book or magazine cover for DS Hoffman

DS Hoffman

epublication to Amazon KDP of a science fiction novel, eventual release in paperback

Cover art for an ebook/paperback. I will need front, back, and spine. Title and by-line on the front and spine, placeholders for description, ISBN, on the back.

Genre: science fiction. Title: Gator & Shark Save the World. The year is 2025. Fifteen-year-old Shark thought she was miserable when her dad was just an alcoholic, womanizing US Senator, but now that he's Vice President, her life has become much worse. On the same day the President is assassinated, Shark narrowly escapes a kidnapping attempt by her own Secret Service, thanks to the timely intervention of her grandfather, Gator. Shark's problems are not over, though; her father and his cronies turn the country into a police state, and are determined to bring on the End Times. Soon she learns that the apocalypse Dad desires will be far more devastating than anyone imagines -- and only she and Gator can stop it.

Design idea: The protagonist is a 15-year-old girl, tall for her age, athletic, blonde, tomboyish and cute, NOT buxom. She should be standing in the foreground, perhaps one hand on her hip, the other holding a Sig-Sauer semiautomatic. Standing immediately behind and to one side of her is her grandfather, who is in his 60s, quite fit. He is ex-CIA, wears black sunglasses, and looks a bit like Robert DeNiro or Mandy Patinkin. Perhaps the black sunglasses are down his nose a bit, so that we can see his eyes.

In the background behind them are a black man in a treaded motorized wheelchair (in his 80s, half his face paralyzed by stroke, bald with a tonsure of white hair), a small Jewish man in his 70s (looks a bit like Armin Shimerman, definitely wears a wool driving cap), and a young black man about 19 years old, tall, handsome, with short dreadlocks. They should be arrayed together to suggest a team. The 19-year-old is the black man's son, and perhaps he has his hand on his dad's shoulder. The Jewish man stands a little apart from the others.

Despite the presence of the others, the protagonist should definitely be the star of this show, the dominant personality of the five, with her grandfather a close second. But she should appear in control, even a little cocky.

As for setting, angry storm clouds overhead/behind would be good -- the setting should have an ominous feel, even though the overall tone (conveyed by the characters) should be a little more lighthearted. The back of the book could be very simple: a continuation of the storm, perhaps a storm-wracked desolate landscape.

I'm flexible on the title design, but one idea: Gator & Shark in an arc across the top, Save the World in a complementary arc across the bottom, framing the characters in question. By-line small, in all caps, across the top or bottom.

As a VERY rough guide to the tone and style I'm looking for, you might want to take a look at the covers for Spider Robinson's Callahan books. (Not the exact style -- I like the way those covers convey a sense of humor, a lightheartedness and heart that's present in Robinson's stories). I'd like the style to be more comic book-like than realistic. See for example C. J Cherryh's Rimrunners. I find most SF cover art to be loathsome, so please avoid the usual tropes and styles common to the genre. Take a look at the covers for Neal Stephenson's books to see examples of covers that avoid the usual tropes.

I'm fine with designer credit on the back. All work should be original, of course. Front cover image needs to follow Amazon KDP select guidelines --
https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publish…TRG6OPX0VM

I also need your agreement to add the description to the back later at no additional cost, or have the file be in a format I can easily modify myself.