“That ain’t mine.” Here it is, the real final (sans a review quote) cover for Cats Can’t Shoot, the second Pru Marlowe pet noir, out April 3, 2012.
“That ain’t mine.” Here it is, the real final (sans a review quote) cover for Cats Can’t Shoot, the second Pru Marlowe pet noir, out April 3, 2012.
First of all, all the best for 2012 to you, Clea!
As for the cover, the white cat is beautiful (will there be a white cat in the book?) but (and I hope you don't mind me saying that) the cover of "Dogs Don't Lie" was truer to the character of the novel. And as I'm already nitpicking about covers, I received my copy of "Grey Expectations" a few days ago (YEAH!) and the illustration is really, really dark. You can hardly see the face of the cat. Poor job by the publishing house if you ask me (and I still feel the cat should have been long-haired). Also, I know that all Grey books have your name in a bigger typeface than the title, but this time this difference is way out of proportion, I feel. Do you generally have any say in how the covers look like or can the publisher do whatever they want?
But well, before you think that I'm a stupid, overcritical broad, let me tell you I was immediately hooked when I read the first page, and I already feel that the book will be a really great read!
Best from Katha who loves your books but not always the covers 🙂
Katha – Thank you for commenting — and for being a faithful reader! Unfortunately, I have very little say about the covers. There is a white cat in "Cats Can't Shoot," though — and the one thing I did point out and got changed was that the gun in the book is an antique. In the original cover, the gun was contemporary, so that was a change for accuracy. I have not seen Grey Expectations yet, so VERY much looking forward to seeing that (bummed about the cover though, and, yes, I did ask for a longhaired cat — or at least a black and white, but… no luck). I think it is my best book yet (Sorry, Pru). Thank you and happy new year.
PS – Katha, if youlook on Amazon you'll see an earlier version of the "Cats Can't Shoot" cover, which I had suggested. The publisher ultimately decided that it might be confused with the first book (Dogs Don't Lie) and went in a different direction.
Clea — I just took a look at the cover on Amazon, and I must say that I really like that far better. It would have so nicely underscored the fact that the book is part of a series while still adding enough variation (the color and the cat) to differentiate it from book 1. Oh well. But I already assumed that authors have very little influence on the cover. So it's great you could at least convince them to use the antique gun.
Isn't that odd that your readers have the actual book faster than you yourself? 🙂 But I guess that's because "Grey Expectations" has come out in the UK earlier. I live in Germany and ordered it from the UK. I will keep my fingers crossed that the illustration of the American edition will be somewhat brighter and so come out better!
Glad to meet you, now I want to get my hands on your books. They sound right up my alley. Yay.