Hardwired

Brainwash

Book Cover Designs

Mar 6, 2026 | , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I was grappling with ideas for my next blog post when I received an email from a first-time reader. His question, “Where do you get your book cover designs? LOVE them!” That got me to thinking.

Brainwash

After I completed the rough draft of Brainwash and polished the book several times, I sent the manuscript to my editor. In the course of conversation, I asked her if she knew a good book cover designer. Without hesitation she replied, “Fiona of Fiona Raven Book Design.” 

Those ghoulish zombie-looking characters on the cover were her idea, and I’ve had a lot of compliments on the design. She also suggested splitting the book’s title, Brainwash, into two words to make the title larger, more “grabby.” 

Gadgets

As for Gadgets, the cover images were a no-brainer: hot air balloons. All I had to do was pull from my collection of photographs—the 800+ shots I had snapped during my attendance at two Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiestas. 

In fact, while photographing the events, I found myself contemplating the gruesome thought of shooting a hot air balloon out of the sky, not with a conventional projectile, but with something more technologically advanced. With my background in medical lasers while working for an ophthalmic corporation, I thought, “Laser? Hmm. Why not?”

Genocide

In keeping with the morbid plot line, a morgue scene with dead bodies piling up seemed fitting for the cover.  As for the book’s colors, I drew upon the premise for Genocide: Sean Ireland, the first gay presidential candidate in US history, is guaranteed the election—until he’s found dead at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

Throughout history, the color purple,  has had special significance. By the mid-20th century, it and its vibrant cousin lavender had become synonymous with the LGBTQ+ community. To complement my purple/lavender choice, I went with a vivid lime green. In retrospect, a darker green would’ve been more complimentary and striking.

During a visit to Vancouver, BC, I had the chance to meet Fiona. I spent a delightful day touring Granville Island and after lunch met with her. She was putting the finishing touches to my cover for Genocide. Not long thereafter, Fiona retired and sold her business. That’s when I hired Alan and Ian of the Book Designers (https://bookdesigners.com/) to do the paperback and Kindle versions of Genocide, as well as the audiobook for Brainwash. 

CLON-X

Again, the book’s plot guided my choice for the cover. Out for a run in Keller, Texas, former FBI Special Agent Darcy McClain and her giant schnauzer Bullet find a canvas sack submerged in a creek. Inside are the pulverized remains of renowned geneticist Dr. Catherine (Cate) Lord, who has been receiving death threats for her alleged research on human cloning.

Pulverized remains. Red of course for the background. As for the central emblem on the cover, I chose a DNA strand for human cloning. The text for the title and author name was an easy decision—another one of my favorite colors: turquoise.  

Blue Angel

While writing Blue Angel, my mind wandered to what the cover would look like. My imagination played upon the dark, life-altering secrets that would challenge Darcy throughout the plot. That’s when I envisioned a black background for the cover. As for the blue angel, would the person be good or bad? Regardless, I chose blue for the title and author color. As for the book cover image? Hold that thought. You’ll know soon! 

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Book Reviews

Jan 26, 2024 | , , , ,

I appreciate all the book reviews I’ve received over the years for my Darcy McClain and Bullet Thriller series. But for a moment, I’d like to concentrate on one in particular that caught me by surprise. 

An acquaintance saw a print ad I had recently run in a local bulletin and was delighted to learn I’m an author. He quickly followed with, “I used to be an avid reader, but since my stroke, my attention span has never been the same. I find it hard to stay focused.” But he assured me he would buy Brainwash and do his best to read the book. 

A week later we bumped into each other again. He appeared excited to see me and I wondered why. Sure, we know one another, but he certainly had something on his mind and was eager to share it. With a broad smile on his face, almost bordering on a smug grin, he said, “This is a great book, and I’m back to reading like before my stroke. I couldn’t put the book down.” He was halfway through Brainwash and had purchased Gadgets so as not to break his momentum. I couldn’t have been more thrilled. Not about the book sales, but that the series had helped someone in a most unexpected way. 

