Back to the Drawing Board: Reimagining a Cover

When I first mocked up the wraparound cover for Working Stiff, I thought I had it: Frank Leland glowering on the front cover, the same image wrapping around to the back. It was bold. Graphic. And for me, a quiet nod to one of my all-time favorite mystery authors, Stuart Kaminsky.

So I went back to the drawing board. I stayed true to the mood and tone, but replaced the repeated image with a moment pulled straight from the story — a scene inside a creaky old elevator where Frank stands next to a stranger who’s about to upend everything. Sharp-eyed readers will recognize it when they get there.

The design still makes me smile. But now, it does what a back cover should do: deepen the mystery, not just echo it.

Big thanks to Rebecca for the nudge — and to the community of mystery writers who keep pushing all of us to think more clearly about what serves the story.

This creaky old elevator? It’s waiting for you inside the pages.
👉 Meet Frank Leland in Working Stiff