by Julie, springing in Somerville
I loved the covers Midnight Ink created for my Theater Cop series. But when they went out of business, and I got my rights back, I needed to come up with a new cover. After a couple of false starts, I decided to take on the task, create covers, and go “wide”.
First up, for those of you who don’t know this series, which I wrote as J.A. Hennrikus, let me tell you a bit about Sully Sullivan. Sully is a ex-cop who’s life imploded five years ago when she was forced to retire and found out her husband was having an affair. She went home to Trevorton, MA and was brought in to general manage a theater company. She’s settled into her new life, but when her friend is accused of killing his father, she brushes off her investigative skills.
This series is more traditional than cozy, and was a lot of fun to write. The third book was partially finished when MI closed their doors, and I’ve decided to finish that third book. But first I needed to republish the first two.
Thanks to long ago design classes, and Canva, I found images of stages, and ran them through some filters to make them look like paintings. They look related, but not exactly alike. I’m very pleased with the outcome.
I also learned about indie publishing, and put them on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Bookshop.org and other retailers. They are available as ebooks and paperbacks. They are also available world-wide, which is exciting. Indie publishing is a skillset I am still developing, but technology has made it much easier. New covers may not seem like a big deal, but they represent a lot of thinking and planning. What a business.
So what’s next for Sully, Dimitri and the rest of the crew? I’m writing a short story with some of the characters, which is a fun way to catch up with them. I am also going to finish book #3, and will hopefully get that out within the next year. And finally, I’m going to explore audiobooks, and see if that could happen.
Right now I’m celebrating that the books are available again, and that Sully is telling me new stories.
Readers, I do have a question for you. In my cozies, I am avoiding the pandemic. But in this series, considering it takes place in a theater, I think discussing the pandemic may make sense. What do you think?