Three weeks passed and I hadn’t seen him. I grew a bit concerned and asked about him from mutual friends. He was on vacation visiting family in his hometown in North Dakota. When we met up again, he had read Genocide and was almost done reading CLON-X. That impressed me, but what touched me the most? He had a thank-you gift for me. And what better than a book from a local author in his home state – Lori L. Orser’s Spooky Creepy North Dakota. What a fitting title right in time for Halloween! 

I read it in two days. I loved the haunted stories, but, as I’ve never visited either of the Dakotas, I also found the historical facts about locations and people informative. I had both states on my bucket list and all reservations made for visits. Then Covid hit, derailing those vacation plans. Both states are now back on the list. 

A parting comment. In Lori’s book she states: “Like most places, North Dakota has plenty of what would be called urban legends in a more populated state. Here, we call them rural legends. These are stories with only one source, and no one to confirm or disprove them, but whose authenticity as history can only be considered as dubious!”

Her statement regarding authenticity as history certainly hit home, harkening back to my blog post titled “Fact, Fiction, or Contradiction?”

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Blue Angel

Nov 30, 2023 | , , , , ,

So far, every novel in the Darcy McClain and Bullet Thriller Series has come to life in pretty much the same way. I start with a spark of an idea. Often, these sparks come years in advance of the actual novel. When they do, I stow them away for future use. For example, chapter one of book four flared to life in 2003 during a walk with my first giant schnauzer, Shotz. She found a trash bag in a creek in Keller, Texas. The spark for CLON-X.

In many cases, an ending soon follows. While the last chapter may change – and usually for the better by the time the plot unfolds – not once has the concept for the opening chapters been altered in any major way. Each one has set the tone for the plot to unfold. 

The mind of a writer is an interesting phenomenon. Who troops through an arroyo in Taos, New Mexico, picking up trash left behind by those who disrespect the land, and ends up collecting, among other things, a filthy floppy disk? It isn’t just a disk, but the impetus for an entire book, Brainwash. 

Or why can’t the author simply attend a fun event like the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Festival without conjuring up an explosion, blowing a hot air balloon out of the sky with a laser no less? Gadgets is born. 

While on vacation in San Francisco and snapping photos of the Palace of Fine Arts, the author envisions this as the ideal place for a murder, Genocide.

A weekend getaway to an upscale hotel in Dallas to celebrate an anniversary becomes the perfect location to stage a massive fire to cover the true reason for the blaze. And there’s the spark for book five, Blue Angel.

Synopsis for Blue Angel

Darcy’s best friend, Samantha Logan, is lured out of retirement by the CIA for a Special Op. When Sam doesn’t show up in Dallas as planned, Darcy senses that Sam is in trouble and begins to track her whereabouts. Her desperate hunt leads Darcy on a footrace across Europe, always trailing steps behind, until she resorts to help from her canine partner, Bullet.

To complicate matters, the CIA is concerned that Darcy and Bullet will blow Sam’s cover and expose the secret operation, so the Agency deploys field agents to stalk them. As if that weren’t enough, Darcy’s former FBI partner, Dan, is worried that both women might be in grave danger, so he’s shadowing them as well.

Thrown back into the environment in which she was raised, Darcy learns the shocking truth about her childhood. These startling revelations shake her adult world, and will change her life forever.

My Favorite Question

The one I’m hearing a lot lately. When is Blue Angel coming out? I actually love the question because it means you’re eager to know more about what Darcy and Bullet are getting up to. So now you have your first hint. Want to track the progress of getting their latest adventure into your hands? That’s all going to be in my monthly newsletter, which will also feature new blog posts. To subscribe, go to patkrapf.com. I promise not to spam your inbox. You’ll only hear from me monthly. And you can opt out at any time. But, of course, I hope you’ll stay. 

 

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