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.

👉 Meet Frank Leland in Working Stiff