign to the end. I know some of the warning signs are a bright yellow but this one feels like it should be green with white font to keep the highway vibe. Maybe use the yellow 'drop down' idea for "A thriller" so it looks more like these
The title fits the genre, and the images have a dark, gritty feel. You can sense imminent death and danger. I don't mind the yellow sign; yellow signifies a warning, and it works for me.
I like this cover, also. It has "movement." There's a sense of urgency and suspense and dread. The layout is well balanced. I like the color scheme and everything matches. You might experiment with the sign, as Nathan suggested, but it works either way.
Well, hello to all my fellow Jersey people! I seem to be in good company here. And thank you, everyone. I’m happy to hear that you are all getting the right message from my cover – though there’s no Mafia types, my story still has plenty of unsavory and disreputable characters. Yes, Deep Rough, you’re absolutely right, there are precisely a half-dozen murders. And Amanda, it’s Exit 172 on the Garden State Parkway north!
Regarding the suggestions for the sign’s color, I went with yellow because Colette said, yellow signifies warning, and the book’s title is in fact the actual sign itself. I figured if it was good enough to read as you passed it doing 70, it was good enough for my cover. And I’m glad to hear the image is conveying the right sense of urgency and suspense. I did the cover myself; it was shot from the cab of my truck on the Parkway at 4 a.m., the only hour where I could stop in the fast lane to set up the shot. I tweaked it in Photoshop (I used to get paid to do this stuff) to give it texture, enhance the color and introduce the blurs that create that streaked windshield impression.
Here’s the book’s blurb: (And I welcome any input you might have on this as well.)
Nice young ladies really shouldn’t be dumping bodies at sea. Then again, that isn’t stopping Hazel Moran, and she can’t figure where anyone got the idea she was nice to begin with. Raised aboard a schooner and riding shotgun in her father’s old 18-wheeler, there’s little on the road or water that she can’t handle; it’s her people skills that need work. Normally that’s not an issue – behind the wheel of a Kenworth most people tend to leave her alone. But when Hazel and her father become the targets of some unsavory characters hunting for her blue-haired cousin, their stolen tractor-trailer truck and a delivery that never arrived, she knows it’s time to heed the lessons learned from her favorite hard-boiled paperbacks: playing nice will only end in tears.
For ten sweltering days Hazel navigates the Garden State’s highways and shorelines, contending with a suspiciously wealthy stranger, white trash, Born Agains, appliance salesmen, an unstable stalker and his curiously troublesome companion. It’ll take all her ingenuity, not to mention some fishing tackle and high voltage, if Hazel hopes to protect her family and unravel this tangle of greed and betrayal. And anyone who gets too close, no matter their intent, will discover just how dangerous Hazel truly is as she sets in motion a twisted plan to uncover the truth, settle some scores, and if possible not wind up dead in the process.
I'm relieved to hear you were *parked* when you took that photo. My immediate response when I saw the cover was "Yikes!"
I do think it's clever that you used an actual photo of an actual sign for your cover. At first I had been thinking like some other commenters that green-and-white would look more realistic. In fact, I had doubts about how realistic the sign looked, assuming that you had pastiched it yourself. I bet actual New Jersey people will feel a thrill of recognition when they see it.
I think the cover really works well. You get the idea of speed, of travel. The title done in "road sign" font is a nice touch. All of the text is easy to read. And there's a bunch of dark thriller/crime novels that involve cars or roads, so it fits in well there.
I'm up bright and early as usual... well, early at least. But I'll refrain from commenting on this one.
ReplyDeleteLike this. Being from Jersey, I'm allowed to sterotype - Mafia types? A bunch of cheap thugs dropping a body off in the Pinelands? Very evocative. Good job
ReplyDeleteI'm a Jersey guy myself and give it "two Sopranos" up. You know there are going to be at least a half dozen murders in this book. Creepy, yet provocative. Wouldn't change a thing....now off to AZ to preview.
ReplyDeleteAnother Jersey gal, and I immediately assume it's going to be Mafia thugs. And my first reaction is to ask "Which exit?"
ReplyDelete(I'm sure the other Jerseyans will get the joke.)
I really like this cover a lot!
