Callie’s back! It’s been three long years since A Fool’s Journey, but Before There Were Skeletons, book 4 in my Marketville Mystery series, releases on October 21, 2022 in e-book, trade paperback and Large Print versions. I’m really excited about this one, because it’s my most ambitious plot to date, and so it was important to me that I have a great cover. If you follow me on social media, you may have seen the step-by-step posts I created for Facebook and Instagram. If so, you can happily skip to the end for more news. If not, here’s the back of the book teaser

The last time anyone saw Veronica Goodman was the night of February 14, 1995, the only clue to her disappearance a silver heart-shaped pendant, found in the parking lot behind the bar where she worked. Twenty-seven years later, Veronica’s daughter, Kate, just a year old when her mother vanished, hires Past & Present Investigations to find out what happened that fateful night.

Calamity (Callie) Barnstable is drawn to the case, the similarities to her own mother’s disappearance on Valentine’s Day 1986 hauntingly familiar. A disappearance she thought she’d come to terms with. Until Veronica’s case, and five high school yearbooks, take her back in time…a time before there were skeletons.

Okay, now that you have the basic premise, here’s how my wonderful graphic artist, Hunter Martin, went about building the book cover:

Step 1: Start with a blank canvas that could be the back of a bar

Step 2: Add Title information and add a door with an exit sign.

Step 3: Add a necklace to the empty parking lot

Step 4: Add a bit of slush and ice and brighten up the background and moon.

There were actually a few tweaks in-between, but you get the idea. And now the great news! If you’re an e-book reader, I’ve priced the pre-order Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple, and Tolino versions at an introductory price of just $2.99. But fair warning: The price will increase in October to $4.99 US / $5.99 CAD. This LINK should take you to the available retailers.

PS: the large print and trade paperback versions should be available for pre-order by mid-late September…I’ll keep you posted.