The original book cover design for “The Journal” mentions some cities where the action takes place in the book. Julia Hamilton is an interior designer in Manhattan in 2016. Julia discovers that her Swedish uncle joined an underground group in Berlin in World War II. 

          The skyline of Manhattan is pictured with a fictional building named THOR, a major real estate company in the book. Julia meets the President of THOR and they find that they have quite a bit in common. In fact, their lives are intimately intertwined and that leads them to Montreal, Canada as well as Tarrytown, New York. They are in pursuit of a kidnap victim from Stockholm, Sweden – a baby stolen by the Nazis during the war.

             “The Journal” is a novel with fictional characters set against the backdrop of actual wartime events. The plot is unique – it’s partly narrated by Julia’s Great Uncle Per Lundgren who died during the war. The balance of the plot is seen through the eyes of Julia as she attempts to finish the work that her uncle could not, due to his untimely death.
            My original cover design has a lot of detail, set on a map of Central Europe. I designed a simple cover depicting two main characters, Per Lungren and his wife, Raya. The images of a secret seal and a spy are suggestive of the mystery within.
           In looking for an image that would depict Per and Raya, I came across a 1929 photograph of my grandparents, Lee and Myra. In the photo, my grandparents were dressed just as the characters Per and Raya would be dressed. They are in a stance that showed their love and devotion to each other, and Lee straight and tall, protective of his wife. My grandmother Myra was leaning into her husband in a loving way. It’s as if Per and Raya of “The Journal” are actors in a play, starring as my grandparents. The photo was chosen for my redesign by happy accident and it invites readers into the world of “The Journal,” A Novel of World War II from Berlin Then to Manhattan Now.