The bullish cover for The Abdication by Justin Newland has me curious. How about you? Does it make you wonder what the book is about? How about a few words from Justin Newland and let him tell us about the cover. Welcome Justin…

GUEST POST

The Cover of The Abdication.

The cover of a book is seminal. Isn’t it said, don’t judge a book by its cover? But we all know, that we do judge it, all the time. Perhaps it’s fair to say that we may not pick up a book because of its cover, but we may well put it down if we don’t like the cover. Either way, it’s an important conduit.

            For all my four novels to date, I have been fortunate to work with a well-known cover artist,  Jim Burns, who lives not far from me in the South West of England. Because his covers obviously have a particular style, having them on all four books has helped me to create a recognisable brand.

            The front cover is shown here. I wanted to have certain features within it, and because of his experience, Jim was able to help me choose the right images and refine their placement and arrangement.

A cover has to tell a story, and to draw the prospective reader in to want to open the book and read more, or at least read the back cover blurb. It has to make a strong statement about the book, its genre, its setting, and its main theme(s).

            Therefore, the central figure in the story has to have a central place in the book cover. In the case of The Abdication, that’s the horned, black, bull-headed figure, aka the Hebrew god Moloch.

            He was an interesting and challenging figure. If the ancient Hebrews believed they had displeased the god in some way, their priests would tell them to make sacrifices to him.

            The setting for the novel is a fictional ravine. The ravine itself plays a large part in the novel, so it’s fitting that it’s also included in the front cover.

            On one side of the ravine is a town called Topeth (shown on the front cover) and Unity is on the other side (shown on the back cover). A slender rope bridge joins the two towns. The setting is on the top of a mountain somewhere in Israel, in the Middle East, hence the scorched, sandy look of the rock, the land, and the brick walls.

            The houses and buildings in Topeth resemble those of the Middle East, and give further clues as to the setting. In the lower right-hand corner of the front cover is a wooden hut, in front of which two men dressed in Arab clothing guard the entrance to the rope bridge.

            In the background, upper right, is a derelict Acropolis, its pillars standing forlorn against the backdrop of a blue sky and high, wispy cirrus clouds. While the Acropolis is originally Greek, the image of the building or the temple is used here to represent ancient wisdom and ancient ways of understanding things.  

            This is all the main images of the front cover. It’s the artist who then puts them all together, and creates a unified image, leaving the titles to be placed top and bottom.

Justin Newland

23^rd February, 2022

Amazon

The Abdication by Justin Newland

GENRE: Supernatural Thriller

BLURB

The town of Unity sits perched on the edge of a yawning ravine where, long ago, a charisma of angels provided spiritual succour to a fledgeling human race. Then mankind was granted the gift of free will and had to find its own way, albeit with the guidance of the angels. The people’s first conscious act was to make an exodus from Unity – they built a rope bridge across the ravine and founded the town of Topeth. For a time, the union between the people of Topeth and the angels of Unity was one of mutual benefit. After that early spring advance, there had been a torrid decline in which mankind’s development resembled a crumpled, fading autumnal leaf.

Following the promptings of an inner voice, Tula, a young woman from the city, trudges into Topeth. Her quest is to abide with the angels and thereby discover the right and proper exercise of free will. To do that, she has to cross the bridge – and overcome her vertigo.

Topeth is in upheaval; the townsfolk blame the death of a child on dust from the nearby copper mines. The priests have convinced them that a horde of devils have thrown the angels out of Unity and now occupy the bridge, possessing anyone who trespasses on it. Then there’s the heinous Temple of Moloch!

The Abdication is the story of Tula’s endeavour to step upon the path of a destiny far greater than she could ever have imagined.

EXCERPT

19.       The Freedom of Prison

Evening was a special time in Topeth. As the pall of dusk fell upon the rooftops, the birdsong quietened to a hush. For the moment, though, prison bars prevented Tula from enjoying it.

From what Enoch had said, mankind’s ignorance and cruelty had unduly restrained the angels. Humans were granted the freedom to spark warmth into the freezing cold of the Universe. Angels and humans were partners in a grand dance, in which the ballroom was the Universe, and the orchestra was the Creator. That sacred dance was meant to be a thrilling voyage of discovery, and most important of all, of mutual benefit. Angels were the keepers of the next step for mankind. In passing it on to humanity, they, the angels, through a spiritual osmosis or transference, could learn about the great human qualities such as wisdom, benevolence and compassion.

While they waited for humanity to make the full and final retreat from barbarism, the angels were custodians of that noble purpose. She had no idea if, or when, that would ever happen. But while she lived, she would die trying. What else was more honourable to do with the great gift of life? Angels could learn nothing from people who danced to the tune of the merchant or who bowed before the altar of self-gratification. Ignoring the Covenant, humanity had fallen from its state of grace, not because of some wicked snake, but because they consciously chose to.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Justin Newland is an author of historical fantasy and secret history thrillers – that’s history with a supernatural twist. His stories feature known events and real people from history which are re-told and examined through the lens of the supernatural. He gives author talks and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio Bristol’s Thought for the Day. He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.

His Books

The Genes of Isis is a tale of love, destruction and ephemeral power set under the skies of Ancient Egypt. A re-telling of the Biblical story of the flood, it reveals the mystery of the genes of Isis – or genesis – of mankind. ISBN 9781789014860.

“The novel is creative, sophisticated, and downright brilliant! I couldn’t ask more of an Egyptian-esque book!” – Lauren, Books Beyond the Story.

The Old Dragon’s Head is a historical fantasy and supernatural thriller set during the Ming Dynasty and played out in the shadows the Great Wall of China. It explores the secret history of the influences that shaped the beginnings of modern times.  ISBN 9781789015829.

‘The author is an excellent storyteller.” – British Fantasy Society.

Set during the Great Enlightenment, The Coronation reveals the secret history of the Industrial Revolution. ISBN 9781838591885.

“The novel explores the themes of belonging, outsiders… religion and war…  filtered through the lens of the other-worldly.” – A. Deane, Page Farer Book Blog.

His latest, The Abdication (July, 2021), is a suspense thriller, a journey of destiny, wisdom and self-discovery. ISBN 9781800463950. 

“In Topeth, Tula confronts the truth, her faith in herself, faith in a higher purpose, and ultimately, what it means to abdicate that faith.”

V. Triola, Coast to Coast.

Website / Facebook / Instagram / BUY LINK: https://amzn.to/3LYX5E8

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