The cover depicts Ash as she escapes the fire she set in the LA headquarters of the Russian gang. My art is storytelling. In many thrillers you have the protagonist as a figure seen from the back, running away as if being chased or chasing. By contrast, I show Ash coming towards us, nearly falling into our arms, so we can directly relate to the daring it takes to do what she does in spite of the fear.
I also gave a lot of thought to making each part of this cover shimmer with texture and light, creating an explosive, dynamic urban backdrop for her.
Here is the excerpt describing the scene:
Michael and I make our way through hissing smoke to save the old woman. We peer at the scene between one tongue of fire and another. A hairy leg is spotted here, an arm there, and on occasion—Voola—a snake, tattooed around an elbow.
I suck in a deep breath and duck through the flame in search of Mrs. Komarov. I’m guided by her frantic shrieks as a burning beam has collapsed next to her. I cover her head loosely with Linda’s black sweater to protect her from the smoke. We grab her arms and drag her together step by step out to the street, where an ambulance has just arrived.
We carry her past the cops who surround the place and past the firefighters who are setting up their equipment. The old woman complains, her voice scratchy from smoke inhalation, about the stinging in her eyes. Medics arrive. They treat Michael and me for injuries and apply medication over a burn on her leg to relieve the pain.
Strangely, the one person missing through all of this is her son.
For a second, I think I see him across the street, watching us. A sudden rush of adrenaline sends me dashing over there, ready to cry out for the cops—only to realize there’s no one there. What I saw must have been a phantom of imagination, a dance of flames. Vlad is a master at escaping justice. Has he done it again?
Congratulations, Uvi! Beautiful cover!
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