Book Covers for Steven Buckshaw
Damnation
This story starts with an ending. Graham was an atheist and then he died. Now he finds himself in Hell. There’s an old Rowan Atkinson sketch: “You must feel a right nitwit,” says the devil. Perhaps Graham does, but he’s not admitting it. He’s not admitting he did anything wrong. He made the sensible call, based on the evidence. He chose to believe only what was believable. Nobody should have the right to damn him for that. They have, though. Fair or not, ludicrous or not, he’s down the drain. The ultimate disposal chute. Can a man climb out again? Can he do it on his own, without begging?
All Sketch Images - View the Project
In sketching out ideas for this cover Steve had presented a few key elements he wanted to see; dry, cracked earth being the primary theme. So I didn’t feel a need to “try on” a lot of different ideas. In the end three main approaches were tested out, though it was fun to play around with each. Click here to view all the test covers and read about this project.
Book Cover Design: Showdown
Steven Buckshaw’s second published novel is “Showdown“. Again I was fortunate enough to be able to Steve with another cover design, which you see here on the right.
Showdown
Tarnation started as a penal colony. When they got exiled to this world, they weren’t supposed to survive. The forcefence they built keeps the native varmints out, as well as the bad air those creatures breathe. Now the fence is failing. They’ve no more spare parts left to fix it. The traders Gleas and Slick can’t get them what they need, not this time—Tarnation is too poor a settlement. Yet far across Living Space, in the gap between galaxies, is Showdown—the debris field of an ancient battle, large as a solar system … Gleas and Slick can take a small group there. One of those vast alien wrecks, if they’re lucky, might have a shielding array they can salvage. And they won’t have to pay anybody for the technology if they dig it out themselves. That won’t be easy, of course—and that’s the easiest part of it. For the battlefield teems with rival scavengers and predators. If they get caught and killed, their home dies with them.
All Sketch Images - View the Project
For Showdown Steve didn’t give me any direction at all – he quite simply wanted me to read the book, and then let my own imagination and interpretations take me wherever they would. So naturally I played around with almost 15 different ideas. Too much fun! In the end Steve chose the cover to the right, of course, but click here to view all the sketch images and read about the project.
Steve Bucksaw
Writer, Poet, Dude.
Steven Buckshaw lives in Columbus, Ohio. Actually it’s a much cooler city than you would guess, even if the whole Buckeye thing goes more than a little overboard (Steve’s words, not mine – go Buckeyes!).
For a goodly span of years, he’s been the head projectionist at a big movie theatre. But not for much longer, sadly … the technology is changing. Projectionists are going the way of the dinosaur. Gonna have to find himself something new to support the writing habit.