I'm not from Jersey but, I have lived there. Does that qualify?
ReplyDeleteThis cover is very effective. It complements the thriller genre well. The colors are good. The font is readable. Great job!
My only suggestion would be to push the highway sign to the end. I know some of the warning signs are a bright yellow but this one feels like it should be green with white font to keep the highway vibe. Maybe use the yellow 'drop down' idea for "A thriller" so it looks more like these
ReplyDeletemaybe.
The title fits the genre, and the images have a dark, gritty feel. You can sense imminent death and danger. I don't mind the yellow sign; yellow signifies a warning, and it works for me.
ReplyDeleteGreat looking cover. Say right up front what kind of book it is and is very easy to read.
ReplyDeleteI do like Nathan Lowell's ideas and they are worth trying to see how it looks.
I agree with Nathan that I was thinking the sign should be green.
ReplyDeleteI like this cover, also. It has "movement." There's a sense of urgency and suspense and dread. The layout is well balanced. I like the color scheme and everything matches. You might experiment with the sign, as Nathan suggested, but it works either way.
ReplyDeleteGreat cover, C.E.! Love the colors and the sense of movement and urgency.
ReplyDeleteWell, hello to all my fellow Jersey people! I seem to be in good company here. And thank you, everyone. I’m happy to hear that you are all getting the right message from my cover – though there’s no Mafia types, my story still has plenty of unsavory and disreputable characters. Yes, Deep Rough, you’re absolutely right, there are precisely a half-dozen murders. And Amanda, it’s Exit 172 on the Garden State Parkway north!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the suggestions for the sign’s color, I went with yellow because Colette said, yellow signifies warning, and the book’s title is in fact the actual sign itself. I figured if it was good enough to read as you passed it doing 70, it was good enough for my cover. And I’m glad to hear the image is conveying the right sense of urgency and suspense. I did the cover myself; it was shot from the cab of my truck on the Parkway at 4 a.m., the only hour where I could stop in the fast lane to set up the shot. I tweaked it in Photoshop (I used to get paid to do this stuff) to give it texture, enhance the color and introduce the blurs that create that streaked windshield impression.
Here’s the book’s blurb: (And I welcome any input you might have on this as well.)
Nice young ladies really shouldn’t be dumping bodies at sea. Then again, that isn’t stopping Hazel Moran, and she can’t figure where anyone got the idea she was nice to begin with. Raised aboard a schooner and riding shotgun in her father’s old 18-wheeler, there’s little on the road or water that she can’t handle; it’s her people skills that need work. Normally that’s not an issue – behind the wheel of a Kenworth most people tend to leave her alone. But when Hazel and her father become the targets of some unsavory characters hunting for her blue-haired cousin, their stolen tractor-trailer truck and a delivery that never arrived, she knows it’s time to heed the lessons learned from her favorite hard-boiled paperbacks: playing nice will only end in tears.
For ten sweltering days Hazel navigates the Garden State’s highways and shorelines, contending with a suspiciously wealthy stranger, white trash, Born Agains, appliance salesmen, an unstable stalker and his curiously troublesome companion. It’ll take all her ingenuity, not to mention some fishing tackle and high voltage, if Hazel hopes to protect her family and unravel this tangle of greed and betrayal. And anyone who gets too close, no matter their intent, will discover just how dangerous Hazel truly is as she sets in motion a twisted plan to uncover the truth, settle some scores, and if possible not wind up dead in the process.
I'm relieved to hear you were *parked* when you took that photo. My immediate response when I saw the cover was "Yikes!"
ReplyDeleteI do think it's clever that you used an actual photo of an actual sign for your cover. At first I had been thinking like some other commenters that green-and-white would look more realistic. In fact, I had doubts about how realistic the sign looked, assuming that you had pastiched it yourself. I bet actual New Jersey people will feel a thrill of recognition when they see it.
It does convey ominousness well.
I'm going to pop over to Amazon and buy when I get home. It sounds great!
ReplyDeleteI think the cover really works well. You get the idea of speed, of travel. The title done in "road sign" font is a nice touch. All of the text is easy to read. And there's a bunch of dark thriller/crime novels that involve cars or roads, so it fits in well there.
ReplyDeleteNicely done!