People often say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
The truth is, readers have to.
When you’re browsing online or walking through a bookstore, the cover is the first introduction to a story. Before anyone reads the blurb or the first chapter, the cover has already begun telling them what kind of journey they’re about to take.
When I work on a cover, I don’t just want something that looks attractive. I want it to hint at the heart of the story without giving away the ending.
For the Mirror Estate series, each cover contains a piece of that book’s mystery.
Buried Secrets shows the back of a man approaching Mirror Estate. That’s Dylan’s story. He’s returning to his ancestral home, unaware of the secrets waiting for him.
Living Secrets features a biohazard symbol because the mystery centers on bioterrorism.
Forgotten Secret highlights a boat dock, the place where Clara’s life changed forever.
Tangled Secrets originally included two women on the cover—Grace and Sheila—but as the design evolved, I realized the city itself better represented the story. Orlando became the backdrop instead.
Hidden Secrets takes readers underground. The tunnels beneath Mirror Estate play a central role as Grace fights for survival.
Shadowed Secret naturally features the Vatican as its backdrop. Fr. Phil’s story is deeply connected to his faith, his past, and the events unfolding there.
Shadow Extraction, the companion novella to Stolen Secrets, shifts the action overseas. The European street scene on the cover reflects where much of Olivia’s mission takes place as she races to uncover the truth and complete a dangerous assignment.
And Stolen Secrets returns to where Jamie Beth’s story began. The school.
I enjoy looking back and seeing how each cover became a visual clue. They don’t reveal the mystery, but they point readers toward the heart of the story.
That’s always my goal.
Looking back now, I realize every Mirror Estate cover tells a small part of its book’s story. None of them spoil the mystery, but each offers a visual clue about the journey ahead.
That’s my hope every time I design a cover—that it does more than catch a reader’s eye. I want it to spark curiosity, hint at what’s to come, and quietly begin telling the story before the first page is ever turned.
Why that place?
Why that symbol?
Why that building?
Hopefully, the answers are waiting inside the pages.