Satan’s Garden: A Novel
Cover Designer: Morgan Eastlack
Comments about cover design
Dani and Keely imagined that life was more magical than others believed. If they had to be summed up, their one plus one would equal three. Together, they became something greater. It was twin sisters against the world.
The 1+1=3 handshake found on the cover reflects this, with Dani in her favorite green and Keely in her purple. I wanted to create the juxtaposition of innocence and evil because that is a theme found throughout the book. The blanket shell the girls hide under represents this illusion of protection and safety, something that we soon find out had tricked us all along.
Morgan Eastlack is a new cover designer to the scene, and she works directly with authors to create the image that fits with the theme of their book. Satan’s Garden explores the story of ten-year-old twin sisters and how their lives diverge after one is kidnapped. It’s a hard story, but it’s also one that shows us how love, friendship, and faith can survive in spite of the most terrible circumstances. Morgan Eastlack was able to tell this story in a single image. I explained my vision, and she created it before my eyes. She put together the entire photo shoot, with my only job being to hold the fan “just right” so the blanket would billow properly. I couldn’t speak more highly of her artistry and ability to bring ideas to life.
This book is special to me, not just because it is my debut novel, but also because of the story I want it to tell. It’s about those special kinds of friendships, the ones that make you bigger than you ever thought you could be. This cover makes me feel that, and I want to thank Ms. Eastlack for making it possible.
Nice clean design
I think this cover works well. The unusual viewpoint of an unusual handshake catches the attention, and the simplicity of the layout ensures there is nothing to distract from this. I like the division of the cover into two halves, with the blanket above and the sisters below. And, unlike Alan, I don’t have a problem with the “flat” text, as in this case I think the simplicity suits both the rest of the design and the texture of the underlying blanket. Personally I’d have preferred the hands to be more symmetrically placed, but that’s just my nature! The one caveat to all of this is that I am no designer — these are just my inexpert reflections.
This cover shares one quality with many of the others that is one of my pet peeves when it comes to book covers, which is the use of a photograph with flat, featureless text slapped over it. It tends to be boring. I will say that the elegant font that was chosen for this one helps to make it much more attractive than some.