Making the Cover of “The Hunter, the Hunted” and Naming the Tragedy

One of the many joys of being an author is seeing visual representations of my writing come to life. Be it commissioned artwork, fan art, or even just cover art and interior illustrations, the satisfaction of seeing all my thoughts and ideas represented through symbolic imagery is unparalleled.

I just revealed the cover art for my upcoming tragedy, The Hunter, the Hunted. If you haven’t seen it yet, go ahead and take a quick look, either on my Instagram page or directly from my website, because today’s post is a brief dissection of all the elements that brought the design together.

Color Scheme

It’s stated in the book blurb that the protagonist, Samuel Hawthorn, is “scarred from years of witch hunting.” I wanted the tone of the book cover to reflect that sort of jadedness and fatigue he deals with at his ripe age of 24. Red is often associated with anger, passion, romance—all of which are prevalent in the book itself. Muting the color so it’s less bold and flashy aids in creating that weary outlook on the world Samuel possesses.

Roses

Displayed on the front is a close shot of a bouquet of roses. These call to the romantic connection that blooms between Samuel and Calista, but don’t be fooled into thinking this book is a romance itself. At its core, The Hunter, the Hunted is very much a warning against letting the pursuit of romance cloud one’s better judgment.

Rips Crossing the Cover

Maybe the first thing people notice are the three rips scraping their way down the cover. This is probably my favorite element of the cover, as it carries a couple meanings.

The first: I’ve stated multiple times now that this is a tragedy, and the ripped page effect is meant to emulate the rage and hurt that stems from such a story. Or, you could even imagine trying to write someone a love letter, growing frustrated in your longing, and ultimately tearing apart your attempt to adequately convey how you feel. Either way, this love—reciprocal or not—faces its own unique set of heart-wrenching challenges.

Another way you could look at these jagged, crossed lines is that they’re scars, not rips on a page. I mention in the blurb as well that Samuel faces a deadly monster, from which Calista saves him. He bears scars from that attack, and depending on how gory your imagination can get, you could also interpret these tears on the cover to mirror the gashes he endures in that fight.

The Title; Final Thoughts

I actually designed this cover while I wrote the first draft of The Hunter, the Hunted, which means, yes, I have been keeping it secret for over a year at this point. The reason for that is because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be the designer of my own book again, or if I wanted to hire a professional later down the line.

Well, “later” has arrived, and I have to admit: the cover has only grown on me. I’m quite proud of all the symbolism buried in the design, and while it was fairly simple to put together in Canva, that isn’t at all to say that I stuck with it out of laziness or stinginess. I truly think this cover is the best to represent the story I’ve written, which is why I’m so pleased to be able to share it now, when we’re just about six months away from publication day.

Regarding the title, this comes with a bit of backstory, so settle in for some light reading. I referred briefly to this in the cover reveal post, but The Hunter, the Hunted was actually a short story before it was ever a full length novel. I challenged myself back in early 2024 to submit to a winter short story contest—a week before the deadline, mind you—and the story of a witch who tries to befriend a retired witch hunter came to be.

The initial concept was meant to be much cozier, much more heartwarming, hence its first name, “Hearth.” I intended for Calista and Samuel to become close friends and overcome their cultural differences, but during that short drafting process, I realized that their loyalty to their own people, their own communities overrode any amount of friendship or affection they could ever harbor for one another.

Thus, a tragedy was born.

Naming a story like this, where the destruction of all things pure and good comes about by multiple choices made by both sides, was not as difficult as you might think. The Hunter, the Hunted allows plenty of room for interpretation. Who is the hunter? Who is being hunted? Are they one and the same, or are they two separate entities?

Compare that to a slightly altered version: The Hunter and the Hunted, which automatically implies that there are definitely at least two parties involved. While my book does feature an ongoing conflict between witchfolk and their more pious counterparts, both sides see themselves as the victim; both sides view their enemies as irredeemable monsters. And in some rare cases, one might change sides—or at least alter their worldview.

I am so looking forward to sharing more with everyone. As I wrote in my previous blog post, I’ve been working behind the scenes on a few things—some of which you might already be able to guess, if you’ve kept up with my Instagram stories—and I can’t wait to showcase all the future developments on this project.