Carlos Ruiz Zafón Book Cover

Once again, I need to thank my lucky stars and acknowledge that exposure from the annual American Illustration (AI) competitions is invaluable. Last go round, the New York Times saw the work that made it into AI and offered me the Colson Whitehead excerpt job. This time, it was HarperCollins, who approached me after seeing the New York Times illustrations that were included in AI 37, the most recent version of the competition. I think I’m noticing a pattern! No doubt, it’s time to put to rest the question of whether or not the $50 entry fee is worth it.

As for the HarperCollins offer, it was a chance to take a stab at a book cover for the latest novel by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, an internationally acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author and perhaps Spain’s most celebrated since Cervantes. After working out concepts and details through sketches for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been given the green light to proceed with the cover image by Zafón himself. The novel, THE LABYRINTH OF THE SPIRITS, is the series finale of THE SHADOW OF THE WIND, THE ANGEL’S GAME, and THE PRISONER OF HEAVEN and shines a light on the dark history of Francoist Spain. Ironically, the book is set in Barcelona, where I have been spending so much time lately.

Once I finish and HarperCollins says it’s ok, I’ll post the final with typography and all.