Thriller Thursday: Mystery in Mississippi

Okay, so it’s not true crime. It’s my very own mystery in Mississippi.

Tin God’s release date is April 8th, and I’m excited to give you the exclusive cover reveal by Night Owl Reviews.

The inspiration for Tin God’s cover

Tin God is set in the fictional town of Roselea, Mississippi, modeled after Natchez. It’s loaded with historic antebellum homes, and the first big event in the book takes place inside the town’s showpiece, Evaline Hall.

My first real introduction to the Old South and Civil War history came in 1985. I was eight years old, and ABC aired a miniseries called North and South. I fell in love with everything the show represented, including Mont Royal Plantation.

Boone Hall outside of Charleston, South Carolina was used for the Mont Royal exterior shots, and when I created Evaline, that house was all I could see. Click here to see Boone Hall.

Now, I couldn’t use stock photography unless I wanted to deal with copyright issues, and I wanted the cover for TIN GOD to be all original. So I contracted artist Kimberlee Ketterman Edgar to paint what would be come the wraparound for the book.

In my head, I saw a blazing sunset representing the Mississippi heat, with Evaline standing proud on the hill and flanked by live oaks. But we needed to add the suspense, so I suggested Kimberlee highlight the bloody planter found by the main character, Jaymee, in the books first few pages. And then there was the religious aspect of the book, as well as the heartbreaking journey Jaymee goes on as a mother in search of her child.

The result was a gorgeous painting of the vision I had for TIN GOD. The cover represents every key element in the novel, and I could not be more grateful to Kimberlee for sharing her amazing talent with me.

The final painting for Tin God.

So do you want to see the cover? Head on over to Night Owl Reviews!

To read the first two chapters of TIN GOD for free and be notified of early bird pricing, sign up for my mailing list. You will only be notified when I have exclusive offers.