MAY 2014
Josie Brown has no idea the Organic Food Store next door is haunted. Until he sees the rotting, shrieking ghost baby in the paper towel aisle. Then the nightmares start. The little girl across the street disappears from her bed. And Josie wakes up in her room the night she goes missing. Just about everyone in Sydney, Australia - including his workaholic parents and ambivalent teachers - thinks Josie is stealing the kids of Tamarama Street. It isn't long before the police, reporters, and a mob of angry kids are accusing the weird, quiet 12-year-old of being a monster. And Josie is starting to think they might be right. Only two people might believe him - Emerald, the new girl and daughter of the great marine biologist, who has been tracking the children's disappearances, and Manhattan, surf star, intimidating wild girl, and sister of one of the missing kids. Together the three break into the Organic Food Store searching for the missing children. Animal carcasses come to life; half-fish/half-humans try to eat them, and Bangkok, an ancient, mutant, amphibious squid, with ferocious, mornay eel tentacles, wants to feast on the captured children and take over Josie's mind. Josie must face Bangkok. But first, he must learn to trust his new friends...and himself.
Designing my book cover was no easy task. It's middle-grade (8-12 year olds) and horror so it needed to be scary, but not too scary, definitely not babyish, and it couldn't be ethereal and vague. It had to be concrete and easy to decipher.
Alexandre was able to capture the perfect mood on the first try. I love that he really read my brief and understood what I wanted, even though I wasn't sure myself. It was so much better than I ever imagined.
Also, the cost is a bargain and Alexandre delivered before deadline, on the first pass and a few tweaks on the second pass. I had a book cover I loved in less than a week, start to finish.
From now on, he's my only cover designer. Invest your $250 cover budget here, you'll be happy you did.
Kim Foster
