Cover Artwork for If I Never.

Yesterday, I got the final three possible covers for If I Never through from my publisher. I’d been expecting them but, still, it was a nerve-wracking moment. Already well familiar with the work of Legend Press’s designer, I shouldn’t really have been worried — but seeing a visual representation of a piece of work you spent ten months working on for the first time… well, nine o’clock in the morning and I was wondering whether I should have a Jameson’s to steady my nerves (I didn’t!)

The first image was a gritty urban scene — brick wall with the title of the book written graffiti-like across it. Had there been no other options I would have been very happy to go with this one. However, I still had two more to look at!

Image number two was very blue and striking — a hand holding something I couldn’t quite make out and a figure sprawled in the road ahead. Excellent work but a little too “crime” for If I Never, I thought.

So far, the first image was a clear winner…

… and then I opened the final file and saw this:

To say I was blown away is to understate it. I immediately sent my publisher a text message (he was out of the office, hobnobbing with royalty yet again — go Tom!) letting him know my preference, and heard back from him a short while later saying that we were in agreement.

So the image above is now the final cover choice for my debut novel, If I Never. As I’ve already said, I am over the moon with it and would like to take this opportunity to thank Gudrun Jobst for the wonderful work she has done in creating this unbelievably atmospheric visual representation of my novel.

A sample chapter of If I Never can be read here.

To pre-order your copy of If I Never, please click here.

© 2009 Gary William Murning

Image © 2009 Gudrun Jobst