The Evolution of the Cover for Half an Orange in Gretna Green

This post is a completely spoiler-free look at the, as Recorder Elsie would call it, “right to-do” my cover designer and I had while attempting to finalise the cover for Half an Orange in Gretna Green.
Looking back, I think it’s funny now.
Not so much at the time, I gotta tell you.
Let’s take a look at the many shades of orange it involved.

50 Shades of Grey Orange … OK … maybe 25!

Linzi: For the cover of Half an Orange in Gretna Green, I need the orange point on the star to be … deformed.
Cover designer: Deformed? How? By what? More importantly, WHY?
Linzi: I’m not sure, just deformed or maybe I mean corrupted? Can’t explain it properly yet. It just needs to look ‘wrong’ — As for why—you know you’ll have to wait for the book like everyone else 😜
Cover designer: FINE. I’ll send you some ideas …

The Ideas

Linzi: Oh that’s great – but erm … not quite any of those 😂
Cover designer: …
Linzi: Start with number 4, but make it look more like Rhiannon played with it.
Cover designer: Oooh so it was Rhiannon’s doing??
Linzi: That’s not what I said … maybe make it melty …
Cover designer: Okay, maybe melty, maybe Rhiannon is taking no responsibility for it, but no one will believe her … leave it with me.

Cover designer: How about those?

Linzi: The last one! Yay!
Cover designer: I have some extra variations – depending on how much it wasn’t Rhi’s doing …
Linzi: It. Was. Not. Rhiannon.
Cover designer: Uhuh, sure …
Linzi: *sigh*

The Oranges

Linzi: It’s called Half an Orange in Gretna Green so … we need a half an orange as the door emblem. Like an orange sliced in half, so you see segments and whatever.
Cover designer: Cool, that sounds easier than some of the others.

The universe: 😂 🤣😂

Cover designer: Oranges suck.
Linzi: Oranges suck. But good news …
Cover designer: No more oranges?? 🙏
Linzi: Even better …
Cover designer: NOTHING is better than ‘no oranges’ at the moment.
Linzi: There needs to be a sunflower and the three wiggly, scratchy lines which are mentioned in the book. *sends a two-line snippet*
Cover designer: Oookay, so no half oranges any more?
Linzi: Oh yes, still an orange, just a sunflower and the wiggly lines too.

Note: There were a LOT of steps you don’t need to see for the door, as you might have already guessed, but these are the ones that at least got to some kind of ‘draft’ status.

More Orange

Linzi: Love that last one
Cover designer: You know you won’t see the wiggly/scratchy lines once the star is over them, don’t you?
Linzi: yep. But I’ll know. I’m pretty sure the perpetrator will know I know … And Niki is doing a Play-Doh thing.
Cover designer: Fine. How ‘orange’ do you want the background to be?

Linzi: The last one is perfect. There, that was easier than Ties and Red (Oh and Market Forces) wasn’t it? C’mon you enjoyed Spilling the Tea!?
Cover designer: Oh yes, the grave with the 1920s flapper and her stone beads swinging was a total breeze.
Linzi: The teapot was cool though?
Cover designer: 🤯
Linzi: Right Orange. The last one is the winner I *think*
Now, how about a cover reveal video? Something burning -ish but not dragon-y. It isn’t anything to do with her. Honestly.
Cover designer: Magical fiery vines leading up to a large burning tree stump where the book cover appears? And before you ask, None of it is made using AI. It’s maths. First and final offer.
Linzi: 😍 Is there an emoji for Grabby Hands?

Linzi: Thank you. Your crown as the coolest cover designer in Scotland is secure. Now that’s done … moving on … I liked the idea you had for Shrieking Violet. Loved the ombre font colours.
Cover Designer: But …?
Linzi: No, I liked it. Violet is pretty straightforward … it’s not as if we’re going to put Niki’s mum or Eleri on the cover, is it?
Cover Designer: 🤨

You can see the page for Half an Orange with its MAGNIFICENT final cover here.

Or you can read a two-chapter, interactive, multi-media preview here.